House Democrats Advance Sham Wildfire, Drought Legislation

Press Release

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 5118, the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act. House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement in response:

"The millions of acres burned by wildfires or fallowed by drought aren't just numbers on a page. To the Americans living out West, these crises can spell disaster for their homes, businesses, and livelihoods. As the pace and scale of wildfires increases, exacerbated by drought, we need an all-hands-on-deck approach to prevent any more loss. Unfortunately, H.R. 5118 is not that solution. We've had months to advance legislative solutions through our committee, many of which my colleagues and I have introduced and supported. We have science-based, economical proposals at the ready that would immediately improve forest health, grant land managers crucial resources, protect wildland firefighters, give farmers and ranchers more water for their crops, and many others. Yet what has been the Democrats' response? Prioritizing literally anything but solutions to these crises. Now, they're jamming legislation through at the eleventh hour in a last-ditch effort to say they've reached a solution. The time to fight fires is before they even begin, not just giving communities N95 masks and telling them to deal with the smoke. The title of this sham legislation tells you everything you need to know: instead of preventing wildfires and drought, Democrats merely want to respond to it. Americans living in fear of their homes burning down, wildlife whose habitat may be lost forever, and firefighters putting their lives on the line deserve better."

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