September 22, 2021 3:20 a.m.

Senator Jeff Merkley has announced that there will be major funding for wildfire response and drought relief as part of the Continuing Resolution.

A release said the legislation will fund the federal government until December and respond to recent natural disasters. It will include billions of dollars in funding for wildfire disaster response, drought relief, public lands restoration and other needs for western states that have been hit hard by record wildfires and drought for the past three years. Merkley said Congress is aiming to pass the legislation before the end of the month to avert a potential government shutdown.

Merkley said “Between record droughts and raging megafires, Oregon and other Western states have been hit hard over the last couple of years”. He said along with the COVID-19 pandemic, the natural disasters have “…delivered a devastating triple punch to many of the rural economies”.

The release said the proposal designates funds for the Department of the Interior, U.S. Forest Service, and other agencies and departments.

Merkley is the Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior.