(BIVN) – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D, Hawaiʻi) on Thursday criticized the recent firing of probationary employees at the Department of the Interior, including those who were working at the Fish and Wildlife Service in Hawaiʻi.  

The terminations were part of the across-the-board federal firings carried out by the new administration of President Trump.  

“The recent across-the-board firing of probationary employees at the Department of the Interior was done in haste, without foresight, and will do lasting damage to communities throughout our country,” Senator Hirono wrote in a letter to the Secretary of Interior, Douglas Burgum, urging him to reinstate the employees. 

“From Hawaii to Maine, our constituents are sounding the alarm on what these unjustifiable and short-sighted firings mean for our communities,” Hirono stated. 

Hirono argued that the employees play important roles in protecting and preserving Hawaii’s environment and natural resources. 

The direct impacts to Hawaiʻi island were described in Hirono’s letter:

On Hawaii Island and Oahu, half of the field staff and a quarter of total staff were terminated. Positions lost include a plant restoration team that was tasked with collecting native seed and propagating native plants for federal land managers throughout Hawaii to utilize for fire suppression and recovery efforts. Nonnative grasses significantly contribute to wildfire fuels loads in Hawaii and are often the first to establish on recently burned lands, so these native plants are critical to breaking the fuel cycle. Another position that was lost was responsible for maintaining fences to keep invasive ungulates out of the refuge. Just one pig breaking through the fence can undo decades of restoration efforts in a matter of days, wasting an immense amount of taxpayer dollars. Additionally, Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge is home to the headwaters for the vast majority of fresh water streams that provide drinking water to the windward side of Hawaii Island. Failure to maintain forest health within the Refuge would significantly impact the quantity and quality of drinking water for our families.

“The harm these firings are having on programs we rely on is obvious,” Senator Hirono wrote. “I urge you to stand up for your agency, your workers, and your mission. The costs of not doing so will far exceed any savings resulting from the termination of these positions.”