Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
July 13, 2021
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today led a bipartisan group of 13 of his Senate colleagues—including U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR)—in pushing leaders of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense to include robust funding in the fiscal year 2022 funding bill for the National Guard to support wildland firefighting efforts in communities across western states, which are already facing severe drought and wildfires.
There are currently more than 12,200 firefighters and support personnel—including members of the National Guard—battling 59 major wildfires in Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, Arizona, Wyoming, Alaska, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Montana, and Minnesota.
“In 2020, the West experienced severe drought, which resulted in some of the driest conditions on record. More than 50,000 fires burned 10 million acres with fires lasting well into the fall, destroying homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure. Throughout the summer and fall, National Guard members proved to be pivotal firefighting forces across the West,” the lawmakers wrote.
“As the country struggles to adapt to longer and more severe wildfire seasons, additional resources to train members of the National Guard is critical. Guard members must have the appropriate training and equipment to fulfill their missions and this funding is critical to ensure they are properly prepared,” the lawmakers continued.
In addition to Merkley and Wyden, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), James Risch (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).
Full text of the letter is available here and follows below.