CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Nearly a dozen billboards have appeared around Cedar Rapids this week as part of a national campaign targeting federal cuts to the National Park Service under the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
The campaign, launched by the pro-labor group More Perfect Union, includes more than 300 billboards in 40 cities. Styled like vintage postcards, the Cedar Rapids billboards feature sunny imagery of Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis, one of the nearest national parks to Iowa, alongside the message: “Greetings from Gateway Arch National Park. Now with reduced staff. Made possible by $ D.O.G.E.”
“National Parks are some of our nation’s most cherished resources,” said Faiz Shakir, a former Bernie Sanders organizer and executive director of More Perfect Union. “They provide a space that all people – old, young, rich, poor – can enjoy equally and find their lives are enriched by amazing experiences. But that’s not something oligarchs care much about. Some elected officials and unelected billionaires would rather privatize or eliminate our public services. We believe strongly in the need for great public parks and outdoor spaces that all Americans can enjoy.”
The campaign targets staffing and maintenance reductions carried out under DOGE, which claims to have saved $170 billion in federal spending. According to the National Parks Conservation Association, more than 1,000 National Park Service employees have been laid off, and 700 others have accepted buyouts. The changes have reportedly led to closed campgrounds, reduced visitor programming and fewer rangers nationwide.
In Cedar Rapids, the 11 billboards are visible at these locations:
- 5524 CENTER POINT RD NE F/S
- 2660 WILEY BLVD F/SE
- 3320 16TH AVE SW F/W
- 352 MARION BLVD F/E
- 2971 WILLIAMS BLVD SW F/S
- HWY 13 S/O HWY 151 F/N
- HWY 13 S/O HWY 151 F/S
- 1000 COLLINS RD NE F/W
- 1201 BLAIRS FERRY RD NE F/W
- 5455 COUNCIL ST NE F/N (S/O BLAIRS FERRY)
- 130 COLLINS RD NE F/E
Local outdoor educators say the consequences of these cuts are already being felt on the ground. Owen Ballard, Operations Director at Camp Fire Heart of Iowa, said the staffing rollbacks threaten the accessibility of public lands for families with limited means.
“A lot of kids, their only means of accessing nature is through public lands,” Ballard said. “They need people to maintain the trails, the roads, the ways in which we are able to access the really incredible features that those parks hold.”
Ballard said the parks serve a broad range of users, from rugged hikers to RV campers, and that keeping them operational requires more than just open gates.
“If they have water and electrical hookups, all those things cost money to maintain and provide so that people at various skill levels… can experience nature in the way they want or need to,” he said. “Those additional services provided by the staff are what really maximize the impact of that experience.”
Iowa Republicans defended the program. A spokesperson for Rep. Ashley Hinson said she has “received overwhelmingly positive feedback from Iowans regarding efforts to make the federal government more efficient for taxpayers,” and said rooting out waste is key to preserving core programs. The spokesperson also cited a list of foreign expenditures DOGE has flagged as wasteful.
“In order to sustain the key programs and investments Iowans care about, we absolutely have to root out the waste, fraud, and abuse entrenched in our government,” the spokesperson said. “By making the government more efficient, we are not only finally respecting taxpayers who send their hard-earned money to the government, but also ensuring that government services are more effective and sustainable for the future.”
The Iowa GOP dismissed the billboard campaign as “a distraction meant to defend the status quo and resist financial responsibility and accountability.”
The spokesperson added: “Iowans overwhelmingly voted for President Trump and his vision to fundamentally change how the government operates. For far too long, federal spending has gone unchecked—but with the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the federal government is taking meaningful steps to eliminate waste, fraud, abuse, and unnecessary spending of Iowans’ hard-earned tax dollars.”
Senator Joni Ernst, who chairs the Senate DOGE caucus, echoed support for the DOGE initiative, emphasizing her ongoing commitment to fiscal responsibility. A spokesperson for Ernst said the senator “is fulfilling her commitment to Iowans to root out waste, fraud, and abuse to save their hard-earned taxpayer dollars and drive down the national debt.” The spokesperson added, “DOGE is fulfilling that by ensuring the government is operating more efficiently to better serve Iowans, which should be a lifestyle of all those working in the federal government.”
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart called DOGE “inefficient and wasteful” and accused the agency of harming core services. “Efficient government is what we all want. Unfortunately, Elon Musk and his cronies in DC have made a giant mess. The USDA, the National Park Service, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Weather Service have all been impacted by the cuts,” Hart said. “Laying off National Park employees doesn’t make anything more efficient. It ruins Americans ability to enjoy the National Parks. It makes them understaffed and results in ruined vacations.”
Update: This article has been updated to include a statement from a spokesperson for Senator Joni Ernst.
