Wyden Passes Bill to Deliver Financial Relief to Wildfire Victims

Wyden Passes Bill to Deliver Financial Relief to Wildfire Victims

As over 2 million acres burn across Oregon, Wyden passes legislation to deliver immediate tax relief to Oregonians who lose their homes in wildfires

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today passed legislation that would deliver immediate tax relief to Americans who lose their home from a federally declared natural disaster, including Oregonians who lose their homes in wildfires.

The bill's passage in the Senate comes after Wyden convinced opponents to drop an earlier procedural roadblock.

"Common sense prevailed today and that's great news for Oregonians who shouldn't have to worry about getting slammed with a huge tax hit on top of losing their home to wildfire," Wyden said. "I'm heading home this weekend to meet with Oregonians facing these wildfire threats, and I can't wait to deliver this good news in person to them and the firefighters working around the clock to protect communities throughout our state."

The legislation would end unfair taxes on natural disaster settlement payments after Americans lose their homes through unpredictable natural disasters. These burdensome taxes were passed into law under the Trump-Republican tax bill in 2017. Subsequently, the Senate successfully suspended the tax in 2024, but it is up for renewal this year.

The bill has already passed the House on a bipartisan basis and now heads to the White House.

Video of senator's floor remarks today on bill's passage is here