All seven members of Oregon’s congressional delegation are requesting rapid approval of Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s request for federal disaster relief, as wildfires continue to burn across the state.
The state’s two U.S. senators and five U.S. representatives co-authored a letter to President Donald Trump Wednesday asking for immediate help: “The number and scale of fires burning on Oregon’s landscape at the moment are unprecedented, and urgent action is necessary," they wrote.
State leaders want financial help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for immediate recovery operations in Oregon.
“We’re talking about assistance that keeps people safe,” said U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat. “They are going to go for such basic things like water, and assistance in getting to safety — this is for those immediate needs.”
The request for disaster relief still needs to be approved by Trump, but Wyden said the state’s delegation is united in keeping up the pressure until Oregonians receive the assistance.
“It’s my job to bird dog this,” Wyden said, “and make sure that the machinery of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which secures federal funds to help with these kinds of emergencies, actually gets to our folks who are hurting so much.”