WASHINGTON, D.C. (KGUN) — Senator Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), joined by fellow Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and eight other Western Democrats, urged Senate appropriations leaders on Friday to include emergency funding for wildfire recovery on federal lands in any disaster supplemental this year.
In a letter dated Nov. 21 to Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the group pressed for resources to help National Parks, National Forests and Bureau of Land Management lands recover from a devastating 2025 wildfire season. The letter notes that damage to federal lands is not covered by FEMA, leaving land management agencies to shoulder cleanup and restoration costs on their own.
“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,” the senators wrote. The letter was signed by Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Senators Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
According to Gallego’s office, nearly one million acres of BLM land burned across the West this year. The Dragon Bravo and White Sage fires alone scorched more than 200,000 acres on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and Kaibab National Forest, destroying structures including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge in Coconino County. The senators also point to wildfires at 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 in Oregon.
“Ensuring that federal lands are restored after wildfires is a responsibility to our shared, national heritage,” the letter added, urging that federal agencies be provided the same emergency support historically afforded when public lands are damaged.
Local officials endorsed the push. Coconino County Supervisor Lena Fowler praised the senators’ leadership, saying the fires devastated the North Rim and inflicted significant harm to businesses that rely on tourism, and thanked Gallego and Kelly for pushing to ensure federal support for recovery.
"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,” said Fowler.
Gallego and Kelly’s appeal highlights a recurring tension after large wildfire seasons: federal land agencies — not FEMA — manage response and remediation on federal parcels. The senators argued that emergency appropriations should address that gap to speed restoration, protect public safety and support local economies tied to national parks and forests.
Click here to view the full letter from the senators, available from Senator Gallego’s office.
