Internal Forest Service data obtained by ProPublica showed more than 4,500 firefighting positions, as many as 27 percent, vacant on July 17 despite public claims that the agency had met 99 percent of its hiring goal.
More than 4,500 Forest Service firefighting jobs remained vacant
Back to results- Date
- 2025-07-22
- Entry type
- wildfire capacity gap
- Evidence status
- reported
- Current status
- Internal data showed vacancies at the July 17 wildfire-season checkpoint
- Sources
- 1
The ledger
1,855 matching recordsMore than 4,500 Forest Service firefighting jobs remained vacant2025-07-22Elon Musklost firefighters through layoffs, resignations, and constrained hiringU.S. Forest Service1 sourceMore than 4,500 Forest Service firefighting jobs remained vacant2025-07-22Donald J. TrumpTrump-appointed senior adviser who led DOGE workElon Musk1 sourceMore than 4,500 Forest Service firefighting jobs remained vacant2025-07-22Donald J. TrumpTrump-appointed OMB director and acting CFPB directorRussell Vought1 sourceSkydance committed CBS to viewpoint and ombudsman measures2025-07-22Donald J. Trumpeditorial commitments filed with Trump's FCC chairCBS News2 sourcesSkydance committed CBS to viewpoint and ombudsman measures2025-07-22Donald J. Trumprecognized CBS viewpoint and ombudsman commitmentsFederal Communications Commission2 sourcesSkydance filed employment-policy commitments during FCC review2025-07-22Donald J. Trumpfiled employment-policy commitments with Trump's FCC chairParamount Skydance Corporation2 sourcesSkydance filed employment-policy commitments during FCC review2025-07-22Donald J. Trumpaccepted applicant policy commitments in transfer recordFederal Communications Commission2 sourcesLancet researchers projected 14.05 million additional deaths by 2030 under full USAID defunding2025-07-19Elon Muskdismantled the programs used in the mortality counterfactualU.S. Agency for International Development1 sourceLancet researchers projected 14.05 million additional deaths by 2030 under full USAID defunding2025-07-19Donald J. TrumpTrump-appointed senior adviser who led DOGE workElon Musk1 sourceLancet researchers projected 14.05 million additional deaths by 2030 under full USAID defunding2025-07-19Donald J. TrumpTrump-appointed secretary of state and acting USAID administratorMarco Rubio1 sourceLancet researchers projected 14.05 million additional deaths by 2030 under full USAID defunding2025-07-19Donald J. TrumpTrump-appointed OMB director and acting CFPB directorRussell Vought1 sourceTrump sued the Wall Street Journal over its Epstein birthday-letter report2025-07-18Donald J. Trumpfiled defamation case over Epstein-letter reportingTrump v. Dow Jones and Company Epstein-letter defamation case1 sourceGENIUS Act ethics clause omitted a presidential-family issuer bar2025-07-18Donald J. Trumpson, family-business executive, and co-founder of the Trump-branded WLF ventureDonald Trump Jr.3 sourcesGENIUS Act ethics clause omitted a presidential-family issuer bar2025-07-18Donald J. Trumpson, family-business executive, and co-founder of the Trump-branded WLF ventureEric Trump3 sourcesGENIUS Act ethics clause omitted a presidential-family issuer bar2025-07-18Donald J. Trumpsigned the stablecoin statute into lawGENIUS Act3 sourcesArms-control analysis warns strikes may worsen weaponization incentives and diplomacy2025-07-17Donald J. Trumporder assessed for downstream nonproliferation riskOperation Midnight Hammer2 sourcesPentagon awarded Musk's xAI a contract with a $200 million ceiling2025-07-14Elon Muskreceived a Pentagon AI contract after DOGE promoted GrokxAI1 sourcePentagon awarded Musk's xAI a contract with a $200 million ceiling2025-07-14xAIreceived a frontier-AI contract fromU.S. Department of Defense1 sourcePentagon awarded Musk's xAI a contract with a $200 million ceiling2025-07-14Donald