Why It Matters
The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture heard testimony from Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz on Wednesday, July 22, as lawmakers pressed the agency on whether its ongoing reorganization can hold up against one of the most severe wildfire seasons in years. Nearly 3.9 million acres have burned nationwide this year, 900,000 more than the 10-year average.
Firefighters Emily Barker, Nick Hutcherson, and Sydney Watson died in the Knowles fire in Colorado on June 29, and pilot Nicholas Dale was killed in the Gold Mountain Fire on Sunday, July 12.
The Big Picture
The reorganization follows an executive order President Trump signed in March 2025 directing expanded timber production and streamlined environmental reviews. It calls for moving Forest Service headquarters from D.C. to Salt Lake City, eliminating the agency's nine regional offices in favor of state director positions, and consolidating research stations.
The Forest Service has already shed 16 percent of its staff since President Trump took office. The agency treated roughly 35 percent fewer acres for hazardous fuels in 2025 than in 2024. About 500 employees are expected to be asked to relocate as part of the reorganization, after the agency sent letters to roughly 6,500 employees notifying them they might be affected.
What They're Saying
Schultz has maintained that only about 1 percent of the workforce will be asked to relocate throughout the reorganization, a figure that agency whistleblowers have warned could actually impact as many as 1,900 employees in mandatory relocations. Whistleblowers have also pointed to inconsistencies between the number of employees receiving relocation notices and the number working in buildings identified for closure.
The National Federation of Federal Employees demanded Congressional action to stop the dismantling of the U.S. Forest Service, warning the reorganization creates a pathway for transferring federal lands to state and private control without Congressional consent. Tribal representatives have separately written that mass staff relocations would erode institutional knowledge of treaty rights, forest conditions, and working relationships built over decades.
Political Stakes
For the Administration
Schultz, a former timber industry executive, occupies a difficult position: defending an agency reorganization while also reporting on wildfire response in the middle of a severe fire season. The administration argues the Forest Service has lost focus on its founding mission of producing timber and reducing wildfire risk, and has set a goal of increasing timber offered for sale by 25 percent over the next four to five years. At a separate House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing June 4, Schultz defended the administration's aggressive strategy of putting out all wildfires as soon as possible after they begin, arguing the approach shouldn't be constrained by fire managers second-guessing available resources.
The administration has also requested Congress cut Forest Service funding in 2026 by about $6 billion, 67 percent lower than 2024 enacted levels, and more than 100 facilities are being evaluated for potential closure, according to an NPR analysis.
For Congress
The hearing gave Democrats on the subcommittee a platform to press Schultz directly on staffing and communication breakdowns, while Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) framed the reorganization as a needed course correction after what he called decades of overgrowth, litigation, and declining forest health. Newhouse opened the hearing by recognizing the three firefighters killed in the Knowles fire and the pilot killed in the Gold Mountain Fire.
For the Public
Two Forest Service employees were recently taken hostage while serving in California's Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Oregon's congressional Democrats have warned that federal agencies tasked with preventing and fighting fires in the Northwest could be understaffed heading into the 2026 fire season. Some environmental groups counter that the reorganization will reduce public access to forests and increase threats to clean air, water, and wildlife habitat. The Natural Resources Defense Council has argued the restructuring pairs with the administration's push to expand commercial logging while leaving the agency smaller, less resourced, and less able to manage the public's forests effectively.
What's Next
Schultz has said he expects state offices to become operational toward the end of October or early November 2026, after the current wildfire season subsides. Rather than resolving the fiscal year 2027 budget fight, the House passed a continuing resolution Tuesday, July 21, that would hold government funding, including the Forest Service, at current levels through December 4, pushing the fight over the proposed $6 billion cut past the November midterms. The bill has not cleared the Senate, where Sen. John Thune has said Republicans are negotiating a separate bipartisan version before the chamber's August recess. Lawmakers on the subcommittee gave no indication the reorganization itself will be blocked regardless of how the funding fight is resolved.
The Bottom Line
Wednesday's hearing didn't resolve the core tension driving this story: an agency losing staff and consolidating offices while managing one of its worst fire years on record. Schultz's numbers on relocations conflict with what whistleblowers have told Congress, and lawmakers on both sides used the hearing to stake out their positions rather than close that gap. With state offices not expected to open until fall and the 2027 budget fight still ahead, the reorganization's real test will come well after this hearing wraps.
Access the Legis1 platform for comprehensive political news, data, and insights.
Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article