Servicing the Right to Breathe Clean, Safe Air

Floor Speech

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Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share some good news and a step forward in protecting those who protect us.

For generations, wildland firefighters have battled infernos with little more than a bandana between them and the clouds of toxic smoke.

As the only pulmonologist serving in the United States Congress, I know just how dangerous that is. Exposure to wildfire smoke isn't just uncomfortable. It leads to heart and lung disease. It causes cancer. It shortens lives.

That is why, during a recent House Natural Resources Committee hearing, I pressed the U.S. Forest Service chief to do more to protect our firefighters. Within hours, the Forest Service made clear that masks would be made available to wildland firefighters.

This is welcomed news, but we cannot let up now. I look forward to my briefing with Forest Service Chief Schultz to further these protections for our firefighters. The right to breathe clean, safe air, whether you are battling a megafire or walking your child to school, is fundamental.

It is time for every Member of this body to recommit to that goal and take action to make it real.

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