Floor SpeechNeutral2026-07-15

REMEMBERING FIREFIGHTERS EMILY BARKER, NICK HUTCHERSON, AND SYDNEY WATSON

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On 2026-07-15, Representative Mike Kennedy (R-UT-3) delivered a floor speech titled "REMEMBERING FIREFIGHTERS EMILY BARKER, NICK HUTCHERSON, AND SYDNEY WATSON" in the House.

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REMEMBERING FIREFIGHTERS EMILY BARKER, NICK HUTCHERSON, AND SYDNEY WATSON

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 115 (Wednesday, July 15, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 15, 2026)] [House] [Page H4530] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] REMEMBERING FIREFIGHTERS EMILY BARKER, NICK HUTCHERSON, AND SYDNEY WATSON (Mr. KENNEDY of Utah asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. KENNEDY of Utah. Mr. Speaker, right now as we stand in this Chamber, devastating wildfires are tearing across our lands. I thank the brave crews who are working around the clock on the front lines. Their courage is keeping our communities standing. Our prayers are with them. We especially hold in our hearts the families of the brave firefighters who we recently lost along the Utah-Colorado border, including Emily Barker, Nick Hutcherson, and Sydney Watson. These individuals made the ultimate sacrifice, and we owe them a debt of gratitude we can never truly repay. Possibly the most frustrating part is that, in many cases, we already have the solutions to deal with these wildfires. We know how to thin overgrown brush. We know how to clear hazardous fuels. We know how to restore health to our forest through proactive management. The obstacle isn't a lack of knowledge. It is bureaucracy. Decades of bloated regulation delay critical mitigation work for years, but a wildfire does not wait for a multiyear environmental review. The flames do not pause for paperwork. That is why we passed the Fix Our Forests Act. That is why I introduced the Utah Wildfire Research Institute Act. Our communities cannot afford another year of congressional inaction. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to cut the red tape, pass commonsense and often lifesaving legislation, and protect our lands. ____________________

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REMEMBERING FIREFIGHTERS EMILY BARKER, NICK HUTCHERSON, AND SYDNEY WATSON Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 115 (Wednesday, July 15, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 15, 2026)] [House] [Page H4530] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] REMEMBERING FIREFIGHTERS EMILY BARKER, NICK HUTCHERSON, AND SYDNEY WATSON (Mr. KENNEDY of Utah asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. KENNEDY of Utah. Mr. Speaker, right now as we stand in this Chamber, devastating wildfires are tearing across our lands. I thank the brave crews who are working around the clock on the front lines. Their courage is keeping our communities standing. Our prayers are with them. We especially hold in our hearts the families of the brave firefighters who we recently lost along the Utah-Colorado border, including Emily Barker, Nick Hutcherson, and Sydney Watson. These individuals made the ultimate sacrifice, and we owe them a debt of gratitude we can never truly repay. Possibly the most frustrating part is that, in many cases, we already have the solutions to deal with these wildfires. We know how to thin overgrown brush. We know how to clear hazardous fuels. We know how to restore health to our forest through proactive management. The obstacle isn't a lack of knowledge. It is bureaucracy. Decades of bloated regulation delay critical mitigation work for years, but a wildfire does not wait for a multiyear environmental review. The flames do not pause for paperwork. That is why we passed the Fix Our Forests Act. That is why I introduced the Utah Wildfire Research Institute Act. Our communities cannot afford another year of congressional inaction. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to cut the red tape, pass commonsense and often lifesaving legislation, and protect our lands. ____________________