John Doolittle: “this Klamath Basin is represented by three Members, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden), the gentleman from…”

“this Klamath Basin is represented by three Members, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden), the gentleman from California (Mr. Herger), and myself from California. It has today about 50,000 people in it. It is one of the earliest reclamation projects in the United Nations. The Reclamation Act was passed in 1902, and this was authorized by the Secretary of the Interior in that same year. You will see here the cover of Life Magazine, January 20, 1947. By the way, it was 15 cents in those days. They have a homesteading veteran portrayed on the cover with his wife and family. People were attracted to this area by government policy to settle the area. It was a good area for farming, and it would be a benefit to the wildlife because of the refuges that existed there. I want to show you now a picture in 2001 of a real family that lives there, tries to farm there today under the very difficult circumstances imposed by the government. This is lease land farmer Rob Crawford and his family. You can see it does not look very inviting because that is what happens when you cut the water off. It is basically a desert. These people in our districts have suffered terribly at the hands of the government and misguided people who think they are trying to bring about a good policy. But they are not bringing about a good policy. This amendment is an anti-farming amendment. I do not care what the sponsors say. That is its effect.”