WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior announced sweeping reforms last week aimed at overhauling the federal wildfire response system, while Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick laid out a new “America First” seafood strategy, and USDA moved to eliminate what it called a redundant food insecurity survey.
USDA Secretary Rollins issued a memorandum on September 15 modernizing wildfire prevention and response policies, while Interior Secretary Doug Burgum simultaneously directed his department to streamline operations and strengthen coordination with state, tribal and local partners. Officials said the reforms, tied to President Donald Trump’s executive order on wildfire prevention, are intended to unify fragmented systems, modernize training and equipment, and ensure faster, more effective firefighting across the country.
“Time and time again, we have witnessed the devastating consequences of wildfires caused by mismanagement and a lack of preparedness,” Rollins said. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are taking bold action to modernize wildfire response systems, streamline federal wildfire capabilities, and strengthen their effectiveness.”
Burgum said outdated structures had slowed federal response. “By streamlining federal capabilities and strengthening our partnerships with state, tribal and local teams, we will deliver the common-sense reforms needed to safeguard our communities, our lands and our future,” he said.
Separately, Rollins and Lutnick co-authored an Anchorage Daily News op-ed September 18 outlining a federal seafood strategy for Alaska. They said the administration’s new policy would expand harvests, cut regulations, counter unfair foreign trade practices and promote U.S. seafood exports. The secretaries pointed to record USDA purchases of Alaska pollock, expanded trade promotion funding, and efforts to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing as key elements of the strategy.
Alaska fisheries account for about 60 percent of the nation’s seafood by volume and generate roughly \$6 billion annually for the state economy. Rollins said the new approach is designed to “inspire the industry in Alaska with hope for a more prosperous future” and restore competitiveness in global markets.
On September 20, USDA also announced it would discontinue future Household Food Security Reports, calling them costly, politicized and unnecessary. The department said the survey, which has been conducted for three decades, added little value and was originally implemented to justify expansion of federal food assistance programs.
USDA said it would instead rely on other statutory data sources it considers more accurate and timely. The agency emphasized that eliminating the report would not affect its core mission of administering nutrition programs but would reduce duplication and redirect resources.
Together, the actions underscore the administration’s push to reshape USDA priorities — from fire management and food policy to fisheries and trade — with a focus on efficiency, deregulation and aligning programs with its broader America First agenda.
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