On May 12, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (CA-02) and more than 60 House colleagues sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and USFS Chief Tom Schultz opposing the USDA’s proposed reorganization of the U.S. Forest Service, announced March 31, 2026.
The letter raises concerns about several elements of the proposal, including the closure of 57 of the agency’s 77 research stations across 31 states; the relocation of agency headquarters; and the transfer of wildfire management responsibilities to the Department of the Interior. Congress members note that the agency has already lost an estimated 25 percent of its total staff since early 2025, and also cite a nearly 40 percent reduction in hazardous fuels work. The letter also references the Fiscal Year 2027 budget proposal to make a 75 percent across-the-board cut to the Forest Service and to eliminate research programs, as well as state, private, and tribal forestry programs.
The full text of the letter is available HERE.
For more information, contact Staci Heaton, RCRC Senior Policy Advocate.