New burn bans and Trump's battle with immigration and DEI are impacting forest fires
Federal funding for controlled burns to prevent wildfires is delayed due to new policy requirements tied to immigration and diversity initiatives. Land managers in Washington and other states say they cannot accept the funds because the conditions violate state laws. The delays threaten efforts to reduce wildfire risks during an increasingly dangerous fire season.
- ▪The U.S. Forest Service has delayed releasing $200 million in wildfire prevention grants to 22 states and two Tribes due to new federal policy requirements.
- ▪The new requirements, part of Trump administration 'America First' initiatives, include restrictions on climate change and DEI programs, which conflict with state laws in places like Washington.
- ▪State officials say the funding delays are preventing essential controlled burns, increasing the risk of larger and more catastrophic wildfires.
- ▪Twenty states and the District of Columbia have sued the USDA to block the new grant conditions, calling them coercive.
- ▪This is the first time since the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program began in 2022 that funding has been stalled.
2 outlets in our directory ran this story, first to last over 27 hours. All of the coverage we found sits in one bucket: lean right. That one-sidedness is itself worth noticing.
- ▪ How Burn Bans, Immigration and DEI Impacting Forest Fires — RealClear Investigations
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| Original publisher | NPR — News |
| Canonical URL | https://www.npr.org/2026/05/17/nx-s1-5777660/forest-service-wildfire-safety-prevention-trump-administration |
| Publication time | Sun, 17 May 2026 05:00:00 -0400 |
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Investigations New burn bans and Trump's battle with immigration and DEI are impacting forest fires May 17, 20265:00 AM ET Chiara Eisner A fire fighter conducts a controlled burn in southern Washington. Chiara Eisner/NPR hide caption toggle caption Chiara Eisner/NPR It was a rare windless April day in southern Washington and Adam Lieberg was stuck in front of his computer. He was supposed to be burning acres of twigs and pine needles in the forests between the Columbia River and the Yakama Nation nearby — the sort of controlled burn of ground fuel that is one of the most effective ways to minimize future wildfires. Lieberg, a land manager for the conservation nonprofit Columbia Land Trust, was desperate to do his job.
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