The Senate’s leading Democrat and Republican on the state capital budget pledge to work together to provide money in the upcoming 2027-29 capital budget for owners of homes destroyed by wildfires in the Spokane area and other parts of Washington.
According to Spokane’s Spokesman-Review newspaper, the Old Trails fire in northwest Spokane burned about 700 homes Saturday. It is one of three wildfires in Spokane County that have collectively burned more than 10,000 acres.
Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, the lead Democrat on the capital budget on the Senate Ways and Means Committee, and Sen. Mark Schoesler, the Republican leader on the capital budget on Ways and Means, said they will work with other legislators before and during the 2027 legislative session to ensure there is sufficient state funding and support to help residents who lost their homes to wildfires in Spokane County or elsewhere in Washington.
“My heart goes out to all the communities being ravaged by the current wildfires,” said Trudeau (D-Tacoma). “Emergencies and disasters are not a partisan or exclusively regional issue, and the responsibility to address them should not be either. As capital budget writers we have committed to responding and respecting the needs of our entire state. We will continue to stand with all Washingtonians as we navigate the impacts of the fire and assess what it takes to rebuild.”
“In recent years, capital budget leaders in the Legislature have come together to provide funding to help those who lost their homes to wildfires or floods in our state,” said Schoesler (R-Ritzville), who serves the 9th Legislative District. “I appreciate Senator Trudeau’s commitment to work with our counterparts in the House to secure needed money to help these homeowners rebuild.
“We are ready to work with local governments, tribes and conservation districts to help get these people back on their feet,” added Schoesler, whose district includes southern Spokane County.
The 2027 legislative session begins in mid-January and is scheduled to last 105 days.