Proposed Changes would Eliminate Agency’s World Class Research Program, Increase Fire Risk, Exacerbate Agency Staffing Crisis

May 4, 2026 - Washington, D.C. — Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) sent a letter with more than 60 of his House colleagues to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz opposing the proposed reorganization of the U.S. Forest Service, which was announced by USDA on March 31.

“The Forest Service manages more than 193 million acres of public lands across our nation, making it the federal government’s second-largest public lands agency. The decision to relocate the agency’s headquarters and eliminate its world-class research program undermines our efforts to confront the dual crises of climate change and catastrophic wildfires while worsening the already severe loss of staff and expertise since the start of President Trump’s second term,” the letter states.

The letter continues, “The United States is about to enter what many predict will be a devastating fire season, driven by extremely dry vegetation and a severe snow deficit directly linked to climate change. This reorganization proposal would close 57 of the agency’s 77 research stations across 31 states, including stations that study wildfire, drought, pests, and climate change—all of which pose immediate and growing threats to our national forests and nearby communities—and threaten to take decades of staff expertise with them.”

Huffman and his colleagues urged USDA to instead halt the proposed reorganization and immediately consult with Congress on the best path forward for the Forest Service, an agency that lost an estimated 25% of its total staff in 2025, thanks to the Trump administration's firings and DOGE cuts.

Read the full letter here.

Source: Natural Resources Committee-Democrats