WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) announced that their Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025, legislation to strengthen the aerial wildfire suppression fleet and better combat the year-round threat of catastrophic wildfire, passed the Senate.
Heinrich and Sheehy led the introduction of their legislation in January. The legislation is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.). The Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act now awaits House passage.
“I’m pleased that my Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act is one step closer to becoming law,” said Heinrich. “The Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act is urgently needed to expand the operations of Very Large Air Tankers that have proven absolutely essential to firefighters battling large wildfires in New Mexico and across the West. I will never stop fighting to deliver the resources that our communities need to effectively respond to wildfires.”
“It’s only April, and this year has already seen the most dangerous and expensive wildfire season in history. It’s clear our government must do more to give wildland firefighters the tools they need to protect communities and save lives. The Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act supports that mission by eliminating bureaucratic obstacles to provide our aerial wildfire suppression fleet the resources necessary to fight wildfires quickly and aggressively. I’m grateful to my colleagues for their support of this bipartisan legislation, and I will continue to use the full power of my office to support the brave first responders on the front lines fighting wildfires across the country,” said Sheehy.
“In Arizona and across the West, wildfires are more frequent, more intense, and no longer confined to a single season. Our response capabilities need to reflect that new reality,” said Kelly. “Strengthening our aerial firefighting fleet by making more aircraft and parts available is a smart, proven way to help firefighters respond faster and keep communities safe. I’m proud to support this effort to ensure the tools are in place to meet the growing threat, and I'll keep working to get it done.”
“As catastrophic wildfires devastate communities across the country, we need to be smarter and more resourceful in our approach to wildfire suppression,” said Padilla. “Californians saw firsthand the power of our aerial wildfire suppression fleet in putting out the Los Angeles fires as quickly as possible. Shoring up aerial firefighting fleets by allowing the Department of Defense to sell excess aircraft parts is a lifesaving, commonsense priority — and I’m glad to see the Senate come together to unanimously pass this bipartisan legislation.”
The Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act amends the Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act of 1996 to reauthorize the sale of excess aircraft and parts by the Department of Defense for wildfire suppression. The bill will help the U.S. better suppress wildfires year-round by facilitating the acquisition of military excess aircraft, sold at fair market value, for the aerial wildfire suppression fleet. Additionally, the sale of parts will help the U.S. maintain its existing aerial firefighting aircraft fleet.
The bill reauthorizes the Secretary of Defense’s authority to sell excess Department of Defense aircraft and aircraft parts, which are acceptable for commercial sale, to persons or entities that contract with the government for the delivery of fire retardant or water by air to suppress wildfires, as long as the aircraft and parts are used only for wildfire suppression. The initial authority expired in 2005 and was reauthorized from 2012 to 2017 before lapsing again.
Read more on the bill here.
Heinrich’s Support for Aerial Firefighting:
Heinrich has long worked to expand and improve aerial firefighting operations in New Mexico to more effectively fight wildfires. In 2022, Heinrich secured more than $15 million to upgrade the Cibola National Forest Air Tanker Base at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque. Those upgrades were completed in 2024 – a major milestone that makes it possible to support and refuel Very Large Air Tanker planes that can drop large volumes of fire retardant on blazes.
In an op-ed published in the Albuquerque Journal, Col. Mike Power, Kirtland Air Force Base Installation Commander, highlighted the importance of these newly completed upgrades at the Cibola National Forest Air Tanker Base that will help the U.S. Forest Service fight wildfires in New Mexico more efficiently and effectively — one of only two bases in the United States with that capability.
“This base upgrade, where now up to 30 Forest Service professionals work to lead the fight against wildfires, includes the larger ramp space for a stronger, more efficient capability to fight wildfires in New Mexico year-round. It now also houses a retardant tank farm,” said Col. Power in the op-ed. “What does that mean to the average New Mexican? It means 75,000 gallons of retardant available at one time, and cuts response time to a fire in half. Ours is one of only two bases in the United States with that capability.”
Heinrich’s Continued Leadership on Wildfire Response & Recovery:
Heinrich remains focused on delivering the resources New Mexico needs to effectively respond to wildfires and prevent future devastating blazes by restoring the health and resilience of our forests and watersheds.
Last week, Heinrich attempted to amend Republicans’ budget resolution that funds Donald Trump and Elon Musk's tax handouts for billionaires by filing an amendment to increase forest health and wildfire mitigation forest treatments to support wildland firefighting.
In March, Heinrich demanded USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to reverse the Trump-Musk terminations of forest service workers responsible for protecting our communities from wildfires. In his letter, Heinrich highlighted impacts of the USDA’s actions across New Mexico. Specifically, in the Gila National Forest, Heinrich pointed to the USDA’s termination of an entire trail crew that previously spent their days clearing debris from trails to make them safe for the community and help prevent catastrophic wildfire.
Additionally, Heinrich pressed the USDA on Trump’s plans to fire forest service workers responsible for wildfire prevention and watershed restoration.
In January, Heinrich introduced the Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act to ensure the federal government can recruit and retain a sufficient wildland firefighting workforce to keep communities safe. The legislation would also permanently increase federal wildland firefighter pay.
Heinrich is keeping up the effort to do right by the New Mexico families whose lives were upended by the 2022 Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire. As communities continue to rebuild, Heinrich will keep working to deliver for every personimpacted by that fire and the floods that followed.
Heinrich, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) successfully secured an additional $1.5 billion to help New Mexicans recover from the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire within the Continuing Resolution that Congress passed in December 2024.
The 2024 Continuing Resolution also extended the period that victims may file claims with the Hermit’s Peak Claims Office to March 14, 2025. The Heinrich, Luján, and Leger Fernández are continuing to call for the passage of their Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Claims Extension Act, legislation they introduced to extend the period a victim can file a claim with the Hermit’s Peak Claims Office through the end of 2027.
The New Mexico Congressional Delegation has now secured a total of $5.45 billion in federal resources to help New Mexicans recover and rebuild since the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire.
In November 2024, Heinrich, Luján, and Leger Fernández announced that President Biden’s disaster supplemental request included transfer authority for $1.5 billion to help New Mexicans recover from the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire. That same month, Heinrich, Luján, and Leger Fernández also sent a letter urging the FEMA Director of the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Claims Office and the FEMA Director of the New Mexico Joint Recovery Office to address concerns from New Mexicans about the process for receiving compensationfrom the Claims Office and help families get the relief and compensation needed to recover.
Additional information on Heinrich’s leadership on Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Response and Recovery can be found here.
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