Joe Neguse

It is exciting. I will accept that applause on behalf of my wonderful wife, who deserves all of the applause.

I don't understand how, on the one hand, some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are very quick to fearmonger about offshore wind and its impact on the surrounding environment, but then at the same time are trying to de-fund…

It is important that offshore wind, like any infrastructure, be sited responsibly to minimize the impact on other affected industries and on the natural environment.

I am disturbed that in the current debt ceiling negotiations our colleagues across the other side of the aisle are insisting on severe cuts across all categories of spending.

I think the Forest Service has the ability today to do this work, which is precisely why they have launched their 10-year landscape project plan.

I couldn't agree with you more, and a lot more for us to do, so excited to get the CFLRP reauthorization across the finish line and continue to build on that work.

And hearts and thoughts go out to you and to Mr. LaMalfa's community as they continue to recover years later.

I appreciate that answer and I would encourage the agency, I think, to be nimble and explore alternative criterion that can be applied as you determine the best way to allocate these resources.

I thank the Chairman. And I see Mr. Curtis is back, so hopefully he can defend the propriety of that goatee I was challenging earlier.

As has been repeated often in this Committee, we no longer have fire seasons, we have fire years in the Rocky Mountain West.

I hope that I can convince one of my Republican colleagues here on the other side of the aisle to support us on this legislation again, which is common sense and would honor wildland firefighters across the country.

Wildfire has become a major focus for many of us here in Congress, myself included.

We have to do more on firefighter pay.

I also represent, or my district, rather, includes many other national forests.

I am very grateful for the investments that the Forest Service has made thus far as part of the agency's Priority Landscapes rollout last year.

I am very pleased to see the Forest Service has taken a comprehensive approach to wildfire management.

I urge everybody interested in this, let's push back against those funding cuts.

I am as incredulous this morning as I guess I was yesterday when this happened, because they will put forward a budget that cuts the Forest Service, and then tell you that it doesn't.

The moment, the moment, there begins to be an outcry from the public about a variety of the different draconian cuts that this budget imposes, they disclaim that their budget does anything of the sort.

Republicans put forward a budget, and they bragged about how this budget is cutting spending, aggressively cutting spending.

Neguse, Hon. Joe, a Representative in Congress from the State of Colorado.

They are under-funded. They need more resources.

I just don't get it.

I find it rather rich that the same individuals who voted against the $1.6 billion investment in fuel reduction... now have the audacity to question you.

This bill, it is dead on arrival in the House, certainly dead on arrival in the Senate, it won't be signed by the President.