Addressing the Wildfire Crisis

Floor Speech

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Mr. HARDER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the passage of the bipartisan Disaster Management Costs Modernization Act.

This bill is one pillar of my landmark, comprehensive legislation to address the worsening wildfire crisis. It transforms our fight against wildfires, moving us from our current reactive approach to a proactive plan to prevent mega fires.

For too long, we have been playing catch-up with wildfires instead of preventing them. This bill flips the script, cutting red tape so communities like mine can tap into existing disaster funds before those flames threaten our homes. It means communities can rebuild faster, strengthen their defenses, and avoid devastating losses down the road.

We know wildfire prevention will cost $6 billion each year, and this proactive approach is more cost effective, and it is the best way to protect our neighbors, keep our firefighters safe, and speed up help when families need it.

The passage of this bill is a major step forward, and I look forward to the full passage of my full wildfire modernization process package as soon as possible now and for the future.

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