U.S. Representatives Jared Huffman (CA-02) and Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) sent a letter to Director of the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Shalanda Young and Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere & NOAA Administrator Dr. Richard Spinrad requesting the administration expedite the review and approval of the 2023 California fisheries disaster request.
“The complete closure of the state’s ocean and river salmon fisheries has been devastating to our constituents, and any acceleration of the process for funds to be distributed to fishers and affected communities would be highly beneficial,” the lawmakers said in their letter. “California’s commercial, sport, and charter fishers, tribes, businesses, restaurants, and the communities who depend upon the salmon fishery cannot afford to wait any longer for the relief needed to weather the ongoing crises. Thank you for your prompt attention to this request to expedite the review and approval of the 2023 California fisheries disaster request.”
In April 2023, Huffman, Padilla, and Panetta led their colleagues in an urgent letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, calling for them to swiftly declare a federal fishery disaster. Earlier that month, Rep. Huffman held a press conference with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Representative Kevin Mullin, and fishing industry stakeholders to call attention to this disaster and highlight the people who will bear the brunt of the impacts of closing the salmon season.
As part of his long-standing efforts to improve disaster relief for fisheries, Congressman Huffman was able to help secure an additional $300 million for fishery disaster declarations Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations bill. Congress also authorized new bipartisan fishery disaster relief language based on Congressman Jared Huffman and Senator Roger Wicker’s (R-MS) Fishery Resource Disasters Improvement Act. This language streamlines the process for declaring a federal fishery disaster and helps to quickly provide relief to affected communities. It also extends eligibility for federal fishery disaster funds not only to commercial fisheries, but also to charter fishing businesses and impacted tribes.
A full copy of the letter can be found here.