Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in defense of our Nation's wildland firefighters. In my role as Secretary of the Interior, as Congressman, and as a Montanan, I have seen the devastation that mismanagement and overregulation has brought to our forests. Every year, we bear witness to our forests and homes burning in catastrophic wildfires, wildfires that will be made worse by frivolous and potentially deadly litigation that seeks to prevent firefighters from doing their job. Last year, I was at a fire camp in Elmo, Montana. While I watched scoopers from Bridger Aerospace do their work on the ridge, I also noticed the red stripe where retardant was dropped to protect homes, ranches, and lives. In many ways, wildland firefighting is a lot like serving on the battlefield. The men and women are dropped behind enemy lines, surrounded on all fronts, and the only resources they have next to them are those men and women who fight fires and the air support above. If they call in air support, it is because they need it. We would never think of denying our troops in battle the lifesaving air support they need, so why would anyone think that our firefighters doing their job deserve any less? ____________________”