Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the city of Chowchilla's Centennial Celebration being held on September 23rd.

Since its incorporation 100 years ago on February 7, 1923, Chowchilla has distinguished itself as a vibrant agricultural city, idyllically nestled between the cities of Fresno and Merced, with close access to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Pacific Coastline, and Yosemite National Park.

Chowchilla hosts a rich culture that traces its roots back to the Chowchilla tribe who inhabited the area; the name `Chowchilla' being a byword for bravery to the southernmost end of the Yokuts territory in the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley.

At the heart of its celebratory traditions is the Western Stampede Cattle Drive which arrives in Chowchilla every year with great fanfare and excitement, showcasing the city's rich history. And Downtown Chowchilla displays the city's historical buildings and storefronts.

While home to only about 19,000 people, it's the birthplace of Ronald D. Moore, best known for his work on Star Trek, and Cameron Worrell, former NFL player of the Chicago Bears.

Chowchilla is now a part of a unique collective history--along with other small communities such as Kerman and Patterson--that emerged from the foresight of a real estate promoter O.A. Robertson who envisioned the productive and agricultural significance of the area to California's Central Valley.

Mr. Speaker, today, I stand before you to express my support for S.J. Res. 9. My colleagues and I have deep concerns about the harms of listing the lesser prairie-chicken under the Endangered Species Act. While the intent of this act is to protect vulnerable species, we must carefully consider the consequences of such a decision.

Listing the lesser prairie-chicken as endangered will have far- reaching negative impacts on rural communities, working families, and conservation efforts, all while ignoring the best available science.

First and foremost, this action will place more red tape on farmers, ranchers, and small businesses, leading to more Federal control and less personal freedom. Rural America already faces significant challenges, and more Federal red tape will only limit job growth and crush rural communities.

Furthermore, listing the lesser prairie-chicken might not guarantee its recovery. The Endangered Species Act's track record has shown limited success in saving species from extinction, often requiring substantial amounts of taxpayer dollars and enormous economic impacts with minimal positive outcomes.

Instead, we should prioritize cooperative conservation efforts that involve collaboration between private landowners and government agencies to ensure a more holistic, sustainable approach.

Listing the lesser prairie-chicken will divert attention and resources away from other critical conservation priorities. We need a comprehensive strategy that addresses broader ecological challenges and the conservation of multiple species, not just focusing on a single one.

Let us not rush into listing the lesser prairie-chicken without carefully evaluating the potential harms and exploring alternative conservation measures. Effective conservation requires a balanced approach that protects both our natural heritage and the livelihoods of working families throughout rural America.

Together, we can find innovative solutions to preserve the species while promoting responsible economic growth and safeguarding our environment for generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great admiration and respect to honor Dr. Ellen Junn, the esteemed President of Stanislaus State. Dr. Junn's unwavering commitment to excellence in education and her outstanding leadership have had a profound impact on the university community, its students, and California's Central Valley.

Throughout her tenure, Dr. Junn has consistently demonstrated a deep understanding of the transformative power of education. Under her guidance, Stanislaus State has flourished, reaching new heights in academic achievement, student success, and community engagement. Her vision and dedication have paved the way for innovative programs and initiatives that have enriched the educational experience for students and provided them with the tools to succeed in the modern world.

Dr. Junn's commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive campus environment is truly commendable. She has championed access to quality education for all, ensuring that every student has an equal opportunity to thrive. By prioritizing the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students, faculty, and staff, she has created a campus that celebrates the unique perspectives and experiences that each individual brings to the table.

Under Dr. Junn's leadership, Stanislaus State has forged strong partnerships with local industries, government agencies, and community organizations. By fostering these collaborations, she has created numerous opportunities for students to gain real-world experience and develop the skills needed to excel in their chosen fields. This commitment to experiential learning has not only enhanced the educational experience but has also strengthened the university's ties to the community it serves.

