Fix Our Forests Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. HARDER. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment to the Fix Our Forests Act.

Our wildland firefighters are heroes. They are at the front lines of combating this wildfire crisis every day.

They work in hazardous conditions, inhaling toxic smoke and enduring temperatures of up to 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit, all the while working up to 18 hours a day.

Our wildland firefighters put their lives on the line to keep our families safe, a job that is so often thankless.

When a tragic accident occurs and a wildland firefighter is harmed, it is our responsibility to provide them with everything they need.

My amendment will ensure that ill, injured, or deceased firefighters and their loved ones have support and resources through establishing a Casualty Assistance Program at the Department of the Interior.

Currently, only a few agencies have this program. For example, the Forest Service. Unfortunately, the Department of the Interior does not.

That means that almost 5,000 Department of the Interior firefighters are left out of a program that will provide them and their families with these critical resources during the hardest moments in their life.

These firefighters are trained the same, they are paid the same, and most importantly, they do the same work, putting their lives on the line every single day as their Forest Service colleagues. Yet, they don't receive the same benefits today. My amendment would immediately fix this and start giving them the resources that they deserve.

I urge my colleagues to vote for my amendment to ensure all wildland firefighters and their families have support and access to the resources they deserve.

Mr. Chair, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Peters).

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Mr. HARDER. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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