[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 207 (Tuesday, December 9, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H5064]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       SUPPORT FOR RURAL SCHOOLS

  (Mr. Baumgartner of Washington was recognized to address the House 
for 5 minutes.)
  Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 
356, the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025, which will 
be considered under suspension of the rules this week. I urge its swift 
passage so it can be sent to the President's desk without delay.
  For generations, the Secure Rural Schools program has been a lifeline 
for rural communities and school districts across America. Since 1908, 
Federal law has required the U.S. Forest Service to share 25 percent of 
revenues from Federal forest lands with local governments to support 
public education.
  As timber revenues declined due to foolish Federal regulations and 
reduced harvests, Congress acted in 2000 to create the Secure Rural 
Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, preserving vital funding 
for most rural counties. When last reauthorized in 2023, this program 
delivered more than $281 million nationwide to help keep teachers in 
classrooms and students on the bus.
  I represent rural counties like Pend Oreille, Stevens, Ferry, and 
Columbia Counties, where school leaders tell me how essential these 
funds are to keeping programs running.
  This is not a partisan issue. It is a promise to rural America. Let's 
reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025 and 
keep faith with the communities that steward our national forests.


          Recognizing Environmental Stewardship in Our Forests

  Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the timber 
industry and the harvest of trees in our forests.
  When I was growing up, my father was a forestry professor at 
Washington State University and my uncle was a smokejumper. I served in 
the U.S. Forest Service.
  Years of fear and hesitation around commonsense tools like select 
timber harvest and controlled burns have left many of our forests 
dangerously overgrown and chronically undermanaged. We need to harvest 
more timber for the economic revenue it produces and for the reduced 
fire danger it creates.
  Good environmental stewardship means empowering these professionals 
to be part of the solution and to help manage our Federal forest lands 
responsibly for today and generations to come.

                              {time}  1245


           Gray Wolf Population Reduction in Washington State

  Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, with gray wolf populations reaching 
over 400 in Washington State and Oregon, I rise today to warn of the 
danger they continue to pose for hunters, farmers, and livestock.
  Gray wolves can consume up to 7 pounds of meat a day. Their primary 
food sources include deer, elk, and cattle. In August 2025 alone, the 
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife reported that three calves 
were killed and two injured in just one 30-day period.
  Folks in our region know why our grandparents worked so hard to 
control the gray wolf population. They understood that balance must be 
kept between wildlife preservation and the livelihoods of those who 
live and work the land.
  With a significant number of these wolf packs now concentrated in 
northeastern Washington and with no signs of their growth slowing, 
Congress should take careful note of our ranchers' perspective. Their 
continued loss, emotional toll, and frustration caused by inconsistent 
State and Federal protections demand attention and action. A one-sided 
policy of unchecked expansion is not the answer.
  Gray wolf populations have recovered. Now it is time to ask whether 
our current path reflects balance, fairness, and common sense for rural 
America. As everyone in rural America knows, particularly in Washington 
State, if there were wolves in Bainbridge Island or in the suburbs of 
Seattle, the wolf population in Washington State would be a little 
different.
  Mr. Speaker, we need to bring common sense and balance back and 
reduce our wolf population in northeastern Washington.

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