John,

Wildfires are top of mind for everyone right now in California. As we learn more about the scope of devastation in Southern California, I’ve been busy making sure D.C. doesn’t shirk their responsibilities to help - in the short and long term.

First off, disaster relief cannot be used as a political pawn. Our families need relief ASAP, and it is despicable that Donald Trump and Mike Johnson are trying to use it as a bargaining chip. I refuse to let that happen.

Second, we need California and DC to actually DO SOMETHING to fix this wildfire crisis. For years I’ve been yelling from the rooftops that this was an issue - firefighter shortages, poor land management, outdated technology. All the signs were there.

It shouldn’t have taken the devastation in SoCal for Congress to finally listen, but I’m grateful to share last week we made some real progress. My bill, the Fix Our Forests Act, passed on a bipartisan basis out of the House. The bill is a massive step forward in wildfire prevention - it hires (and retains) more firefighters, upgrades technology so we catch fires sooner, and cuts red tape so we can get moving on these projects asap.

Let me also be clear - this one bill isn’t going to completely fix the wildfire crisis. There is a ton more work to do and I promise you this: even as the TV cameras leave our state, I am committed to seeing this fight all the way through.

To our friends and neighbors beginning the grueling rebuilding process, please let us know how we can help. No idea is too big or small. This is going to take all of us working together to fix this.

In solidarity,

- Josh