[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 116 (Thursday, July 16, 2026)]
[House]
[Page H4615]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      WAKE UP AND SMELL THE SMOKE

  (Mr. WESTERMAN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, the Senate is fiddling while America 
burns, and when I say burns, I mean it in the literal sense.
  Mr. Speaker, 18 months ago, we sent a hugely bipartisan Fix Our 
Forests Act to the Senate. It has passed the Senate Ag Committee on a 
bipartisan vote. It is time for the Senate to send the Fix Our Forests 
Act to the President's desk.
  Nearly 50 uncontained fires are burning across the country, and our 
prayers are with the firefighters and the families of those whose lives 
have been taken by wildfire. We owe it to them to manage our forests 
and provide the tools needed to suppress fires.
  The Fix Our Forests Act does just that. It accelerates hazardous fuel 
reduction in our highest-risk forests. It strengthens State and local 
partnerships. It supports firefighters and their families by 
establishing a new Casualty Assistance Program. It does all this and 
much more.
  It is time to wake up and smell the smoke. Enact the Fix Our Forests 
Act so we can begin the process of forest health restoration to protect 
our communities, to protect our environment, and to protect against the 
loss of American lives.

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