Doug LaMalfa

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, just over 2 years ago, the Carr fire burned through Shasta County, taking the lives of eight people and burning nearly 230,000 acres. Now, I am here to report, in the same county of Shasta, the Zogg fire has broken out over this weekend, burning uncontained. As of this morning, 146 structures have been destroyed, three people have lost their lives, over 40,000 acres burned and counting. Cal Fire and Shasta County--with the assistance of many other units across the State--are working hard to extinguish the Zogg fire, but a lack of firefighting personnel and equipment has made this a difficult one to contain. It is not an unfamiliar story. Firefighters, first responders, and Californians alike are struggling to grapple with the 27 major fires that are burning across our State right now. With no rain in sight, the end of these disasters is not near. There is a dire need for a better way to contain these fires, or better yet, completely prevent them in the first place. Until we increase the pace and scale of forest management and other tools that we use in the West, these never-ending fires will continue to destroy all of our land.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, Mr. Shimkus is always one of the guys I enjoyed the most around here. We didn't get to hang out a lot or share any of the same committees, but he is always an upbeat and friendly fellow to get along with around here. I didn't want tonight to go by without at least saying something to you about how I appreciate you and enjoy you. You take on really difficult issues. The education you have helped provide me and other Members on the situation down at Yucca Mountain is appreciated, the battle on that, because that is extremely important to get a handle on how we deal with that issue around the country, which hadn't been handled very well. You are a true leader on that, and I thank you for that. Many, many blessings in your next endeavor. As a friend, I am glad to be here tonight with you.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, it is with deep regret that I rise today to recognize the lost life of USDA Forest Service official Charles Morton who died while fighting the El Dorado fire in the San Bernardino National Forest last Thursday in southern California. Charlie began his career as a corpsman with the California Conservation Corps at the Butte Fire Center in Magalia, California, up in my area, where the Camp fire was known to have raged through there in 2018. No doubt some of the work that he and his colleagues did in the area of Magalia then saved a portion of Magalia in what they did. During the 2006 fire season, he worked with Firestorm Wildland Fire Suppression in Chico, California. His 14-year forest service culminated as a Big Bear, California, Interagency Hot Shot Squad Boss in San Bernardino National Forest. Charlie's untimely passing is a risk that is, unfortunately, part of what our valiant firefighters and forest service workers deal with on the front lines every day. I pray that his family will find peace. I also pray for the firefighters across the West right now risking it all to save our public lands, property, families, and wildlife from wildfire season.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Oregon for yielding and for his leadership on this bill today. I appreciate the work in this current bloc on forestry as Oregon, California, and so much of the West is experiencing yet another year of such devastating fire. I want to hearken back to a previous bloc here while I have the opportunity. It has to do with the Klamath dams that are owned by PacifiCorp in northern California and Oregon. Now, there is the need to continue those dams' ability to operate. Unfortunately, my California colleague on the other side of the aisle is insisting on an amendment that would make it impossible to continue that operation even during a time of uncertainty as to the efficacy of dam removal or whatever the disposal of those will be. It is up in the air. The science is not clear. The amendment that is being proposed might be the worst attempt at a veiled threat that I have seen in a long time on threatening a company in the operation of current dams. Rather than work with PacifiCorp, the hope seems to be that the House of Representatives can be used in this en bloc for a personal vendetta in defying the will of the people in the area. The owner of these dams has signed on to both agreements that contemplated removal under the right conditions. Congress didn't bring an agreement up for consideration. Local voters overwhelmingly rejected the dam removal. The corporation that my colleague is attempting to attack has been supportive for nearly 15 years. Under the guise of what my colleague would call ``more stringent reporting requirements,'' this amendment would directly increase power costs on tens of thousands of rural Americans across the West, requiring six new studies, reports, and disclosures every year at the cost of PacifiCorp. Complying with all of this will not be free. Regular families will see their power costs go up at a time when our power grid in California especially is in big trouble. This is wrong- headed.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, fire season continues to rage on in California and in the West, and it continues to underline the need for us to have active management of our forests, our wildlands, our grasslands, everything to do with fire season and the increased fuel loads that we are seeing. We hear a lot of talk about climate change. Well, I keep coming back to, If the climate is changing, what are we doing about it? We can argue over whether it is manmade climate change or nature caused, we are still allowing our forests, our grasslands, our wildlands to be overloaded with fuel, and that puts our towns, people's livelihoods in great danger and great peril. I could list time after time the tragedies that we have seen in northern California with people losing their homes, portions of small towns, their livelihoods because we are not doing the job on our Federal lands, and we are not telling the environment groups to back off with their lawsuits that prevent the work from being done that so desperately needs to be done. We have to get cracking on this and get our job done here as Federal representatives to help save our rural areas.