NFFE: Communities will burn and people will die. Image: ARM Photo Video/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe NFFE union has warned of a potential surge in turnover among federal wildland firefighters if Congress does not enact by September 30 additional funding to maintain their pay rates at the higher levels that took effect a year ago.
Bills to do so are pending in both the House and Senate with strong bipartisan support. “Both pieces of legislation would permanently increase pay for federal wildland firefighters and help avert a wave of mass resignations within an already understaffed workforce,” said the union, which represents firefighters of both the Agriculture and Interior departments.
However, with working time running short and Congress focused on other issues, passage is uncertain. The White House further recently asked for the funding in a supplemental budget request but that too is on hold in the legislative process.
With time short, the most typical way to address such a need would be to add language to a measure providing temporary funding for agencies to carry them past the end of the fiscal year, but chances of Congress enacting such a measure also are uncertain.
“If Congress allows this pay cliff to happen, the federal government will not have a workforce to protect our lands from the wildfire crisis,” the union said. “Communities will burn and people will die. NFFE and wildland firefighters across the country have worked tirelessly over the past year to have legislation introduced to avoid this catastrophe. Congressional leaders, especially House Republicans, must listen to their constituents and understand that their inaction on this issue will be devastating. Congress must pass a bill to avoid the pay cliff before it is too late.”
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