John Garamendi: “This amendment, 216, is cosponsored by Ms. Jacobs of California and Ms. Lofgren of California, it is part of my Military…”

“This amendment, 216, is cosponsored by Ms. Jacobs of California and Ms. Lofgren of California, it is part of my Military Support for Fighting Wildfires Act. I think all of us are aware we have plenty of fires and we often do not have enough firefighters. From time to time, the military can play a very significant, important, and vital role in fighting fires. This amendment essentially waives the current requirements for FEMA and the Federal land management agencies--BLM, the Forest Service, and the National Parks--to reimburse the Department of Defense for costs incurred by the military during support for disaster response to major fires. Right now, the Economy Act of 1933 forces one government agency requesting services from another government agency to essentially sign a blank check for an unknown amount of money before they know the full scope of services that may be required. This reimbursement under the Economy Act does not cost the taxpayers any extra money, it is an accounting between one agency and another, trying to keep their books straight. And we have already heard enough about the inability of the Department of Defense to keep its books straight.…”