Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is calling on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Department of Agriculture to remove federal seasonal firefighters from the current hiring freeze, his office announced.
The freeze, originally implemented under former President Donald Trump, has delayed the recruitment of thousands of wildland firefighters, raising serious concerns about California’s ability to respond to wildfires.
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Schiff stressed that these firefighters are essential for safeguarding fire-prone communities. “Despite claims that public safety roles are exempt from the hiring freeze, this delay directly threatens lives. California depends on federal firefighters, and any reduction in their ranks puts people and property in danger,” he said.
The urgency of the issue comes as Southern California continues to recover from two devastating wildfires that claimed at least 29 lives and destroyed over 16,000 structures. Schiff is demanding clarity on how the freeze is affecting firefighter staffing levels, the number of resignations within the force, and any potential influence from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) or Elon Musk in the policy’s implementation.
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