Overview

• President Trump has requested a 63% cut to the U.S. Forest Service budget, translating to a 30% workforce reduction and the potential loss of about 10,000 employees.
• The U.S. Forest Service, which oversees more than half of California’s forestland, has already shed an estimated 7,500 staff this year across firefighting, research and maintenance roles.
• FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grants have been terminated and the administration has proposed trimming $646 million from FEMA’s post-hurricane budget.
• Experts warn that slashed climate research funding and weakened weather forecasting could delay early warnings and hamper strategic firefighting efforts.
• Officials and firefighters predict a severe season as extreme heat and drought combine with diminished federal support to raise the state’s fire risk.