Who's Protecting Montana's Public Lands?
April 7, 2026
U.S. Congressman Ryan Zinke
U.S. Congressman Troy Downing
U.S. Senator Steve Daines
U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy
Dear Montana Congressional Delegation
No doubt you are aware of a sweeping restructuring announced recently by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Among the changes announced include relocation of 130 USFS positions to Salt Lake City, Utah, and the creation of 15 new state-based directors (replacing the current 9 regional foresters), and another yet to be determined and non-transparent restructuring that directly impacts on Montana. As you all should know, the forced relocation of Forest Service headquarters without input from impacted workers, communities, and states will further undermine the Forest Service and drive a loss of expertise within the agency. As we experienced with the failed move of the Bureau of Land Management to Grand Junction, Colorado, critical civil servants will leave the agency, creating gaps and disruptions in services that will hurt Montanans.
While the details of this administrative overhaul of the USFS remains murky, I know enough about this proposal to assure you that it is bad for Montana and for the United States of America. At its core, this represents the corruption, secrecy, wastefulness, and this administration’s continued bending of a knee to corporate special interests and away from leadership that respects the integrity and importance of our public lands and forests. It is a thinly veiled effort to privatize government functions at a great cost to taxpayers and our safety. It ultimately paves the way for the transfer and sale of our public lands.
After DOGE’s failed efforts, which cut a quarter of the Forest Service workforce without saving tax dollars, and the chaotic mismanagement under this administrations’ political appointees, necessary wildfire mitigation declined, putting Montanans and communities at risk. In fact, hazardous fuels reduction work across Forest Service lands, including thinning and prescribed fire, was down nearly 40% last year because of the chaos and mismanagement on your watch. As elected leaders, have you taken any action or asked any questions regarding this concerning drop in wildfire mitigation? It doesn’t appear anyone has.
Not only do working Americans and Montanans stand to lose, as permitting for valid commercial activities suffer, in addition to the already reduced activities to mitigate wildfire, this decision will harm the timber industry and the safety of our communities. Beyond that, moving agency leadership to Utah, the heart of the sell-off and privatization movement, can only be viewed as an imminent threat to our public lands. The forced relocation of local leadership positions to state capitals is not only unnecessarily costly, but places federal operations under the thumb of state government control. Assets that belong to all Americans, rather than special interests in the hallways of state capitals, could be co-opted for political gain. If there were a serious reorganization that considered efficiency, using existing facilities of Regional Forest Headquarters, like the Northern Region Headquarters in Missoula, Montana, would be the prudent decision. However, this appears to be motivated by other factors than service, cost, and efficiency.
As we approach what appears to be a very active fire season after failing to maintain sufficient wildlife mitigation efforts last season, the Forest Service should be preparing resources and utilizing expertise it has instead of loading up moving vans to dismantle the agency. As members of Congress, you must exercise proper oversight functions and use the power of the purse to put a stop to ill-advised decisions like this immediately and focus on properly funding the agency for its core missions. This is, simply put, another undeclared war by this administration on our public lands and public employees, but also the many families in Montana whose livelihoods, from agriculture to outdoor recreation, depend on well managed public lands and forests. It is a war on our Montana way of life.
One of two things must be true. One, you knew about these proposed changes in advance and did not tell anybody or take any action to alter the course of these unwise changes. Or, two, you knew nothing about these proposed changes to the management structure and policies of the USFS and allowed it to be foisted upon us by this administration, which is clearly being manipulated by Utah U.S. Senator Mike Lee, a frustratingly aggressive enemy of wildlife, forests, and public lands.
In either case, the four of you are clearly asleep at the wheel or negligent and failing in your responsibility to the people of Montana and the United States of America. While I am pleased that you, Representative Ryan Zinke and U.S. Senator Steve Daines, are opting for retirement rather than embarrassment in the Fall 2026 election, I am optimistic and hopeful that the voters of Montana will continue to make the changes necessary in our congressional delegation that will reassert Montana values and concern for the people of Montana – not corporations, not multi millionaires and billionaires, not greedy special interests.
Montanans are done with your inside-the-beltway grift and greed. This corrupt reorganization of the USFS is yet another example of the fraudulent, incompetent use of government to enrich, empower and enable those who pillage our taxes and pursue industrial development over the will of communities, our multi-billion agricultural and outdoor economy, and our way of life.
As a candidate for the U.S. Congress to serve in Montana’s U.S. House of Representative District 1 (Western Montana), I assure you and all Montanans that change is on its way and we are in the midst of reclaiming our Democracy to govern our country and Montana in a manner that is good for “we the people.” Please, step up or get out of the way.
Sincerely,
Russell Cleveland
Candidate
2026 Montana House District 1, 2026 Election
