Policy & Funding

With suppression costs on track to shatter records, Congress’s wildfire funding structure — including a reserve fund set to expire in 2027 — is drawing intense scrutiny from lawmakers and fire policy experts.

FEMA denied federal firefighting assistance grants for two of Oregon's largest 2026 fires, drawing sharp pushback from Senators Wyden and Merkley. The dispute highlights the national tension between suppression spending and prevention funding.

Washington has secured a federal emergency declaration covering six counties and three Tribal nations, while Oregon has received FEMA Fire Management Assistance Grants for the Rowe Creek Complex and other fires. A Major Disaster Declaration may follow as damage assessments progress.

Federal disaster declarations are flowing to Washington and Oregon, but a contentious FEMA grant denial and subsequent reversal have highlighted the complicated politics of wildfire funding during a record-breaking season.

The Trump administration has denied FEMA firefighting assistance grants for two of Oregon's largest 2026 wildfires, leaving the state to absorb full suppression costs as the season shatters acreage records. Senators Wyden and Merkley are pressing for reconsideration.

A new continuing resolution includes provisions ensuring that wildland fire suppression accounts at USDA and Interior can spend at rates necessary to fight active fires. But separate Trump administration budget proposals would eliminate key Forest Service programs, raising long-term concerns about forest health and fire prevention.

A $438 million USFS budget cut in March 2026 and thousands of staff departures are drawing intense scrutiny as the Pacific Northwest burns through a historically destructive fire season. Senator Murray has raised alarms about potential closure of key research stations in Washington.

A new full-suppression policy, proposed Forest Service budget cuts, and a stalled Wildland Fire Service merger are drawing scrutiny as the Pacific Northwest experiences its worst wildfire season on record.

FEMA approved fire management grants for three Oregon wildfires but denied assistance for the East Evans Creek Fire and Rowe Creek Complex. Senators Wyden and Merkley are challenging the decision, arguing the cumulative burden on Oregon resources demands a more flexible federal response.

Senators Merkley and Wyden are demanding FEMA explain its denial of emergency firefighting grants for the East Evans Creek and Rowe Creek Complex fires, even as over 1 million acres burn and 33,000 Oregonians face evacuation orders.

As Oregon's wildfire suppression costs surge with 1.5 million acres burning, FEMA has approved Fire Management Assistance Grants for key fires, while policymakers and agency officials face renewed questions about fire funding, preparedness, and the long-term trajectory of fire seasons in the West.

FEMA has authorized Fire Management Assistance Grant funding for the Grasshopper Fire in Oregon, while state officials warn that the 2026 fire season is on track to be Oregon's most expensive suppression year in more than a decade, raising urgent questions about long-term funding and forest management.

Nathan Matthews, 43, a member of the Rifle Helitack crew in Colorado, died July 24 from burn injuries sustained during the Knowles Fire burnover on June 27 — becoming the fourth firefighter to die from that single incident. The tragedy comes as lawmakers raise alarms about USFS staffing amid peak fire season.

FEMA has authorized a Fire Management Assistance Grant for the Kaiser Canyon Fire in Washington, covering up to 75% of eligible suppression costs. Meanwhile, Idaho has already spent more than $20 million fighting fires in 2026 — and the season is far from over.

DOGE-directed staffing cuts at BLM and the Forest Service are drawing criticism from lawmakers and agency employees who warn the reductions undermine the federal government’s ability to respond to a worsening wildfire crisis — and could force the U.S. to seek international firefighting help.

As the nation's wildfire preparedness level hits its maximum for the second consecutive year, questions about long-term funding for fire suppression and prevention are coming to a head in Congress, with potential cuts threatening both prevention programs and the aerial firefighting fleet.

Idaho has already spent more than $20 million on wildfire suppression in 2026 and is weighing higher fire assessment fees, while at the federal level the newly created U.S. Wildland Fire Service is set to receive its first named congressional appropriation of $1.16 billion in FY27.

The Trump administration's proposal to create a unified U.S. Wildland Fire Service is advancing administratively despite Congress's failure to formally authorize it, even as the 2026 fire season pushes federal firefighting resources to their limits. Oregon has already triggered the FEMA Fire Management Assistance Grant process and declared a statewide emergency.

As Oregon and Washington battle some of the largest fires in recent state history, questions about the long-term adequacy of wildfire suppression funding and forest management investment have returned to the national conversation. Congress allocated emergency fire funding in FY2026, but fire management advocates say critical gaps remain.

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act multiple times in one week, mobilizing state firefighting resources for the Lower Dry Creek Fire, the Rowe Creek Complex, and the Akawa Butte and Brewer fires — an unprecedented pace that highlights the severity of Oregon's 2026 fire season.