J. TrumpTrump-appointed defense secretaryPete Hegseth1 sourcePentagon awarded Musk's xAI a contract with a $200 million ceiling2025-07-14Donald J. TrumpTrump-appointed senior adviser who led DOGE workElon Musk1 sourceTrump Tower Bucharest: The record2025-07-11Donald J. Trumplinked by cited action or authorityAmerica First Audit: Trump Tower Bucharest1 sourceFEMA left nearly two-thirds of Texas flood-survivor calls unanswered2025-07-11Elon Muskreduced call-center capacity before a major disasterFederal Emergency Management Agency1 sourceFEMA left nearly two-thirds of Texas flood-survivor calls unanswered2025-07-11Donald J. TrumpTrump-appointed senior adviser who led DOGE workElon Musk1 sourceFEMA left nearly two-thirds of Texas flood-survivor calls unanswered2025-07-11Donald J. TrumpTrump-appointed homeland security secretaryKristi Noem1 sourceHHS accumulated a billion-dollar grant backlog after DOGE controls2025-07-11Elon Muskadded review and staffing constraints that stalled grantsU.S. Department of Health and Human Services1 sourceHHS accumulated a billion-dollar grant backlog after DOGE controls2025-07-11Donald J. TrumpTrump-appointed health and human services secretaryRobert F. Kennedy Jr.1 sourceHHS accumulated a billion-dollar grant backlog after DOGE controls2025-07-11Donald J. TrumpTrump-appointed senior adviser who led DOGE workElon Musk1 sourceHHS accumulated a billion-dollar grant backlog after DOGE controls2025-07-11Donald J. TrumpTrump-appointed OMB director and acting CFPB directorRussell Vought1 sourceWeather privatization plans overlapped Lutnick family market interests2025-07-09Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.reported investment and financing relationshipSatellogic Inc.3 sourcesWeather privatization plans overlapped Lutnick family market interests2025-07-09BGC Group, Inc.private market potentially affected by public-service reductionsNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration3 sourcesWeather privatization plans overlapped Lutnick family market interests2025-07-09Donald J. TrumpTrump-appointed commerce secretary and former chief of Cantor FitzgeraldHoward Lutnick3 sourcesA $100,000 signoff rule delayed federal Texas flood support more than 72 hours2025-07-08Kristi Noemdelayed response resources through a $100,000 signoff thresholdFederal Emergency Management Agency2 sourcesA $100,000 signoff rule delayed federal Texas flood support more than 72 hours2025-07-08Donald J. TrumpTrump-appointed senior adviser who led DOGE workElon Musk1 sourceA $100,000 signoff rule delayed federal Texas flood support more than 72 hours2025-07-08Donald J. TrumpTrump-appointed homeland security secretaryKristi Noem1 sourceLutnick received a limited waiver while Cantor transfers remained unfinished2025-07-08Donald J. TrumpTrump-appointed commerce secretary and former chief of Cantor FitzgeraldHoward Lutnick4 sourcesLutnick received a limited waiver while Cantor transfers remained unfinished2025-07-08Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.served as the stablecoin issuer's primary bankerTether Holdings Limited4 sourcesVeterans as a Private Market — The record2025-07-07Donald J. Trumplinked by cited action or authorityAmerica First Audit — Veterans as a Private Market2 sourcesTrump's DOJ and FBI said they found no incriminating Epstein “client list” and closed further disclosure2025-07-07Donald J. Trumpoversaw agencies that ended further disclosure after their reviewJuly 2025 DOJ-FBI Epstein memorandum1 sourceThe Rural Medicaid Squeeze — The record2025-07-04Donald J. Trumplinked by cited action or authorityAmerica First Audit — The Rural Medicaid Squeeze1 sourceThe Medicare Promise Test — The record2025-07-04Donald J. Trumplinked by cited action or authorityAmerica First Audit — The Medicare Promise Test2 sources