Heinrich, Murray, Merkley, Klobuchar Demand Answers from USDA on Wildfire Mitigation Projects, Firefighting Hiring Halted by Trump’s Funding Freeze

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ranking Member on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, are demanding answers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding the unlawful halt of federal funds needed to mitigate and fight wildfires.

Even though President Donald Trump did not apply the hiring freeze to positions related to “public safety,” federal firefighters are not currently exempt, and many have reported that their job offers were rescinded. In the letter to Acting Secretary Gary Washington, the Senators pressed for more information on the stalled projects and hiring of thousands of federal firefighters, which are critical to protecting our nation’s forests and American families.

“Significant questions remain around which projects, grants, and agreements have been affected by these executive actions, but there is no doubt that these actions will damage essential programs that Americans rely on to keep them safe,” the Senators stated.

“The Forest Service provides a critical support function for communities across the country, from supporting the nation’s wood products sector to mitigating the threat of catastrophic wildfire. Continuing to carry out this work as Congress prescribed is not only required under the law but essential for our nation’s security,” the Senators concluded.

The full text of the letter is available here.