WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris on Thursday led a bipartisan group of Western Senators including Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Jim Risch (R-ID), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Tom Udall (D-NM) in a letter requesting the Trump Administration to prioritize emergency funding ahead of the next disaster assistance legislation that the Senate will consider in the upcoming weeks. The Senators wrote, “In times of crisis, our nation has always come together to support our fellow Americans in critical need of assistance, and we believe that the federal government has a duty to help those affected by natural disasters with any and all of its capabilities.”

In light of the ongoing wildfires throughout California and other Western states, the Senators specifically request for an increase to the “Disaster Cap” – a tool used to fund the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Agriculture (USDA), and other agencies providing emergency relief for victims of all disasters.

The letter also highlights this group of Senators’ support for The Wildfire Disaster Funding Act, a bill that would fix the way the federal government budgets for wildfire by treating them like other natural disasters. Passage of this bill also will free up much needed money for fire prevention work in the future.

Earlier this week, Senator Harris delivered a speech on the Senate floor about the devastation of the California wildfires.