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, I rise to celebrate National Small Business Week, which recognizes the contributions small business owners and entrepreneurs make to our great society. More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create nearly two out of three jobs in the U.S. every year. Unfortunately, our small businesses have been through the wringer this year. With coronavirus and overreaching government regulations, especially in States like California, now more than ever they are relying on us to help them through this difficult time. If we want to get America's economy back on track to be the greatest in the world, it starts with support for our small businesses. They are the key to propelling America's prosperity forward.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, sadly, I rise today to honor a friend, Ms. Kelly Kreeger, who lost her life this past summer on July 5. Kelly was killed in a midair collision above the lake at Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. She was, indeed, doing what she loved as a flier, as an aviation enthusiast, and as a pilot. Her loss is felt throughout our district by her friends, her family, and even, very personally, our office. We have one of our offices at the Auburn Airport, so our interactions with her and other aviators was quite frequent. Like many in Placer County in northern California, we are mourning the loss of this friend, a patriot. She was such a good, genuine person, whom I got to know personally through our many interactions. She devoted much of her time to our community, to our veterans, and it is through Kelly, of course, that I met and formed a friendship with a great, great veteran, Colonel Bud Anderson, who is a World War II triple ace fighter pilot. It was just this summer she organized an event for him at his home to honor him for his birthday. I am very grateful to Kelly for the introduction to Colonel Anderson, of course, a man I am honored to call my friend as well. She frequently staffed and organized the events in the community for Colonel Bud that were certainly befitting his World War II accomplishments. They had a street naming for him near the airfield, just so many ways that he was to be honored properly. What a great man he is, and so their association was certainly a natural one. My staff and I are blessed, of course, to be part of the many events that Kelly was famous for. Included were several P-51 Mustang flyovers, which anybody who loves aircraft loves those; the Never Forget series; road dedications, as I mentioned, at the Auburn Airport named for Colonel Bud; birthday parties for Colonel Bud; and, of course, honoring the men and women of World War II, the Greatest Generation. Whenever Kelly would call, you knew that something wonderful was about to happen that she had planned. It was the sort of thing that could make you stand up a little taller and get your red, white, and blue out. Kelly, of course, being a great patriot, loved the United States of America, from her American flag cowgirl boots to the infectious smile she shared with all she met. Indeed, that captures who she is right there in that photo. You wouldn't hardly see her without a smile, especially when she was taking part in her much-greater-than-a-hobby love for aircraft, aviation, and the people and the veterans associated. As I mentioned, it was my privilege to be part of the Flag Day Parade for Colonel Bud in Auburn as well. She brought together children, Jeeps, classic cars, and even a flyover to bring Colonel Bud that much more joy. During this time of pandemic when everybody is shut in, of course, we all shared that same joy. It brought a sense of community, a sense of remembering who America is, even though we have all been pent up for all this time that, indeed, this virus is temporary and we will be together as a community once again. Our Nation and its people are strong, and nothing will stop us from celebrating our heroes. Kelly embodied that. Kelly was known to like loud, fast cars, indeed, after my own heart there as well. She was able to rebuild an engine herself and was not afraid of any hard work. She is survived by her mother, Nancy, and two sisters; her brother, David; many nieces and nephews; and her lifelong best friend, Vicki. Mr. Speaker, I ask that Members please join me in prayers for Kelly's family and friends in this difficult time. Join with my office as we personally feel this pain of her loss. At this time, we just ask blessings on Kelly and those closest to her. God bless her. We will never forget you.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, for our friends and allies in Israel, the Abraham Accords are the first agreement with a neighboring Arab country since 1994. Peace agreements between Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates bring a significant shift in the balance of power in the Middle East, and strengthens the American position against Iran, which is a leading sponsor of terror in the world. Thanks to President Trump's bold vision for American foreign policy, we have rebuilt trust with our regional partners and show a united front against the oppressive regime in Tehran. After decades of division in the Middle East, the Abraham Accords will lay the foundation for peace and prosperity in the region for decades to come. Normalized relations across the region will accelerate growth by expanding diplomatic, economic, and financial ties. Mr. Speaker, there is much to be optimistic about, these recent historic Abraham Accords will bring a new wave of peace and prosperity in the Middle East.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, 4 of the 10 largest wildfires in California history are currently burning as we speak--3 of which are in my district. For decades, our national forests have been mismanaged, turning them into tinderboxes that can ignite in an instant should lightning strike. As a result, there are more dead trees in the State of California than there are people. This is a serious problem with serious consequences. If there is a time for this body to pass a comprehensive forestry package, it is now. Today, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will consider the Emergency Wildfire and Public Safety Act. This bipartisan bill, led by my colleague, Jimmy Panetta, and I in the House, and Senator Feinstein and Daines in the Senate, take great steps to proactively manage our forests and minimize wildfire risk in the West. Mr. Speaker, over three million acres in California have burned this year as a result of disastrous wildfires. We have 150 million dead trees in California. It is critical that the House considers the Emergency Wildfire and Public Safety Act immediately.