Bennet, Neguse Press Trump Officials on Plans for Wildfire Response and Preparedness in Colorado Ahead of Fire Season

May 4, 2026 | Press Releases

Denver - Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and Congressman Joe Neguse pressed the Departments of Agriculture and Interior for answers regarding their agencies' efforts to ensure the federal government is ready to prepare for and respond to wildfire in the face of record-high temperatures, devastating drought conditions, and heightened risk.

According to experts, 2026 has been the worst year for Colorado's snowpack in recorded history. Communities across the state and the nation are also already in the throes of a historic wildfire season. As of late April, more than 22,000 fires have burned nearly 2 million acres this year alone - more than two and a half times the 10-year average (2016-2025).

These conditions, coupled with staff vacancies across the Department of the Interior (DOI), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) due to President Donald Trump's mass terminations and forced staffing reductions, have created extremely dangerous circumstances across the West.

"We write today regarding the dire wildfire and drought conditions currently facing the Western United States. […] As we approach the summer months, we write to express our deep concerns about these conditions and respectfully implore your agencies to take immediate actions to better prepare for unprecedented wildfire risks," the lawmakers wrote.

"As snowpack worsens and the number of high-severity wildfires increases, these conditions will require continued partnership and quick action from all levels of government. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) are integral partners, along with state, local, and tribal governments, in mitigating, monitoring, and responding to wildfires. In light of the increased risk of wildfire and resulting resource needs this year, rapid, responsive coordination between federal, state, local, and tribal partners will be critically important," the lawmakers continued.

Bennet and Neguse called on Administration officials to get serious about advancing a comprehensive federal approach to addressing the wildfire crisis, urging them to take immediate action to increase preparedness and cooperation with state and local agencies to tackle the problem.

The Colorado lawmakers closed by imploring the agencies to provide a status update on a series of actions, including current staffing levels and the effects the planned reorganization of the USDA and DOI could have on wildfire preparedness and response.

"We urge you to take immediate steps to maximize early detection of wildland fires and reduce any delays to ensure that federal resources are prepared to respond efficiently," the lawmakers concluded.

In March, Bennet urged U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz to prioritize proactive wildfire mitigation efforts in the West, which faces historically low mountain snowpack and heightened wildfire risk this season. In December 2025, Bennet urged Schultz to address persistent staffing shortages and mounting setbacks to wildfire risk reduction efforts across the West and the country. In September 2025, Bennet welcomed over $26 million in funding to reduce wildfire risk and protect vulnerable communities across Colorado. In response to last year's Lee and Elk wildfires, Bennet urged President Donald Trump for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration and Public Assistance for Rio Blanco County. In May 2025, Bennet urged former U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to reconsider plans to gut FEMA ahead of the 2025 wildfire season. In February 2025, Bennet reintroduced the Protect the West Act, legislation to combat intensifying wildfires and drought across the West.

In February 2024, Bennet introduced the Watershed Protection and Forest Recovery Act to help communities protect their water resources after wildfires. In June 2023, Bennet introduced the Cleaner Air Spaces Act to reduce the negative public health effects of wildfire smoke for vulnerable communities. In March 2023, Bennet reintroduced the bipartisan Making Access to Cleanup Happen Act, legislation to expedite disaster cleanup, save taxpayers money, and prevent further disasters. In February 2023, Bennet introduced the Protect the West Act to make a $60 billion investment in our forests to reduce wildfire risk, restore our watersheds, and protect our communities.

The text of the letter is available HERE and below.

Dear Secretary Burgum and Secretary Rollins:

We write today regarding the dire wildfire and drought conditions currently facing the Western United States. As you know, record-high temperatures and drought conditions have resulted in historic snowpack deficits across the Western United States. As we approach the summer months, we write to express our deep concerns about these conditions and respectfully implore your agencies to take immediate actions to better prepare for unprecedented wildfire risks.

Every major river basin in the West experienced one of the warmest winters on record in 2025-2026, in addition to nearly every basin experiencing below-average snowpack, or snow water equivalent, levels. The Colorado River Basin, for example, reported record-low snow water equivalent, and the majority of the Western United States is currently under 50 percent of the median snowpack for this point in the year.

These record-low levels of snowpack and moisture, coupled with high winter temperatures, have significantly increased wildfire risk throughout the West as temperatures continue to rise heading into the summer months, threatening to overwhelm federal, state, local, and tribal firefighting resources. We have already seen fires burning throughout the winter months, as nearly 13,000 fires have already burned 1.5 million acres in 2026 - a 20-year high. As snowpack worsens and the number of high-severity wildfires increases, these conditions will require continued partnership and quick action from all levels of government.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) are integral partners, along with state, local, and tribal governments, in mitigating, monitoring, and responding to wildfires. In light of the increased risk of wildfire and resulting resource needs this year, rapid, responsive coordination between federal, state, local, and tribal partners will be critically important. We urge you to take immediate steps to maximize early detection of wildland fires and reduce any delays to ensure that federal resources are prepared to respond efficiently.

Therefore, we request that you take the following actions and provide our offices with a briefing on their status by May 1, 2026:

1. Take steps to convene additional cooperative preparedness efforts with local, state, and tribal governments and across all federal agencies to increase preparedness and rapid response capabilities. Quick, collaborative coordination across all levels of government will be critical to addressing and responding to wildfires, particularly during this heightened risk.
2. Work to pre-position assets and resources across the West in areas of highest risk before a fire breaks out, using qualified and capable state and local agencies to strengthen response capacity. This includes partnering with willing local fire departments to participate in severity assignments throughout the duration of the spring and summer and fire season, including engine, crew, and overhead supports. Early partnerships with local and state fire departments will strengthen response capabilities in the areas of highest risk- decreasing costs, improving efficiency, and utilizing local knowledge of terrain, vegetation, and geography.
3. Continue with planning and implementation of wildfire mitigation projects-including the use of hazardous fuels reduction, actions to increase defensible space, and in areas that contribute to Potential Operational Delineation (POD) management strategies and adjacent to private lands-to the extent possible. This includes providing flexibility for pre-positioned federal fire crews to address wildfire mitigation needs where practical.
4. Extend the duration of exclusive-use federal contracts for wildfire resources this year so that they are available throughout the season. This includes beginning aviation contracts earlier in the spring and extending them throughout the entirety of this high-risk period, to ensure that needed resources are available early and late into the year as needed.
5. Provide an update on the planned reorganization of the USDA and DOI, and how this reorganization will impact wildfire preparedness and response capabilities for 2026.
6. Publicly release DOI and USFS staffing levels for 2026, including the number of federal wildland firefighters that have been hired and the number of Red-Card-holding staff that will be available to assist with wildfire suppression and response efforts.
7. Suspend existing hiring freezes and promotion prohibitions for all open positions in areas that are experiencing Moderate to Exceptional Drought (D1-D4), per the U.S. Drought Monitor.

We thank you for your attention to this urgent need across the Western United States and your swift actions to increase and accelerate wildfire preparedness well in advance of the summer months.

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