Lawmakers press Interior on wildfire staffing and capacity ahead of another fire season

Members of the House Natural Resources Committee pressed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum for data and commitments on the department's capacity to respond to wildfires as the country heads into another fire season.

Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), citing concerns about readiness, asked whether Interior had sufficient personnel for what he called "a very difficult wildfire season." Burgum replied that Interior's headcount for wildland firefighters was "about the same" as last year and that he and related agencies were committed to working together on staffing.

Ranking Member Jared Huffman said his office had sent multiple oversight letters and described sharp cuts and delays in prevention work and fuel treatments that, he said, had "gutted" Interior's capacity. Huffman pressed Burgum to acknowledge impacts on wildfire preparedness and to commit to correcting them; Burgum said he and his team were focused on outcomes and would be "completely transparent" in providing data.

Rep. Joe Neguse pressed for specific numbers on "red card" qualified wildland firefighters and whether Interior was tracking departures; Burgum said he did not have those specific exit counts on the record in the hearing but agreed to provide information and transparency to the committee. Several members said they would follow up with written questions asking for updated counts, vacancy lists and data on seasonal hires.

Why it matters: Federal wildfire response depends on a mix of permanent employees, seasonal hires, mutual-aid agreements and technical assets. Members from both parties described vulnerabilities from staffing gaps, delays in fuel treatment funding and slow procurement of aviation and detection resources.

What comes next: Burgum agreed to produce further data; committee members signaled intention to press further on rehiring, transparency and on whether recently terminated or furloughed employees had been reinstated as federal court orders required.