Dr. Junn's impact extends far beyond the walls of Stanislaus State. She has been an influential voice in higher education, advocating for policies and initiatives that benefit all students and institutions. Her leadership has been recognized and respected at the state and national levels, further solidifying Stanislaus State's reputation as a force for positive change in the education landscape.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Dr. Junn is known for her compassion, approachability, and dedication to the well-being of students, faculty, and staff. She leads by example, embodying the values of integrity, resilience, and empathy. Her genuine concern for the success and happiness of those around her has created a vibrant and supportive campus community.

As we honor Dr. Ellen Junn, we express our gratitude for her transformative leadership, unwavering dedication, and remarkable achievements. Her vision and passion have made a lasting impact on Stanislaus State and the lives of countless individuals who have had the privilege of being a part of this remarkable institution. We wish her continued success in her future endeavors, knowing that her legacy will continue to inspire and shape the future of education.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize Nicole Moradzadeh of Merced for her outstanding submission to the congressional art contest.

A junior at El Capitan High School, Nicole's artwork titled, ``Give Thanks,'' highlights the hardworking families who are the foundation of California's Central Valley.

Nicole has beautifully expressed a unique perspective through her captivating work. The piece resonates deeply, inspiring appreciation for our working families. It serves as a reminder of the power of art to transcend boundaries and unite us all.

I chose this piece because it pays such excellent homage to the hardworking families that come to the Central Valley today to pursue the American Dream as so many generations have before from all over the world.

I am here in recognition of Nicole to express my commitment to make sure that the American Dream stays alive today for future generations as it has for all of those generations that have come before.

Mr. Speaker, I wish we were here talking about clean water. We can all agree, as we did back in 1974 when we passed the Clean Water Act and we gave the government all it needed to deliver clean water to America, the rivers no longer burn. Trains do fall in rivers, but that is a jurisdictional river. That is not what we are talking about today.

What we are talking about today is how much dry land, how much farmland, and how much rolling hills and grassy fields with no frogs, no fish, and no water most of the year are going to be regulated by this administration.

Back when we passed the Clean Water Act, it was bipartisan. Republicans and Democrats got together, and we gave the government jurisdiction to protect our clean drinking water. Our harbors, our rivers, and our streams are protected. Our lakes are protected. Our drinking water is protected. Nothing here today will have any impact on whether we have safe drinking water or not.

As a farmer, I was prosecuted under the Clean Water Act for planting wheat in a wheat field that had been planted

to wheat with the same practices many times before. What we are talking about here today is expanding the authorities of the Clean Water Act to regulate almost every activity--construction, farm production, energy exploration--that can happen on open fields that might from one time or another pocket a little bit of water.

When I went through delineation on my property, it took 2 years just to get enough rain to be able to tell where the wetlands were under the previous clean water rule.

So let's not pretend this is about clean water. This is about government control of land, it is about affordable food, and it is about affordable housing. It is about use of our lands by private landowners for economic purposes.

What we are doing today here is telling the President that he didn't have authority to do this back in 1974, and he doesn't have authority to do it today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Paul Parreira, Sr.'s lifelong service to Merced County and the great state of California. Merced County is a rich agricultural region, providing the world nutritious, healthy, and safe food. We have celebrated our agricultural heritage, our youth, education, and region since 1890, first as the Miller-Lux Picnic; with our celebrations evolving into the Merced County Spring Fair.

Thanks to the tireless work of the Merced County Spring Fair's Board of Directors and volunteers, the Fair has seen countless years of success. I would like to honor one specific volunteer, Paul Parreira, Sr.

Mr. Parreira has worked tirelessly as a volunteer for many years, serving wherever needed and sharing his time, talent, and treasure. His talents were noted by past District 5 Country Supervisor, Jerry O'Banion, who in 1994 appointed Mr. Parreira to serve on the Merced County Spring Fair Board of Directors.

From 1994 to 2019, Mr. Parreira served on the Merced County Spring Fair Board of Directors in all capacities, including thrice as Board President. During Mr. Parreira's tenure, the Spring Fair doubled attendance revenue, grew attendance by 100 percent, and grew youth age participation by 250 percent.

