U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) recently offered a GOP-led bill that aims to prevent the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from enacting pay cuts to federal firefighters due to a lack of funds.
“Our firefighters work tirelessly to keep our communities safe from wildfires, and we owe it to them to advocate for their best interests,” Rep. Newhouse said. “Raising their pay and providing them with increased deployment bonuses will not only attract more talent, but it will also keep our current force motivated while they are in the middle of wildfire season.”
Rep. Newhouse on July 25 signed on as a cosponsor of the Fair Pay for Federal Firefighters Act, H.R. 4831, which U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) sponsored on July 24 to provide a special rate of basic pay for federal wildland firefighters during fiscal years 2024 and 2025, according to the congressional record bill summary.
“The Fair Pay for Federal Firefighters Act will prevent the USDA’s drastic cuts and ensure federal firefighters get the pay they deserve,” said Rep. Newhouse.
If enacted, H.R. 4831 would establish a new base pay rate scale, with the largest increases going to firefighters at the lowest end of the pay scale, according to a bill summary provided by the congressman’s staff.
Additionally, H.R. 4831 would increase the pay rates so they’re in line with pay rates for state and private firefighters and raise deployment bonuses for firefighters responding to wildfires, the summary says.
The bill also would ensure federal wildland firefighter pay for two years while Congress works on a more permanent solution, states the summary.
“Wildland firefighters have some of the toughest jobs out there; their pay needs to reflect the hazardous nature of their work,” said Rep. LaMalfa. “We are in the middle of another fire season and firefighters’ current bonus pay is about to run short from Biden’s Jobs Act three years early. It’s critical that Congress moves swiftly to ensure that federal wildland firefighters don’t leave the workforce due to fear that they’ll take a substantial pay cut unexpectedly in only two months. My bill ensures that federal firefighters get adequate pay, while repurposing existing funds to be fiscally responsible.”