U.S. Sen Heinrich: USDA funding and firefighter hiring freeze threatens communities

By Julia Goldberg
Source NM

In a letter sent Tuesday to the acting secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and colleagues put forth a list of concerns related to wildfires, including a halt of fund disbursement for forest management and restoration projects, and what they characterized as a universal hiring freeze that includes permanent and seasonal firefighters. 

“As we have  recently seen in Los Angeles, addressing the threat of wildfire — even in winter months —should  remain a top priority for the Forest Service and the Department of Agriculture,” the letter to Gary Washington notes.“The funds  provided by Congress for this work led to record-breaking accomplishments in forest  management in 2024. Halting these payments is not only unlawful but also endangers our rural  communities by removing a vital component of their economies and delaying critical work to mitigate the threat of wildfire.”

The senators write that it is their understanding USDA stopped funding provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or the Inflation Reduction Act in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order, and suspended hiring firefighters in response to Trump’s order to freeze federal hiring, even though his order exempted public safety personnel.
A federal judge on Monday ordered the Trump administration to comply with the judge’s previous ruling requiring the government to unfreeze funding on grants and loans.

The letter also includes 10 questions to the department, including a request for a full list of  the Forest Service programs for which funding has been paused; the status for personnel hired under both the IIAJ and IRA; and an explanation for the hiring freeze for firefighters despite the public safety exemption. 

For their last question, the senators write: “In recent years, the Forest Service has spent months at a time at Preparedness Level 4 and 5, indicating that staffing levels were stretched to a breaking point. How does the  Department plan to effectively fight wildfires if the Forest Service cannot hire  firefighters?”
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In addition to Heinrich, who is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, fellow committee member U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-W.A); Subcommittee on Interior,  Environment Ranking Member U.S. Sen. Jeffrey A. Merkley (D-Ore) and Ranking Member Committee on  Agriculture, Nutrition, and  Forestry Amy Klobucha (D-MN) signed the letter.
Read the full letter here.