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A Moment of Silence for the Victims of the New Mexico Wildfires

Floor Speech

Date: June 25, 2024
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. VASQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege to represent the Second District of New Mexico, home to the storied Mescalero Apache Reservation, a place that has lost time immemorial, history, memories, culture, and patrimony from the most devastating fire that we have seen in the Lincoln National Forest in the history of New Mexico.

It is devastating not only for the economy but for who we are as New Mexicans. As a delegation, we stand strong and support the rebuild of the economy of not just the Mescalero Apache Reservation but the surrounding Lincoln and Otero Counties.

It was the interjurisdictional cooperation between Tribal governments, the BIA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Forest Service, the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, and local county officials that allowed us to have a quick response to contain the fires, to limit damage, and right now, to recover from one of the most devastating fires that we have ever seen in southwest New Mexico.

The message I have to the folks out in Mescalero Apache country, the place that I represent, is that we have their back. We will honor that sovereign-to-sovereign relationship that we owe them.

For other Members of Congress that have gone through devastating wildfires just like ourselves, we will be seeking Federal resources. We will be seeking funds from the emergency declaration that President Biden has granted us to be able to rebuild these communities.

We are thankful, we are grateful, and we can say that we expect more of this across the West, in other counties and other States that will be impacted by a changing climate.

We are New Mexico Strong. We will be New Mexico Strong. We will rebuild together. We will honor the promise that we have made to Indian Country. We will make sure that we rebuild from one of southern New Mexico's worst wildfires that we have ever seen.

Mr. Speaker, I request a moment of silence for those who have passed.

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