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3mo ago

Trump Administration’s Funding Freezes Disrupt Wildfire Mitigation Efforts

Federal workforce reductions and halted funding for prescribed burns and fire prevention projects raise concerns about readiness for escalating wildfire threats.

FILE - Firefighters work to keep flames from spreading through the Shadowbrook apartment complex as a wildfire burns through Paradise, Calif., on Nov. 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)
FILE - U.S. Forest Service ranger David Needham walks through a pile of burning tree debris during a controlled burn in Hatch Gulch, Feb. 23, 2022, near Deckers, Colo. (AP Photo/Brittany Peterson, File)
FILE - President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk with Jason Hing, chief deputy of emergency services at the Los Angles Fire Department, left, and Capt. Jeff Brown, chief of Station 69, as they tour the Pacific Palisades neighborhood affected by recent wildfires in Los Angeles, Jan. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
FILE - The Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File)

Overview

  • The Trump administration has frozen federal funding for wildfire mitigation programs tied to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, delaying critical prescribed burns and other preventative measures.
  • Confusion over hiring freezes and executive orders has disrupted seasonal firefighter recruitment and training, leaving agencies understaffed as wildfire season approaches.
  • Key prescribed burns, including a 151,434-acre project in Florida meant to protect communities and biodiversity, were canceled due to funding and staffing gaps, despite official statements citing weather as the cause.
  • Nonprofits and state agencies reliant on federal grants for fire prevention work have halted operations, with layoffs and project delays reported in several states, including Oregon and Montana.
  • Wildfire experts warn that the funding and staffing disruptions could exacerbate the growing severity of wildfires, which have already been intensified by climate change and years of underfunding.