FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 21, 2025

CONTACT:
Olivia Miller, Program Director, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, olivia.miller@wvhighlands.org, (304) 704-2997

WASHINGTON — Late Thursday night, Senators Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Jim Justice, R-W.Va., joined 50 other Republicans in voting against two amendments aimed at reversing recent mass layoffs at federal land management agencies and establishing permanent funding for wildland firefighters. Both amendments failed by a 48-52 vote during the Senate’s consideration of a reconciliation bill tied to President Donald Trump’s agenda on immigration and border enforcement.

One amendment, introduced by Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., sought to rehire employees at the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management. The other amendment, offered by Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., would have created an ongoing fund to support wildland firefighting efforts.

Among the employees who have been fired are employees in West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest, nearby George Washington & Jefferson National Forests, and offices of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“Our Congressional representatives are not supporting our West Virginia residents—their constituents—in maintaining their essential jobs of protecting and preserving our public lands,” said Marilyn Shoenfeld, president of the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy. “Protecting these places benefits us all. By voting against these amendments, our senators missed an opportunity to stand with the hardworking people dedicated to caring for our most treasured landscapes.”

About the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy:
Founded in 1967, the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy is one of the state’s oldest environmental advocacy organizations, dedicated to protecting the natural resources and beauty of the West Virginia highlands.

-WVHC-