Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) joined U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), alongside 13 of their Senate colleagues, to urge the Trump Administration to exempt seasonal firefighters from the federal hiring freeze. Recent reports show that the hiring freeze is preventing the onboarding of seasonal firefighters, a workforce that already struggles with recruitment and retention.
“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.”
In the letter, the senators highlight the increase in frequency and destructiveness of wildfires across the country and cite reports indicating declining recruitment and retention rates of firefighters at the U.S. Forest Service in recent years.
“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.”
Bennet has consistently advocated for federal wildland firefighters, including through his bipartisan Tim Hart Wildland Firefighter Pay Parity and Classification Act. The bill would overhaul federal wildland firefighter pay and benefits – bolstering recruitment, retention, and well-being.
In addition to Bennet and Rosen, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Angus King (I-Maine), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) also signed the letter.
The text of the letter is available HERE and below.
Dear Secretary Burgum, Acting Secretary Washington, and Acting Director Ezell:
We write today following reports that hiring and onboarding for federal seasonal firefighters has stopped due to the Trump Administration’s federal hiring freeze. 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. The Administration must not sacrifice the safety of the American people for the benefit of implementing a political agenda. We urge you to immediately reverse course, begin hiring and onboarding seasonal firefighters again, and continue supporting and growing the federal firefighting workforce.
President Trump’s January 20th memorandum ordered a hiring freeze for all federal civilian employees. It also explicitly exempted public safety personnel from this freeze and allowed the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to grant further exemptions. We are appalled that federal seasonal firefighters are not already exempted, given the critical role they play in public safety throughout our communities. Federal seasonal firefighters are brave public servants who risk their lives to protect those around them. They work long hours in dangerous environments to not only fight fires on private, public, and Tribal lands, but also carry out hazardous fuels management, which is crucial to preventing and mitigating the effects of future Fires.
Wildfires are increasing in frequency and destructiveness in the U.S., necessitating even greater seasonal firefighter hiring. In 2024, over 64,800 wildfires occurred across the country, which is up from approximately 56,500 in 2023. Additionally, fires burned nearly 9 million acres in 2024, compared to only 3 million in 2023. Such fires also no longer stick to a particular season, meaning that we must be prepared 365 days per year to fight fires, putting even more stress and strain on a workforce that desperately needs additional support and higher pay. While the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law led to some small increases from the 18,700 seasonal and career federal firefighters we had in 2022, this investment is still not meeting our current wildfire needs.
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.
On top of this, firefighter retention continues to be a problem, with reports indicating that the attrition rate of firefighters at the Forest Service has been 45 percent over the past four years. We therefore need to focus on recruitment and retention of this critically important workforce, rather than place more uncertainty within it through an arbitrary freeze. The federal seasonal firefighter hiring process is already time consuming, and we don’t need to delay it further with more bureaucratic red tape.
The bottom line is this: pausing the hiring and onboarding of federal seasonal firefighters – while historic wildfires destroy communities and upend livelihoods across the West – is simply irresponsible and dangerous. We will be woefully unprepared to fight the fires to come and instead will continue to see record levels of damage, ultimately costing communities and taxpayers even more at a time when the cost of living is already too high. 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. Every moment that we wait puts lives and livelihoods at greater risk.
Sincerely,