It’s sad to see how low North Dakota Senator John Hoeven has sunk. Hoeven had a reputation as a common sense moderate until Donald Trump came along. Now, he serves to appease Trump.
So, Hoeven virtually always supports Trump’s positions, no matter how outrageous, such as Trump’s absurd war against Canada.
I bring this up because Hoeven recently introduced a resolution and spoke on the Senate floor “calling for greater action from the Canadian government to prevent and fight the almost annual wildfires that send smoke over the border.”
Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND)
Hoeven acts like Canada is deliberately ignoring the wildfires and doing nothing to stop them. Hoeven’s comments are offensive and disrespectful to our friendly neighbors to the north.
Of course, Hoeven’s comments came after Donald Trump accused Canada of “poisoning” the U.S. with the smoke from its wildfires.
Hoeven shamefully lectured Canada that it “must take responsibility for the cross-border impact of these wildfires, including immediate efforts to extinguish the fires and prevent their reoccurrence.”
Somehow, Hoeven failed to mention that Canada has spent billions of dollars in forest sustainability and fire prevention. He also failed to acknowledge that Canada has thousands of people fighting the fires, as well as about 300 aircraft dropping water on them.
Wildfire smoke above Highway 97 north of Buckinghorse River, British Columbia. (Nasuna Stuart-Ulin/The Canadian Press via AP)
Hoeven said, “With more than 3,640 wildfires in Canada this year alone, it’s clear that more action needs to be taken and stop these fires.”
Somehow, Hoeven failed to mention that according to the National Interagency Fire Center, there have been a whopping 54,407 wildfires in the U.S. this year. Yet, I don’t see Canadian politicians telling us how to manage them.
Somehow, Hoeven failed to mention that many Canadians have come to the U.S. to help fight those fires. He also failed to acknowledge that many Canadians came to Los Angeles to fight the brutal fires there.
Somehow, Hoeven failed to mention that the Trump Administration delayed a $10 million grant meant to prevent the horrible wildfires in Minnesota. According to the Washington Post, “it would have removed decades of dead trees and undergrowth, creating breaks in potential fire fuel around critical corridors and remote homes.”
Former U.S. Forest Service District Ranger Aaron Kania told the Post, “Had that work been implemented, it would have been effective in stopping or slowing down these fires.”
Fall Lake, MN (AP Photo)
Good to see Minnesota Representative Angie Craig say in a statement to the Post that “Firefighters have died and Minnesota kids have been put in harm’s way—all because this administration decided to roll back critical wildfire prevention efforts.”
Somehow, Hoeven failed to mention that the main reasons for the wildfires in Canada are the same as they are in the U.S. Namely, lightning, drought, human activity, and climate change. Scientists say that fossil fuels have caused hotter and drier conditions on both sides of the border, leading to more very intense wildfires.
Perhaps Hoeven will soon call on the Canadian government to end Alberta clippers and Chinook winds.
Hoeven also said, “This smoke has real impacts to the health and well-being of families.” That’s true.
Of course, if he was fully concerned about the health and well-being of families he wouldn’t have voted to cut Medicaid, food stamps, and subsidies for the Affordable Care Act.
Kudos to Washington Senator Patty Murray, who responded to Hoeven by saying, “What on earth are my colleagues doing here?…You want to work together to fight wildfires, my door is open…I will not insult our Canadian friends.”
She’s right.
Politicians, such as Hoeven should react to these disasters by following the science, not politics.
Somehow, Hoeven has also failed to mention the brutal tariffs imposed upon Canada by Donald Trump. Those inexcusable tariffs have now triggered an unnecessary trade war with Canada, where hundreds of millions of Americans and Canadians will suffer.
Trump and Hoeven need to stop bashing Canada. The Canadians have been wonderful neighbors and friends for 159 years. We need to work together with them on important issues.
–Now that the contractor who renovated the Reflecting Pool has admitted that their own human errors caused the damage in that pool, I’m just wondering if Interior Secretary Doug Burgum will ever stop lying, and admit the problems were not caused by vandalism.
The Forum’s “Best of the Red River Valley” 2022
–For eight of the last nine years, I have been voted the Best Newspaper Columnist of the Red River Valley in the Forum’s Best of the Best competition. I am truly grateful and humbled to have received this honor so many times from readers throughout the area.
However, this year, the Forum has dropped the Best Newspaper Columnist category from its Best of the Best competition. I wonder what changed this year.
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