WASHINGTON, D.C. — A group of Democratic senators from across the country wrote a letter to the Trump Administration on Tuesday, urging the president and his cabinet to consider issuing an exemption that would allow federal agencies to hire seasonal firefighters "without delay."
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The letter was drafted by Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada). Rosen's letter was signed by senators Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), Martin Heinrich, (D-New Mexico), Michael Bennet (D-Colorado), Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), Ben Ray Lujan (D-New Mexico), Mark Kelly (D-Arizona), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada), Tina Smith (D-Minnesota), Alex Padilla (D-California), Angus King (I-Maine), Bernard Sanders (I-Vermont), Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire), and John Hickenlooper (D-Colorado).
"We write today following reports that hiring and onboarding for federal seasonal firefighters has stopped due to the Trump Administration’s federal hiring freeze.”
In their letter, the senators say the freeze is negatively impacting recruitment efforts during a pivotal time when agencies typically staff up in preparation for fire season. “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,” the letter reads.
According to the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Interior, federally sponsored wildfire suppression efforts cost the nation an average of $2.9 billion per year, which doesn't include cleanup and recovery efforts. The blazes in Los Angeles County are estimated to have caused more than $100 billion in damage alone.
