Congress refuses to pay the bill to fight fires
By Darryl Fears, Washington Post
As Congress headed home for the Christmas break after passing a budget deal, Agriculture Department Secretary Tom Vilsack presented lawmakers with an angry ultimatum: Put up more cash if you want the U.S. Forest Service to keep putting out huge wildfires.
Vilsack is fuming because Congress set aside $1.6 billion to pay for wildfire suppression in 2016 despite the service, which he controls, spending $100 million more than that to fight blazes this year. Year after year, Congress has underfunded the firefighting effort, forcing the Forest Service to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars from other departments in the agency to pay for equipment and firefighters.
Congress allocated $1 billion for fire suppression in 2015 — a year fast approaching another record for most acres burned.
Business as usual with the new Ryan led House. They pass 600 billion in new tax breaks and goodies for their Masters and Corps. who they owe favors to, but screw the people and Forest Service when it comes to paying for firefighting. Isn’t this something we should care about here in Tahoe? I’ve said what the article says before– the dead slash (bonfires) they’ve left from raping the Sierra forests are a bomb waiting to go off- right up ’til the last puff of smoke leaves when they’re done burning. That will be years from now and my property is in the bulls eye.
In the mean time, why don’t all you McClintock supporters get on the phone/computer and let the do-nothing Congressman know how you feel about being put in danger of wildfire due to political tactics and inaction.
Does anybody believe that Bernie Sanders is supporting this nonsense? Zero chance!!!
Isn’t 1.6 billion what Obama and congress is going to spend on so-called refuges from half-way around the world bringing them to America.
Who needs enemies with leaders like we have?