Hickenlooper, Bennet, Neguse, Pettersen, Crow Urge Trump Admin to Reinstate 3,400 Forest Service Employees Fired in Mass Layoffs

Layoffs increase the risk of wildfires and hurt outdoor recreation in Colorado
WASHINGTON –
Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, and Representatives Joe Neguse, Brittany Pettersen, and Jason Crow
urged
Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to reinstate the 3,400 United States Forest Service (USFS) employees the agency fired this week.
“The USFS is already critically understaffed, and further employee cuts will have real and immediate consequences for Colorado’s economy, rural communities, and wildfire resilience,”
the Colorado lawmakers wrote. “
The decision to terminate these employees reveals a complete disregard for the value of these public servants and the roles they fill. The decision will destabilize the agency and the rural communities they serve.”
USFS staff who were responsible for wildfire mitigation, range and timber management, habitat conservation, and outdoor recreation management were included in the mass layoffs.
In their letter, the lawmakers emphasized the critical role USFS staff play in maintaining public lands, supporting the outdoor recreation economy, and contributing to the health of rural communities. The agency’s workforce was already strained due to the steady increase in visitors to our national forests and the increased frequency of wildfires over the last three decades.
The text of the letter is available
HERE
.
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