Biden admin has warned half of wildland firefighters could quit without congressional action
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The Biden administration's dire budget warnings that thousands of federal firefighters will soon quit without congressional action are misleading, according to federal data shared with Fox News Digital.
The Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Forest Service and the National Federation of Federal Employees, which represents thousands of federal wildland firefighters, have warned for months that the federal government will run out of money to pay firefighters by Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. Up to half of the entire workforce is expected to quit as a result of the "pay cliff."
"The temporary pay increases for firefighters authorized under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will continue through the end of the fiscal year," Jaelith Hall-Rivera, the USDA's deputy chief for state and private forestry, wrote in a memo on June 20. "We are doing everything we can to inform and educate members of Congress on the potential consequences of the pay cliff."
Hall-Rivera testified, during a Senate hearing weeks earlier, that approximately "30 percent to 50 percent of our firefighting workforce would leave the service and go elsewhere" if legislation wasn't passed by the end of September earmarking funding for firefighter wages.
USDA Forest Service Deputy Chief of State, Private, and Tribal Forestry Jaelith Hall-Rivera testifies during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on June 8. (Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee)
Under the Wildfire Risk Reduction provision of the trillion-dollar Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which Congress passed and President Biden signed in late 2021, the USDA was appropriated $3.4 billion to combat wildfires through September 2026.
The multiyear funding arrangement included $600 million — $480 million for USDA and $120 million for the Interior Department — for wildland firefighters. The Biden administration ultimately used the funding to award firefighters raises worth up to $20,000 or 50%.
The most recent data shows, as of last week, roughly $109 million remains in the Forest Service's wildfire risk reduction account established by the 2021 infrastructure law. That funding would allow the agency to pay firefighters for at least an additional month past its emergency "pay cliff" deadline of Sept. 30.
"As of September 13, the Forest Service has at most enough funding to cover the cost of only two pay periods after the end of the Fiscal Year," a USDA spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement. "The pay cliff issue remains imminent without Congressional action."
"Put simply, without a permanent pay fix that creates certainty for our federal firefighters at both the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior, we will continue to lose these employees to other, higher paying jobs which leave communities, wildlife and public safety in jeopardy," the statement continued. "Rather than focus on red herrings, Congress should instead get to work to protect the wildland firefighters we depend on to keep communities safe."
A firefighting crew arrives to battle a wildfire in Eldorado National Forest, California in 2021. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
National Federation of Federal Employees Executive Director Steve Lenkart confirmed that the Forest Services had enough money to cover wages through Nov. 4, not Sept. 30. He said the extra month was a result of the fire season being "little slower than last year."
"I think everyone is on the same page now," Lenkart told Fox News Digital. "As we say in the biz, ‘sh-t happens.’"
According to USDA's data, at the end of the month, $24 million will be left for wages, $25 million will remain for mental health and wellness services, and $30 million will be left for backpay and hazard pay.
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When asked whether $55 million left remaining for wellness services and backpay could be tapped to cover wages, the USDA spokesperson said such a solution would sacrifice key resources.
"This would be denying our hardworking firefighters funding and resources that they deserve," the spokesperson said. "The best solution is for Congress to take action."
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack speaks at a White House press briefing in September 2021. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
However, Republican lawmakers have pushed back on the USDA's claims of a looming "pay cliff," questioning whether the agency could, in fact, use leftover funds for firefighter wages. One GOP aide close to negotiations who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that, when it was asked, the USDA presented documents that were created less than three hours earlier.
"USDA has continually failed to answer congress' questions related to this funding and have failed to communicate clearly with the brave men and women on the front lines of these fires," the GOP aide told Fox News Digital.
"Interestingly, while USDA claims the outstanding funds are to be spent on mental health programs and human resource cases, when asked for details, documents received from USDA revealed no programs existed and the meta data revealed the documents were created just hours before submission to Congress," the aide added. "It doesn't seem like USDA is taking this crisis or addressing the root cause seriously."
Meanwhile, a group of bipartisan lawmakers led by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., introduced the Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act in July that would permanently keep wages at levels under the 2021 infrastructure law.
Those lawmakers then sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., last week, demanding an immediate floor vote on the bill.
Thomas Catenacci is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
