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US federal wildland firefighters, who faced some of the harshest wildfires in US and Canada this summer, set to lose half of their salaries as Congress is inching towards its Sept. 30 deadline to fund the government.

Last year, the bipartisan infrastructure law provided a temporary pay bump to these federal first responders of $20,000 or 50%, whichever was less. The money is estimated by officials to last about two years and was retroactive to October 2021.

Federal officials relied on Congress to write and enact a permanent pay fix that would raise the base pay of these firemen because it was always anticipated that the money would run out. Republicans in the House have been unable to unite around a solution, despite their being one bipartisan approach in the Senate.

Officials and firefighters are urging for some action to be attached to the larger effort to fund the federal government. Congressional staffers estimate the Interior Department will run out of money on Sept. 30. As of Sept. 13, the Forest Service reports, at most, enough funding to cover the cost of just two pay periods after the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

The USDA began warning its employees of a pay cliff, meaning when pay would sharply and suddenly drop, earlier this year. In materials obtained by NPR, USDA warned entry-level employees could see their base pay drop nearly $20,000, from just under $60,000 to $40,000.

Pay issues are not new to federal fire forces, which for over a decade have faced staffing shortages and low morale. In 2021, President Biden increased federal wildland firefighter wages to a $15 an-hour minimum. Still, some state outfits like the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire) and the Unified Fire Authority in Utah will pay upwards of $50,000 base salary to someone even without experience.

The threat of a pay cliff has many worried staffing shortages could worsen in the coming year. Even with the supplemental wages, many reported staffing issues this year. DOI hired more than 87% of the goal for firefighters. The Forest Service said hitting 99% of its hiring target in July.