Congressman David G. Valadao Requests House Natural Resources Committee Hold Drought Hearing

WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman David G. Valadao joined the entire California Republican delegation in requesting the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife discuss the Western U.S. drought and water-related issues in future hearings.

In the letter sent to full Committee and Subcommittee leadership, the delegation notes the failure of the Committee’s Democratic Majority to properly prioritize urgent water issues and specifically requests the Committee to review H.R. 737, the RENEW WIIN Act. Sponsored by Congressman Valadao, RENEW WIIN Act would extend provisions related to California in the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act (P.L. 114-322). Despite requests, the Subcommittee has refused to include the legislation in upcoming hearing agendas.

“RENEW WIIN is critical for combating this detrimental drought to ensure families in rural communities and our farms in the Central Valley and have access to clean, reliable water,” said Congressman Valadao. “While there are many important issues the Natural Resources Committee is tasked to examine, addressing this water crisis cannot wait.

“It is unacceptable for the House Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee to refuse to consider the topic of the worsening drought while families suffer and farmers struggle to grow our food. Efforts by the Subcommittee’s Democratic Majority to evade these needed conversations and to block key legislation continues to hurt our communities in the Central Valley.”

The delegation’s letter notes the Bureau of Reclamation paused the mere 5 percent water allocation for South-of-Delta contractors in March 2021 and that the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has designated 50 Californian counties as primary natural disaster areas. Currently, the National Drought Mitigation Center reports every county within California as experiencing at least Moderate Drought conditions and the majority of California experiencing Severe Drought conditions or worse.

The letter can be found here.

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