National News

Rescue and recovery personnel from 13 states are assisting Texas with recovery efforts in the aftermath of a deadly July 4 flash flood event that killed at least 119, with at least 173 reported missing.
Both Republican and Democratic governors have sent help to Texas from the states of Arkansas, California, Florida, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said his wife and family members were rescued in Hunt, Texas, where they were vacationing with close family friends and were stranded as flood waters rose, NBC News reported. Not soon after, he deployed two Virginia Type III Swift Water Rescue Teams to assist with ongoing recovery efforts.
States are providing relief through an Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) responding to a request from the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM). TDEM is overseeing recovery efforts in six counties with the majority of personnel in Kerr County, where the majority of people were killed and reported missing.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders deployed 22 Arkansas National Guard troops to Texas; an Arkansas Division of Emergency Management team deployed Friday.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom also deployed 27 highly skilled Urban Search and Rescue Team members, including nine from Riverside City and Oakland City and 18 from the Los Angeles County, Riverside City, Menlo Park and Orange County Fire Departments. Among them are four Human Remains Detection team units, including eight canines.
“The scale of loss and devastation Texas is experiencing right now is unfathomable. California is proud to lend a helping hand to our fellow Americans,” Newsom said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was among the first to deploy swift water rescue teams and K-9 units to assist with search and recovery efforts in Kerr County.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry dispatched 14 swift water rescue personnel to Texas, including boat operators, technicians, support personnel and fire marshals.
“Louisiana is committed to helping our neighbors in Texas during this difficult time,” Landry said.
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen deployed members of its Task Force 1 and Type 3 Urban Search and Rescue Task Force to Texas.
“Nebraskans always step up to help those in need. These families and communities need our support and continued prayers as recovery efforts go on,” Pillen said.
New Jersey deployed members of its Task Force 1, one of 28 federal FEMA Urban Search and Rescue teams in the country. A New Jersey native also led a U.S. Coast Guard crew to rescue a record 165 people in Kerr County, The Center Square reported.
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong deployed a seven-person crew from the North Dakota Air National Guard’s 119th Wing.
It’s the first time the 119th Wing “has provided MQ-9 support for an EMAC request,” the governor’s office said. “Other states have come to our aid in extremely challenging times, and North Dakota stands ready to help Texas through this catastrophe however we can,” Armstrong said.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine also deployed 20 Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers and an Ohio Department of Natural Resources team with K-9s.
“When we put the request out to our troopers, we had the complete roster filled up within two hours,” Major David Brown said.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt deployed two Type III swift water rescue teams including Task Force 1 members from Tulsa and Oklahoma City, state emergency management personnel and boats, trailers, and equipment.
“As always, Oklahoma will answer the call to help our friends and neighbors during these devastating floods. That’s the Oklahoma Standard, plain and simple,” Stitt said.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster deployed the state’s Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue team, including five personnel and two human remains detection K-9s.
“In some of our toughest moments, the people of Texas were there for us. Now, it’s our duty to return that support and stand by our friends in their time of need,” McMaster said.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee dispatched a Memphis Fire CST-HRD team of expert handlers and specialized search dogs.
“Tennessee stands with Texas – we always have and always will. Proud of our first responders who are in Kerr County,” Lee said.
Wisconsin’s Task Force 1 were deployed to Texas, including Regional All-Climate Training Center employees, K-9 units, and Janesville, Menomonie, and Green Bay fire department crew.
Eight WI-TF1 members began search efforts with their K9s on Thursday northwest of Austin, the Wisconsin Emergency Management said. Its Canine Human Remains Detection Mission Ready team, including “three very important K9s (Duke, Merlin, and Reaper)” are performing “extremely difficult and heartbreaking work, but it plays a crucial role in bringing closure to families.”

Lawmakers are making slow headway on assembling a fiscal year 2026 package of 12 annual funding bills that provide money for federal agencies to spend on programs.
The House passed the first completed bill, which funds programs for veterans’ affairs and military construction, in late June. Since then, the House Appropriations Committee has advanced the bill which funds the legislative branch.
While Democratic rebellion against President Donald Trump continues to slow progress, the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved another government funding bill Thursday.
