Trump fires federal workers who help fight forest fires

USA Today

21-02-2025

Trump fires federal workers who help fight forest fires | The Excerpt
On Friday's episode of The Excerpt podcast: USA TODAY White House Reporter Zac Anderson discusses how some of President Donald Trump's job cuts have hit Forest Service workers who help fight fires. New York Governor Kathy Hochul won't oust Mayor Eric Adams but vows stricter oversight. More than half a million Haitian refugees will lose protected status. Researchers say Trump cuts to basic science and medical studies will hurt everyone. USA TODAY Personal Finance Reporter Daniel de Visé looks at the future of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and what its shutdown might mean for Americans. Canada defeated the U.S. in hockey and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a victory lap.
Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.
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Taylor Wilson:
Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson, and today is Friday, February 21st, 2025. This is The Excerpt.
Today, how Trump's firings hit Forest Service workers who helped fight fires. Plus, we have the latest surrounding New York's mayor and what might a consumer Financial Protection Bureau shutdown mean for Americans?
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A federal judge ruled yesterday that the Trump administration can continue its mass firings of federal employees for now. The move rejects a bid by several labor unions to halt President Donald Trump's cuts to the federal workforce. US District Judge Christopher Cooper said Trump's slew of executive actions have caused disruption and even chaos in widespread quarters of American society, in his words, but he said he likely lacks the power to decide whether the firing of tens of thousands of government workers is lawful.
Among Trump's wave of mass firings, Forest Service workers, many of whom helped fight fires. I spoke with USA TODAY White House reporter Zac Anderson to learn more about the potential impact.
Hello, Zac.
Zac Anderson:
Hello.
Taylor Wilson:
So in terms of these job cuts, Zac, I know we've seen these hit a ton of different sectors across America. What are we now seeing at the Forest Service and how many jobs are we talking about?
Zac Anderson:
So about 2000 probationary workers were laid off from the Forest Service out of a workforce of about 35,000. And they did not lay off any full-time firefighters. The Forest Service is involved in fighting wildfires all over the country. They have land from Alaska all the way down to Florida, and they're really in the thick of trying to combat fires in these forests. So they have about 11,000 firefighters, they didn't lay off any of them, but they did lay off a lot of other people.
Taylor Wilson:
So does all this mean, say California, other wildfire prone areas are at greater risk next time, Zac, fewer firefighters? I mean, really, what's the functional impact of these cuts now?
Zac Anderson:
I talked to a lot of these Forest Service workers and one of the things that they mentioned was even though that they are not primary firefighters, a lot of people who work for the Forest Service do have some level of firefighting certification. They have what's called a red card where they go through some training and these people kind of serve as backups for the firefighters. And sometimes they'll do support, they'll help staff the camps for these big wildfires. They set up to help supply the folks who are out actually doing the firefighting. So they'll do some of that, but then some of the times these people will actually jump in and actually work with the firefighters putting out blazes. This does decrease capacity for firefighting. Somebody compared it to the military reserves. These people are called upon when needed.
Taylor Wilson:
Well, as for President Trump, we know he and Elon Musk have really centered this Department of Government Efficiency and all these job cuts. What have we heard from him about these cuts, be it how it impacts firefighting or just kind of more broadly?
Zac Anderson:
So Trump was asked about this on Tuesday, and he basically said he didn't have any concerns about how these layoffs, these terminations were playing out. Elon Musk and Trump did an interview together on Fox and Musk described this as the thrashing of the bureaucracy. Trump said that he feels like he was elected to shrink government, but what we're seeing is DOGE is having to walk back some of these terminations. You had nuclear safety workers who were let go and then rehired. You had people who were working on bird flu.
There seems to have been some missteps here or some imprecision in what they did, where they are terminating people who have jobs that they do not want to get rid of. And firefighting is an area that Trump has talked about. He actually mentioned it in his inaugural address because you had all these fires around Los Angeles that were absolutely devastating, one of the worst natural disasters in American history where you had billions of damage, tens of thousands of structures destroyed, dozens of people who were killed, and it was a really traumatic thing. And he was criticizing the response to the Los Angeles fires in his inauguration speech. And also he flew out there during his first week in office and chastised the local officials. And now you're seeing the Forest Service cut people who are involved in firefighting.
