John Garamendi: “Before I launch into the major subject matter of this evening, I want to call attention to the horrific fires that have…”

“Before I launch into the major subject matter of this evening, I want to call attention to the horrific fires that have occurred in California over the last month. It is extremely early in the fire season. Normally, fires of the size that we have seen in California during the month of August occur in late October/ November. Climate change is real, and what we are seeing is a 365-day-a-year fire season in California. In my own district of Lake County, the largest fire ever in California's history is still burning, mostly under control, but it will probably burn for another month until the rains come. Just to the north, in the Redding, California, area, more than 1,000 homes were lost and 4 people lost their lives. We saw last year the huge fire that occurred in southern California, in the Santa Barbara- Ventura County area, followed by horrific mudslides that, again, claimed the lives of dozens of people. My heart goes out to all the victims of the fire, and my gratitude, along with the gratitude of the communities of California, goes out to the brave firefighters and first responders who met the challenge of these very fast moving, very, very dangerous fires. It should bring to the attention of all Americans the need for us to address the new issues that confront our Nation as a result of the ever-warming climate and, also, the need for this Congress to carry on what is now in place in law, and that is to allow the U.S.…”