[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 75 (Wednesday, May 1, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H2773]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   FOOD SECURITY IS NATIONAL SECURITY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Valadao) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. VALADAO. Madam Speaker, California is in its second consecutive 
wet year.
  Every major reservoir in our State is above the 15-year average, and 
our snowpack in the Sierras is at more than 100 percent of average for 
this time of year.
  These conditions should mean that our farmers and communities are 
finally getting the water deliveries that they desperately need after 
years of drought.
  Sadly, that is not the case.
  Central Valley Project contractors rely on meaningful allocations 
from the Bureau of Reclamation for their yearly planning, including the 
type of crops they will plant and when.
  Despite these favorable conditions, our South-of-Delta farmers were 
still not allocated 100 percent of the water they contract and pay for 
this year from Reclamation.
  In February, our South-of-Delta farmers were allocated just 15 
percent of their contracted supply. In March, these numbers were 
updated to 35 percent. Just last week, these allocations were bumped to 
40 percent, a mere 5-percent increase, with no real explanation or 
transparency on the decisionmaking process.
  A 5-percent increase is insufficient for our family farms and 
downstream communities who rely on meaningful allocations from 
Reclamation to grow the food that feeds the world.
  California grows a quarter of our Nation's food, so these allocations 
are critical to the fate of our Nation's food supply.
  I urge Reclamation to significantly increase the allocations for 
South-of-Delta water contractors so our communities can meet the 
Nation's food supply needs.
  Food security is national security, and our ability to grow food for 
the Nation will not survive without a reliable water supply for South-
of-Delta agriculture.

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