Budget woes, combined with cuts to the federal wildfire-fighting workforce and President Donald Trump’s tariff and sovereignty threats against Canada, have made it more difficult for state officials to plan for the upcoming wildfire season.
In Washington, a $12 billion budget shortfall prompted majority Democrats in the Legislature this week to propose slicing spending on wildfire prevention and fighting by one-third to two-thirds.
Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove stands for a portrait with young trees at the Webster Forest Nursery Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Olympia, Wash.
Lindsey Wasson / AP
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“These massive cuts to wildfire prevention and response increase the threat to public safety — putting lives and homes at greater risk,” state Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Dave Upthegrove told The Associated Press in an email. “The cuts make Washington more likely to experience the kind of horrific scene we saw recently in Southern California.”
As Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency slashes federal spending, the Trump administration withheld money for wildfire mitigation in several states and then fired thousands of workers involved in firefighting from various agencies. Those included rangers in the Forest Service and weather forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Some were rehired under a court order, but many were then immediately placed on administrative leave.
Washington State Forester George Geissler, who has decades of wildland firefighting experience, said the officials who fired federal workers don’t understand the roles they play in fighting fires. Although they don’t have “firefighter” listed as their job title, they all undergo special wildland firefighting training that enables them to respond to a fire when needed, he said.
Meanwhile, tensions between the U.S. and Canada over Trump’s proposed tariffs and calls to make the country the U.S.’s 51st state have also complicated wildfire planning, especially in border states, Geissler said. Washington state has maintained a solid relationship with British Columbia for decades, but it’s unclear how firefighting will work if the borders are closed due to federal tensions, he said.
“In wildfire, we like to say we can bring order to chaos,” he said. ”But the hard part has been that things are changing so quickly and doing such dramatic swings, it’s hard to anticipate and plan.”
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State and local budget woes have compounded those concerns.
Wildfire season in the West can run as early as April through November, while drier and hotter conditions linked to climate change have increased their intensity. These conditions have also sparked recent wildfires burning in the Carolinas, New Jersey, Florida and Texas.
FILE – A firefighter douses flames in the Falls Fire north of Burns, Oregon in this July 21, 2024 file photo. The fire, along with dozens of others, made Oregon’s 2024 wildfire season the state’s most expensive on record. Worried about costs this year, Oregon lawmakers have said finding new revenue sources for combating wildfires is a key issue in this year’s legislative session.
Courtesy of Rachel Brozovich / Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office
Oregon and California lawmakers boost wildfire spending
Lawmakers in Oregon held a special session in December to approve $218 million in emergency wildfire funding. The 2024 wildfire season was the state’s most expensive on record, and the funds paid contractors who helped fight the blazes. Lawmakers have said finding new revenue sources for combating wildfires is a key issue in this year’s legislative session.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed spending $325 million on wildfire mitigation efforts next year. Many lawmakers have signaled their support for more investments in wildfire mitigation programs after the deadly fires in Los Angeles earlier this year.
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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and the city council appealed to Sacramento this week for nearly $2 billion in disaster recovery aid at a time when City Hall is facing a nearly $1 billion projected deficit. The request included over $56 million for fire suppression and safety.
Washington state officials grapple with a budget shortfall
Washington state had made fighting wildfires a priority in recent years — passing a bill in 2021 that permanently authorized spending $125 million each two-year budget cycle on response, forest restoration and communities. Those projects ensured that 95% of the state’s wildfires were held to 10 acres (4 hectares) or less, officials said.
“That’s some of the best money that we can spend,” said Sen. Sharon Shewmake, D-Bellingham. Oregon and Washington had about the same number of fires last year, but while 2 million acres (810,000 hectares) burned in Oregon, only about 300,000 acres (120,000 hectares) burned in Washington, she said.
When newly elected Gov. Bob Ferguson took office, he told lawmakers that state agencies needed to reduce spending by at least $4 billion and asked each department, including Natural Resources, to find ways to reduce spending by 6%.
A budget proposal from Washington House Democrats this week came in $85 million short of the $125 million that had been allocated for the previous two two-year budget cycles, while the Senate’s was $40 million short of that target.
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The Washington State Council of Firefighters said the budget proposals would make it less safe for their members.
“Any cuts to funding for wildfire suppression and forest resiliency is going to be detrimental to the response to wildfire incidents for both the DNR and all fire service firefighters across the state of Washington,” Jeff Wainwright, a council spokesperson, told the AP.
The House and Senate proposals exceed Ferguson’s request, and instability at the federal level will magnify the shortages, said Michael Kelly, a DNR spokesperson.
“Our federal partners are behind on training and they’re behind on funding and they’re cutting staff,” Kelly said. “Knowing that we’re dealing with federal partners who can’t bring as much to the table this year, we hoped the Legislature would be able to give us the full amounts.”
Deputy Majority Leader Larry Springer, who authored the 2021 bill that allocated $125 million for wildfires, said he understands the need for funding, but the state’s fiscal challenges forced lawmakers to focus the money on one part of firefighting — the initial attack — and try to refocus on things like forest thinning and prescribed burns that help prevent fires in the next few years.
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“Given the fact that we don’t have enough money to do all of that now, it’s a matter of which ones are the most important right now in the short term,” he said.
Washington Rep. Tom Dent, a Moses Lake Republican who has authored many wildfire-fighting bills over the years, said the state needs to ensure that it funds its initial attack and frontline firefighting programs.
