Forest Service slashed

Thousands fired nationwide under Trump cuts

EDITOR’S NOTE: This was published in the Saturday, Feb. 15 Spokesman-Review and is republished by permission. If you or someone you know were laid off in the recent federal budget cuts and want to talk on or off the record, please email [email protected].

SPOKANE — Thousands of employees with the U.S. Forest Service were fired this week as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to cut the federal workforce.

As part of broad and far-reaching layoffs across the federal government, employees with the Forest Service who were still in their probationary period were let go, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesperson.

The agency spokesperson did not say how many employees would be affected by the decision, which appears to reach employees across all agencies within the USDA, including the Forest Service.

Politico reported that the decision affected 3,400 Forest Service employees across the country. A union representative told the TV station KECI in Missoula that 360 of those employees were in Montana.

A Forest Service official in North Idaho who spoke on condition of anonymity said Friday that several employees of the Idaho Panhandle National Forest had received termination notices but could not say how many.

The official added that they expected more layoffs, and that Friday was “probably just the first round.”

Layoffs were happening throughout the federal government, with large cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Interior Department and more.

They began a day after the deadline for the administration’s deferred resignation program, which encouraged employees to resign but would allow them to get paid through September.

The New York Times reported that the layoffs targeted most of an estimated 200,000 workers who were on probation, a period of time in which employees are easier to remove.

Probationary periods aren’t uniform across the federal government or even within a single agency, such as the Forest Service. Some employees may be on probation for just a year, while others who got their job through certain programs may be on probation for two years.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, said in a statement that the firings don’t address fraud or waste in the federal government.

“These firings are totally arbitrary — pushing out high performers and the promising next generation of our federal workforce who won’t easily be replaced,” Murray said.

Exemptions are expected for Forest Service positions with public safety responsibilities, such as law enforcement officers and firefighters, according to the news release from Murray’s office. But the release also notes that many Forest Service employees are qualified to help respond to wildfires at peak season, and that other hires may be involved in projects meant to reduce wildfire risk.

Details on the impacts to specific forests were scarce Friday, Feb. 14. A spokesperson for the Colville National Forest referred specific questions to the agency’s national office.

The layoffs could hamper programs that are already bleeding because of a freeze on hiring nonfire seasonal employees last fall — a decision that affected positions like trail crews, campground maintenance workers and more.

The Idaho Forest Service official said they expect this week’s layoffs to leave “a big hole” in the Panhandle’s recreation program, which manages trail work and campgrounds.

The National Federation of Federal Employees, a union representing federal workers within the USDA, criticized the administration’s mass layoffs in a statement.

“The President and Elon Musk are being intentionally dishonest with the American public by claiming the firing of federal employees and downsizing of the civil service are about efficiency and cost savings,” said Randy Erwin, NFFE’s national president.

National Park Service employees were also axed in this week’s layoffs, a decision that came after the agency had moved to exempt about 5,000 employees from its own seasonal staff hiring freeze.

The National Parks Conservation Association said that decision was overshadowed by this week’s layoffs, which it said affected 1,000 park employees.

Theresa Pierno, president of NPCA, said in a statement that it was “reckless” to fire that many permanent staffers.

“Allowing parks to hire seasonal staff is essential, but staffing cuts of this magnitude will have devastating consequences for parks and communities,” Pierno said. “We are concerned about smaller parks closing visitor center doors and larger parks losing key staff including wastewater treatment operators.”