In tandem with other community leaders, Mr. Parreira founded the Heritage Foundation, an agricultural scholarship program, as well as ``Because We Care,'' an organization providing anonymous financial support to 4-H and FFA youth.

A graduate of the California Agriculture Leadership Program, Mr. Parreira has remained a steadfast leader in California's agriculture industry. Mr. Parreira's roles include Board Member of the California Agriculture Leadership Foundation, Vice Chair of the California Department of Food and Agriculture Feed Inspection Advisory Board, Vice Chair of the Almond Board of California's Biomass Working Group, Chair of the Almond Alliance of California's Co-Products Committee, and President of the Exchange Contractors Political Action Committee.

Thanks to Mr. Parreira's dedication to California's agriculture community, he has been named Grand Marshall of the 2023 Merced County Spring Fair.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Paul Parreira, Sr.'s lifelong service to the Merced County Spring Fair, his community involvement, leadership, commitment to youth and education, as well as Agriculture advocacy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 20th anniversary of the Merced County Spring Fair's Little Hands Exhibit. Merced County is a rich agricultural region, providing the world nutritious, healthy, and safe food.

Merced County has celebrated our agricultural heritage, our youth, education, and our region since 1890, first as the Miller-Lux Picnic, evolving into the Merced County Spring Fair, one of the largest county fairs in California.

Merced County's success would not be possible without the tireless work of Barbara and Louis Parreira. For over 70 years, the Parreira's have volunteered their agricultural knowledge and know-how to educate our youth, establishing the Merced County Spring Fair Little Hands Interactive Exhibit with other community leaders.

Modeled after the Indiana State Fair's exhibit, the Little Hand Exhibit debuted in 2004, providing interactive, hands-on, agricultural experiences for children between the ages of 2 and 10.

Since its conception two decades ago, Little Hands has provided interactive learning experiences for over 15,000 children annually, with a total number of 300,000 unique experiences since its start in 2004.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Barbara and Louis Parreira's efforts in starting Little Hands, their decades of volunteer work, and 20 years of agricultural education through the Little Hands' exhibit.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1.

We hear today that it is not very interesting to discuss the Constitution to some. Well, let's see the Constitution in operation today.

We are the champions of abundance over here, and we want to show the American people, the working families in America, what an abundance agenda looks like and show them our commitment to improving their lives with abundance.

We stand here arguing, in my opinion, with the lords of scarcity. They want to protect our forests until our forests burn. They want to leave American oil in the ground while gas prices go up for American working families, while energy costs in my district in California go over 25 cents a kilowatt, where working families in my district open the screen door in 105-degree temperatures because they can't afford to run their air-conditioners.

Yet, the lords of scarcity think we need more solar panels on more high-income homes, getting off the grid, leaving the cost of delivering electricity to the working families in America.

When we drill it in America, when we dam it in America, when we nuke it in America, when we frack it in America, we save American jobs and increase American families' affordability.

When we grow it in America, when we log it in America, when we make it in America, we create jobs and create affordability, and we do it more sustainably than anywhere else on Earth.

Over here, we are the champions of abundance, and we are here today to tell the American working family that there is a better choice for them. We can thrive. We can have affordability. We can have sustainability. We can have opportunity right here in America.

With H.R. 1, drill oil now, we can deliver American working families a better option.

Please keep talking about how silly you think the Constitution is. It is in play right now.

We need to protect wetlands, and we need to protect the clean water supply we enjoy here in America.

The Supreme Court has been dealing with this for years, and if we don't get it right here and keep the agencies honest, we are going to have real food shortages on our hands.

I am a farmer who was prosecuted under the Clean Water Act for growing wheat in a wheat field where I had planted wheat many times before.

This right here--I want to make sure the whole Chamber can see it-- look hard. This little light spot in the field is a jurisdictional wetland under some definitions of the Clean Water Act. That is not a navigable water. There are no frogs, no fish, no storks, no egrets, and no water.

Under the Biden rule, the surrounding grasslands--all the surrounding grasslands there, not the electrical tower in the back, that has other regulatory problems--those are jurisdictional wetlands under the Biden rule.