“I’m relatively fiscally conservative,” Dent told the AP. “But you have to recognize there are times when you spend money to save money. This is one of those times.”
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Associated Press reporters Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon; Trân Nguyễn in Sacramento, California; and Michael Blood in Los Angeles contributed.
The University of Oregon’s Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to approve a $1.55 billion operating budget for the next fiscal year.
But they asked university leadership to return with an amended proposal by Dec. 15, when more details about future budget cuts will be known.
FILE — The Board of Trustees recently approved next year’s budget for the University of Oregon. The vote comes several weeks after the school’s president announced that he wants the university to reduce its annual budget as revenues and out-of-state enrollment decline.
Brian Bull / KLCC
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The vote comes several weeks after University of Oregon President Karl Scholz announced that he wants the school to reduce its annual budget by around $65 million.
At a trustees meeting Monday, Scholz said the estimated budget shortfall for next year is just around $23 million. But he said out-of-state enrollment is below historical norms for the second year in a row, and it’s unlikely to bounce back.
“One year can be an aberration. Two years is a pattern,” said Scholz. “And I believe we have to treat it as a new reality.”
Scholz said in May that discussions about the budget would happen over a six-month period. He said no final decisions about cuts would be made over this summer.
On Monday, UO Senate President Dyana Mason told trustees that the Senate had approved a new process to allow for community feedback in the cost-cutting process.
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Mason said the provost will work with the deans on budget proposals, finding “clear rationale” for why programs are considered for elimination.
The provost would then bring those proposals to the Senate Committee for Academic Modifications—which includes staff, faculty and students—for feedback.
Once the plans are nearly finalized, the Senate could then hold a period for public comment.
Mason told trustees that a six-month timeline is better than the three months that frustrated some staff last year, but she recommended taking however much time is necessary.
“The worst situation would be rushing forward to make decisions without appropriate evidence, data, feedback from the people that are most in the know about the impact on our students,” said Mason.
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UO’s Board of Trustees Chair Steve Holwerda said that every week that university delays the decisions could cost them millions of dollars.
Nathan Wilk is a reporter with the KLCC newsroom.This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
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Oregon’s juvenile justice system has been reshaped in recent years by a sweeping reform law that changed how the state handles minors accused of serious crimes.
Senate Bill 1008, which took effect in 2020, ended automatic transfers of juveniles into adult court and eliminated life without parole sentences for juveniles. The law also created “second-look” hearings and established parole eligibility after 15 years for certain offenders who committed crimes before turning 18.
To help explain the law and its impact, KVAL’s Frannie Pedersen put together a timeline video tracing the history of Senate Bill 1008, from the passage of Measure 11 in 1994 to the reforms that later reshaped Oregon’s juvenile justice system.
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The video breaks down how the law changed, why lawmakers pushed for reform, and how SB 1008 continues to influence Oregon’s justice system today. Viewers can watch the full video for a detailed timeline and explanation of the changes.
PORTLAND, Ore. — A New Jersey man was sentenced to federal prison last Friday for conspiring to distribute fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon.
Mark T. Eager, 34, was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release.
“This defendant showed a blatant disregard for human life by trafficking fentanyl across the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Bradford. “My office will continue to pursue those who profit from poisoning our communities, and we will use every available resource and partnership to combat fentanyl trafficking and keep Oregonians safe.”
“This investigation brought together law enforcement agencies from across the nation,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “Homeland Security Investigations special agents from Portland, Newark, and Houston contributed to the case, along with the Portland Police Bureau and HIDTA HIT officers, who were instrumental in identifying Eager. His 11-year sentence sends a clear message: no matter where you are in the country or the world, if you attempt to sell narcotics online to Americans, we will find you.”
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“Fentanyl trafficking poses a grave threat to communities across the United States, and Homeland Security Investigations is committed to working with our partners to disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks responsible,” said HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Lucia Cabral-DeArmas. “This case demonstrates the power of interagency collaboration under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, leveraging resources from across the country to hold traffickers accountable and protect the American people. We will continue to pursue those who endanger lives through the distribution of dangerous synthetic opioids, and we remain steadfast in our mission to safeguard our communities from the violence and instability caused by transnational criminal organizations.”
“By following this offender’s digital trail, Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners nationwide executed federal search warrants, dismantled an active dark web fentanyl packaging operation and recovered deadly amounts of fentanyl, thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency, and a trove of electronic devices and packaging materials,” said HSI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas. “This case is a powerful example of how coordinated, data-driven investigations can disrupt dangerous networks and help protect our communities from lethal synthetic opioids.”
According to court documents, from November 2023 through June 2024, Eager and his co-conspirator sold fentanyl on the Dark Net and Telegram. Eager operated as the vendor WRSEH10 and marketed the fentanyl as “China White Synthetic Heroin.”
In June 2024, HSI agents executed search warrants on two residences associated with Eager in Kearny, New Jersey, and seized over 360 grams of powdered fentanyl, counterfeit M30 pills, drug ledgers, cellular phones, two computers, and drug packaging consistent with three deliveries that were sent to Oregon.
On September 4, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a four-count indictment charging Eager with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl.
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On February 4, 2026, Eager pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
HSI Portland and HSI Houston investigated this case with assistance from HSI Newark, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Interdiction Task Force (HIT). Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Kerin prosecuted the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey assisted the U.S. Attorney’s in Oregon in obtaining the search warrants that were executed in Kearny.
