By Timothy Lewis

Vice President Kamala Harris came to San Bernardino in an effort to promote the Biden administration’s new infrastructure bill made in the hopes of battling the recent wildfires that have plagued the western part of our nation.

Vice President Harris, accompanied by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, took to the air to view the damage recent blazes have caused the San Bernardino National Forest. Both were briefed on wildfire prevention at the Forest Service Del Rosa Fire Station before announcing their $1.36 billion relief plan that includes $600 million in prevention and relief funding for California. A portion of that funding is to go towards making sure that firefighters are properly compensated for their service. Vice President Harris applauded the Forest Service for their hard work commenting on their courage saying, “They work multiple shifts, often without enough sleep and certainly without enough rest, in terms of dealing with the dangers that they face every day. And what that requires for the human spirit to be able to take it on and run into danger to prevent that danger from spreading to other human beings.”

The Precinct Reporter was able to get a one-on-one interview with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack during the visit. Secretary Vilsack was pleased to announce the relief plan with VP Harris, and he shared his excitement with us stating, “Well one of the reasons we are here today is to make sure folks in this area of the state, and the Western part of the United States to understand and appreciate that we put a high premium on working to protect lives and communities from devastating forest fires. When asked why the administration’s polling numbers were not reflective of the work they had accomplished this past year, Secretary Vilsack told this reporter, “I don’t believe you can govern by poll numbers, you need to govern by the needs, and the concerns, and the hopes, aspirations, and dreams of the people you are serving and I think we are doing that today.”

When asked his thoughts on a recent California bill (AB 2147) that was passed two years ago that was made to help inmates who worked in prison fire camps get jobs as firefighters after their release Vilsack shared his support. “Anything that gives people an opportunity to turn their life around, that’s obviously a great idea. We want to make sure people have that opportunity and California is providing that opportunity.”