U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez’s amendment to the FY26 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill to address corporate consolidation in the firetruck and emergency vehicle industry unanimously passed the House Appropriations committee on a bipartisan basis this week, according to a news release from the office of Gluesenkamp Perez.
Specifically, the amendment urges the Federal Trade Commission to report to Congress on consolidation in the fire apparatus, ambulances and the emergency services market and its impact on the prices and wait times for local governments seeking to acquire this equipment, the release stated.
“One thing I’ve heard over and over from first responders across Southwest Washington is how much the cost of emergency vehicles has increased. The older chiefs say that 25 years ago, a nice rig cost $250,000 — now it’s a minimum of $1,000,000 for a truck, and you’ll need to wait years for delivery. We saw in the deadly L.A. fires how these issues have impacted first responders’ ability to respond in a crisis,” Gluesenkamp Perez said. “Rob Gordon, the former mayor of Bucoda, was one of the first people to raise this to me. He told me how excruciating the wait times for delivery have become and how things become even more difficult if you need anything that isn’t standard issue. I don’t think corporations are just run by greedy suits, but it’s important that we understand the federal government‘s role in this, because candidly most of the funding for these emergency apparatuses come from our tax dollars.”
Earlier this year, Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, passed a similar amendment through the Appropriations Committee to investigate corporate consolidation in the infant formula industry, according to the release.
Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, who has announced a campaign to unseat Gluesenkamp Perez in the Third Congressional District, is the owner of Braun Northwest, which manufactures ambulances and emergency vehicles from its headquarters in Chehalis.