They prosecuted me as a farmer for farming wheat in a wheat field which had been farmed many, many times before, and they threatened to fine me $28 to $40 million for tilling through 22 acres of wetlands such as this across a 450-acre wheat field.

This is what we are talking about. We don't have to talk about burning rivers or poisonous water. This is the land grab, this is the authority, and this is the threat to the American food system that we are talking about.

Right over there, that is a government expert team paid for by your Department of Justice--our Department of Justice--sitting in a 3-foot hole investigating my 4- to 7-inch tillage through a vernal pool. Ten government investigators were on my property for 10 days producing over a $1-million report.

The smallest of these wetlands--of these vernal pools--was 16 square feet. Think of the card table you may have sat at as a kid during Thanksgiving, Mr. Speaker. That was deemed a jurisdictional wetland.

This is a direct attack on our farming and our food supply. Please don't understand it as anything different.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I couldn't agree with the gentleman more. California's Central Valley, whether it be the Sacramento Valley where Doug serves and represents or the South San Joaquin Valley where I serve and represent is really where America finds its greatest abundance of its salad bowl, its fruit bowl, almonds, plant protein--walnuts, pistachios. California leads the world in production of all of these crops and it really centers right in the Central Valley.

Many of these water resources, whether north of Sacramento or south of Sacramento, share the same assets, the same infrastructure.

So after several years of devastating droughts in California that have really hurt farm families and communities up and down our district--through acts of nature greatly, but also through mismanagement of our water resources and lack of infrastructure in California--it has really cut the abundance that delivers nutrition and affordability to so many American working families who are suffering from high inflation, both the energy costs, the food costs--and in California particularly--their housing costs, because we are simply not responding to the needs of our people as we need to.

So in the last couple of days after a very, very wet season and immense hope on the part of our farmers that relief is on the way and they would get water allocations, many farmers--and Doug is in my district--received a letter from the Bureau of Reclamation.

The Bureau of Reclamation, in spite of historic rainfall, snowpack, and flooding throughout California, is warning irrigation districts, farmers and ranchers, that they may not get the water and should be prepared for reduced allocations and flow restrictions, which would threaten our food security.

Now these farmers are making plans today to plant rice, to plant tomatoes, to plant cotton, to plant vegetable crops. They are making decisions today as to whether they will invest more input into their almond production, their walnut production, their pistachio production based on what they think the market will bear for their crops when it is ready to harvest and sell, as well as what water they will have to see those crops through the growing year with.

Today, they are getting very, very disturbing mixed messages from the Bureau of Reclamation. So we should

review what some of the facts are that the Bureau of Reclamation needs to look at while warning these farmers that even in this water-abundant year they may not get their allocations.

The current capacity and water outlook at Shasta--Shasta Reservoir is a big reservoir in California. It has 6 million acre-feet of storage capacity. Currently it is at 2.7 million acre-feet with inflows of over 14,000 acre-feet a day coming in.

The Shasta Reservoir has more than 1 million acre-feet in storage this year as it did at this time last year.

The current snowpack in California--now, we are all waiting for the snowpack to come down and fill the reservoir, but we can model how the reservoir will fill based on the snowpack this year.

This year's snowpack accounts for one-third of California's water supply. The second snow survey from the Department of Water Resources was conducted on February 1. So we are waiting with anticipation with what the March 1 SAR snowpack report will bring, but we know from the precipitation events over the last month it is going to be substantially higher.

Nonetheless, the snowpack as of February 1 of this year was 205 percent of average up to that date. It contained over 33.7 inches of water or 205 percent, the average of water content, of what we normally have up to that date.

We know the daily snow center report of February 28 per the California Department of Water Resources shows the snow water equivalent at each of the reporting stations feeding into the Sacramento River, which supplies Lake Shasta, all of these stations are over 100 percent of normal snow water content.

Throughout California in the same report, there are 131 stations with all but four reporting a snow water equivalent percentage higher than 100 percent of normal.

