layoffs

A new national forecast warns that above-normal wildfire risk will exist through most of New Mexico by April. Meanwhile, federal cuts could leave one-third of the state without dispatchers to monitor for nascent blazes and fewer firefighters to respond if they blow up.silver

A week ago, on orders from the Trump administration, federal officials began firing thousands of employees at agencies including the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Energy, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Forest Service, which is part of USDA. Searchlight spoke to three New Mexicans who were fired.

U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, the ranking member of the House DOGE Subcommittee, told KUNM’s Let’s Talk New Mexico Thursday that she has heard from many New Mexicans who have lost their jobs and is reminding them that they have rights.