[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 9 (Thursday, January 16, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H205-H206]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               SUPPORTING RELIEF FOR CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES

  (Ms. SIMON asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. SIMON. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Chu for organizing the 
California delegation in support of our fellow Californians who are 
grieving as a result of the devastating fires in southern California.
  Our hearts break as tens of thousands of folks have lost everything. 
As our hearts break, we know that in this Chamber we have to work. That 
is our obligation.
  I have spoken to fire chiefs in my district, and I am so thankful 
that our fire departments in Oakland, Alameda, and Berkeley have 
traveled to southern California to support.
  I especially want to thank Oakland's chief, Damon Covington, and 
others who have stepped up to meet this moment, to go into the fire and 
to protect fellow Americans. The devastation of

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these fires is unprecedented. Just as we have come together to fight 
these fires, we must come together to bring real relief to families 
again who have lost everything.
  In our country's history, the Federal Government has never placed 
restrictions and conditions on emergency disaster aid to our people.

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