At Mount Shasta, which feeds the Central Valley Project's largest reservoir, Shasta Lake, the 2023 snowfall is 202 percent higher this far into the winter with 97 inches of snowfall recorded. And as of February 27 of this year, just yesterday, Mount Shasta had received approximately 60 inches of snow in the past 3 days. That is 5 feet on top of the snowpack they already had.

Yet, California farmers' food producers, the champions of abundance, are being told to keep their powder dry, not to expect full water deliveries this year.

Now, apparently we still don't have enough water infrastructure in California, even with Shasta filling up, even with the snowpack set there to completely fill and top up our reservoirs throughout the State, even after the State failed to pump the delta and get the floodwaters taken out of the Central Valley, out of the delta and into storage south of the delta earlier this year, we are still going to be topped up and farmers cannot expect full allocations of their water this year.

We need to be building dams. We need to be building reservoirs. We don't need to be tearing them down. And what Congressman LaMalfa has presented here today is an absolute insult to every working family in America who is having trouble affording the nutrition on their dinner plate that they could better afford just a few short years ago.

This is going to be the first generation in American history--my prediction--where we will see the diverse nutrition of produce and protein taken off the American working family's dinner plate and reverting American families to more starch-based diets that go in the opposite direction of what every health nutritionist tells us we need to be doing with American food plans.

So abundance is affordability. We need a pro-human attitude towards our energy policies, towards our water policies, and towards our food policies here in America.

I hope that the bureaucrats at the Bureau of Reclamation will listen to Congressman LaMalfa today and heed his warning, because the American working family cannot take any more of this inflationary abuse of our Natural Resources.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa) for yielding. I am glad to be here today.

So it is interesting at times to understand some of the investigations and things that we need to write new laws for, or we claim we need to write new laws because one politician does this or his son does that.

We can't possibly need new laws to prosecute some of this corruption. I was prosecuted for planting wheat in a wheat field during a global food crisis.

My family purchased a property up in Tehama County, in Congressman LaMalfa's district and planted wheat where wheat had been grown many times before.

The Army Corps of Engineers thought we were doing something different. The field agent drove by and gave it a windshield test and said, hey, you are deep ripping.

You are not cultivating 4 to 7 inches deep; you are cultivating 3 to 5 feet deep. No, we are not. Come out and look at it.

Wouldn't come out, wouldn't look at it, wouldn't take our invitation. Next February, he files a cease and desist order and tells us we can't harvest our crop of wheat.

We asked for a hearing. The Army Corps of Engineers didn't have time to give us a hearing; barely had time to drive by and look at what they thought they saw out the windshield.

The Pacific Legal Foundation, a pro bono civil rights law firm for many, many property owners and clients around America, representing the Sackett and the current WOTUS cases at the Supreme Court, took up our case as a due process Fifth Amendment case. They can't tell you you can't farm your land without giving you a hearing.

Well, once that case started to progress forward, the Army Corps of Engineers went to the Department of Justice, and my family and I were prosecuted for planting wheat in a wheat field by the Department of Environment and Water of the Department of Justice under the Obama administration.

We ended up never getting a trial. We were found guilty by an Obama- appointed judge in summary judgment. Without a single day in court, we were found to have violated the Clean Water Act because our tillage implement lifted soil several inches and moved it laterally several inches while nearing a wetland; a wetland vernal pool that had been farmed many times before with the same farming systems we employed.

So America's food system is not only at risk because of water scarcity politics here in California or overregulation.

America's food system is at risk because we have regulatory agencies waiting with bated breath to prosecute any American farmer that stands up for their property rights, their right to farm, their right to produce food for American families.

It is a huge risk. Farmers all over America are making decisions to avoid these entanglements, avoid a fight, not farm, unless prices are incredibly high because it is just not worth it.

Add in the risk of water supply, add in the risk of inadequate infrastructure, add in the risk of arbitrary bureaucrats making decisions right up until the last minute that affect our ability to plan our farming even for the next year, and our food supply in America is in peril.

