Lisa Murkowski: Forest Service Would Function 'The Way That We Would All Expect' With Full Staffing

During a Senate Appropriations Committee markup meeting on Thursday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) spoke about the Park and Forest Services.

Transcript

00:00Senator Murkowski.

00:02Thank you, Madam Chair.

00:04And thank you, Senator Heinrich.

00:06You and I share the same concerns.

00:08I think everybody around this table wants to make sure

00:13that our national parks are well-managed,

00:16that we have the staffing that is needed,

00:19not just during the surge of the summer season,

00:22but year-round.

00:24And certainly, certainly when it comes to the Forest Service

00:27and the reality of what it takes

00:32to not only manage our forests on a year-round basis,

00:36but to deal with some of the pressures that we are seeing now.

00:41Senator Merkley spoke to the level of fire activity in his state alone.

00:48Those of us in the West know this to be a frightening reality,

00:53and it requires men and women that are there that the agencies are funded

00:59and funded properly with appropriate staffing levels.

01:03The concern that I have with this measure is not unlike what was raised

01:08at a prior subcommittee mark where we're pegging staffing to a certain point in time.

01:19We have amended the bill to address staffing,

01:24to provide the agencies with the adequate funding to execute their missions.

01:31And so after a long process in trying to work to get to a point where I think we could agree

01:38on a bipartisan basis that we were at good levels,

01:42know that it's something that we need to be paying attention to.

01:45And I commit to you, and I'm sure that Senator Merkley does as well,

01:50commit to you and to others who have the same concerns that we will provide that oversight

01:55of these agencies to make sure that they are properly staffed,

01:59they continue to operate not only efficiently and effectively,

02:03but the way that we would all expect.

02:05Believe me, I have been in dialogue with the folks in the agencies,

02:09the secretaries themselves, and we will continue to monitor this aggressively.

02:15But I appreciate your concern.

02:17I would oppose the amendment because of the artificial,

02:22basically the date that you have included in your amendment.

02:28But I certainly appreciate the direction that you're seeking.