The Trump administration is proposing a record $8 billion for the fight against wildfires, with $2.5 billion for public safety.
The proposal is a big win for the president, who has pushed to build more roads, schools, and other infrastructure to prevent wildfires from spreading to the U.S. and elsewhere.
It comes as states and cities grapple with the fallout of Superstorm Sandy.
“The wildfires that have decimated the Southeast are a direct result of our leadership in firefighting,” the administration said in a statement.
“These fires threaten communities across the United States, and we are doing everything in our power to ensure they do not spread to other states.”
The proposal, first reported by The Associated Press, calls for $2 billion to build new firefighting vehicles, $600 million for new fire-fighting vehicles and $500 million for training.
The administration said the money will be distributed to states through the National Disaster Relief Fund, the National Emergency Fund and the Emergency Operating Funds.
The money will also go to train more firefighters.
The fires have already killed more than 7,000 people and damaged more than 50,000 properties.
The latest outbreak began Oct. 7 and has destroyed more than 2,500 structures, according to the latest official data from the National Interagency Fire Center.
The National Intergovernmental Coordinating Committee for Disaster Preparedness released a report in September that showed the wildfire season was the deadliest in the nation.
The United States is among the most populated countries in the world, with more than 80 million people living in the U,S., according to World Bank data.
It is also one of the least densely populated countries.
The wildfire season usually gets off to a rocky start, with some regions battling relatively early, but in recent weeks some regions have responded well to the wildfire threat.