It is absolutely unquestionably in peril, and we see it reflected in every grocery store across America today. The food inflation is crushing working families in America.

Abundance is affordability. Until we become an abundant society and we understand the farmers, the energy producers to be the champions of abundance, and the regulators, the NGOs that would stop abundance any way they can to be the lords of scarcity, American working families are going to pay the cost at the gas pump.

They are going to pay the cost on their heating bill. They are going to pay the cost at the grocery store. They are going to suffer the housing inflation we have seen in California.

In California, a working family is spending 30 percent of their income on food and 33 percent of their income on housing.

There is nothing left for the other expenses they have in their lives, and this is all due to regulatory overload.

We are overburdened by regulations, we are overburdened by restrictions on what we do, and the American working family is paying for it every day.

So thank you, Congressman LaMalfa. Thank you for being a champion of abundance. Back in 2015, 2016, and 2017, we were having our battles.

Thank you for being here today. You are a friend of not only the farmer; you are a friend of the American working family and affordability and nutrition across the country.

Madam Speaker, the other side of affordability is opportunity, and families can't make ends meet unless they have affordable food, affordable energy, affordable housing. They can't do the best they can do without opportunity.

Until America decides to take practical steps to power our grid, we are not going to have the industrial growth, the worker productivity, the opportunity that American families deserve.

I think Congressman LaMalfa makes a very clear case that other countries are happy to take those jobs, happy to provide their citizens with opportunities that American citizens won't have.

As we look at our global food system that is based in California and throughout many States, a global food system will ship food to whoever can afford it best. In the emerging middle and upper classes in India and China, where they are running a carbon economy, where they are creating jobs, where their grid stays lit 24/7 and has plenty of room for industrial growth, is where we are seeing opportunity in work and jobs, and it is where Americans are going to see their dinner flow to.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today joined by my colleagues, Rep. David Valadao, Rep. Jim Costa, Rep. Tom McClintock, and Rep. John Garamendi, to recognize February 16, 2023, as National Almond Day. We celebrate the hard-working men and women involved in this great industry, past, and present, for their hard work in providing our Nation and the world with food, fiber, and energy. It is a day to thank those who work by acres, not hours.

National Almond Day is a time to recognize the many benefits almonds provide in a healthy diet and to pay tribute to the hardworking farmers, processors, and other industry members who make the almond industry one of the most successful and innovative in the United States.

Americans and people around the world can observe this day by snacking on one of the world's most nutritious foods, almonds. Almonds provide many health benefits and are a great source of protein, healthy fats, and fiber. They are gluten-free and contain essential vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin E, magnesium, and potassium. As a convenient, versatile, and healthy food option, almonds can be enjoyed in various ways, such as snacking, baking, and cooking. Among their many benefits, almonds help maintain a healthy heart, healthy cholesterol levels, and healthy blood sugar levels. They also provide key nutrients that promote skin health and protect against ultraviolet radiation.

Our home state of California is home to 7,600 almond farms, and nearly 90 percent of those farms are family farms, and many are owned and operated by third and fourth generation farmers. Nearly 70 percent of California almond farms are 100 acres or less. There are 98 almond handlers in California, many of which are family-owned businesses.

In California alone, the almond industry employs 110,000 people and contributes $9.2 billion annually to the economy. The state is responsible for 100 percent of the U.S. almond supply and 80 percent of the world's almond supply. This great industry has improved the efficiency of water use, reaching 75 percent of the almond community's goal to attain a 20 percent improvement by 2025. Growers and processors are finding new food product opportunities for uses of the almond hull, with a goal to achieve zero waste in the orchards.

The almond industry has long played a crucial role in all Americans' economic and nutritional well-being. Our constituents are innovative agriculturists who are constantly looking for ways to further the growth and success of the industry. Moreover, the United States almond industry is instrumental to the preservation of farmland and forms the backbone of many rural communities.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives to join me in celebrating National Almond Day and the contributions of almond farmers, processors, and other industry members, who make the almond industry one of the most successful and innovative in the United States.