WA Democrats Sound Alarm on USFS and USDA Firings

Washington State's federal lawmakers sound the alarm on federal cuts to the United States Forest Service (USFS) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

United States Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, along with Reps. Kim Schrier, Rick Larsen, and Marie Glusenkamp Perez sent a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins and USFS Chief Tom Schultz on the firings of hundreds of employees.

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In the letter, the lawmakers expressed their concerns about wildfire mitigation and the impact to the state's economy with seven million visitors annually and nearly $1 billion spent in communities around National Forests in the state.

"Amidst increasingly common extreme weather in the region, now is not the time to gut a workforce charged with wildland firefighting and mitigation for a quarter of the state’s lands," the letter said. "While public safety roles were supposedly exempted, we’re gravely concerned about reports that USFS staff who support wildfire response or mitigation, as well as staff with firefighting certifications that serve in roles with dual purposes, were terminated."

In Chelan County, the state Employment Security Department (ESD) lists 30 federal employees filing for unemployment in the last year - that's ninth in the state. There have been a total of 526 claims filed since the middle of February.

In mid-February, nearly 40 employees from the Okanogan-Wenatchee National forest were fired.

In a release, ESD Commissioner Cami Feek said the department is monitoring the status of the federal employment sector.

"As more federal employees apploy for benefits, we're getting a better picture of the impact," Feek said. "The more data we have, the better we can help them file their claims and find new jobs."

King County led the list with 207 claims, with Pierce and Kitsap rounded out the top three.