Sheehy Leads Letter Supporting Trump’s Leadership to Protect America from Wildfires

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy (R – Mont.) alongside 16 Senate and House Republicans sent a letter to President Donald J. Trump expressing strong support for executive action the Administration is considering to mitigate the escalating wildfire crisis threatening America.

“While some improvements to our federal wildfire response will require congressional action, we believe executive action offers the most immediate path to fostering interagency cohesion, streamlining outdated processes, and ensuring a robust response to wildfires. We stand ready to fully support your leadership in protecting American communities from the devastating impacts of catastrophic wildfires,” the group wrote in the letter to President Trump.

Senator Sheehy was joined by 16 Senate and House Republicans from across the nation on the letter, including Senators John Barrasso (R – Wyo.), Ted Budd (R – N.C.), Steve Daines (R – Mont.), Cynthia Lummis (R – Wyo.), Markwayne Mullin (R – Okla.) and Representatives Doug LaMalfa (R – Calif.), Stephanie Bice (R – Okla.), Lauren Boebert (R – Colo.), Ken Calvert (R – Calif.), Ben Cline (R – Va.), Eli Crane (R – Ariz.), Jeff Crank (R – Colo.), Troy Downing (R – Mont.), Jeff Hurd (R – Colo.), Tim Moore (R – N.C.), and Ryan Zinke (R – Mont.).

This follows President Trump’s decision to prioritize the Federal Wildland Fire Service and improved response to wildfire in his Fiscal Year 2026 budget.

View Senator Sheehy’s letter to President Trump HERE, or read the full text below:

Dear President Trump,

We write to express our strong support for executive action your Administration is considering to mitigate the escalating wildfire crisis threatening our nation. Typically, wildfire season spans May to November, peaking in summer, but this year has already been one of the worst on record. To date, 19,512 fires have burned 881,249 acres across all 50 states, claiming lives and causing hundreds of billions in damages.

Immediate, decisive action is critical, and we support the Administration taking commonsense measures to protect the American people. Currently, federal jurisdiction over wildfire response is spread across a myriad of federal and state agencies with no clear responsibility for wildfire fighting and the protection of our communities. Moreover, unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles and redundancies within the agencies responsible for wildfire management are significantly hampering our ability to respond quickly and aggressively when a fire breaks out, putting more lives and communities in jeopardy. Adopting a more streamlined approach to wildfire response, implementing modern technology, giving brave wildland firefighters the tools and support they need to do their work safely and effectively, and ensuring the best resources are available to be deployed quickly when responding to wildland fire are all commonsense ways we can dramatically improve the federal wildland fire apparatus as we approach the bulk of fire season this summer.

While some improvements to our federal wildfire response will require congressional action, we believe executive action offers the most immediate path to fostering interagency cohesion, streamlining outdated processes, and ensuring a robust response to wildfires. We stand ready to fully support your leadership in protecting American communities from the devastating impacts of catastrophic wildfires.

Sincerely,                         
Tim Sheehy
United States Senator