Full Breakdown
House Candidate Jerrod Sessler’s FEMA Comments Ignite Tribal Outcry Amid Colville Wildfires
7/24/2026, 12:39:22 PM
Candidate’s Remarks and Immediate Backlash
Sessell later clarified on Facebook that he was not accusing anyone of arson but urged a study of “incentives” tied to tribal disaster funding.
Tribal Leadership’s Rebuttal and Legal Context
Cody Desautel, executive director of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, called Sessell’s claim “complete nonsense.” He explained that tribal lands are held in federal trust, not taxed through county assessors, and that tribal members pay federal income tax, sales tax (except on goods delivered to the reservation), and have tax compacts with Washington State.
FEMA Funding Mechanics and Fire-Management Data
Under FEMA regulations, the tribes receive reimbursement for 75 percent of fire-damage costs, leaving them responsible for the remaining share. The Kaiser Canyon fire, sparked by lightning, has burned roughly 86,000 acres, destroyed about 20 structures, and displaced ?1,000 people—most of whom are tribal members. The tribes report a 97 percent fire-catch rate during the initial attack phase, but extreme wind and heat can force reliance on state and federal resources. Since 2015, over 1 million acres of reservation land have burned, eroding culturally vital resources such as salmon, huckleberries, and sacred sites.
Historical and Policy Background
Sessell’s criticism references broader federal-tribal dynamics, including the 1887 Dawes Act and a 2024 Bureau of Indian Affairs report documenting nearly 1,000 Indigenous child deaths at government-run boarding schools. He has previously advocated reforming FEMA and the 1988 Stafford Act, describing FEMA as a “socialist disaster” and proposing state-level decentralization.
Verbatim Quotes
- “What’s happening up in Colville right now, if you guys remember, a couple years ago, there was another fire up there, which they don’t pay taxes to support,” — Jerrod Sessler
- “Our land is not taxed through the county assessors, and that’s because technically it’s federal land owned by the U.S. government and held in trust for the tribes’ benefit,” — Cody Desautel
- “We are not just letting fires burn because we want money,” — Cody Desautel
- “Over a million acres (of the reservation) since 2015 has burned. It gets difficult,” — Cody Desautel
- “We catch about 97% of fires,” — Cody Desautel