The bill allocates a total of $27.1 billion in discretionary funding for agriculture and rural development programs, the Food and Drug Administration and related agencies, and nutrition assistance programs.
“This important bill supports our farmers and rural communities, the safety of our food supply, critical federal nutrition programs, and medical research and advancements,” Committee Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, said in a statement. “This bill also provides much needed investments in rural housing programs to help address [the] severe affordable housing shortage.”
Among other things, the bill includes:
$3.7 billion to fund rural development programs, including nearly $3 billion to fund housing assistance programs and loans for low-income Americans. $1.3 billion for rural water and waste grants and loans$1.8 billion for rural business growth programs$8 billion for rural electric loans$3.6 billion for research programs on agricultural production and innovation $1.2 billion for animal and plant health inspection services$3.6 billion for the FDA, with user fees boosting revenues to a projected $7 billion in 2026. The bill also includes a new grant program aimed at helping schools transition to offering healthier food options to students$1.2 billion for food safety inspection of meat, poultry and egg products$1.6 billion for Farm Service Agency programs, including farm loans$8.2 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and $425 million for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program for low-income seniors
The bill also allocates $1.5 billion for Food for Peace Title II Grants and $240 million for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education program, both of which Trump suggested lawmakers completely defund.
Other provisions include closing a hemp regulation loophole and improving the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ability to track purchases of American land by other countries. USDA data shows that foreign entities owned 45 million acres of U.S. agricultural land as of Dec. 2023.
Lawmakers face a tight deadline to approve all 12 bills and pass a federal funding package, or else trigger a government shutdown. Congress never passed a fiscal year 2025 budget, instead passing three consecutive Continuing Resolutions (CRs) to keep government funding on cruise control until the end of the current fiscal year, Sept. 30.

Sunday marks the first anniversary of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pa. Despite the life-altering milestone, the president appears to be keeping it quiet.
After touring the devastation in Texas on Friday along with First Lady Melania Trump, the first couple is scheduled to travel to the president’s golf club in New Jersey for the weekend.
Trump, known for marking historic occasions with pomp, will observe part of the shooting anniversary by attending a soccer game in East Rutherford, N.J., appearing to mark the events of July 13, 2024, in private.
The world of then-presidential candidate Trump was altered when would-be assassin Thomas Crooks, 20, fired shots at him during a campaign rally in the Pittsburgh suburb, grazing the president’s ear and fatally shooting firefighter Corey Comperatore before being shot and killed by Secret Service agents.
It remains unclear if Trump plans to honor the memory of Comperatore over the weekend. During the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wis., in late July 2024, the president prominently honored Comperatore’s memory throughout the convention.
A year later, the motive for the shooting remains unclear. However, security blunders made by the Secret Service, spotlighted by lawmakers, eventually led to the ousting of leadership within the organization.

Investigations continue after a Gov. Gretchen Whitmer political appointee and donor was set to recieve $20 million of taxpayer funding for her Oakland County-based nonprofit.
Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Lawton, is calling for a federal investigation into the matter, sending a letter to U.S. Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz.
“I am writing to request a review by the Office of the Inspector General into the actions of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Fay Beydoun and the Michigan Economic Development Corp. regarding a $20 million grant awarded to Beydoun’s nonprofit, Global Link International,” Nesbitt said.
He added that he issued the request due to “serious allegations of misuse of public funds, conflicts of interest and potential national security risks.”
Beydoun has been a long-time political supporter of Whitmer and was serving on the MEDC executive board in 2022 at the time the grant was awarded. She filed paperwork to incorporate Global Link International just days before securing the grant.
The scandal around the grant has been growing for years, with Whitmer consistently stating that there was no favoritism at play. The Center Square first reported on the grant to Global Link International in 2023.
Its funding was meant to help attract international businesses to Michigan, but was canceled in March following allegations of misuse, including a reported $550,000 salary for Beydoun and questionable expenditures such as a $4,500 coffee maker.
According to Nesbitt’s letter, email records show that Beydoun coordinated directly with Whitmer’s office to obtain the grant, including that the “governor personally intervened to ensure its approval.”
