[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 150 (Monday, September 18, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H4373]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RESPECT FOR FEDERAL WILDLAND FIREFIGHTERS

  (Mr. LaMALFA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, during the month of August, we had several 
wildfires break out in my district up in Siskiyou County at the top of 
California.
  As you know, our Federal wildland firefighters are on the front lines 
battling the blazes and preventing them from spreading to populated 
areas and burning down all of our forests and the habitat that is in 
them.
  They are doing their jobs, working 16-hour days often, grueling heat, 
remote rugged terrain, and what happens?
  The new food vendor for the Forest Service tried serving them beans 
and rice on bread on the far side there and then moldy cheese 
sandwiches for our firefighters that we ask to be out there in risky 
conditions and tough, hot conditions as well.
  What an insult. What a slap in the face as they have a national food 
vendor trying to provide meals like that that actually would cause harm 
to their health as well as just the sustenance they need to work hard.
  In light of all this, we also find that the Klamath National Forest 
supervisor who fired this food service vendor was later investigated by 
the Forest Service higher-ups, and they only backed off because a 
scandal was made public.
  Since then, it has been corrected, thanks to that Klamath Forest 
supervisor, and these unacceptable conditions are not going to 
continue.
  The American people expect accountability for our firefighters and 
for our workers.

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