Emergency Preparedness

January 16, 2025 Weekly Column BIG Update Over the weekend, I joined President Trump for dinner to discuss legislative plans for the next year. In just a few days, I’ll be attending his inauguration to watch him take the oath of office. I’m ready to have a president in the White House who will secure the border, project strength abroad, and unleash American energy. Image President Trump and Johnson BIG Idea The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is off to a great start. We held a hearing this week to discuss the state of America’s transportation system. During and after natural disasters, it’s critical to continue transporting and delivering goods in a timely manner. Unfortunately, federal restrictions can slow down delivery to affected areas. My bill, the MOVE Act , would make the weight restrictions on interstates more flexible during times of emergency to ensure disaster victims get the goods and services they need. Image Click here or the image above for Johnson's remarks We also discussed permitting regulations that need to be reformed. The permitting process for a project in Europe takes two years, while the same project in America takes seven years. I look forward to working with this committee to reform our permitting system to let America build. Image Click here or the image above for Johnson's remarks BIG News The Los Angeles wildfires are truly tragic. Unfortunately, California’s policies make it difficult to keep their forests healthy and decrease the risk of wildfires. We need proper forest management across America to prevent wildfires from becoming as intense as the ones in LA. Not only that, but California’s policies have made it take exponentially longer to complete water storage projects than in other states. Communities need access to water, especially in an event like this. Emergency and disaster preparedness is of the utmost importance in high-risk areas like LA. Our local and national leaders must do better. House Republicans are leading the charge by voting next week on the Fix our Forests Act , that I cosponsor, to cut through red tape. Image Click here or the image above for Johnson's comments Issues : Transportation & Infrastructure Congress Energy