Interior to cut more than 2,000 jobs across bureaus in court filing

The Interior Department said Monday it plans to eliminate more than 2,000 jobs across multiple bureaus, with the largest proposed reductions concentrated in the secretary's office, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Geological Survey. The department disclosed the figures in a court filing in a lawsuit over the reductions, which was filed as the federal government remains in a multiweek shutdown.

According to the filing, the department intends to cut more than 770 positions from the secretary's office, including 229 in customer service functions and 129 in communications. The Bureau of Land Management faces 474 proposed cuts, 386 of them in state offices. The U.S. Geological Survey would lose 335 positions, the filing said, including jobs at its Great Lakes Science Center. The National Park Service is listed for 203 reductions, largely in its Southeast, Northeast and Pacific West regional offices.

The proposed reductions were disclosed as part of litigation brought initially by two unions that represent Interior Department employees. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order that has paused the planned firings while the case moves forward. Three additional...