NW Democrats: Administration Has Left Us Dangerously Under Prepared

Several Senate Democrats say they are concerned that federal staffing cuts could impact firefighting efforts this summer.  Senators from Oregon and Washington say some firefighters and support staff are gone from the Forest Service.  Oregon’s Jeff Merkley said fire seasons are only getting worse.

"More drought, longer fire season, hotter summers, higher winds, more lightning strikes and so we are here together to ring the alarm bell," he said.

Washington’s Patty Murray added probationary workers were laid off and many others took a buyout package, affecting more than just front-line firefighters.

"Nearly every single Forest Service employee supports fire operations in some capacity."

Murray and Merkley said the Trump Administration hasn't released staffing information, so they don't know if there are enough employees to handle the demand this summer.  Nine out of 45 incident management teams used nationwide have been eliminated, those teams coordinate firefighting efforts.

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