Cross-Boundary Wildfire Solutions Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, the Cross-Boundary Wildfire Solutions Act, sponsored by Mr. Joe Neguse, would direct the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, to study the existing Federal programs, rules, and authorities that either enable or inhibit cross-boundary wildfire mitigation.

As we all know, wildfires do not respect property lines or jurisdictional boundaries. Yet, our mitigation efforts are too often hindered by the complex borders between Federal, State, local, and Tribal lands. This bill takes direct aim at this problem by answering recommendation 24 from the bipartisan Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission report.

We need to know what is working and what is standing in the way. By identifying these gaps, we can improve collaboration, ensure all levels of government have better access to mitigation and funding, and build far more effective wildfire strategies.

Ultimately, this legislation will enhance our capacity to manage these crises, reduce the frequency and severity of devastating wildfires, and protect our most vulnerable communities.

I wish to take a moment to congratulate the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Neguse), my colleague, for his exceptional leadership, not just on this bill, but on wildfires in general, and for his work in advancing critical legislation to protect our public lands.

Through his dedicated work leading the Bipartisan Wildfire Caucus and serving as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Federal Lands, Representative Neguse has been a relentless champion for our communities. This is exactly the kind of bipartisan leadership and legislation needed to ensure we are doing everything possible to keep our communities safe.
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Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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