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Sheriff Jon Lopey, who has served as Siskiyou County sheriff for many years. He served the people there well. He has been a friend in his 10 years of service as sheriff-coroner of Siskiyou County. He will be, indeed, retiring later this week. He has been an excellent leader in the north State, leading the other sheriffs; keeping the peace in the area; eradicating illegal marijuana growth on public lands, something that is a widespread problem up that way; and staying tough on crime. Most recently, Sheriff Lopey has been tasked with evacuating Happy Camp, California, with the tragic fire that has occurred there very recently. It just partly destroyed the whole town by what is known as the Slater fire currently burning in Siskiyou County. Although never an easy task, I sincerely appreciate his dedication to providing the very best safety and service to his citizens. As a constitutional sheriff, he is always looking out for all of our rights. Mr. Speaker, I wish Sheriff Lopey and his wife, Maxine, the best during his retirement and happy trails.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, it is that time of year again in California. Hundreds of thousands of acres are on fire--in our forests, in our open lands, even burning into some of our cities and our neighborhoods. So, what is the deal? Once again, we are not prepared. Some of our Federal agencies were not prepared to have the equipment and the firefighters on hand, contracted, ready to go when we knew this was coming. As well, our people who procure electricity and govern that were not ready for the rolling blackouts that would come along from the high heat waves, as well as some of the shutdowns that would have to occur in burning areas. What is wrong with government agencies that do not plan to serve their people, to keep them safe from fire, and to help keep the electricity on? What is wrong that they can't add up how many power plants that we have available online, how much hydropower we have, how much water behind the dams, how much we have available during these times of heat waves to help keep the lights on? What is wrong with Federal agencies that cannot plan to have people, even during COVID, ready to go. Madam Speaker, we have to do better because we are disserving our people.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, lying in northern California and southern Oregon is the Klamath Lake as well as the Klamath Project, which has provided water for agriculture for almost 100 years. The science involved that informs how much water the Klamath Project receives each year has been flawed for quite some time. For years, farmers and ranchers in the Klamath Basin have competed with salmon and suckerfish for the full water allocation that they need. This year's battle was the final straw. Earlier this month, in July, Secretary Bernhardt and Commissioner Burman came to visit the Klamath Basin to meet with farmers, ranchers, locals, and other stakeholders at the invitation of myself and my colleague, Greg Walden. They got to see just how harmful the bad science has been to the irrigators in the basin. This week, the Secretary and Commissioner announced that the Trump administration is making a commitment to update the science on the Klamath Project, and it will inevitably provide relief to the irrigators and the dwindling fish populations that have suffered nonsensical allocations. In a time where it seems that our government can't seem to get much right or much production done, this administration has provided a potentially lifesaving solution to the Klamath Basin in just under a month. Updating the science is critical and will help us make more informed decisions for decades to come.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from southern California for yielding. I refer back to amendment No. 87 that would prohibit expenditure funds by DOJ for marijuana enforcement eradication. Now, we have a huge problem in my part of northern California, and this isn't just what some may look at as a State's rights issue. This is a problem. We have a 50-State standard for FDA legalization of drugs, and we are going to have a willy-nilly hopscotch way of doing things with every State that wants to legalize it doing their own thing. What it really boils down to is this is still in violation of Federal law by legalizing marijuana. So we should continue to enforce it. Empowering States to legalize it doesn't stop illegal drug trafficking. Indeed, it just brings it into town. It brings it closer and increases illegal drug trafficking from my State out to other States. The cartels get even more nasty about this. Drug cartels have moved on to our public lands and caused great amounts of damage clearcutting trees, killing wildlife with their chemicals, and trying to keep them away. The DEA Cannabis Eradication Program found a 60 percent increase in the amount of assets seized from raids in busting these grows. The same year, the Forest Service eradicated nearly $1.5 million worth of plants, so this is 2016, from 247 sites on national forest lands in California alone. And those are 4-year-old stats because it keeps going up. The amount of damage they are doing and what it means to nearby farmers and ranchers who have a very low tolerance for what they are allowed to get away with on their operations is really unfair. Of course, these cartels are very heavily armed, and anybody that happens to go in there hunting or hiking or just traipsing around, their life is in danger because these people enforce very strongly on their grows. They plague our forests. Many of my colleagues have a bipartisan bill called the PLANT Act to help the Federal Government and local law enforcement address this problem and increase penalties and do a better job of enforcing in our forests because they are damaging them. It is dangerous to our communities in those areas.

