Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden Wants Audit Of Ryan Zinke’s Use Of Wildfire Funds
Listen
Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden is calling for an investigation into Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s misuse of wildfire preparedness funds after news reports revealed Zinke used the funds for unrelated travel.
In December, Newsweek reported that internal emails from the Interior Department showed officials OKd the use of the funds — which are used to coordinate national wildfire fighting efforts — even though Zinke did not visit fire-affected areas.
The department told Newsweek that Zinke’s travel costs were charged to the account in error.
Wyden wants clearer answers and, in a letter, called on the office of the inspector general to conduct an audit of Interior Department spending from the preparedness sub account since Zinke took office.
“Amidst the most expensive wildfire season in history, it is unequivocally intolerable that the Interior Department could be wasting scarce taxpayer resources that are meant to save lives,” Wyden wrote in his letter to Deputy Inspector General Mary L. Kendall.
Copyright 2018 Oregon Public Broadcasting
Related Stories:
Oregon, Washington leaders condemn violence after Charlie Kirk’s killing
Kirk, 31, died after being shot in the neck while speaking at Utah Valley University. The event was set to be the first stop on Kirk’s planned “American Comeback Tour.”
Políticas migratorias y necesidades laborales: Aumenta dependencia de trabajadores H-2A en el Pacífico Noroeste
A medida que cambian las políticas migratorias, los agricultores recurren al programa de trabajadores conocido como visa H-2A, una opción que les permite contratar legalmente a trabajadores de otros países. Con el aumento de las detenciones migratorias, crecen las preocupaciones entre empleadores y trabajadores locales.
Immigration policies and labor needs: A look at the growing reliance on H-2A workers in the Pacific Northwest
As immigration policies change, farmers are turning to a guest worker program known as the H-2A visa program, an option allowing farmers to legally hire workers from other countries. As immigration detentions ramp up, concerns grow among employers and domestic workers.