Though the governor denies this, it has caused outrage from many.
“Since day one, Gov. Whitmer has denied culpability on this grant, but we now have indisputable confirmation that Whitmer herself was the ultimate architect,” said Zach Rudat, spokesperson for Michigan Forward Network, a nonprofit political organization. “Whitmer wasted millions of taxpayer dollars to line the pockets of a campaign donor and lied to the public about this pay-to-play scheme for years. This new revelation underscores just how corrupt Lansing has become on Whitmer’s watch and the necessity for a top-to-bottom change in the MEDC and governor’s office.”
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has been conducting an investigation into the matter, raiding the MEDC Lansing office June 18 to seize relevant documents.
MEDC’s attorneys filed a lawsuit to seek the return of those documents, arguing they are confidential under attorney-client privilege. A judge subsequently ruled against that lawsuit and MEDC had until today to appeal that decision.
Nesbitt argues a federal investigation is also needed though.
“While Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is conducting a state-level investigation into the grant’s misuse, the potential national security implications and the involvement of foreign officials elevate this matter to a federal concern,” his letter stated. “I respectfully urge your office to initiate an inquiry to ensure transparency and safeguard the public interest.”
This is not the only controversy with MEDC grants, with Nesbitt calling for a total overhaul of the system.
“MEDC is Michigan’s USAID,” Nesbitt posted on social media. “It’s time to DOGE it and END the non stop waste, fraud, and abuse.”

The July 4 Texas Hill Country flash flooding event is the latest to hit the region known as “Flash Flood Alley,” as Texas continues to lead the U.S. in flood-related deaths.
The greatest number of flood deaths in the U.S. have occurred in Texas, according to an analysis conducted by researchers at the University of Texas-San Antonio’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The analysis evaluated data from 1959 to 2019 in the 48 contiguous states and District of Columbia.
“The last two decades witnessed major flood events, changing the ranking of the top states compared to previous studies, with the exception of Texas, which had significantly higher flood-related fatalities than any other state,” the analysis states.
The 2021 study calculated flood fatalities investigated at the state, National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office (NWS WFO) region, and county levels. Texas reported the most, 1,069, during the 61-year period, followed by Louisiana (693) and California (340).
“Texas is the only state that reported flood fatalities consistently in every year from 1959 to 2019, except for the year 2011 in which the state witnessed a historic drought,” the report states. “All previous studies show Texas as the leading state in flood fatalities but the other leading states were ranked differently in the studies.”
Of the three main types of floods (flash floods, river floods and coastal floods), the majority of fatalities nationwide were caused by flash floods, the report notes.
Over the period analyzed, the New Orleans/Baton Rouge NWS WFO reported the greatest number of fatalities, 861, followed by Texas’ Flash Flood Alley. The Austin/San Antonio NWS WFO and Fort Worth/Dallas NWS WFO reported 381 and 263 fatalities, respectively.
The Flash Flood Alley region includes 27 counties and the cities of Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio. Counties are clustered on the edge of the Balcones Escarpment, which encounters warm and humid air from the south, from the Gulf of America, and cold air from the north, which “occurs right above the escarpment curve causing heavy rains and floods. At the same time, tropical storms from the Gulf are another contributor to heavy rains and floods in the Alley,” the report notes.
Of more the 23,218 counties evaluated, 64 reported the most flood fatalities, 2,572, accounting for 39% of nationwide flood fatalities, the report found. Orleans Parish of Louisiana, devastated by Hurricane Katrina, reported the most of 654.
Four other counties reporting more than 100 flood fatalities included South Dakota’s Pennington County (237), Louisiana’s St. Bernard Parish (154), Colorado’s Larimer County (143) and Texas’ Harris County (101). Three counties reported more than 50 flood deaths, all in Texas’s Flash Flood Alley: Bexar (75), Dallas (69), and Travis (60).
The report also notes that in general, “males are much more likely to be killed in floods than females,” representing 62% of total flood fatalities with known gender information. This is primarily because men are more likely to drive through flood waters, more likely to work as emergency response personnel “and more likely to exhibit other risk-taking behaviors,” the report adds.