Mr. LaMALFA. So before we do anything that makes marijuana legalization easier or simpler, we must consider the side effects of this legalization and looking the other way on enforcement of marijuana on our lands.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th birthday of a great World War II veteran, Ed Ewing from Redding, California. Ed is a U.S. Army veteran, who once dreamed of being a doctor but then found his way to be a longtime owner and operator of Economy 4 Cycle Marine. Ed began his business in Redding in 1960. He tried to retire in 1985 and did so for 6 years, but he reopened his doors again and worked until just a few years ago, finally retiring at 98 years old. Ed knows Bearcat outboard motors inside and out, and he had people seeking out his expertise from all over the country. At his birthday party this past weekend, I am told that Ed still appeared to be running on all cylinders. Mr. Speaker, I wish Ed a happy birthday and I wish him and his family a wonderful year ahead.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to wish a happy 65th anniversary to Garry and Jackie Small of Chico. The couple wed in 1955 after meeting as students at Chico State University, but that is not where the close ties to the university stop. Garry was a lifelong administrator, with titles ranging from director of plant operations to associate vice president for administration. Jackie worked at the bookstore working her way up, and eventually retiring from the Meriam Library on campus. The Smalls have three daughters, Kari, Julie, and Lynn, and two grandsons, Keaton and Tyler. Mr. Speaker, again I congratulate Garry and Jackie on 65 years and send them my best wishes and blessings for many years to come.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Texas. It is very gracious of him to yield me time. I just wanted to point out, in the recent CARES Act, there was money to be directed to our State and local governments around the country. In my own home State of California, larger governments have been fortunate enough to receive aid from the Coronavirus Relief Fund, but many of our smaller counties and cities have not. Under 500,000 population, there seem to be strings attached to distributing that money. The problem is that is not State money; that is Federal dollars directed to go to local governments. So, at the hands of our California Governor, many of our rural counties are facing extreme budget deficits as a result of the coronavirus and have yet to receive a penny of those allotments from that fund that we in Congress federally have set up for them. While the virus cases increase across the country, counties that have yet to receive the aid will have to bear the brunt of even more coronavirus costs, as well as the other issues that they deal with in their budgets, keeping law enforcement on the road, our highways and roads repaired that are county jurisdiction, and all that. As the House and Senate plans to take up more coronavirus relief in the coming days and weeks, we need to make sure that the localities that the money we sent to in the CARES Act actually have the money distributed to them as it was intended by the Federal Government, to those local smaller entities, cities, and counties. This is before we even consider sending even more money to the States or other forms of local government. It is not the State's money. The next bill needs to go directly to all those forms of local government that was implied and promised and intended by Congress.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, 2 years ago, on July 23, the Carr fire broke out in Shasta County, California, near the city of Redding. For over a month, the Carr fire burned nearly 230,000 acres and 1,600 structures. Tragically, it claimed eight lives. In the 2 years since this fire, people in northern California have proven to be resilient in the face of this adversity. We continue the recovery process, but for those impacted, it is difficult to make them whole again. The Carr fire, caused by a wheel sparking against the asphalt from a flat tire, is a sobering reminder that fires are preventable. So I have introduced the CARR Act, which allows us to clear vegetation sources of ignition within 150 feet of rural roads. Better management of our vegetation and our forests near power lines and roads and elsewhere on our public lands would prevent much human- caused wildfire. As we remember the Carr fire victims, I will continue to advocate for better fire prevention to prevent further disasters.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member and colleague from Utah. I appreciate his service and his force with which he does things here. Mr. Speaker, all right, where are we? Gigantic deficits, yet we want to add to the burden of that deficit with a forced $900 million, nearly $1 billion, every year in this bill for acquiring new Federal land. Now, I come from the West, so we are already ravaged by wildfire, by unmanaged lands that are detrimental to the neighbors, to the private lands. I have three fires going on in my district right now. A lot of this emanates from unmanaged Forest Service lands. So, we want to add to their inability to manage even more lands in this legislation. Now, the part of the bill that Mr. Bishop had authored is a good part, taking care of the backlog that we have in our parks and our lands, if you would listen to him, $20 billion worth of backlog that we haven't found a way to pay for yet. Yet, instead of finishing our dinner, we are already going for the dessert by buying more lands that we can't afford and we know we can't manage. I will be thinking about this, and my constituents will, as more and more forest lands burn each year and threaten communities. These forests are gated off because they don't have time to do the maintenance and the work that needs to be done so the public can have access to these lands because of the $20 billion backlog or the funding to take care of the juniper problem that we have in northeast California, the wild horse population that needs to be managed so they don't die out there of starvation during the draught, the sage grouse habitat so they don't become endangered, and our local counties, our rural counties, that are already struggling with the lack of PILT funds because they have to come back here and beg every year for the payment in lieu of taxes to get this place to keep its commitments on that and to secure rural schools funds that our rural counties need. Mr. Speaker, I say ``no'' on this bill and get back to managing what we should manage.