Budget proposal introduces Federal Wildland Firefighting Agency

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) has reported that President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget proposal includes a plan to establish a new Federal Wildland Firefighting Agency under the Department of the Interior.

The proposal would unify existing federal responsibilities for wildfire suppression and management into a single service, consolidating the functions currently housed within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

According to the IAFC, this new agency would be responsible for coordinating wildfire suppression responses, mitigation efforts, and partnerships with non-federal stakeholders.

Increased wildfire firefighting expenditure and USDA budget cuts

The IAFC stated that the proposed federal wildfire firefighting budget would increase by 3.6 percent to $2.9 billion under the 2026 plan.

The agency would assume management responsibilities and resources currently held by the Department of Agriculture, which would see reductions in several key programmes.

The Rural Development Programme would be cut by $721 million, including the complete removal of Community Facility grants historically used for building fire stations.

Funding for the National Forest System would be reduced by $392 million, which includes a $342 million cut to salaries and expenses.

FEMA and emergency preparedness programmes targeted for reductions

The IAFC noted that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would see a $646 million reduction in its grant programmes.

Programmes marked for removal include Targeting Violence and Terrorism Prevention and the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium.

The impact on Assistance to Firefighters Grants, SAFER, Fire Prevention and Safety, Urban Areas Security Initiative, and the State Homeland Security Grant Programme remains unclear until more detailed documentation is released.

Cuts of $491 million are also proposed for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which the administration said would be reoriented toward federal network defence and critical infrastructure protection.

Additional cuts across health, safety and environmental agencies

The Department of Health and Human Services is affected in several areas, according to the IAFC summary.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration would lose $1.065 billion in funding, eliminating a number of regional and national programmes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would face a $3.588 billion reduction. The budget proposal would consolidate several disease-focused grants into a single $300 million programme.

The proposal would also eliminate multiple CDC programmes and shift responsibility for others to state governments.

The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response would lose $240 million, with the removal of the Hospital Preparedness Programme.

The Department of Transportation’s rail safety grant funding would increase by 400 percent to $500 million.

US 2026 Budget proposal calls for Federal Wildland Firefighting Agency: Summary

President Trump’s 2026 budget proposes the creation of a Federal Wildland Firefighting Agency.

The new agency would fall under the Department of the Interior.

It would absorb wildland fire functions from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Wildfire firefighting costs would rise by 3.6 percent to $2.9 billion.

USDA’s Rural Development Programme would be cut by $721 million.

Community Facility grants used for fire stations would be removed.

National Forest System funding would be reduced by $392 million.

FEMA grant programmes would be reduced by $646 million.

The impact on AFG, SAFER and other FEMA grants remains unclear.

CISA would be cut by $491 million and refocused on federal networks.

SAMHSA would see a cut of $1.065 billion with multiple programme eliminations.

CDC funding would be reduced by $3.588 billion.

Hospital Preparedness Programme funding would be eliminated.

Rail Safety Grant funding would increase to $500 million.

The IAFC said this proposal is the beginning of the 2026 appropriations process.