“The large percentage of flood fatalities in the age group of under 29 and above 50 may indicate that the elderly are less able to escape from floodwater and young people are more likely to take risks,” it states, noting that children and the elderly are most vulnerable.
The analysis also cites another study that found that “flash floods contributed to the most flood fatalities, identifying 1,185 fatalities caused by 32 flash flood events from 1977 to 1981.” Among them, 42% of reported drowning deaths were vehicle related.
“Purposely driving or walking into floodwaters accounts for more than 86% of total flood fatalities,” the report adds, stating, “the vast majority of flood fatalities are preventable.”
According to NWS data, when analyzing a 10-year average between 2009 and 2018 and 30-year average between 1989–2018, floods caused the second-highest number of weather-related deaths in the US; heat waves ranked first.
Every year, there’s an average of 10,000 thunderstorms, 5,000 floods, 1,300 tornadoes and two Atlantic hurricanes that occur in the U.S., in addition to widespread droughts and wildfires, NOAA explains. Weather, water and climate events cause an average of 650 deaths and $15 billion in damage every year and are responsible for roughly 90% of all presidentially declared disasters, NOAA says. Roughly one-third of the U.S. economy, about $3 trillion, “is sensitive to weather and climate,” it says.
Roughly one in six Texans, or more than five million people, live or work in known flood hazard areas, according to Texas’ first State Flood Plan released last year, The Center Square reported.

Across the country, federal agents are arresting members of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) U.S.-Salvadoran transnational gang designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration.
In January, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing transnational gangs and cartels to be designated as foreign terrorist organizations. In February, eight were designated as FTOs, including MS-13.
MS-13 is an international criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles in the 1980s to protect Salvadoran illegal foreign nationals, but expanded the scope of its criminal enterprise. MS13 gang members engage in “campaigns of violence and terror in the United States and internationally,” they “are extraordinarily violent, vicious, and similarly threaten the stability of the international order in the Western Hemisphere,” presenting “an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States,” Trump’s order states.
This was after more than 300,000 Salvadorans were reported illegally entering the country under the Biden administration, The Center Square reported.
Federal agents are actively searching for FTO members, including MS-13, to arrest and deport. In the first few months of the Trump administration, more than 2,700 terrorist organization members, including MS-13, were arrested, The Center Square reported.
In Maine, Border Patrol agents arrested two MS-13 members so far this year. They apprehended one Salvadoran in the country illegally during a vehicle stop only to learn he was wanted by Interpol for aggravated murder in El Salvador. In another incident, Border Patrol’s Anti-Smuggling Unit searched for and found an MS-13 member in Portland. Both men were detained to undergo removal proceedings.
“The U.S. Border Patrol is committed to putting dangerous terrorists and violent gang members behind bars,” Border Patrol Houlton Sector Chief Juan Bernal said. “They present a real threat to our nation and to the American people, and as such, they remain a top enforcement priority for the Border Patrol. Members of the MS-13 terrorist organization should know that our agents will find you, we will work to prosecute you, and if you are not legally present in the United States, we will work to remove you from our country.”
Border Patrol agents in Maine have arrested Venezuelan Tren De Aragua terrorist organization and MS-13 members, Border Patrol says.
In Detroit, Border Patrol agents responded to a request for assistance from law enforcement partners in Sterling Heights, who detained two men involved in an altercation at a local motel. Record checks revealed the men were in the country illegally and one admitted to being a member of MS-13 who served 20 years in a Salvadoran prison for murdering a rival gang member.
“This is a major win for the U.S. Border Patrol and the safety of our communities,” Detroit Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Javier Geronimo, Jr., said. “This arrest is a clear example of how agents and our law enforcement partners are protecting our towns by removing violent criminals from our country.”
Both men are being processed for removal.
In Dallas, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers apprehended Maria Julia Varela, a 36-year-old Salvadoran national, with connections to MS-13 and Barrio 18. She is also wanted in El Salvador for her alleged role in organizing an assassination attempt. She remains in ICE custody pending removal.
