Texas Republicans are demonstrating that they learned nothing from the 2011 wildfires that ravaged the state, burned 3,959,040 acres, killed six people (including two firefighters), destroyed 2,862 homes, and caused $510.927 million in damages. During the historic wildfire season lawmakers, backed by Governor Perry, made the decision to slash the Texas Forest Services budget by $34 million over the ensuing two years which equated to one-third of the agency’s budget. Texas Forest Services are responsible for fighting wildfires when they break out and are also responsible for distributing grants to pay volunteer firefighters in the state. The budget cuts were especially disturbing because volunteer firefighters are vital in the defense of fires in Texas. Eighty percent of the fire-fighting force in the state are volunteers and they are the first to respond to roughly ninety percent of the wildfires in Texas.

Conservative lawmakers, though, seem to have short memories of both the fires and the importance of volunteers in the state and have been withholding $91 million in funds that have been earmarked to go to volunteer fire departments. Now some 1,600 fire departments, including the fire department in West, Texas that handled the fertilizer plant explosion, and even another Republican want answers. News Station, KXAS-TV, set out to ask lawmakers why these departments are waiting for funds that are clearly their’s. One lawmaker, Rep. David Simpson (R), is holding nothing back and says that his party is to blame when asked about it:

“I’d say, ‘Look at the Appropriations Committee,’” Simpson said to the station. “Look at the leadership of the House and Senate. “We’re lying to them. We’re not being people of integrity.”

The money, which comes from taxes collected on insurance policies, is just sitting there. Although, the taxes collected will reach over $91 million by 2014 legislatures are only allowing Texas Forest Services to release $18 million over the next two years. This leaves roughly $86 million in requests unfunded. Money that could be used to buy new trucks and other equipment for the state’s fire-fighting force. Lawmakers involved with the allocation of the funds refused to speak to KXAS on camera; however, the leader off the Office of Finance Committee, state Sen. Tommy Williams (R), did issue a statement:

“Nobody gets everything,” Williams’ statement read. “Funding volunteer fire departments had to be weighed along with other potentially life and death items, like Medicaid funding, nursing home funding. The predicament of volunteer fire departments highlights the difficulty we face in prioritizing limited resources among so many worthy and necessary needs.”

This statement makes absolutely no sense. The money in question is there for one reason and one reason only, to fund the fire departments. This is why Republican lawmaker David Simpson is lashing out. There is no reason for lawmakers to be holding back. Lawmakers are doing a great disservice to the people of Texas, people who have witnessed the horrific damage of wildfires, to leave their fire departments unfunded. This is a perfect example of Republican incompetence. Lawmakers in Texas had no problem wasting money fighting in federal court to keep an unconstitutional Voter ID law, but they won’t fund the department that saves lives. What’s going to happen when another fire season like 2011 happens and these 1,600 departments do not have the proper equipment to fight them?

I hope the people of Texas wake up and realize their lawmakers are screwing them big time and demand that they release these funds.