Kelly, Gallego, Western Senators Call for Emergency Funding for Wildfire Recovery on Federal Lands
Today, Arizona Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), along with nine other Senate colleagues, called on Senate Appropriations leadership to provide the funds needed to support recovery and restoration efforts on federal lands following this year’s devastating wildfires.
In a letter to Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) and Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), the senators pressed for more resources to help National Parks, National Forests, and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands recover. Because damage to federal lands is not covered by FEMA, federal land agencies are responsible for cleanup and restoration.
“We write to request that any emergency disaster appropriations bills drafted this year include funding for wildfire recovery on federal lands,” the senators wrote. “Repairing wildfire damages to National Parks, National Forests, and Bureau of Land Management Lands is vital for the safety and economies of the entire country. Just as our forests and parks require restoration, so too do the surrounding counties and communities that bear the economic and infrastructure impacts of these disasters; their recovery is inseparable from that of the federal lands themselves.”
Nearly one million acres of BLM land burned across the West in 2025. The Dragon Bravo and White Sage fires burned more than 200,000 acres on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and the Kaibab National Forest, destroying structures including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge in Coconino County. In addition, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado, Joshua Tree National Park in California, the Gila National Forest in New Mexico, and the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Oregon have all suffered from large wildfires this year.
“As you know, unlike wildfire response activities on state, tribal, or private lands which are coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), wildfire response on federal land is managed by the land agencies themselves. In the past, Congress has appropriated the funds our public land agencies require for their critical response, remediation, and mitigation activities,” the senators continued. “Ensuring that federal lands are restored after wildfires is a responsibility to our shared, national heritage.”
Coconino County Supervisor Lena Fowler said: “Coconino County is no stranger to wildfires and their impacts to our economy, infrastructure, and tourism. This year’s wildfires were no exception, destroying more than 200,000 acres of public lands in the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park and the Kaibab National Forest. The Dragon Bravo Fire, one of the largest in Arizona history, devastated the North Rim and has caused significant impacts to area businesses whose livelihoods depend on tourism. Coconino County deeply appreciates Senator Kelly and Senator Gallego for their leadership to make sure the federal government is with Coconino County every step of the way in our recovery from these wildfires.”
In addition to Kelly and Gallego, the letter was signed by Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Ranking Chair Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), as well as Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
Read the full letter here.
