On the recordJuly 12, 2018
I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I rise to support this important legislation. Mr. Speaker, I remember very clearly when President Clinton asked Vice President Gore to conduct an effort to reorganize government at the Federal level, to make it more efficient, to look for ways in which we could cut down on bureaucratic red tape and to try to find other efficiencies that exist. This was but one of many recommendations that Vice President Gore and his group came up with. Mr. Speaker, the success of the Bureau of Reclamation to convert portions of the arid West into the largest and most advanced agricultural economy in the world cannot be overstated. Nowhere is that more evident than in California's San Joaquin Valley, the most productive agriculture region in the world. We grow 60 percent of the Nation's fruits and vegetables, healthy diet, good nutritional food for America's dinner table, besides leading in so many other commodities that we grow. As a matter of fact, it helps the balance of payments. California's agricultural economy, 44 percent of it, is part of our international trade. It would not be possible, though, without the complex and well- planned set of dams, canals, and other structures that have operated successfully for generations--generations. However, over time, the aging infrastructure needs to be repaired. It needs to be updated.…
