Hoyle and Top Democrats Condemn Trump’s Federal Workforce Purge, Back Bills to Block Mass Firings at Interior, Forest Service
For Immediate Release: August 5, 2025 Catherine White (Hoyle) — 202-578-0305 Ana Unruh Cohen (HNR Dems) — 202 498-3487 EUGENE, OR – Yesterday, Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee Ranking Member U.S. Representative Val Hoyle (D-Ore.) joined Natural Resources Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Vice Ranking Member Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.), Federal Lands Subcommittee Ranking Member Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.), Indian and Insular Affairs Subcommittee Ranking Member Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee Ranking Member Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), and House Agriculture Committee Forestry and Agriculture Subcommittee Ranking Member Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.) introduced a series of bills to halt the abuse of the Reductions in Force (RIF) process to carry out politically-motivated mass firings across the Department of the Interior and U.S. Forest Service. These cuts would gut the federal workforce responsible for fighting wildfires, managing public lands, protecting water, advancing clean energy, and honoring tribal obligations. Interior has already lost 11% of its staff and the Forest Service 15% — driven by forced retirements, firings, and DOGE’s $21.7 billion scheme to waste taxpayer dollars and pay employees to stay home. “You don’t fix government by firing the people who make it work,” said Rep. Val Hoyle (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee. “These attacks on federal workers hurt our ability to manage forests, prepare for emergencies, and keep families safe. It’s wrong, and I’m proud to be a part of the effort to push back.” “The Trump administration is firing the public servants who protect lives and communities by helping to battle deadly wildfires, tracking extreme weather events, and keeping water clean and public lands accessible. These RIFs are a targeted purge of the people who show up when disaster strikes and who make this country stronger and safer, day in and day out. These dedicated professionals, and all Americans, deserve better. If Congress doesn’t step in to stop this purge, the fallout will last generations. America will be weaker: less prepared for climate disasters, less able to defend its lands and resources, and less capable of serving its people when it matters most,” said Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.). “These are hard-working public servants who steward our public lands, keep us safe from extreme weather events, advance clean energy production, and so much more. Our country is better off with these federal employees on the job. I’m proud to join Ranking Members Huffman and Lofgren in stepping up to protect our civil servants and the many services that they provide for the American people,” said Vice Ranking Member Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.). “The Trump administration’s continued attacks on hard-working public servants have severely hampered federal agencies’ ability to manage critical programs, including at DOI and USFS. Additional firings at these agencies—especially as the administration seeks to cut critical funding—would be detrimental to our ability to safeguard our natural resources, protect communities, fight wildfires, and more,” said Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), Ranking Member of the Federal Lands Subcommittee. “That’s why I’m proud to join Ranking Member Huffman in introducing two bills that would protect the employees at our land management agencies and the communities they serve.” “Trump’s mass firings are an assault on the very people who protect our air, our water, and our communities from crisis. As a physician and a lawmaker, I know that when disaster strikes—whether it’s a wildfire, a toxic spill, or a public health emergency—it’s scientists, public servants, and field professionals who make the difference between resilience and catastrophe,” said Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. “I’m proud to help introduce legislation to stop the purge of our public workforce and defend the essential services every American relies on.” “Trump’s cruel and chaotic attacks on public servants are not about efficiency. These attacks dismantle the very agencies that protect our water, lands, and communities,” said Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Indian and Insular Affairs Subcommittee. “As wildfires rage across the West and droughts parch our lands, New Mexicans know that fully-staffed agencies protect us from disaster. Our legislation will help defend our communities from the Trump administration’s dangerous firings.” “Federal workers are essential to making sure that our government truly acts in the best interest of the people,” said Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), Ranking Member of the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee. “The public servants at the Department of the Interior and the US Forest Service work hard every day to keep us safe and make sure our communities are healthy. I’m so proud to join my colleagues in pushing to suspend Trump’s reckless and indiscriminate firings at this agency so that they can continue their important work.” “The Trump administration has already weakened the Forest Service by firing critical staff, including those who manage wildfire preparedness and response. This bill is a necessary step to prevent further reckless reductions,” said Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Forestry and Nutrition Subcommittee on the House Agriculture Committee. “I’m proud to join Ranking Member Huffman in standing up for the agency’s workforce and to protect communities that rely on it.” Read the full text of the House DOI RIFs bill here. Read the full text of the House USFS RIFs bill here. Background The bills impose an immediate moratorium on agency firings through the RIF process to protect public service delivery while Congress investigates DOGE and assesses long-term staffing needs. The Senate companion bills were introduced by Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).
Lincoln County’s youngest elected official prepares to grapple with funding cut-backs
Elected to the Board of the Siletz Rural Fire Protection District in May with almost 64% of the vote, Katie Saaty, 29, is believed to be Lincoln County’s youngest elected official and, in her new capacity, is already grappling with funding shortfalls for emergency management resulting from cutbacks in federal assistance to state and local emergency service providers. “Coming into this new role, I’m aware that the actions of the new administration are really having a ripple effect on the financial realities of our fire district in terms of regulations and climate change denial,” said Saaty, who was endorsed by the Lincoln County Democratic Party. She was sworn into her new post on Tuesday, July 15. Earlier this year, federal grant funding was cut for several programs, including training of volunteer firefighters, new equipment and emergency staffing. Some of those cuts were reversed, but Washington’s actions resulted in confusion and an atmosphere of uncertainty among many rural fire districts, especially those, like Siletz, that rely upon volunteers who require free or low-cost training to augment their professional staff. Fire departments, especially in rural areas, already operate on tight budgets, and many rely on federal programs to train personnel. Reductions or cutoffs in federal grants could lead to fewer trained firefighters, longer response times, and higher risks for communities facing fires and other disasters. According to the district’s website, the Siletz fire department responds to an average of 300 emergency calls per year, with the majority entailing emergency medical services. The department also responds to motor vehicle crashes, water rescues and provides for prevention and education services. Siletz firefighters respond to mutual aid requests from other agencies and take part in fighting regional wildfires. Many of those services would be jeopardized by cutbacks in emergency response funding. As a newly elected Fire District board member, Saaty said she’ll be helping to find workarounds for budget shortfalls while making the public aware of the impacts of administration decisions. The potential of those impacts are what drove her to become involved in the political process and to seek public office. Saaty, a Siletz resident, is a first-time office holder. “We all could see what was happening and what was going to be coming (in the wake of the November election) and were keeping an eye out for ways to get involved.” Saaty attended a Newport rally co-sponsored by the Indivisible group and the county’s Democratic Party. The party’s county chairperson, Mary Infante, engaged her in conversation and asked if she would be interested in running for office in May’s special election. Although Saaty had no experience in elected office, her day job as a Water Quality Monitoring Specialist with the U.S. Soil and Water Conservation District imparted a good working knowledge of the interaction between supervisory boards and staff in public agencies. Saaty said she hopes to be using her new position to inform the public about the dangers posed by environmental threats, especially the dangers posed by climate change. “I was living here at the time of the Echo Mountain fire and I know that a lot of people in the area don’t believe in the reality of climate change and what a hazard the changing climate will pose to all of us.” Although she’s enthused about assuming her new role in public office, Saaty doesn’t nurse ambitions toward higher office. “I’m not especially interested in going after positions of authority, but If something came along for which I’d be a good fit, I’d certainly consider it,” said Saaty, who majored in fisheries while studying for her degree from California’s Humboldt State University. “It would be especially interesting if it were something in the environmental sector, aquatic environment or aquatic wildlife. I’d like to be of help in areas I’m well-suited for.”