Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined 14 of her Senate colleagues in a letter urging the Trump Administration to exempt seasonal firefighters from the federal hiring freeze. Reports emerged last week indicating that the federal funding freeze is preventing the hiring and onboarding of seasonal firefighters, a workforce that already struggles with recruitment and retention. This comes as the West continues to be ravaged by deadly wildfires.
“We write today following reports that hiring and onboarding for federal seasonal firefighters has stopped due to the Trump Administration’s federal hiring freeze,” wrote the Senators. “We are extremely concerned to hear that this is happening across the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service ahead of what’s expected to be another devastating wildfire year.”
“Although there is an urgent need to hire more federal firefighters, the Trump Administration’s hiring freeze does the opposite and is pausing hiring at a critical time for this already understaffed workforce,” they continued. “We urge you to put the safety of families and communities across the country first and allow the federal seasonal firefighter hiring process to continue without delay.”
The full text of letter can be found here.
Senator Cortez Masto has led efforts to support Nevada firefighters and combat the wildfire crisis in the West, securing billions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act to support wildfire risk reduction and new firefighting equipment. She recently visited the burn scar of the Davis Fire and discussed key resources she’s delivered for wildfires fuels reduction in Northern Nevada. She also ensured all federal wildland firefighters—including many working in Nevada — got a significant pay raise in 2023 and helped designate the Sierra and Elko Fronts as Wildfire Crisis Strategy Landscapes for wildfire prevention efforts.
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