U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse and other House Democrats announced a package of legislation Thursday, Aug. 6, that they say “meets the moment” as the severe wildfire season unfolds in Colorado and across the country.

Across the U.S., wildfires have burned more than 5.5 million acres — 144% above the 10-year average for this time of year, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Major fires, like the Aspen Acres Fire in Colorado, have forced thousands to evacuate and destroyed homes and infrastructure. Five wildland firefighters have died this summer of injuries sustained while fighting fires in Colorado.

“Colorado has experienced some of the most devastating wildfires in the country — and as we’ve worked together to recover and rebuild, we’ve also drawn from hard-earned lessons in the wake of these disasters to introduce this comprehensive package of policy proposals,” Neguse said in a statement. 

The Wildfire Response and Readiness Act — a package of 25 bills — is “House Democrats’ affirmative response to the growing threat of catastrophic wildfires,” according to a news release from Neguse and other Democrats on the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee. Republicans control the House of Representatives by a thin 218-215 margin.

The Democrats describe the proposed legislation as having “three main pillars.”

First, the release states the proposed policies aim to create “resilient lands” by investing in wildfire prevention and post-fire restoration and recovery. The legislation would also require federal agencies to develop a 10-year wildfire plan in coordination with “the people most impacted,” according to the release.

Second, the act would create what lawmakers called “fire-safe communities” by helping give communities tools to plan ahead for wildfires and encouraging the development of new tools to spot fires faster and address the impacts of wildfire smoke, the release states.

The final pillar of the legislation is “ensuring wildland firefighter safety and workforce security,” according to the release. The bill would invest in “better pay, leave and retirement benefits” for firefighters while expanding the workforce, the release states.

“The Wildfire Response and Readiness Act advances critical prevention, mitigation and response strategies while delivering long-overdue support for our brave and heroic wildland firefighters, who risk life and limb to protect our communities and deserve fair compensation and benefits,” Neguse said.

There have been five wildland firefighters who died as a result of battling wildfires in Colorado this year. Four of five firefighters involved in a burnover incident — where the fire outpaces firefighters — on a wildfire near the Utah-Colorado border in June have died of line-of-duty injuries. A firefighter also died in a helicopter crash last month on the Gold Mountain Fire outside of Ouray.

In the news release, the Democrats claim President Donald Trump’s administration has responded to the threat of wildfires by “gutting the public land management agencies and institutions responsible for keeping our lands resilient.” 

In 2025, the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, cut thousands of jobs at land management agencies like the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, including roughly a quarter of Colorado’s federal lands workforce. While DOGE spared frontline firefighting staff, the cuts included hundreds of employees with or “red card” qualifications that allow them to assist on wildfires.

The Trump administration has also launched the consolidation of the nation’s wildfire fighting force into the U.S. Wildland Fire Service and a reorganization of the Forest Service that could require hundreds of employees to relocate and includes closuring dozens of research facilities across the country.

The Wildfire Response and Readiness Act would also prevent more firings and keep key wildfire and forestry research, according to the news release.

The bill package has been endorsed by the Western Fire Chiefs Association, Grassroots Wildland Firefighters, the Sierra Club, the National Resources Defense Council, National Federation of Federal Employees, Defenders of Wildlife, Megafire Action and the Trust for Public Land.

“As communities across the country face one of the hottest and most dangerous wildfire seasons in recent memory, Congress must prioritize preparedness over disaster recovery,” said Randy Erwin, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees, in a statement. “Every dollar invested in wildfire readiness, firefighter safety, and forest resilience saves lives, protects communities, and reduces the enormous costs of rebuilding after catastrophic fires.”