As California weathered 14 major wildfires Monday morning amid an intense heat wave, it couldnt be clearer that the state needed equipped firefighters, modern wildfire prevention efforts and funding for wildfire research.

But the budget for those programs hangs in the balance, despite evidence that climate change has already contributed to the ever-worsening wildfire seasons in California and beyond. Under President Donald Trump s proposed 2018 budget, the U.S. Forest Service, or USFS, will face a $300 million reduction to its wildfire fighting programs, another $50 million in cuts to its wildfire prevention efforts and a 23 percent reduction to funding for volunteer fire departments.