Taylor Wilson:
Is there any sense, Zac, on just where we go from here and what's next?
Zac Anderson:
They haven't said anything about walking these particular layoffs back. There's been some building public pressure, some Democrats in states that have large numbers of Forest Service workers have spoken out. There was a letter that was signed by the Colorado Delegation of Lawmakers, saying that they were worried that this would lead to more wildfire risks out there. Obviously Colorado has a lot of forest area. And so you are starting to see some pushback on things like this.
So far, it hasn't reached the point where you're hearing tons of Republicans saying that we need to stop some of these things. But pressure could build. I mean, Forest Service workers work in a lot of red states. A lot of these workers are not just people who are in DC in the federal bureaucracy, they're spread out all over the country. So as this starts to ripple out, you could see more of a backlash.
Taylor Wilson:
Zac Anderson covers the White House for USA TODAY. Thank you, Zac.
Zac Anderson:
Thank you.
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Taylor Wilson:
New York Governor Kathy Hochul will not oust Mayor Eric Adams from office, but will attempt to impose strict new guidelines on his administration, she announced yesterday. Those guidelines could restrict the embattled New York City mayor's independence while he waits for a federal judge's decision on a Justice Department motion to drop corruption charges against him. At a hearing Wednesday before US District Judge Dale Ho, acting US Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove pressed his argument that the charges filed in September during the Biden administration were keeping Adams from devoting full attention to illegal immigration and violent crime. HO has not yet issued a ruling.
Adams in a statement after the government's announcement yesterday said he was elected by the people of New York City and its working class communities to uphold their values. Adams has been under pressure to resign since a criminal indictment last September charged him with accepting travel perks and political donations from Turkish officials to take actions that benefited their country. He pleaded not guilty and has adamantly denied what he called sensational charges.
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More than half a million Haitian refugees who sought shelter and stability in the US will lose protection against deportation this summer under a policy change by the Trump administration. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem yesterday announced she was ending temporary protected status for an estimated 520,000 Haitians. Federal officials can grant TPS to residents of certain countries suffering war or disasters, allowing them to live and work even if they initially entered the US without legal permission. Noem rolled back similar protections for some Venezuelans last month.
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The Trump administration's cuts to health research will shorten life expectancy and hurt the lives of all Americans, according to university Union leaders and scientists. Lab leaders and researchers said they're already seeing PhD students not getting admitted, research being delayed or canceled, and longtime colleagues getting fired as President Donald Trump executes his promised cuts to government spending.
US taxpayers fund an estimated $81 billion in academic scientific research and development annually, more than twice the next highest country according to the International Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. A group of universities last week won a temporary restraining order blocking the Federal National Institutes of Health from halting some of the funding but scientists and union leaders say the impacts are still being felt via job losses, canceled scientific reviews, and delayed basic research. You can read more with a link in today's show notes.
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What's next for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau? For a look at what its shutdown might mean for Americans, I caught up with USA TODAY Personal Finance Reporter Daniel de Vise.
Let's just start here before we get to some of the potential impacts. In terms of a CFPB shutdown, I mean, what has happened over the last few weeks really to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau?
Daniel de Vise:
It's a nutshell version of what's happened all around Washington. The website has one of those not found messages on it. The folks from the DOGE have come in and I guess they've started laying people off. And the acting director of the agency says, "Don't do any work." So it's effectively shut down. And Elon Musk put something on X saying, "RIP CFPB." So it sounds like if the agency goes forward, it'll either be gutted or maybe just have a much different vision than it has in the last few years.
Taylor Wilson:
Yeah, absolutely. Well, in terms of the potential impact here, Daniel, let's start by talking about credit card late fees and bank overdraft fees, a couple of different types of fees. How has the Bureau weighed in here and what might happen with that lack of oversight?
Daniel de Vise:
Well, people who've been following the news will remember some big stuff came out of this agency, this government watchdog agency over the last year. At the tail end of the Biden administration, last March, they capped late fees on credit cards at $8 for the largest card companies. That's the fee that you pay if you are late on your payment. And the typical fee has been around 30 bucks so it's a lot of money. Overdraft fees they capped at $5 with a rule in December. Those overdraft fees where you overdraw your account have averaged close to $30. And in both cases, the CFPB has argued that those fees were needlessly high and were a profit center for card issuers and banks.