“This criminal alien fled El Salvador hoping to evade law enforcement and accountability for an attempt of conspiring to take some one’s life,” Homeland Security Investigations-Dallas Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard said. “HSI Dallas remains steadfast in ensuring that communities in North Texas are not a refuge for international fugitives. We are dedicated to pursuing those accused of crimes that endanger public safety.”
In Boston, ICE officers working with the FBI apprehended 24-year-old Salvadoran national and MS-13 member, William Alberto Villalobos-Melendez, in Brockton who’d been illegally living in the U.S. for nearly nine years.
He was first apprehended by Border Patrol agents in 2016 after he illegally entered the U.S. near Hidalgo, Texas, as a gotaway, those who illegally enter between ports of entry to evade capture. Border Patrol agents issued him a notice to appear before a federal immigration judge. In 2019, he was ordered to be removed but wasn’t. He was arrested by Massachusetts state police in Middleboro in March on motor vehicle crimes and by ICE in May. He remains in ICE custody pending his removal.
“He is a validated member of a violent transnational street gang and poses a threat to our Massachusetts residents,” ICE ERO Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia Hyde said. “ICE Boston will not tolerate any threat that a member of a nefarious gang poses to our neighbors. We will continue to prioritize public safety by arresting criminal alien threats to our New England communities.”

Taxpayers will no longer pay for the education of noncitizens in the U.S. illegally, the U.S. Department of Education said Thursday.
The department said “it will end taxpayer subsidization of illegal aliens in career, technical, and adult education programs.”
A news release said that this change takes place due to an interpretative rule issued Thursday in which “the Department rescinded a Dear Colleague letter from the Clinton Administration that enabled non-qualified illegal aliens to access federal public benefits in contravention of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA).”
Title IV of PRWORA “generally limits eligibility for ‘federal public benefits’ to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and certain categories of ‘qualified aliens,’” the release said.
Federal public benefits include “any retirement, welfare, health, disability, public or assisted housing, postsecondary education, food assistance, unemployment benefits, or any similar benefits for which payments or assistance are provided to an individual, household, or family eligibility unit.”
In 1997, “the Clinton Administration issued a Dear Colleague Letter that erroneously exempted career, technical, and adult education programs from being subject to PRWORA,” the release said.
“In doing so, the Department’s interpretation mischaracterized the law by creating artificial distinctions between federal benefit programs based upon the method of assistance,” the release said. “Congress made no such distinction in PRWORA.”
The department’s release said that Thursday’s interpretive rule “also ensures that postsecondary education programs authorized under the Higher Education Act (HEA), such as Pell Grants and student loans, continue to be inaccessible to illegal immigrants.”
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in the release: “Postsecondary education programs funded by the federal government should benefit American citizens, not illegal aliens.”
“Under President Trump’s leadership, hardworking American taxpayers will no longer foot the bill for illegal aliens to participate in our career, technical, or adult education programs or activities,” McMahon said.
“The Department will ensure that taxpayer funds are reserved for citizens and individuals who have entered our country through legal means who meet federal eligibility criteria,” McMahon said.
Director of Policy Studies Jessica M. Vaughan at the Center for Immigration Studies told The Center Square that “taxpayers should not have to subsidize vocational or other post-secondary education for illegal aliens, who aren’t allowed to work in this country.”
The Center for Immigration Studies is an “independent, non-partisan, non-profit, research organization,” according to its website.
“Illegal workers displace American workers and cause their wages to go down, Vaughan said.
The department’s release explained that “interpretive rules cannot have effective dates and are not binding on the public or the Department.”
Additionally, Thursday’s interpretive rule “represents the Department’s current position on the issue and may be referenced when enforcing or monitoring grantee and subgrantee compliance with PRWORA.”
When reached, the Department of Education referred The Center Square to its news release, as well as its March decision to revoke waivers to California and Oregon colleges and universities that used “federal funds to provide services to illegal aliens.”
The department’s action is in response to Trump’s February executive order “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders,” the release said.
The U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Homeland Security announced in March that they were ending taxpayer-funding house for illegal aliens, The Center Square reported.
The executive order “directed federal agencies to stop funding public benefits for foreign nationals living illegally in the U.S.,” as The Center Square reported.

