[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 12 (Tuesday, January 21, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H234]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       CALLING FOR WILDFIRE RECOVERY AID WITH NO STRINGS ATTACHED

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Barragan) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. BARRAGAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart for the 
thousands of California families who have been devastated by the recent 
wildfires in and around the Los Angeles area.
  Homes have been burned to the ground. Lives have been lost. Family 
pets are gone. Precious family photos and sentimental belongings have 
been charred, damaged, and, in many cases, totally destroyed.
  The fires didn't just destroy personal possessions. The fires took 
away the safe place we gather with family and call home, and it took 
out entire communities.
  What I saw, what I witnessed on my tours of the fire-damaged areas, 
was heartbreaking, devastating, just unreal. It was like being in a war 
zone. There was a smell of burnt trees and homes, with smoke still in 
the air, as firefighters continue to put out smoldering fires. The ash 
irritates your eyes.
  What was equally heartbreaking was the evidence of a desperate panic 
to evacuate, shown by the abandoned cars left in the middle of the 
streets, many charred, as I imagine people started to run to safety.

  Yet, I also saw our brave firefighters. I say thank you to them and 
our first responders for being on the front lines and for all that they 
are doing.
  There will be a long road to recovery. We must stand with our 
neighbors, with our friends, with humankind. It is the right thing to 
do. It is the compassionate thing to do. It is what we have done 
repeatedly when communities face natural disasters.
  It does not matter if you are in Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, or 
California. When our communities suffer, we must pull together as one 
to help communities with the aid they need to rebuild.
  When hurricanes hit Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina over the 
years, we didn't say, ``Don't send aid because of politics.'' When the 
Speaker's home State of Louisiana suffered losses and devastation, we 
didn't say, ``Let's attach strings to the aid.''
  We don't do that because, above all, we help our fellow Americans. We 
don't turn tragic situations caused by natural disasters into political 
fights. Let's not start now.
  I implore my colleagues to put politics aside, to love thy neighbor 
as yourself, to support a bipartisan recovery effort with no strings 
attached that builds a safer, more resilient future for our communities 
harmed by the wildfires.

                          ____________________