In Everett, Murray vocally opposes Trump’s so-called reorganization and rejects funding cuts to Forest Service and Critical USDA programs
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Everett, WA – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, held a roundtable discussion with local leaders and stakeholders about the disastrous reorganization of USFS and USDA and what this means for the state of Washington in the midst of wildfire season. Senator Murray was joined by: Jody Weil, former Mount Baker-Snoqualmie Forest Supervisor; Tom Uniack, Executive Director of Washington Wild; Tom O’Keefe, Senior Director of Policy and Science at American Whitewater; Jamie Loucky, CEO of Washington Trails Association; Dan Rankin, Mayor of Darrington; Dan Brown, Director of the School of Environmental; Forest Sciences at the University of Washington and Chairman Hazen Shopbell, Tulalip Tribes.
The Trump administration has pushed out thousands of USFS staff, frozen federal funding, and may shutter USFS research stations in Wenatchee and Seattle. Washington state has already experienced numerous destructive wildfires this season, and is expected to have an above average wildfire risk across the state this year.
“We are in the middle of what could be the most dangerous wildfire season we’ve seen in a long time. And sadly, we’ve already seen homes demolished and lives lost this year due to fires in Chelan and Spokane,” said Senator Murray. “Over the last year, the Trump administration has seriously weakened the Forest Service’s ability to do its job by pushing out thousands of critical staff, blocking funding for crucial programs, and chaotically changing rules and procedures on a dime. Not only that, but this administration’s so-called reorganization of the Forest Service and USDA is nothing more than an attack on America’s public lands. Here in Washington state, they want to shut down labs that conduct necessary research, tracking the warning signs for wildfires, and providing guidance for forest managers. When we invest in fire preparedness, we save lives, we save businesses, we save farms, and we save communities. Trump wants to also cut funding for the Forest Service and critical USDA programs, so I’m tearing his budget up and throwing it in the trash. I will not stop pushing back hard for Washington state, our public lands, and for wildfire preparedness, prevention, and safety.”
“Throughout my career, I’ve seen how Forest Service scientists provide the research that makes management of our national forests successful—from reconnecting salmon habitat and improving watershed resilience to managing outdoor recreation,” said Tom O’Keefe, Senior Director of Policy and Science at American Whitewater. “Weakening the agency’s regional research capacity risks losing decades of scientific expertise and partnerships that help ensure investments in restoration, forest stewardship, and recreation are guided by the best available science. The Pacific Northwest’s forests and rivers deserve scientists who live, work, and build knowledge in the landscapes and communities they serve.”
“I appreciate Senator Murray highlighting the impacts of changes at USDA and the Forest Service that were made in Washington DC but have real impacts locally here in Washington State,” said Tom Uniack, Executive Director of Washington Wild. “Significant reductions in staff at the Forest Service have limited the agency’s ability to provide adequate public safety, wildfire response, resource protection and honoring tribal treaty rights and lifeways.”
As Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, in the Interior and Environment appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2026, which Senator Murray negotiated and helped pass into law, Murray worked to include essential investments in wildfire preparedness and suppression. In FY26, she secured $6.13 billion for the U.S. Forest Service, with separate additional funding for the Wildfire Suppression Operations Reserve. The bill rejected the steep $1.4 billion cut to the Forest Service’s non-fire budget proposed by President Trump and provides funding for the Forest Service to improve forest restoration and fire risk reduction efforts on federal lands. The FY26 bill also fully funds essential wildfire preparedness and suppression efforts by providing $4.25 billion for wildfire suppression, of which $2.85 billion is for the Wildfire Suppression Operations Reserve Fund and continues to support the increased pay for federal firefighters enacted into law last year. Senator Murray continues to push back against Trump’s FY27 budget request, to protect our public lands.
Senator Murray has been a leading voice raising the alarm on how the Trump administration’s funding freezes, punishing cuts to the workforce, and mass reorganization at the U.S. Forest Service and other key agencies are seriously undermining wildfire preparedness and response in Washington state. Earlier this year, Senator Murray fought back against Trump’s proposed cuts to key programs and reorganization at USDA that could threaten resources for wildland firefighting, and pressed USFS Chief Schultz for more information on reports noting National Forest Trails were understaffed following widespread firings. Last year in a Senate hearing, Senator Murray pressed Schultz on how the mass layoffs and funding freezes were putting wildfire preparedness in jeopardy. Senator Murray also joined forces with Senator Merkley and wildfire officials to lay out how the Trump administration’s cuts and layoffs are threatening wildfire preparedness across the Pacific Northwest. Last year, Senator Murray also released a report on how the Trump administration’s cuts to the National Park Service hurt Washington state and threaten wildfire response in the parks.
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