‘The stakes are life and death’: The US is not prepared for wildfire season after sweeping DOGE cuts, report says

Forecasters predict above-average fire potential this year across California, Montana, Texas, and much of the Pacific Northwest

As summer temperatures begin to rise and another dangerous wildfire season looms, a new report warns the U.S. is underprepared due to sweeping budget and staffing cuts under the Trump administration.

Federal agencies are grappling with reduced workforces, diminished resources, and weakened emergency infrastructure just as extreme summer heat and drought are taking hold of many states out West. Experts and current firefighters say the situation is dire.

“If this turns out to be a major fire year, it’s going to be a s*** show,” Dr. Hugh Safford, a fire ecologist and former U.S. Forest Service (USFS) official, told The Guardian. Safford spent more than two decades working for the service before retiring in 2021.

Five federal firefighters echoed the same concern to the outlet, speaking anonymously due to restrictions, all answering “no” when asked if their agencies were ready.

Already, wildfires have destroyed homes in Oregon, and more than 8.5 million acres have burned across Canada. Climate forecasters predict above-average fire potential this year across California, Montana, Texas, and much of the Pacific Northwest.

But despite these warnings, there have been major staffing cuts.

Federal agencies are grappling with reduced workforces, diminished resources, and weakened emergency infrastructure (Noah Berger)

USFS Chief Tom Schultz told a Senate committee the agency is “well-positioned,” citing the hiring of 11,000 firefighters—900 fewer than last year—and 37 incident management teams, down from 42, The Guardian reported.

But lawmakers and fire experts disagree.

“The reality is on the ground, we have lost workers whose jobs are absolutely essential,” Senator Patty Murray said in response, citing a loss of 7,500 USFS employees, including maintenance staff, administrators, and qualified on-call firefighters.

“The stakes are life and death here – and this raises serious alarms about this agency being ready for this critical fire season,” she added.

Cutbacks have strained fire operations. Some crews lack access to supplies, paychecks have been delayed or halved, and workers are filling roles far beyond their scope—mowing lawns, managing campsites, or doing their own plumbing.

“Those agencies were already understaffed,” Lenya N. Quinn-Davidson, director of the University of California’s Fire Network, said. “Now they are skeletal.”

Some crews lack access to supplies, paychecks have been delayed or halved, and workers are filling roles far beyond their scope—mowing lawns, managing campsites, or doing their own plumbing (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The Trump administration has pushed an early retirement program that 4,800 USFS workers have joined, including 1,400 with critical “red card” fire qualifications.

Schultz admitted there was no strategic analysis of who left or what skills were lost. Now, the Department of Agriculture is scrambling to re-enlist those workers for the fire season.

“I don’t expect many to return,” said one fire planner. “The loss of experience is immense.”

Another complication came when an executive order was issued last week, giving agencies 90 days to consolidate all federal firefighters under a new Department of the Interior agency.

Firefighters have concerns that the rushed implementation could create more chaos during peak fire season.

“It seems like a joke if you can’t even pay my guys or get them insurance,” an USFS squad leader said. “I like the idea of a firefighter-led agency. But I don’t have faith in these people putting it together.”

Grants that support wildfire mitigation on local, state, tribal, and private lands were halved this year and are set to be eliminated next year. Nearly $100 million intended to support rural and volunteer fire departments was withheld, The Guardian reported.

“The administration’s budget for Forest Service research is $0—for the world’s most important forest research organization,” Safford said.

The administration also rolled back climate science initiatives and scaled down weather forecasting capacity. NOAA and National Weather Service layoffs have hampered early warning systems in fire-prone areas.

Firefighters have concerns that the rushed implementation could create more chaos during peak fire season (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

So states are stepping in to compensate. California issued $72 million in fire mitigation grants last month. Colorado allocated $7 million this spring.

“Forest fires aren’t going to take four years off just because of who’s in the White House,” Governor Jared Polis told Politico.

Schultz acknowledged a shift is underway to push more responsibility onto states and local governments. That shift, Quinn-Davidson said, underscores the importance of empowering communities to lead on fire prevention.

“The more we can empower people at the local level, the more resilient we’ll be in the face of disaster,” Quinn-Davidson said.

But with the season already underway, many fear the consequences of federal disinvestment may soon be felt.

As one firefighter put it: “I’m not seeing our interests being represented. That could be catastrophic.”