Forest Service Chief Schultz falsely told Congress DOGE cuts had not harmed wildfire capacity; agency documents and officials contradicted the claim

On July 23, 2026, Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz testified before the U.S. House Agriculture Committee that DOGE budget cuts had not harmed wildfire firefighting capacity in Minnesota, where dozens of fires were actively burning. Ranking Member Angie Craig's opening statement at the hearing directly challenged Schultz on the point, noting that DOGE had paused or canceled USFS grant projects affecting fire-fuel reduction work in the state.

A Washington Post investigation published July 25, 2026 — two days after the testimony — reported that Schultz's claim contradicts accounts from at least two current Forest Service officials and an internal agency document. The reporting found that DOGE paused or canceled nearly all USFS grant projects and funds in early 2025. Former USFS district ranger Aaron Kania stated the cuts set back fire preparedness by "about a year and a half," saying the funded work "would have been effective in stopping or slowing down these fires." Among the paused projects was a grant that would have funded thinning of approximately 4,000 acres of dry forest in an area now actively burning.

The Forest Service is the lead federal agency for wildland fire management on national forest lands, making the chief's congressional testimony about firefighting capacity a direct exercise of executive-branch accountability to Congress. False or misleading testimony about the effects of the administration's own budget decisions on fire readiness — during an active and expanding fire season — denies Congress the factual basis it needs to conduct oversight and appropriate emergency resources.