Jim Costa

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. It is great to be here with our Subcommittee, and we thank you for your leadership.

Water in California has always been complicated and controversial, and some people want to reverse the order, controversial and complicated.

Last but not least, our region needs water supply reliability and regulatory relief to ensure that we can have the water supply guaranteed to us under our contractual obligations with the Bureau of Reclamation as well as our Pre-1914 water…

We are grateful to our congressional members, Congressman Valadao, Congressman Costa, and Congressman McCarthy who are graciously aiding our efforts in trying to secure funding for our new reservoir.

I am a very strong supporter of our involvement, along with our European allies and NATO, to ensure that the war criminal, President Putin, does not get away with the atrocities of this invasion of a sovereign nation.

The Ukrainian people are not fatigued because they are standing for their sovereignty, and in a much bigger way, standing up for democratic institutions around the world, including our own.

We appreciate your consideration of the immense positive impact SNAP has on the lives of millions of Americans as well as its beneficial impact on the national economy and our nation's long-term financial sustainability.

I concur with Congressman Lucas' reflection on the fact that we have to work together on this.

I also rise today to condemn Azerbaijan's attack on Armenia. Nearly 204 Armenian troops are confirmed killed or missing. It was an attack on a sovereign territory. Speaker Pelosi's visit to Armenia is a symbol of the United States'…

The lake is sick. And Toledo's water system was turned off for 3 days a couple of years ago.

We need to perfect the growing chamber and make it affordable for business.

I hope we can find greater connectivity between them and between our urban food deserts and our urban school systems.

Over the next 25 years, collective dairy methane reduction projects across California include digesters and alternative manure management projects are estimated to reduce more than 55 million metric tons of greenhouse gases.

I think in the next farm bill we need to add on how we can enhance the efforts of this public-private partnership between our educational institutions and our farming efforts on a regional basis.

But I think it all comes down to sustainability. Farmers, ranchers, dairymen and -women have been for generations practicing sustainability.

I think it is appropriate that you have set the tone this morning with the role of climate research in supporting agricultural resiliency as we look toward setting the table for next year's farm bill reauthorization.

In the California dairy industry, which produces 20 percent of all the milk products in America, we have taken tremendous steps.

Generally I think we've detected a good bipartisan effort taking place in terms of supporting our efforts in Ukraine.

I think today's hearing certainly has provided a lot of insight as to... concerns that people have about impacts of prices and the supply chain.

I think we all agree on this Committee that food is a national security issue.

We hope that we are going to pass some additional funding to protect American people.

We have an opportunity to work together to make good decisions as it relates to the programs not only in Title III, but the other titles within the farm bill authorization

We as America are stronger and better and more able to work with our allies if we together here in Washington are united

Let me close by saying, God bless the people of Ukraine and the suffering during this horrific war taken on by the pariah Putin, who is a war criminal and must be punished for it. God bless them. ____________________

I think it is important.