Federal Wildland Firefighters to Maintain Higher Pay Rates Under New Appropriations Package
Federal wildland firefighters will retain their higher pay rates as part of the latest congressional appropriations package, which continues funding for their permanent pay raise and job updates from the 2021 infrastructure law. The package also rejects President Trump’s proposal to consolidate wildland firefighting forces into a single agency, allowing firefighters from the Forest Service and the Interior Department to remain separate.
Other updates include ongoing issues with the nomination of Sean Plankey to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, protests regarding the State Department's $50 billion Evolve IT contract, reinstatement of former NOAA employees, and access to online tax forms for federal retirees. Additionally, President Trump has imposed caps on executive compensation at defense contractors and introduced new requirements for the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs to adopt a joint credentialing system by 2027.
