Cuts at the U.S. Forest Service Put Communities’ Health and Safety on the Line
Since January 2025, the Trump administration has systemically hollowed out the U.S. Forest Service—the federal agency on the front lines of wildfire prevention and response. Acting under directives from the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”), the Administration has fired 5,000 Forest Service employees, including firefighters and staff critical to mitigating wildfire risks. These staffing losses are compounded by the administration’s Fiscal Year 2026 (FY 26) budget proposal, which slashes the U.S. Forest Service’s budget by an unprecedented 65 percent.
The consequences are already measurable. According to an internal report, some Forest Service areas have lost up to 100 percent of their trail staff under President Donald Trump, leading to “unpassable trails” and “unsafe bridges.” Publicly available data show that in 2025, the Forest Service fell dramatically behind on hazardous fuels reduction across National Forest System lands—one of the most effective tools for preventing severe wildfires. Compared to the previous four calendar years, wildfire risk-reduction work declined by 38 percent. Through September 2025, only 1.7 million acres received hazardous fuels reduction treatment, down sharply from the four-year average of 3.6 million acres. At the same time, as many as 27 percent of Forest Service wildland firefighting positions remained vacant during peak fire season.
These cuts are not abstract budget choices. They are a direct threat to public safety. Reduced fuels treatment and understaffed fire crews increase the likelihood of larger, more destructive fires that endanger lives, degrade air quality, strain local economies, and drive up costs for homeowners, insurers, and taxpayers alike. As climate-driven fire seasons grow longer, hotter, and more intense, weakening the Forest Service all but guarantees worse outcomes in 2026. Unless Congress intervenes to restore staffing and resources, communities across the West and beyond will pay the price for an avoidable policy failure.
