[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15889-15890]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  CALIFORNIA DROUGHT CAUSING SUFFERING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Valadao) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. VALADAO. Mr. Speaker, today I had the opportunity and the honor 
to represent my district on the Senate side in a committee to talk 
about water, and it was to talk about the bill that we passed off this 
House floor just a few months ago back in June. Obviously, I was very 
excited to move that forward and excited to see the debate move 
forward. This is something that I think we need to talk about a little 
bit more here on the floor, not just in the Senate because I think 
people need to remember what we are talking about.
  I had this picture taken just last week in my district. When people 
say a picture is worth a thousand words, you look at this picture, and 
you try to think of just a few different words that this brings to 
mind. You see houses here in the background, but you obviously see 
shacks here. You see a child's stroller, a child's toy, cans of food, a 
box from one of our local food banks.
  These are people who are suffering today. This is in the United 
States of America. These are people who so many in this body claim to 
represent, so many in this body talk about, but when we see so many in 
this body sign letters, speak out in opposition to legislation that 
could help solve this problem, these people are suffering not because 
of a lack of the will to work but because we are facing a drought, and 
also because of legislation, because laws are in place that prevent us 
from delivering water to these communities.
  These are people who want to make a difference. A lot of them might 
be immigrants. Some of them probably are people born in this country, 
but they are people that want to achieve the American Dream. A couple 
weeks ago when the Pope was here, he said so many things that both 
sides agreed with and some things that both sides disagreed with, but 
what he said was that every man has the right to work, to earn an 
honest day's wage. These people are being denied that opportunity.
  Just beyond these shacks, you see homes. They look relatively new. 
You see a business here. You see trucks. Those are all people who have 
the ability to support themselves, but they are also people who right 
behind, in their own backyard, that don't have the ability to work that 
honest day's wage, to supply for their family, to buy new toys for 
their kids, to actually afford food that was grown and produced by 
their own hands. Some of these food products might even be from other 
countries.
  When we have that conversation here about helping the less fortunate, 
do we just throw money at a problem? Is that what Washington does? Is 
that what we

[[Page 15890]]

expect to have here? Is that what builds a great society? Or is it 
people working hard, providing for their families, educating their next 
generation on what it is like to actually grow food, what it is 
actually like to put in a hard day's work, to inspire and actually show 
what it is to work hard and produce something for yourself?

                              {time}  1045

  The pride that comes with earning that paycheck and purchasing that 
house or purchasing those vehicles or purchasing food for your family 
is what we want to provide for Americans. That is something that I 
think every single person--immigrant or American citizen by birth or 
who has been here for 20 generations, whatever it may be--wants to 
have, the opportunity to provide for their families and for a better 
life.
  When you look at this picture, it is insane that this is going on 
today. And when people sign and put their names on or trash legislation 
that can help solve this problem, I think it is an embarrassment for 
this House and for this country.
  There was water flowing through the delta that we had the opportunity 
to pump earlier this year. Would it have solved all of our problems? 
No, because we are in a drought. But there was still some water there. 
We missed out on that opportunity because of laws that are in place 
today.
  These people don't have to be in this position. These people don't 
have to live like this. Their children do not have to live in those 
shacks and play with their toys outside of their home. Think of what 
type of society allows this to happen, by allowing legislation or laws 
to take effect that have done nothing to actually protect the species 
they claim to protect, as that species continues to be in decline. We 
see what is going on here and how it does nothing for these people.
  We talk about the environment. Is this an environment to raise a 
family? How are these children going to be successful in school? I have 
got three young children of my own. I have nieces and nephews. I would 
never, ever want to see this happen to them, and I would never want 
them to see this happen to their friends.
  This is something that is happening today because of the laws that 
this building protects. And we have got to continue to fight and we 
have got to continue to work together so that we can deliver solutions 
that actually help these people have that American Dream, just like the 
rest of us want for our children.
  Today, at the end of my speech to a Senate committee, I invited the 
Senators to come take some time and meet with some of these folks or 
see what it is like to actually live like this. I extend that invite to 
every Member of this House, especially those who speak out in 
opposition to legislation that can help prevent things like this from 
happening.
  I want them to come, knock on these doors, and talk to these people 
and see what they want more than anything. Do they want a handout or do 
they want the ability to produce and to provide for their families and 
show their children what the next generation should do, which is work 
hard and help build that American Dream for all of us?
  I want every single person who speaks out in opposition to take a 
good, hard look at this and see what we have created in the United 
States unless we speak up and do what is right: pass legislation that 
can help solve this problem so we can deliver water for these families, 
for these farmers, for our communities, and do what is right for our 
Nation and do what is right for the American people.

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