Policy & Funding

Oregon’s 2026 wildfire costs have reached a record $236 million — 29% above the previous record — as the state seeks emergency funding for a season that has already burned 2.5 million acres.

Oregon's 2026 wildfire suppression costs have reached $236 million gross, with the state receiving eight federal FMAG declarations this season. Congressional action on short-term funding includes wildfire suppression carve-outs, and FEMA's pre-disaster mitigation program has $189.7 million available for community risk reduction.

The 2026 wildfire season has burned 8.2 million acres across the U.S. — 161% of the 10-year average — with the National Preparedness Level at its maximum of 5 and nearly 20,000 firefighters deployed nationwide to 78 large active fires.

A new Department of the Interior agency — the U.S. Wildland Fire Service — was created by secretarial order in early 2026, consolidating BLM, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Indian Affairs firefighting operations. But as the record-breaking season burns on, the new agency has yet to receive dedicated congressional funding.

The bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act is gaining momentum in Congress, backed by White House support, as the 2026 wildfire season burns at 164% of the 10-year average and Congress weighs $2.65 billion in emergency fire funding.

Congress is moving on wildfire legislation as the 2026 season breaks records. The newly created U.S. Wildland Fire Service lacks official funding, FY2027 proposals would allocate $1.54B to USWFS, and a firefighter housing crisis is straining the federal workforce.

The Fix Our Forests Act is advancing with bipartisan and White House support, while critics push back on a full-suppression policy that fire scientists say worsens long-term fire risk.

As the 2026 fire season burns through records and federal agencies strain to respond, a bipartisan legislative push and a high-profile debate over federal forestry management are reshaping the political landscape around wildfire policy. The Fix Our Forests Act, the Roadless Rule repeal, and deep USFS budget pressures are at the center of it all.

FEMA has denied federal firefighting assistance grants for two major Oregon wildfires in 2026, prompting Senators Wyden and Merkley to call it a 'major shift in administrative policy.' The denials leave Oregon covering 100% of suppression costs amid a historic fire season with 1.7M+ acres burned.

The Fix Our Forests Act is gaining momentum with White House backing and a possible NDAA vehicle as Congress returns. The 2026 season's 7.9 million acres burned and rising suppression costs are adding urgency to long-stalled federal wildfire reform efforts.

The Trump White House has thrown its support behind the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act as the record 2026 fire season forces Congress to confront wildfire policy. Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Rollins is moving to repeal the 25-year-old Roadless Rule, drawing immediate pushback from environmental groups.

The Fix Our Forests Act is gaining bipartisan traction in Congress as the 2026 fire season exposes structural gaps in federal wildfire policy. Meanwhile, federal workforce cuts and paused grant funding are drawing scrutiny from state foresters and fire management professionals who say agencies were left underprepared.

The Fix Our Forests Act is gaining bipartisan momentum, backed by the White House, as the 2026 fire season sets records. Congress is also wrestling with wildland firefighter pay, the underfunded National Fire Service, and prescribed burn permitting reform.

With over 7.7 million acres burned nationally, the 2026 wildfire season is fueling debate over federal firefighting policy, budget proposals that would cut state partnership programs, and long-term questions about prevention funding.

Washington State has spent more than $207 million fighting 20 large wildfires in just over a month, rapidly drawing down the $120 million legislative appropriation as costs continue to climb.

The White House endorsed the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act on August 10, accelerating chances for legislation that would expand prescribed burning and streamline fuel-reduction projects on federal lands amid a record-breaking fire season.

The newly created U.S. Wildland Fire Service began operations in January 2026 without dedicated funding from Congress, even as the 2026 fire season tracks toward one of the most destructive on record. Interior and USDA secretaries have both issued directives emphasizing full suppression strategy and interagency cooperation.

A bipartisan wildland firefighting bill endorsed by the White House on August 10 is gaining steam in Congress. The measure would expand forest management and streamline prescribed burns, but debate continues over Forest Service budget cuts and the roadless rule.

As the 2026 wildfire season sets records across the West, a debate is simmering over federal firefighting strategy. The Interior and Agriculture departments have mandated full suppression on all fires — a shift that some experienced fire managers say may put crews at risk on extreme fire behavior days.

The FY2026 wildfire appropriations bill provides $4.25 billion for suppression — including a $2.85 billion reserve fund — as the Pacific Northwest fire siege tests federal resource capacity at National Preparedness Level 5. A federal wildland fire service consolidation is also advancing.