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On Monday, members of Congress introduced legislation to block mass firings at the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Department of Energy. In response to proposed "reductions in force" (RIFs) across the Interior and Energy departments, as well as at the Forest Service within the Agriculture department, lawmakers in both the House and the Senate introduced bills that would require an immediate moratorium on what sponsors described as "abuse" of the RIF process.
"Firing our scientists, engineers, and land management professionals does not save us money—it makes our government less efficient, costs taxpayers more in the long run, and weakens our nation's security and competitiveness," Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico said in a statement. "You don't fix government by firing the people who make it work," said Representative Val Hoyle of Oregon.
According to the sponsors, the Interior department has already lost 11 percent of its staff, and the Forest Service has already lost 15 percent of its staff, between firings, forced retirements, and other attacks by Elon Musk's DOGE. "These dedicated professionals, and all Americans, deserve better," said Representative Jared Huffman of California. "If Congress doesn't step in to stop this purge, the fallout will last generations."
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What they’re doing is just pushing more work down on fewer people at the field level. These are the same people that are trying to meet your timber target and provide for recreational services to the public.”
