Jared Huffman: “I want to thank my friend from inland southern California very much for including me in this Special Order hour. There…”

“I want to thank my friend from inland southern California very much for including me in this Special Order hour. There are so many ways in which this Republican government shutdown is hurting the people of California, hurting the people of my district. But I just wanted to speak for a few minutes about some very particular ways in my district that people are feeling the pain. The Second District of California is an amazing place. I am honored to represent it. One of the things that makes it special are the abundant public lands. We have protected coasts, parks, recreation areas, forests, and wilderness areas. These public lands are essential to our region's tourism, recreation, and resource economy. The north coast's tourism economy is a big deal. It creates $3.5 billion in annual tourism spending, more than 42,000 jobs, and nearly $225 million in local and State tax revenue. Visitors from all over America--and, in fact, all over the world--come to our public lands. Thanks to the Republican shutdown, much of that economic activity is grinding to a halt. The Point Reyes National Seashore is closed. In 2011, this seashore received 2.1 million visitors and brought in $93.3 million in economic activity to the area. The shutdown is starting to impact small business owners in and around the park in West Marin. These are folks who subsist on the tourism dollars that this world-famous seashore and working landscape attracts.…”