Wyden was briefed on Tuesday morning by federal and state firefighters about the outlook for this year’s wildfire season, which is predicted to be hot and dry.
Wyden said his goal is to get more support for firefighters in the face of cuts by the Trump administration.
"I'm a big believer that this is essentially about math," he said. "It's my job to make sure that they get additional resources to deal with the additional threats and not lose resources, which, as you know, we've had a big fight with the administration in terms of trying to ensure that that doesn't happen."
The Trump administration has fired thousands of federal employees who play a key role in wildfire prevention.
Wyden said the upcoming fiscal year offers new opportunities to gather more support for firefighters.
"I don't have any higher priority because this is all about safety," he said.
Last year was one of the state’s most expensive wildfire seasons.
Dan Quinones, southwest Oregon district forester for the state forestry department, said they're prepared for the summer.
"We have fire season in southwest Oregon. We're built for this. We're prepared, we're ready, and we're staffed, and we'll respond appropriately," he said.
Wyden also said he’ll push back in the Senate against House Republicans’ recent budget bill, which would extend some tax cuts and implement new work requirements for Medicaid.
"That's where you get the Medicaid cuts, that's where you get the tax breaks for the billionaires, that's where you get the cutbacks in clean energy, which is so important for Southern Oregon. I will be on the floor day after day, in effect leading the Democrats as the point person on it, pushing back," he said.
