District 8 and The Forest

Here's a fact for your consideration: Our Sam Houston National Forest encompasses 163,000 acres.

That impressive number made me curious, so I asked Claude AI what percentage of this forest lies within Texas Congressional District 8.

Referencing the 2021 map, Claude guessed that 85 to 95 percent of this forest is inside the district's borders; but even the 2026 GERRYMANDERED map shows that District 8 still contains a huge portion of this tremendous wooded area.

Well, that's interesting, but you don't have to consult AI to say what most citizens already know: The Sam Houston National Forest is a big part of daily life in our little corner of Texas.

Now if you ask the Trump administration "Are the forests a priority?", they will say, "Oh yes! Definitely. We must preserve and protect these treasures!"

That sounds wonderful... until you look at Trump’s FY2027 Forest Service Budget Request. Here are the highlights:

Forest Service Operations,

which covers employee salaries and other administrative expenses, would be cut by 44% compared to last year’s funding.

Forest and Rangeland Research, 

which houses the agency’s research programs, would be cut entirely.

The State, Private, & Tribal Forestry Office,

which provides technical and financial assistance to nonfederal landowners, would be cut entirely.

The National Forest System,

which oversees the management of federal grasslands and forests, would be cut by 24% compared to last year’s funding.

The Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program,

which funds ecological restoration projects on priority forest landscapes would be cut entirely.

The Capital Improvement & Maintenance Office,

which supports USFS infrastructure, would be cut by 28% compared to last year’s funding.

The Wildland Fire Management Account and Reserve Fund,

which funds the personnel, equipment, and post-fire risk mitigation necessary for wildfire suppression, would be moved entirely from the USFS to a new agency at the Department of the Interior.

And last but not least...

The Federal Timber Sale Management Office

would be QUADRUPLED in funded size, from $39 million to $175 million. (This is concerning for taxpayers, as the Forest Service has a history of money-losing timber sales.)

As you well-know by now, Jessica Steinmann says that Trump can do no wrong, so I guess she would support every bit of this nonsense. (After all, we need lots of money to pay for the new ballroom, the arch, and Iran!)

Clearly, our Congress needs to stop Trump from making drastic cuts like these. Texas District 8 can join the fight by sending Laura Jones to Washington.

Steve Kobb

Concerned Citizen