Policy & Funding

Congress rejected the Trump administration's proposal to merge USFS and Interior wildfire operations into a single U.S. Wildland Fire Service for FY2026, while the FY2027 budget request renews the call for consolidation — leaving the new agency in a funding limbo as fire season begins.

Oregon Senators Wyden and Merkley emerged from a NWCC briefing with 'deep concerns' about USFS staffing cuts, warning the federal government may not be ready for what's expected to be a severe 2026 fire season.

The Trump administration's move toward a full-suppression wildfire strategy — combined with proposed Forest Service staff cuts and a near-elimination of prescribed fire — is drawing sharp criticism from Oregon's congressional delegation and fire management experts heading into a dangerous season.

Legislation from Rep. Cliff Bentz would authorize emergency access improvements, new evacuation routes, and fire safe zones in Juniper Canyon in Crook County, Oregon.

Washington State cannot access $49 million in federal wildfire funds due to a Trump administration policy change on grant terms, leaving a preparedness gap ahead of what forecasters expect to be an active fire season.

DOGE-driven staffing losses, frozen Community Wildfire Defense Grants, and a proposed agency reorganization are raising alarms about the Forest Service's capacity to respond as the 2026 fire season ramps up.

Interior Secretary Burgum's newly established U.S. Wildland Fire Service is rolling out in phases as the 2026 fire season ignites. Congress approved $4.25 billion in suppression funding, but staffing gaps from federal workforce reductions remain a concern.

Senator Maria Cantwell publicly confronted the U.S. Forest Service chief over $49 million in withheld wildfire funding for Washington state, as the Trump administration's new DEI and immigration conditions on federal grants block critical preparedness dollars ahead of peak fire season.

Sen. Maria Cantwell confronted USFS Chief Tom Schultz over Trump administration funding changes that have frozen $49 million in wildfire preparedness dollars Washington state needs ahead of an elevated-risk fire season.

A Trump administration policy change has frozen roughly $200 million in Community Wildfire Defense Grants, preventing land managers in Oregon, Washington, and across the country from completing planned prescribed burns during a critical spring window.

Washington state is waiting on $49 million in withheld federal fire funding as peak wildfire season approaches, with Sen. Cantwell confronting the USFS chief at a Senate hearing over the administration's new grant conditions.

Over $41 million in federal wildfire risk-reduction grants for Washington state is on hold as the state and the Trump administration disagree on grant contract terms involving immigration enforcement and hiring requirements. The dispute affects communities including the Methow Valley, where wildfires have burned nearly 60% of the watershed.

Major budget cuts, thousands of staff reductions, a new all-suppression fire policy, and organizational upheaval at the U.S. Forest Service are raising concerns about federal wildfire readiness heading into a projected active 2026 season.

Oregon lawmakers created a dedicated Large Wildfire Fund via HB 3940, allocated $150 million for a new natural disaster fund, and distributed 75 fire engines to rural departments — building fiscal resilience ahead of a potentially severe 2026 season.

Washington State cannot access $49 million in federal wildfire funding due to new USDA grant restrictions, Sen. Cantwell warned at a Senate hearing — a dispute unfolding as the Pacific Northwest faces an above-normal 2026 fire season.

The new U.S. Wildland Fire Service is consolidating federal fire operations under Interior with a $6.55 billion budget request for FY2026, but the restructuring has drawn Congressional scrutiny over oversight and workforce implications for Western fire states.

Sen. Cantwell confronted USFS Chief Tom Schultz on May 13, 2026 over $49 million in withheld wildfire funds for Washington state, as the Trump administration's new grant conditions block states from accessing critical pre-fire season funding.

The Trump administration's reorganization of federal fire agencies, combined with a proposed 20% Forest Service staff cut and delayed prescribed burn funding, is raising serious questions about wildfire response capacity heading into what forecasters predict will be a severe 2026 fire season.

Oregon's congressional Democrats are warning that USFS staffing losses and budget cuts — driven largely by last year's DOGE reductions — may leave the federal fire response understaffed as the Pacific Northwest faces a potentially severe 2026 fire season.

USDA Secretary Rollins issued a 2026 wildfire readiness directive in April, but the administration's FY2027 budget proposal to restructure federal fire programs away from the Forest Service is drawing sharp criticism as fire season accelerates.