Wildland firefighters employed by the U.S. federal government face a potential reduction in pay this coming fall due to a disagreement among Republican lawmakers in Congress over federal spending. This situation has raised concerns that a substantial number of firefighters could choose to leave their positions, thereby posing significant challenges for the 16 states, primarily in the Western and Southwestern regions, where around 16,600 firefighters are actively combating over 90 large fires across roughly 630,000 acres, according to data from the National Interagency Fire Center.
The standoff among lawmakers persists while the Hawaiian island of Maui grapples with recovery efforts following a destructive blaze that claimed the lives of at least 115 individuals. Additionally, Canada’s British Columbia province is also experiencing the devastating effects of fires.
Representative Mike Simpson, an Idaho Republican who leads the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, voiced concerns about the potential for firefighters to face a 50% reduction in pay. He emphasized the risk of firefighters walking off the job due to such a pay cut. The federal government currently employs approximately 18,700 wildland firefighters. Both Republican and Democratic members of Congress recognize that failing to safeguard their pay could lead to a mass departure of firefighters at a time when increasingly severe wildfires, fueled by climate change, are extending the fire season.
The central issue revolves around a $60 million supplemental funding request put forth by President Joe Biden, a Democrat. This request aims to ensure that federal wildland firefighter pay remains protected until December, contingent on Congress averting a government shutdown when the existing funding expires on September 30.
President Biden had previously raised the minimum pay for wildland firefighters to $15 per hour in 2021 and enacted a bipartisan infrastructure bill amounting to $1 trillion. This bill entailed annual pay increases of either $20,000 or 50% of a firefighter’s base pay, whichever is smaller. These pay increases from the infrastructure bill are anticipated to expire around September 30, as indicated by the White House.
Lucas Mayfield, the president of Grassroots Wildland Firefighters, an advocacy group, emphasized that firefighters should not become pawns in congressional disputes. He warned that a pay reduction could prompt firefighters to leave their positions this year and exacerbate recruitment challenges in 2024.
The Democratic-led Senate seems poised to advance bipartisan funding measures. However, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives faces internal disagreements between staunch conservatives and moderate Republicans, potentially hindering the timely enactment of spending legislation.
Wildfires in the United States have already consumed nearly 1.8 million acres this year, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The costs and dangers associated with U.S. wildfires have been escalating over recent decades. Notably, over 10 million acres were affected in both 2015 and 2017. In the preceding year, the expense of suppressing wildfires across 7.6 million acres surpassed $3.5 billion, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Representative Joe Neguse, a Colorado Democrat, is collaborating with a bipartisan coalition of House and Senate lawmakers to address the pay gap issue. He emphasized the significance of focusing on the livelihoods of wildland firefighters rather than engaging in political gamesmanship.
Representatives Joe Neguse and Senator Kyrsten Sinema, an independent from Arizona, have introduced legislation in their respective chambers to prevent the impending pay decrease and authorize future pay increases for wildland firefighters. The authorization of salaries would need to be included alongside funding for firefighter pay in either a short-term interim measure, a special supplemental legislation, or annual appropriations, depending on what Congress can achieve by September 30.
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