'Real life impacts': How Trump’s mass firings of federal workers worsen wildfire response

The Trump administration, with the help of billionaire Elon Musk and his "Department of Government Efficiency" (which is not yet an official federal agency authorized by Congress), is pushing dramatic cuts to the federal government. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is being gutted, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is facing a similar fate and President Donald Trump is calling for the U.S. Department of Education to be abolished.

CNN's Brianna Keilar discussed these mass layoffs during a report on Friday afternoon, February 14 with colleague René Marsh.

When Keilar asked Marsh to discuss the impact of these layoffs, she explained, "So, Brianna, I've been speaking a lot with the labor unions, and they're still trying to get their arms around the full scale and scope of these government-wide firings. But here's what we know so far. At the Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 1000 have been fired…. 2000 were fired at the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)….. And at the U.S. Forest Service, that number is now 3400."

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Marsh added that the U.S. Forest Service "manages the nation's public forests and grasslands," noting that Trump "has talked about this agency quite a bit, saying that we need better forest management to prevent wildfires."

The CNN reporter detailed the likely repercussions at the Forest Service as well as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

"I spoke with a Forest Service source today about the impact of these 3400 people being let go, and what that impact would be in real-life terms," Marsh told Keilar. "Many of the people let go were not a part of the actual firefighting unit, but they are staff that the agency would have tapped into as reserve crews during the peak moments of the summer, when we're really seeing a lot more of these intense wildfires. And now, he says, they won't have that reserve bench to tap into. So what they will likely have to do is tap in private contractors, and that comes at a higher cost."

Marsh added, "Also, hearing some just real life impacts about the number of people who are let go at the VA. one woman, one employee fired worked at a vet center. It's basically a community-based clinic, and it helps vets seeking mental health services and other services."

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