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commend the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the decision the other day to not accept the proposal by an entity called the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, which seeks to remove four very important hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River in northern California and southern Oregon. These dams produce enough renewable hydroelectric power to power 70,000 homes. The problem with renewing them, thinking it is going to help the fish population, is that it would unleash at least 20 million cubic yards of silt with who knows what all is in there--heavy metals, et cetera--that will then be unleashed upon the rest of the river all the way out to the ocean. It takes only 3 years to wipe out a salmon population, and it will take much longer for the silt to dissipate in the river. So much more needs to be done to explore this situation. I advocate that we allow these dams to continue to operate and provide power to our grid that indeed is renewable and helps meet the renewable portfolio standard for California and not just tear them out at unknown costs exceeding $450 million.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, this week we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Interagency Fire Center. Established in Boise, Idaho, in 1970, the NIFC supports the Federal emergency response for wildland firefighting across the country. Eight different agencies look to the NIFC for direction and coordination on how to best respond to wildland fires. This year's fire season is already underway. I have two in my northern California district, at least, and it will be very active. The NIFC will play a critical role in supporting and coordinating these fire operations across the West. The NIFC proves that our emergency response efforts are stronger when agencies work together, and I thank the workers who help support our Nation's firefighters. Mr. Speaker, I thank the NIFC for 50 years of service to our Nation's wildlands, firefighters, and for public safety.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, wildfire season has begun, especially in California. In 2020 so far, 3,100 fires have started, twice as many as the same period in 2019. Ongoing drought is part of the problem. We will be on the way to surpassing 2019 for the entire season as, indeed, we do have a head start. We shouldn't leave our fire preparedness plans completely to our firefighters having to go out and do it after the fact. We need to get ahead of the curve. There are real solutions to getting fires under control in the West. A big part of it is forest management, especially on Federal lands. There are 100 million dead trees in California. When coupled with years of drought, the risks of turning our forests into tinder boxes is higher than ever. Responsible thinning and hazardous trees removal is an essential portion of what we need to be doing. My bill, the CLEAR Zones Act, which is Clearing Lines, Electrical At- Risk Zones Act, would reduce the bureaucracy and the timelines to actually get the work done after permitting within 60 days and increase the buffer zone along power lines so there is less danger and more ability to fight fire at a smaller level. Mismanaged forests lead to more fire. Without better practices, we will see more and more of the West go up in smoke.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, of the many problems with this hyperpartisan bill, one of the most troublesome is the price tag: $1.5 trillion. Yet it completely ignores the need for how we are going to pay for it. So the majority has decided the President must come up with a way to pay for it, like: Hey, here is our shopping list right here. We are going to send it out of the House and maybe out of the Senate without a way to pay for it. You find it, Mr. President. You figure it out. But it has never been the President's job to decide how we pay for our highways. No member of the administration or Cabinet is charged with that responsibility. Constitutionally, it is assigned to us here at the House of Representatives. If the Democrats are serious about fixing our infrastructure, they would find a way to finance it by working with us, the Republicans. Now, there are going to be some hard ways to figure it out. Is it to raise the gas tax? Is it making people pay for every mile they drive or some other mechanism, or, especially in my home State of California with the highest cost of doing anything, adding yet more taxes? A new one kicks in tomorrow on Californians. That said, we are supposed to be here to discuss it. We are supposed to have a little interaction. This bill, unfortunately, has not. So we push another partisan wish list onto this floor, make the President figure it out. Unfortunately, it doesn't have much chance to work this way.

