Analysis · Speech on a bill · beta

Bruce Westerman

Republican on Advancing Water Research and Collaboration Act of 2025 2026-09-14

450 words · 21 sentences · 30 clauses

Statement grade

76 / 100, held down by Signal

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Anecdote 50%Reasoning 23%Claims 25%Procedure 2%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Mr. Speaker, Anecdote · 226 wordsas we consider water in our country, I want to point out a couple of trips that I have made recently. One was to the little town of Beaver, Utah, where they had a 100,000-acre forest fire, ¹and a few weeks later, they had an inch to an inch and a half of rain, ²which normally would be very welcome there, but because this forest fire basically clear-cut this whole canyon that provides the water for the town of Beaver. Instead of replenishing their water supply, what it did was wash vast amounts of soil and debris into the watershed. It took out three hydropower plants.³ It washed mud and debris across bridges and took them out. It also washed all this debris into the town and had their water system offline for an extended period of time. We often don’t associate forest health and water as much as we should. This is a crisis that is facing us across the country. That is why it is important to have legislation like Representative Wittman has proposed here. I was in southwest Colorado at the end of last week, ⁴and we flew over another 100,000-acre fire.⁵ We saw, again, how when the land is denuded, to use a word from Teddy Roosevelt, and soil is no longer held in place and we get rain, it causes catastrophes.Anecdote Reasoning · 18 wordsIt doesn’t have to be this way. We can have safe, healthy drinking water all across this country. Claims · 87 wordsActually, about two-thirds of our water comes from forested landscapes.⁶ We have seen how important this is, even in places like New York City, where they have a tremendous water system that people, putting a lot of forethought into this many, many decades ago, protected the watershed and protected the water going into New York. We see it in Boston. We typically think of these forest issues out West, but the Quabbin Reservoir in Boston is another forested area that is protected and managed strictly for water.⁷ Reasoning · 86 wordsIt is because of research and efforts that have happened for many years that give us the science to understand how to manage the landscape to produce the water that we all need. When we talk about an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure, we know that managing our forests gives us that ounce of prevention. It saves a lot of money in the long run and saves a lot of headaches and hard work to restore these systems in the long run, Claims · 26 wordsand it is important that we continue to do the research and fund these programs so that we can provide safe, clean water to all Americans.Vague promise Mr. Speaker, Procedure · 7 wordsI reserve the balance of my time.Procedure

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 46

18 of 19 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “as we consider water in our country, I want to point out a couple of trips that I have made recently.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “One was to the little town of Beaver, Utah,”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “where they had a 100,000-acre forest fire,”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “and a few weeks later, they had an inch to an inch and a half of rain,”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “which normally would be very welcome there,”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “but because this forest fire basically clear-cut this whole canyon that provides the water for the town of Beaver.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “Instead of replenishing their water supply, what it did was wash vast amounts of soil and debris into the watershed.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “It took out three hydropower plants.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “It washed mud and debris across bridges and took them out.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “It also washed all this debris into the town and had their water system offline for an extended period of time.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “We often don’t associate forest health and water as much as we should.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “This is a crisis that is facing us across the country.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “That is why it is important to have legislation like Representative Wittman has proposed here.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “I was in southwest Colorado at the end of last week,”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “and we flew over another 100,000-acre fire.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “We saw, again, how when the land is denuded, to use a word from Teddy Roosevelt,”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “and soil is no longer held in place and we get rain, it causes catastrophes.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “I reserve the balance of my time.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 100

0 of 19 deductions are Relevance

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue. Measured against the bill under debate.

Nothing lost points.

Respect · no score

Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Clarity · 87

1 of 19 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

A promise with no date, no measure and no one responsible.What the tags mean “we continue to do the research and fund these programs”A commitment with no date, measure, or success condition for what counts as enough research or funding.

Claims · 7

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“100,000-acre forest fire”A forest fire near Beaver, Utah burned approximately 100,000 acres.search
2“an inch to an inch and a half of rain”Beaver, Utah received an inch to an inch and a half of rain a few weeks after the forest fire.search
3“It took out three hydropower plants”The post-fire debris flows near Beaver, Utah destroyed three hydropower plants.search
4“I was in southwest Colorado at the end of last week”Bruce Westerman visited southwest Colorado at the end of the week before September 14, 2026.search
5“another 100,000-acre fire”There was a 100,000-acre fire in southwest Colorado that the speaker flew over in September 2026.search
6“about two-thirds of our water comes from forested landscapes”About two-thirds of the water supply in the United States comes from forested landscapes.search
7“the Quabbin Reservoir in Boston is another forested area that is protected and managed strictly for water”The Quabbin Reservoir, which serves Boston, is a forested area protected and managed for water supply.search

Analyzed on 2026-09-16