Washington lawmakers are raising the alarm about the impact Trump’s mass government layoffs could have on wildfire mitigation.
On Saturday, Senator Maria Cantwell, Senator Patty Murray along with representatives Schrier, Larsen and Glusenkamp, sent a letter to the heads of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the United States Forest Service (USFS).
The letter asks both departments to provide information about the Washington state personnel who were let go from both departments, including how many were certified in wildland firefighting.
It also asked for the immediate reinstatement of all terminated USFS and USDA staff.
The letter reads in part,
“Amidst increasingly common extreme weather in the region, now is not the time to gut a workforce charged with wildland firefighting and mitigation for a quarter of the state’s lands….Without dedicated support staff, USFS risks losing critical functions like coordinating resources, managing incident command and providing medical assistance. This compromises both the safety of those on the frontlines and their ability to defend nearby communities.”
In January, Senator Cantwell introduced the Fire Ready Nation Act, meant to strengthen the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) ability to forecast and help prevent wildfires.
Weeks later, the Trump Administration terminated 800 NOAA employees.
In early March, Senator Cantwell raised a similar concern about the effect of Trump’s mass layoffs on Washington’s agriculture.
RELATED COVERAGE: Mass firings have begun at federal agencies
COPYRIGHT 2025 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
