Heinrich, Murray, Klobuchar, Merkley Slam USDA for Evasive Response on Wildfire Mitigation Projects, Workforce Cuts, and Funding Freezes

WASHINGTON– U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, along with U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee; Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, is once again pressing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for answers after receiving a deeply inadequate response toa February oversight letterregarding the Department’s unlawful halt of federal funds needed to mitigate and fight wildfires.
In a follow-up letter sent to USDA Deputy Under Secretary Kristin Sleeper, the lawmakers criticized theUSDA’s April responsefor failing to answer the majority of their questions and  demanded a comprehensive and transparent accounting of the agency’s actions under the Trump Administration.
“We write to address your recent response to the letter we sent on February 11, 2025, regarding the disbursement of funds for forest management and restoration projects and the universal hiring freeze under the Department of Agriculture. Our letter outlined ten specific questions, of which only two were addressed in your April 10 response,”the senators wrote.
“Your incomplete response left significant questions unanswered concerning which projects, grants, agreements, and staff have been affected by the Trump Administration’s recent actions. Although the Forest Service has lost approximately 5,000 employees through resignation and early retirement since February, we understand that additional reduction-in-force actions are still planned. Questions remain about the Department’s plan to carry out Congressional directives and, most importantly, protect American communities in danger as they face a daunting fire season,”the senators continued.
“Despite our clear and detailed inquiry, the Forest Service has only answered two of our ten questions,”the senators wrote.“This lack of transparency is unacceptable in the face of ongoing threats to public safety, wildfire resilience, and rural economies across the country.”
The senators requested a response to the questions they originally sent to the USDA, which went unanswered by the Department in their correspondence:
The senators requested additional answers to the following new questions:
The senators concluded their letter by underscoring how USDA is required by law to carry out its work as Congress intended,“The Forest Service provides a critical support function for communities across the country, from supporting the nation’s wood products sector to mitigating the threat of catastrophic wildfire. Continuing to carry out this work as Congress prescribed is not only required under the law but essential for our nation’s security.”
Full text of the letter is availablehere.
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