On Senate Floor, Murray Slam Republicans for Gimmick Resolution on Canadian Wildfires, Demands Trump Apologize to Canada

Murray: "Maybe my colleagues across the aisle don't realize this, but Canadian firefighters cross that border to help us fight our wildfires right here-all the time. And guess what? Our firefighters do the exact same when they are able… In fact, for the information of all Senators, a firefighter actually just passed away, who was helping us fight a wildfire in Colorado-he was from British Columbia."

ICYMI: Murray Sounds Alarm on Trump's Reorganization of USFS & USDA Amidst Wildfire Season

***WATCH: Senator Murray's full speech***

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke on the Senate floor objecting to Republicans' ridiculous decision to ask for unanimous consent to pass a resolution which reads, "Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the adverse impacts on the United States of the recent Canadian wildfires and the importance of the Government of Canada to take responsibility for such impacts by increasing efforts to extinguish these fires and prevent their recurrence."

The effort to pass the resolution came after Trump blamed Canada for wildfire smoke in the United States, stating he would add the "incalculable cost" of dealing with the smoke on existing tariffs on Canadian goods. On the Senate floor, Murray went on to call on her Republican colleagues to work with her to undo much of the damage the Trump administration has inflicted on our federal capacity to prevent and respond to wildfires.

Senator Murray's remarks, as delivered, are below:

"M. President, reserving the right to object, I'm going to ask pretty bluntly-what on earth are my colleagues doing here? I don't know why Republicans are focused on making a really petty and offensive statement to Canada-saying they need to do a better job of containing wildfire smoke?

"As if the Canadian government is letting their forests burn-and its own citizens inhale wildfire smoke-just to spite us. This is a joke.

"Maybe my colleagues across the aisle don't realize this, but Canadian firefighters cross that border to help us fight our wildfires right here-all the time. And guess what? Our firefighters do the exact same when they are able.

"In fact, for the information of all Senators, a firefighter actually just passed away, who was helping us fight a wildfire in Colorado-he was from British Columbia.

"Now, what we don't do is pass resolutions here telling our friends and our neighbors to do a better job of handling wildfire smoke!

"And also, maybe somebody should alert the President and my colleagues, but wildfire smoke from the United States often make its way into Canada-it's happening right now, where wildfires are burning in Oregon and in Washington.

"I think what this might be really about-is telling Trump: 'Mr. President, look how much we agree with you.' This is a waste of everybody's time.

"So, respectfully, to my colleagues, understanding that time on the Senate floor is precious, here are my suggestions.

"Maybe we should pass legislation to rehire all of the red-card holders that Trump fired? Those are the forest service employees who are trained here to help fight wildfires.

"Or how about we pass legislation to stop the Trump administration's so-called 'reorganization' of the forest service? Which would actually shutter offices across the country-including the research labs that help us study the wildfires-and push out even more forest service employees.

"Or maybe instead of entertaining Trump's outrageous request for a $1.5 Trillion war budget, Republicans could work with us to adequately fund our needs here at home?

"Our Forest Service, right here in the United States, is desperately understaffed and under resourced. Maybe my colleagues don't realize it, but Trump's chaotic funding cuts and freezes, along with the chaotic mass layoffs, have actually hurt our public lands and leave us, here, less prepared to prevent and respond to wildfires here at home.

"I remember speaking with a Forest Service Ranger last year, he's a longtime, dedicated employee. He was a former marine, he served our country in more ways than one. And he did an incredible job. He literally saved people's lives on forest trails. And he fought wildfires here and even saved a small rural town in my state from being burnt to the ground. And what happened to him? Trump and DOGE fired him. No cause. Just fired him. That was a huge loss for our state and for our country.

"So I do want my colleagues to get serious about wildfires.

"And I'll just say this: the President should actually apologize to our Canadian neighbors-for the many threats and insults, and, of course, drop those absurd tariffs he is imposing on these wildfires. I'm not holding my breath. So, enough with gimmicks M. President.

"You want to work together to prevent wildfires? My door is wide open and I hope we can all work together do that.

"But I'll tell you what I'm not going to do: insult our Canadian friends to suck up to a President who does nothing but threaten our neighbors.

"Thank you, M. President, I object."

[In response to Sen. Hoeven]

"Mr. President, let me just say to my friend, and he is a friend. I do hear his quiet, calm tone, and I appreciate it. It's not something we all often hear here.

"But I will say this. It's in the words that you hear from this resolution, if you are a Canadian, is that we are insulting them by saying, 'you are not trying to fight your forest fires.' I will tell you this, I am working my tail off to help us fight our wildfires, our Canadian friends are as well.

"And I think in this very heightened time, when I know I don't live far from the border either, we have a lot of trade with our Canadian friends, we go back and forth. They feel insulted by a lot that is going on. So, I think that adds fuel to that fire.

"And so what I say to my friend, let's work on our country, making sure that we are fighting our forest fires. Which I outlined in my response to you, of some of the things we can do. And I believe that our Canadian friends are doing the same.

"But that is why I object at this time. Thank you."

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