Yakima Times

Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington has introduced the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025, a bipartisan effort aimed at improving aerial wildfire suppression capabilities. The legislation proposes utilizing excess military aircraft and parts for firefighting purposes.

"As wildfires continue to ravage our communities every year, this bipartisan legislation delivers major new assets to our fire suppression fleets for year-round management efforts," stated Rep. Newhouse.

The bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Jake Ellzey from Texas, Salud Carbajal from California, and Gabe Vasquez from New Mexico. Rep. Ellzey emphasized the importance of efficiency in response times during wildfires, saying, "This is about efficiency—cutting through red tape to ensure our resources are used effectively."

Rep. Carbajal highlighted the impact of recent wildfires in Southern California and expressed his commitment to improving disaster response on a bipartisan basis: "I'm proud to join my colleagues on this commonsense bill to strengthen the fleet of aircraft we have available."

New Mexico's Rep. Vasquez noted the necessity of equipping firefighters with adequate tools: "This legislation is a commonsense, bipartisan solution that strengthens our wildfire response capabilities."

The proposed act has garnered support from several organizations including Billings Flying Service, 10 Tanker Air Carrier, and Firehawk Helicopters. Bridger Blain of Billings Flying Service remarked on the importance of maintaining a robust fleet: "It is essential that the United States has a robust complement of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft available to fight wildfires."

Joel Kerley from 10 Tanker Air Carrier expressed gratitude towards congressional efforts: "We are pleased that the Department of Defense and the Air Force also support the national security mission of companies like ours."

Bart Brainerd from Firehawk Helicopters endorsed the act stating it would make valuable taxpayer-owned aircraft parts available for firefighting purposes.

The Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act seeks to amend previous legislation allowing for the sale of excess Department of Defense aircraft and parts for wildfire suppression efforts. The bill aims to reauthorize these sales which had previously lapsed.