Policy & Funding

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.

Promised federal grants for prescribed burning and community fire preparedness are frozen due to new Trump administration policy conditions. In Washington alone, nearly $20 million in Community Wildfire Defense Grant funds has not been released, leaving conservation groups unable to treat fuel loads before fire season peaks.

Senator Maria Cantwell pressed U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz at a Senate hearing this week over $49 million in federal wildfire and forest management funds that the Trump administration is withholding from Washington state — even as fire conditions reach critical levels.

The new U.S. Wildland Fire Service is now in its first operational fire season under inaugural chief Brian Fennessy, consolidating Interior agency fire programs even as Forest Service integration remains unresolved.

The Trump administration's FY27 budget proposes eliminating USFS state and tribal forestry funding while consolidating fire management under the new DOI Wildland Fire Service. Infrastructure Law fire funding expires at year's end.

Sen. Maria Cantwell publicly confronted the USFS chief this week over $49 million in withheld wildfire funds Washington cannot access due to Trump administration grant conditions — as a proposed FY2027 budget would slash fire assistance programs by 97%.

The FY2026 federal budget locks in permanent wildland firefighter pay increases enacted in 2025, while the new U.S. Wildland Fire Service requests $6.55 billion for its inaugural budget year. Questions remain about overall federal fire capacity.

The newly established U.S. Wildland Fire Service is requesting a $6.55 billion budget for 2026 — nearly quadrupling previous annual fire management funding — as the federal government restructures its approach to wildland fire under a consolidated agency model.

Oregon's congressional Democrats warn that Forest Service budget cuts and the loss of over 1,400 certified firefighters could leave the Pacific Northwest dangerously underprepared heading into a severe 2026 fire season.

Oregon's congressional Democrats are warning that federal wildfire agencies could be understaffed and underprepared for the 2026 season, citing workforce losses, agency reorganizations, and the planned closure of the Pacific Northwest Research Station.