A financially struggling Forest Service was on the verge of offering mass buyouts to employees in the final days of the Biden administration, a top Agriculture Department official told lawmakers Monday.
In a letter to Senate Agriculture ranking member Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and other Democrats, Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden said the prior administration approved offering as many as 7,000 employees voluntary departures as big boosts to appropriations were approaching an end.
The letter responds to concerns from Klobuchar and her colleagues about the Trump administration’s reorganization efforts, and comes ahead of a hearing with Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz on Tuesday.
“The prior administration lived so far beyond its means that [former Agriculture] Secretary [Tom] Vilsack sought — and on Jan. 17, 2025, was approved — to offer voluntary separation to 7,000 Forest Service employees,” Vaden said.