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Missouri for yielding. Mr. Speaker, once again, we all faithfully submitted to the Rules Committee, and our Republican amendments largely were ignored. So, we have in this en bloc amendment policy that hasn't really been fully thought out. One I would like to highlight here is one sponsor that looks at a single issue with hauling waste by rail and tries to apply a solution to the entire rail industry. But one size doesn't fit all, as we see time and time again in this business. Seeing one issue with waste transported by rail and deciding the solution is to cover every single waste railcar with a type of a covering should be a flashing red light to everyone. Again, because you have different types of waste, you have different railcar equipment. But then Congress just ruling, ``Well, all of them should be covered,'' what does that drive? Cost, expense--already difficult, sometimes, in hauling freight. And we have a mandate coming out of D.C. that hasn't been discussed or really vetted fully with the rail industry. Where does it make sense? Where does it not? The extra cost associated with retrofitting every railcar can result in waste simply traveling by truck instead. Now, everybody likes trucks, right? Well, at least I do. But the most efficient means of moving is the one that is most cost-effective and takes the most amount of material the longest distance, and rail fits that mold very well when we are talking about long distances with high amounts of material. Instead, this will decimate rail funding and send the waste to the same highway system that Democrats have refused to properly fund in this bill, looking for, instead, pie-in-the-sky green-type things. Why don't we take time, consult with the industry that would like to sit down at the table, and say: We have ideas on how we could haul waste more efficiently, or recovery that might fit certain types of material but doesn't fit everything. We would like to have a bipartisan process in that, too, because Republicans have been largely left out of the discussion, which is sad, because we want to be successful with this legislation and other related legislation later in the year that have to get done and be able to take it over to the Senate side and, ultimately, the White House. This does not look like that type of collaboration. It looks more like, again, one that is an election-year-type of collaboration, a noncollaboration, and not one designed to succeed, which I don't understand. With everything we have going on in this country, we need that kind of cooperation. At home, in my own State of California, we have budget problems now. We have issues to deal with. In another part of this bill, there is still more funding for high-speed rail. In my home State of California, with budget problems, with highways that are crumbling, with the water system, our infrastructure needs to be focused on things that are successful for the people of the State, and high-speed rail in California is not it. In this situation here, just simply willy-nilly saying that ``all waste cars have to have coverings on them now,'' again, that might be noble in certain cases. Talk to the industry. Talk with the industry. Come up with ideas that actually makes sense for them and for the costs, because everything that they bring, every item they bring, is something that somebody needs or somebody has discarded and needs to be disposed of properly. It is going to cost somehow into the whole chain, ultimately, the consumer--not government, not rich people, not big companies, the consumer, the low-income, middle-income consumer, especially where they have so much hitting them these days, trying to maintain their jobs, get their kids to school, whatever it is. We keep hitting more and more mandates that don't make any sense and don't have any idea what the size and scope of what they are putting upon an industry is. Mr. Speaker, with this piece in this particular en bloc, it just again shows that this hasn't really been a serious process and why H.R. 2 should not be supported.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, voter fraud and all-mail ballots are going to be quite a problem this year if we don't have safeguards in place. In my home State of California, more needs to be done in order to clean up the voter rolls. That doesn't mean voter suppression, as all the caterwauling we hear around here. It means that you are taking people off who are no longer at a particular address or deceased. That way, you will have more confidence in who is voting. Look at what happened recently in Paterson, New Jersey, where voter fraud caused 19 percent of the ballots being tossed out, by four different people being involved with that, including a city council member. So, what do we have? An issue where all-mail ballots are going to be the solution this year? No. In many States, including my own, you can request an absentee ballot, but at least there is some type of a paper trail of a person asking for a ballot and receiving it, versus willy-nilly sending ballots to every name that is on the rolls that are not cleaned up. If you have ever campaigned in an apartment complex, for example, so many people are no longer even at the name that is on the list on the door. So, you have ballots being sent in heaps to these areas where no one is even living anymore. So, you have a big problem with the availability of fraud when you have that.