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In a bipartisan appeal to support America’s access to the outdoors, U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) sent a letter Tuesday, June 11, to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Department of the Army leadership urging immediate action to lift a hiring freeze that has led to site closures and reduced hours at Corps-managed outdoor recreation facilities.

The senators’ letter highlights mounting concerns from constituents and industry leaders that recreation access is being unnecessarily restricted during peak summer season due to delays in processing a long-pending waiver. The waiver would allow USACE to hire seasonal staff critical to operating facilities like boat ramps, campgrounds, and beaches across more than 400 Corps-managed lakes and waterways.

“We must keep these sites open to make sure the American people can access the great outdoors,” the senators wrote, citing both economic and public health stakes.

The hiring freeze—implemented by the Department of Defense on February 28—does not currently allow for the seasonal staff flexibility USACE typically relies on during the summer. Unlike earlier federal guidance from OMB and OPM that included exemptions for critical services, the DoD freeze has left Corps districts without clarity, leading to operational disruptions in multiple states.

Senators Cramer and Alsobrooks, who serve as Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, underscored that in many parts of the country, summer is the only viable recreation window—especially in northern states.

Outdoor recreation contributes more than $1.1 trillion to the U.S. economy and supports over 5 million American jobs, including thousands tied to recreational boating access points maintained by the Corps.

NMMA has joined other outdoor recreation leaders in voicing concern over impacts to accessing recreation during this uncertain period and is working closely with congressional partners and agency contacts to ensure that the Corps can fulfill its mission during the 2025 recreation season.