Sponsors (32)
The bill quickly restores Forest Service staffing and continues recreation and infrastructure projects to protect forests, jobs, and public access, but it does so without new funding and with tight deadlines and statutory cross-references that can strain agency budgets, limit flexibility, and raise administrative, legal, or safety concerns.
Federal employees who were involuntarily removed between Jan 20, 2025 and enactment would be reinstated, restoring jobs and incomes for those workers.
Increased staffing and continuation of forest-management activities improves forest health, fuels reduction, and wildfire prevention, protecting nearby homes, utilities, and community safety.
Continuation of funded Forest Service recreation and facilities projects keeps trails, campgrounds, and visitor services open, preserving public access and recreation opportunities.
The Act authorizes no new funding and relies on redirecting previously appropriated funds, which could strain agency budgets, reduce resources for other USDA/Forest Service programs, and delay or cancel other projects and services.
Reinstating employees regardless of prior removal reasons and imposing a rapid 30-day rehiring timeline could create workplace safety/performance concerns, hurt staff morale, and produce administrative burdens or legal challenges if vetting and due process are limited.
Mandating continuation of all listed projects reduces agency flexibility to reallocate resources to higher-priority or emergency needs, potentially hampering rapid response to new threats or changing conditions.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Requires the Agriculture Secretary to boost Forest Service staffing and reinstate certain employees using existing funds and to continue all funded Forest Service projects under listed laws.
Requires the Agriculture Secretary to increase Forest Service staffing needed to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of National Forest System lands and to reinstate any Forest Service employees who were involuntarily removed or terminated between January 20, 2025 and the date of enactment. Those staffing increases and reinstatements must be carried out within 30 days of enactment using previously appropriated funds available to the Secretary. Directs the Secretary of the Interior (for non-Forest Service agencies) and the Secretary of Agriculture (for the Forest Service), acting as defined, to continue carrying out every existing Forest Service project for which funds were authorized or appropriated under several named statutes; it does not provide new funding or change program rules, only directs continuation of already-funded projects.
Introduced May 21, 2025 by Joseph Neguse · Last progress May 21, 2025