Ken Calvert: “I thank Chairman Frelinghuysen for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4667, which provides…”

“I thank Chairman Frelinghuysen for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4667, which provides $81 billion in Federal disaster assistance to States and territories recently devastated by natural disasters. This is not a small amount of money. First, as chairman of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Appropriations, I am pleased to include $616.4 million for repairs, cleanup, and recovery at various agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Park Service, and others. As chairman of the California Republican delegation, I have a particular interest in wildfire assistance in this bill. The coordination and collaboration between Republicans and Democrats on this bill to reflect the needs of California shows bipartisanship is alive and well. Mr. Speaker, I would certainly like to thank Congressman Mike Thompson for his tireless efforts in regard to the fires in northern California. Last month, I toured Santa Rosa, California, which was absolutely decimated after a wildfire tore through the area. Forty people lost their lives, and more than 14,000 homes were destroyed or damaged. As a lifelong California resident, I have seen a lot of fires and the resulting devastation, but I have never witnessed anything like I saw in Santa Rosa. The stories of survival and heroics of our first responders truly are incredible.…”