Heinrich Labels President Trump’s FY27 Forest Service Budget Request a “Roadmap on How to Dismantle the Forest Service”

Video here

WASHINGTON - During a U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing to examine the Trump administration's budget request for the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) for Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27), U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), the Committee's Ranking Member, delivered opening remarks, criticizing U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz for slashing programs and protections for U.S. forests and haphazardly reorganizing wildfire fighting efforts without a public plan as the nation is in the middle of wildfire season.

VIDEO: Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) delivers opening remarks on the U.S. Forest Service FY27 budget request before the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, May 13, 2026.

"Last year, I found the proposed budget deeply troubling. This year, when taking into context [the] relentless series of attacks we've seen on our public lands, the budget seems disappointing and irresponsible. Over the last year, we saw a chaotic hollowing out of the Forest Service staff, with the firing and re-hiring, in some cases, of vital positions, in addition to deferred resignations, and early retirements," began Heinrich.

"Let's look at the budget. Again, with no details, and a passing recognition of the need for future legislation, the budget proposes to move the wildland fire program to the Department of the Interior. Let me be clear: When we are spending our time on make-believe budgets and moving deck chairs around on the deck of the ship, it means we're not preparing to fight fires... When we're willing to lose people who support the agencies' ability to conduct research, or interact with our state and local partners, we're losing the same red-card holders who make up incident command teams and the fire militia," Heinrich continued.

"What this budget shows me is a roadmap on how to dismantle the Forest Service," Heinrich concluded.

A video of Heinrich's opening remarks is here.

A transcript of Heinrich's remarks as delivered is below:

Good morning, Chief Schultz. Thank you for being here today to discuss the Forest Service's Fiscal Year 2027 budget request.

Last year, I found the proposed budget deeply troubling.

This year, when taking into context [the] relentless series of attacks we've seen on our public lands, the budget seems disappointing and irresponsible.

Over the last year, we saw a chaotic hollowing out of the Forest Service staff, with the firing and re-hiring, in some cases, of vital positions, in addition to deferred resignations, and early retirements.

Ultimately, we saw a loss of well over 5,000, roughly 5,800, Forest Service employees.

I've heard from my constituents who are worried about the Forest Service's ability to carry out basic responsibilities - everything from trail maintenance to projects to protect infrastructure investments.

We saw the Forest Service pull back watershed protections in areas where local communities are actually pleading for politicians in D.C. to safeguard their water - both in my state and around the country.

We saw the Forest Service begin to strip away decades' long habitat protections in backcountry areas, the very places that I and my constituents go to hunt elk.

On top of that, the Forest Service continues to push forward with a reorganization without a public facing plan or assurances on specifically how this will actually help the Forest Service better manage our forests.

Let's be clear: many of the claims that we will likely hear today - about how the Forest Service supports healthy forests, and partnerships with sportsmen and local communities and states, don't match up to what's actually in the proposed budget.

For example, when talking about the reorganization, we will hear about a desire to bring Forest Service managers closer to the forests that they manage.

However, workforce reductions proposed in the budget mostly affect on-the-ground staff.

These are the people who actually carry out forest restoration and hazardous fuels work.

We will hear claims that the reorganization will not impact the Forest Service's ability to continue to conduct top notch research - despite this budget actually proposing to eliminate most of the research centers, something that I hope the Senate and Congress will revisit.

So, let's look at the budget. The Budget Request eliminates the Forest and Rangeland Research program.

To zero this program out at a time when our forests face increasing threats from wildfire, from insects, from disease, and from aridification, is short-sighted and in my view, reckless.

We will hear claims about how eliminating regional offices will make the Forest Service more responsive to state and local governments.

I want the Forest Service to be more responsive to state and local budgets, but in the budget, we see a total elimination of the State, Private, and Tribal Forestry programs.

These programs are important.

They're vital for supporting forested landscapes in the West, where land ownership is split among federal, state, private, and tribal stewards.

Eliminating these programs would undermine non-federal forest management.

Claiming that states will pick up the bill is unrealistic - it's an abdication of our responsibility to manage these lands today and for future generations.

And then there is the wildland fire program.

We are hearing that the reorganization will not move the wildfire program out of the Forest Service.

So, let's look at the budget.

Again, with no details, and a passing recognition of the need for future legislation, the budget proposes to move the wildland fire program to the Department of the Interior.

Let me be clear: When we are spending our time on make-believe budgets and moving deck chairs around on the deck of the ship, it means we're not preparing to fight fires, which is my primary concern in this coming season, which looks like it's going to be a doozy.

When we're willing to lose people who support the agencies' ability to conduct research, or interact with our state and local partners, we're losing the same red-card holders who make up incident command teams and the fire militia.

I said this last year, and I will say it again: I am open to new ideas in wildfire policy or better, more efficient organization.

But what we've been offered so far is not thoughtful reform - it's a decoupling of fire management and land management missions - those things should be done together.

They should be one in the same. That's how we have holistic management of our forests.

I'm also concerned that the Forest Service is claiming to have achieved 90 percent of the hazardous fuels treatment goals, but by your own account the acres treated were down nearly 30 percent in 2025 compared to 2024.

Given a budget proposal that doesn't adequately support our communities, doesn't effectively protect watersheds and wildlife habitat, and doesn't seem to, at its core, value the people that carry out the work - I have serious concerns about this administration's ability to meet even the baseline land management responsibilities.

What this budget shows me is a roadmap on how to dismantle the Forest Service.

I want to empower the Forest Service. I want to them to be able to manage our forest.

Thank you Mr. Chairman. I yield back and I look forward to our discussion today.

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