Taylor Wilson:
All right. So how about when it comes to medical debt on credit reports?
Daniel de Vise:
That was another high profile announcement. It was just in January, so literally the final days of the Biden administration. The CFPB banned the inclusion of medical bills, medical debt from credit reports. The point of that is a lot of medical debt is disputed and a lot of it the person doesn't actually owe. And anybody listening to this will be familiar with this process you go through where a lot of it's bogus. And so according to this federal agency shouldn't count against you if you're trying to get a loan.
Taylor Wilson:
Daniel, these digital payment apps, things like Venmo, I guess PayPal would apply here as well, have gotten really popular in recent years. What impact has the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau had here?
Daniel de Vise:
Another big story last November, the CFPB awarded itself a broad regulatory oversight of the likes of Google Pay and Venmo. And their argument here is that these apps are increasingly targeted by fraudsters. And if you're a customer, you might lose your access to your account without notice. It's a little bit Wild West-ey, or at least that's what they're arguing.
Taylor Wilson:
And also last year, I know regulators announced a new rule as it pertains to folks' personal financial data. Daniel, what was that new rule and what might happen next?
Daniel de Vise:
Yeah, this one's a little more opaque to me and I had five people explain it to me. I think what it amounts to is if you're trying to change banks, it's a little tricky to get your current bank to unlock your data and send it to the new bank you want to use. So this rule basically says your financial institution has to unlock and transfer your own data to another company without any charge at your request. And it also says something about that they can't give it to just random people, but they can give it to a specific other company if you ask. And the argument here was that it just shouldn't be that hard to change banks.
Taylor Wilson:
So Daniel, as we try to map out the future for consumer oversight in this country, what are some things you're keeping an eye on as we move forward in terms of maybe a replacement for the CFPB or just what's next?
Daniel de Vise:
Well, in my article I'm saying that all five of these initiatives, they've all been attacked in the courts. Two or three of them, the Republicans in the house said they're going to try to roll back, the one on overseeing digital apps. I would be surprised if any of these five things is the law of the land at the end of this year. I guess what remains to be seen is whether something, some kind of consumer protection agency can reemerge under the Trump administration.
It's a little complicated. This agency was formed out of an idea from a more progressive Democrat, Elizabeth Warren, right? So the Republicans in Congress have always chafed at that sort of partisan origin of the group. But Republican voters too, don't like excessive fees. I mean, everybody who's a consumer would like to see lower fees. So maybe there's a way that an agency like this could exist in the Trump administration, but maybe with different rules. I don't know.
Taylor Wilson:
All right. Wait and see mode as often is the case here in these first few weeks of Trump 2.0. Daniel de Vise covers personal finance for USA TODAY. Thank you, Daniel.
Daniel de Vise:
And thank you.
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Taylor Wilson:
Canada took down the United States last night in hockey after a thrilling overtime game to win the Four Nations Face-Off Tournament, a mid-season competition that also featured Sweden and Finland. And Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a victory lap, writing on X, quote, "You can't take our country and you can't take our game." unquote. President Trump has floated the idea of annexing Canada and said in his Super Bowl interview, he thinks Canada would be much better off being the 51st state.
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And a reminder, we're back with another edition of our new Editor's Note segment tomorrow. This week, I'll be joined by Holly Rosenkrantz, managing editor for politics and Washington, to take the latest peek behind the curtain at some of the paper's recent editorial tasks. And I want to hear from you. What do you want to know about some of the work Holly's team has been doing, covering the White House, Washington politics, and more? Let me know by shooting a note to [e-mail] and I might relay your question to Holly in tomorrow's show.
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Thanks for listening to The Excerpt. We're produced by Shannon Rae Green and Kaely Monahan, and our executive producer is Laura Beatty. You can get the podcast wherever you get your audio, and if you're a smart speaker, just ask for The Excerpt. I'm Taylor Wilson, and I'll be back tomorrow with more of The Excerpt from USA TODAY.