“Firefighters who had just finished weeks of around-the-clock shifts fighting these dangerous fires were given a thank you note from their Commander in Chief: Please quit”
Washington, D.C. — Last night, nearly every Senate Republican voted to reject a budget reconciliation amendment proposed by U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) that called for reinstating firefighters laid off by Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and exempting federal firefighters and Forest Service employees from the ongoing hiring freeze instituted by President Donald Trump.
“President Trump adopted a freeze on hiring so widespread that it is blocking the Forest Service from onboarding the seasonal firefighters we need to prevent future fires,” Senator Schiff said during his remarks on the Senate floor. “Not only that…Firefighters who had just finished weeks of around-the-clock shifts fighting these dangerous fires were given a thank you note from their Commander in Chief: Please quit.”
While Schiff’s amendment received bipartisan support, it was rejected 48-52.
The Senator’s remarks can be viewed here.
Background:
In the aftermath of devastating wildfires across Southern California, Schiff has led efforts in the Senate demanding that federal firefighters responsible for preventing and fighting deadly wildfires be exempted from President Trump’s blanket hiring freeze and DOGE’s culling of thousands of American workers – which has encouraged firefighters working to defend the American West to resign their jobs and further reduce capacity and readiness.
The amendment proposed by Schiff was cosponsored by Western U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif), Michael Bennet, John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).
###