Political Quotes

“I thank Senator Whitehouse not just for today, as we talk about wildfires, but because, year after year, he has been on this floor, prosecuting the consequences--playing out the consequences of the failure of dealing with climate change. Certainly, it is hotter and dryer in the West. What I am going to do is to spend some of this short period we have together in describing these wildfires. They are not your grandfather's wildfires. They are bigger, they are hotter, and they are more powerful. In my home State last summer, we saw a fire leap the Columbia River. The Columbia River has always been a break in terms of fire, and the fire just leaped over it. We are seeing that around the country. It is getting worse. The fires are so bad today and the smoke is so thick that people in my home State are fleeing their communities to find pockets of breathable air. In Portland, residents are being warned against spending time outside and are being advised to wear respirators if they must. Those without homes to provide safe air are being told to seek shelter from the smoke in public places, like libraries and government buildings. So I would say to my friend and to the Presiding Officer, who is also a westerner and a friend, that this is not the stuff of fiction. This is real life--right now--for communities across the West that are just getting clobbered by fire. This is climate change at work.…”