In a bipartisan effort, U.S. Senators Michael Bennet of Colorado and Tim Sheehy of Montana have introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that seeks to permanently raise the annual pay cap for federal wildland firefighters. The legislation, also sponsored by Senators Padilla, Daines, Merkley, and Kelly, would allow these firefighters to receive total compensation—including overtime and premium pay—above the current maximum permitted by the General Schedule (GS) scale.
Senator Bennet stated, “As extreme weather increases, fire seasons in Colorado and across the country intensify. The West relies more and more on wildland firefighters to protect our homes and communities, and it is critical that they are fairly compensated. This is a common sense solution that is proven to significantly improve morale and retain wildland firefighters on the front lines of dangerous infernos. I look forward to it being passed.”
Senator Sheehy added, “Our wildland firefighters have tremendously important jobs that often require them to be on a fire location for weeks at a time to protect American families and communities from catastrophic wildfire. Removing this hurdle that prevents them from being paid the money they are owed means they can continue to be ready and capable of providing the best response possible without fear of being short changed. This is a long-needed fix to a problem that affects not just these brave first responders, but our ability to combat wildfires across the country. I look forward to seeing this change enacted.”
The proposal comes after concerns were raised earlier in 2025 when Forest Service Chief Schultz requested congressional action regarding the firefighter pay cap. Many personnel working in aviation roles or as team leaders had already reached their earnings limit partway through the year, prompting worries about workforce shortages during peak wildfire season.
While a permanent base pay increase for wildland firefighters was included in the Fiscal Year 2025 Continuing Resolution, this measure did not address overtime or premium pay exceeding GS limits. As noted by USDA estimates, hundreds of federal firefighters could hit their compensation ceiling before year-end unless Congress acts on this amendment.
The text of the amendment can be found at https://hilinetoday.com/senator-sheehy-talks-service-academies/.
