The Biden-Harris Administration submitted to Congress the President’s budget for fiscal year 2024, which includes significant funding increases for wildland fire and hazardous fuels management. These investments will help address the nation’s wildfire crisis and implement comprehensive reforms for the wildland fire management workforce that provide stronger financial and health support to wildland firefighters, who are the backbone of wildland fire management nationwide.
The workforce reforms proposed in the FY 2024 budget request will increase federal and tribal firefighters’ pay, invest more in their mental and physical health and wellbeing, improve their housing options, and expand the number of permanent firefighters. These reforms build on the temporary pay increase provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The permanent pay reforms require authorizing legislation, and the Administration is committed to working with congressional leaders on developing a comprehensive legislative proposal.
Last year, nearly 69,000 wildfires burned more than 7.5 million acres across the country. On average, wildfire activity, severity, size, and cost are escalating.
The 2024 budget request for the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service’s wildland fire and hazardous fuels management totals $2.97 billion, which is $647 million, or 28% above the comparable 2023 enacted level. The FY 2024 budget request for the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) wildland fire and hazardous fuels management totals $1.33 billion, which is $233.1 million, or 21%, above the comparable 2023 level.
