[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 14 (Thursday, January 23, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H350-H351]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            WILDFIRE CRISIS

  (Mr. HARDER of California asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. HARDER of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because tens of 
thousands of acres are on fire in my State of California.
  More than 10,000 families have no home to go back to. Nearly 30 
people have already lost their lives in this disaster, and the numbers 
keep climbing. Tens of thousands will have long-term health issues from 
the smoke, all because our government failed California.
  These mega-fires could have been prevented if our government had done 
its job. We have been yelling from the rooftops for years that our 
communities are in danger. We have a massive firefighter shortage. 
Bureaucratic red tape holds everything up, and our lands aren't 
properly maintained.

[[Page H351]]

  Today, thankfully, my colleagues joined me in finally taking the 
first big step in dealing with this crisis. We passed the historic Fix 
Our Forests Act to finally do what is badly needed: real, comprehensive 
wildfire protection.
  I am happy to say this is a true bipartisan effort. Wildfires don't 
care if we are Republican or Democratic, and neither should we. This is 
the first of many reforms needed to get this crisis under control, and 
time is running out.

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