The U.S. Department of Education has launched investigations into 45 universities for alleged Title VI violations.
In recent months, the department’s Office for Civil Rights have claimed the universities are in violation of Title VI due to alleged racial discrimination on campus.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs and activities that receive federal funding.
“The Department is working to reorient civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination. The agency has already launched Title VI investigations into institutions where widespread antisemitic harassment has been reported and Title IX investigations into entities which allegedly continue to allow sex discrimination,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “Today’s announcement expands our efforts to ensure universities are not discriminating against their students based on race and race stereotypes.”
In its recent efforts to combat campus discrimination, the Trump administration has informed Harvard University’s accreditors that the university is violating federal anti-discrimination laws, potentially jeopardizing its accreditation.
“When an institution — no matter how prestigious — abandons its mission and fails to protect its students, it forfeits the legitimacy that accreditation is designed to uphold,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a press release.
Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin blamed Harvard for ongoing discrimination and antisemitic harassments students faced.
“Harvard, like other universities, has allowed foreign students to abuse their visa privileges and advocate for violence and terrorism on campus,” McLaughlin said.
On Thursday, the Department of Education announced an investigation into George Mason University following a complaint alleging that the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies provide “preferential treatment” to faculty from “underrepresented groups” in an effort to appear “anti-racist.”
“The Trump-McMahon Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights will investigate this matter fully to ensure that individuals are judged based on their merit and accomplishment, not the color of their skin,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor.
The University of Washington and Washington State University have also been under investigation due to their ties with the PhD Project, a nonprofit that assists minorities within graduate programs.
“Our vision is to create a broader talent pipeline of current and future business leaders who are committed to excellence and to each other, through networking, mentorship, and unique events,” the PhD Project stated.
In the announcement back in March, McMahon noted the department efforts are to ensure that all students, regardless of race, have the same opportunities to accomplish greatness.
“Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment,” McMahon said.
Colleges being investigated by the Department of Education over Title VI also include the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and two colleges in Colorado.

The U.S. Forest Services plans to cut its budget by $391 million for fiscal year 2026, according to a proposed budget request.
A large portion of the cuts to the forest services budget are expected to be implemented into the new U.S. Wildland Fire Service within the Department of the Interior.
Tom Shultz, chief of the U.S. Forest Service, laid out plans to integrate fire service operations within the department and highlighted its focus on a “back-to-basics approach” at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources hearing on Thursday.
“The fiscal year 2026 President’s budget refocuses forest service efforts on active forest management, critical minerals permitting, recreation [and] energy development,” Shultz said.
Some senators on the committee criticized the forest service’s plans to consolidate fire operations in the Department of Interior.
“Instead of moving quickly, you all have trotted out yet another new and described as improved reorganization in the middle of a very dangerous fire season,” Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said.
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said he was concerned about staffing cuts at the forest service from the Trump administration’s deferred resignation program, which allowed federal workers to resign from their positions while still receiving pay and benefits until Sept. 30.
“The staffing reductions coupled with the president diverting National Guard units in California mean that those resources are no longer available to support our wildfire response capacity,” Padilla said.
Shultz said that most firefighting personnel in the forest service did not take part in the deferred resignation process. He said the forest service maintains 99% capacity for firefighting personnel.
Padilla also said he was concerned about the increased roles state and local governments would need to take up in preventing forest fires with less help from the U.S. Forest Service.
“Communities in the United States of America are at increased risk because of the actions of this administration which contradict the supposed goals and objectives,” Padilla said.
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., opposed Padilla and said that state governments should have greater responsibility over public lands, rather than the federal government.
“If you take a look at the landscapes across Montana and look at federal lands versus state lands, I can tell you the state’s doing a much, much better job in terms of stewardship of public lands than the federal government,” Daines said.
As the U.S. Forest Service prepares to make cuts to its budget, state and local governments are looking for ways to address land management.
“Some of these issues that we’ve discussed, it’s just a reminder of the fact that states and tribes are incredible partners. They’re indispensable parties really, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah said.
“They’re the ones on the ground, living in communities that depend on these forests, that are right next to them, whose lives are inextricably intertwined with the land in question,” Lee added.