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Biden pushes massive spending plan during tour of western wildfire damage

Joe Biden
Posted at 4:59 PM, Sep 13, 2021
and last updated 2021-09-13 19:46:24-04

President Joe Biden visited Boise, Idaho and Sacramento, California Monday to tour wildfire damage and address the threats of climate change.

In a meeting with officials, the president said his $3.5 trillion "Build Back Better" plan will include measures to lessen the effects of climate change.

“The reality is we have a global warming problem, a serious global warming problem, and it’s consequential and what’s going to happen is, things are not going to go back,” Biden stated while in Boise.

Biden said wildfires have consumed more than 5 million acres this year.

"That's larger than the entire state of New Jersey," he said.

California is still dealing with numerous massive wildfires, including the Dixie Fire and Calodor Fire, which are among the top 20 largest wildfires the state has ever seen.

“We can’t ignore the reality that these wildfires are being supercharged by climate change," Biden said.

While addressing the size and cost of his plan, Biden said "we’ve got to think big." He added, "Thinking small is a prescription for disaster.”