U.S. Senators Curtis and Bennet today reintroduced the Making Access to Cleanup Happen Act and the Watershed Protection and Forestry Recovery Act—bipartisan legislation that together improve and expedite emergency watershed recovery efforts. Amid increasing frequency and severity of wildfire, floods, and other natural disasters, these bills remove common bureaucratic barriers that delay disaster response and reflect a proactive, locally partnered approach to forest and watershed recovery.

Three weeks ago, I gave a preview of what the shutdown showdown over government funding would look like, sound like and, ultimately, what it would become. I am no Nostradamus. It is actually easy to predict the “hair-on-fire-hysteria” from both the left and the right that foments political fundraising, drives cable news ratings and ultimately results in the continuation of what is a dangerous status quo of spending.

U.S. Senators Curtis and Merkley introduced the Taiwan Representative Office Act, bipartisan legislation to rename Taiwan’s de facto embassy in the United States from the “Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office” to the Taiwan Representative Office. This legislation underscores the United States’ commitment to Taiwan’s democracy and enhances clarity in the U.S.-Taiwan relationship.