Washington, D.C. – Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR) issued the following statement after a hearing with U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz on the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request for the agency:
“Forest Service Chief Schultz’s testimony only underscored the immense, serious challenges facing communities across Oregon and the nation ahead of another deadly fire season. The Trump Administration’s funding freezes and mass firings of key Forest Service employees plunged the agency into chaos, leaving us dangerously underprepared. The Chief admitted that 1,400 fire-certified employees have left the agency and that they are now asking those people to return after realizing the mistake. As one Oregonian who fought last year’s wildfires said, ‘you can’t get ready after the fire starts,’ and fire season has already begun.
“I have been sounding the alarm about the need to seize every moment to prepare for and mitigate wildfires, from reducing hazardous fuels to hiring enough wildland firefighters and support staff to tackle blazes on the frontlines. But instead of ramping up these efforts when we had the chance, the Trump Administration coerced essential personnel to take buyout offers, has not delivered funding provided by Congress for state, rural and volunteer fire departments nine months into the fiscal year, and is proposing to eliminate all federal support to states and private landowners for wildfire preparedness and forest management in next year’s budget that is vital for Oregon, Washington, and other Western states. The administration is literally playing with fire, and it’s our homes, businesses, and public lands that will all get burned.
“Chief Schultz’s inconsistent answers about ensuring our states and communities could access essential federal funds that Congress has already provided for forest management and firefighting mean we are less prepared this year than we were this time last year. I urge him to immediately implement the funding passed by Congress. If he’s unwilling or unable to do so, then that raises serious concerns about his ability to keep our communities safe during wildfire season and America’s forests healthy.”
You can also read Merkley’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the opening of the hearing by clicking here.
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