Doug LaMalfa

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, today we will vote on a resolution that will somehow try to legitimize the last 5 weeks' worth of phony impeachment inquiries going on downstairs in a secure room. Instead of voting on and taking up the issues that matter to the American people, we continue to chase this witch hunt trying to take down the accomplishments of our President, Donald J. Trump. Indeed, the economy we have, the low unemployment we have, and the success we are having in the Middle East and other areas around the world aren't good enough. When my colleagues on the other side of the aisle admit that they probably won't win another election and they have to try to use the impeachment process to try to take the President down, that shows how phony this process is. So to try today to pass a resolution to somehow legitimize the last 5-plus weeks' worth of work and, indeed, really 2\1/2\ years' worth of attacking this President shows that this place has a misplaced set of priorities. Instead of doing the work of the American people, they are using this as a political process to attack what we have all been able to accomplish.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the tremendous news we all received over the weekend that the world's most wanted terrorist and leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed in a U.S.-led raid in northern Syria. As the self-proclaimed leader of the Islamic State, al-Baghdadi was directly involved in countless atrocities and demonstrated complete disregard for human rights and human life. Genocide, sex slavery, organized rape, mass executions via crucifixion, stoning, burning in cages or flogging--al-Baghdadi's brutality knew no limits. The world is unquestionably a better place without this purveyor of evil inhabiting it at this time. I commend U.S. Joint Special Operations Command's 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, also known as Delta Force, for the flawless execution of their mission--and without any U.S. casualties. I also commend President Trump and his administration for authorizing this raid and bringing one of the most dangerous men in the world to justice. They are doing good work in the Syria situation. This will go down as a significant achievement in the war against terror. In the immediate aftermath of the announcement becoming public, most rational people from both sides of the aisle celebrated this accomplishment--but not all. Mr. Speaker, you may have seen the headlines from the Washington Post: ``Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, an austere religious scholar at the helm of Islamic State dies at 48.'' Even in this age of questionable reporting, this headline and others like it are reprehensible. In fact, his last cowardly action on Earth was to detonate a suicide vest as he was being hunted down by some of our specialized military dogs as well as our personnel. Great work. In doing so, with his suicide vest, he also took the lives of three of his own children. U.S. Special Operations Forces didn't kill just a noble religious scholar as was headlined. They actually killed a deranged, radicalized madman who was directly responsible for the brutal murders of countless people: Americans and his own country people from that part of the world as well. While the headline has since been changed by the Washington Post, they should be ashamed of themselves. We don't mourn the loss of terrorists in the United States of America. Now, this victory doesn't mean the war against terror is won by any means, but it should send a loud, clear, and unmistakable message to the rest of the world that the United States will root out evil wherever it is and wherever it hides. Our enemies are not safe, and they never will be. We celebrate this evil's removal from the Earth embodied by al- Baghdadi. Anyone who is willing to commit these types of atrocities should understand one thing: We will not rest as a Nation and as a military until they are wiped out from the face of the Earth.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a great constituent and also a great friend. His name is John McArthur. He passed away recently at the age of 96. John was just 21 years old in 1944 when his father died, tragically, of a heart attack, meaning John was tasked to take over the family farming and ranching business. In fact, if the name ``McArthur'' sounds familiar to those of us from northern California, that is because his family founded the town of McArthur, California, where he lived much of his life. In the years since, John has helped establish many important staples of his community, including the McArthur Volunteer Fire Department, the McArthur Firemen's Carnival, the Fall River-Big Valley Cattlemen's Association, and the Junior Livestock Sale. He and Shirley were very involved in the fair each year and the events that went on there. John actually introduced new crops to the Fall River Valley by providing the first 10 acres for growing strawberries in McArthur. Lassen Canyon Nursery, among others, remains a thriving business operation more than 60 years later. John and his business partners also tried their hand at planting and growing potatoes. I am a rice grower in real life, so we had a little bit of a rivalry for the starches that go on your plate and a little fun with that. While they were successful, they ran into trouble when it actually came to harvesting the crop. Through that failed endeavor, he established that the land was right for growing potatoes and was soon able to lease it to successful potato growers for many years thereafter. On a personal level, John and his wife, Shirley, were known for their welcoming nature. Their home was always open, hosting friends and neighbors for cocktail hours or just hanging out at the McArthur residence overlooking the valley. They have an amazing view off their back deck, looking over the valley there. The events became so frequent that John and Shirley thought that maybe it would be better to cut down on the Old Crow a little bit and slip some iced tea in there. But John and Shirley, they are those type of people. People just wanted to be around them. On my trips up to the McArthur area, whether it was for the fair or just passing through, I frequently liked to stop in and visit with them. John always had a smile, a laugh, a good story, and a very welcoming nature about him. It is one of the fortunate parts of being able to serve in an elected capacity these years I have at the State level and now here in the Congress. His life spanned nearly a century. He outlived most of his childhood friends, but his personality, coupled with his generosity, kindness, and involvement in his community, ensured that he had no shortage of new friends. During his time on this Earth, he has been a witness to a lot of change. He watched as California's population grew from 4 million to over 40 million today. He was always fighting for agriculture, adding to our water supply, and sticking up for rural values. Ask anyone in McArthur, John was clearly a pillar of the community that bears his last name. He helped to establish it early on and continued to help grow it through the years until his last days. As a friend, I will miss him. I know he is sorely missed up there. Blessings to Shirley and blessings to all of the McArthur family in that great community, one that I am always proud to represent and very happy when I get a chance to visit and hang out with folks. Indeed, he is a pillar, and they don't make them like John McArthur anymore. Let's hope his legacy helps spawn new generations of people with that same attitude, that same strength, that same can-do that has made America strong, made his community strong, and made the fiber of northern California the great place it is.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight the failure of House Democrats to run a fair and transparent process, ostensibly toward an impeachment. We have yet to hold a vote on whether or not to actually open up a true impeachment inquiry. Instead, Democratic leaders have simply decided it for themselves. That goes against all precedent established in this Chamber and under the Constitution. Last week, I attempted to attend one of their closed-door impeachment hearings, or to simply view testimony transcripts, but was promptly asked to leave. This is exactly what a partisan, secretive, and unfair process looks like. Why would Members not have access to an unclassified hearing and not be able to view materials that should be public, as they normally would? What is there to hide? Last week, the Republican whip, Steve Scalise, filed a rule change to allow all Members of Congress access to documents related to this impeachment show and the documents associated with it. I am fully supportive of this rule change. We will vote on this measure soon, and now my colleagues from the other side of the aisle must show the American people whether or not they support giving them the transparency they deserve in this process.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, I rise today because I would sure like for Congress to get back to work doing what the American people really need. It has been more than a year since the USMCA, a trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, was agreed to. We still haven't voted on it here in the House, despite bipartisan support. Why? Because a new and improved trade deal with our closest neighbors looks like it might be too much of a win for the President for the Democratic leadership to allow. Since the Democrats have been in control of the House, what do we have to show for it, other than investigation after investigation? What have we accomplished in this Chamber for the American people? Not what we should be. Hyperpartisan language has been injected into bills that both parties would otherwise support. Good, bipartisan legislation on lowering prescription drug prices that could pass committee unanimously languished because of hyperpartisan activity, undoing the good work of our committees and hurting Americans who are paying too much for prescription drugs. As my Democratic colleagues dive headfirst into finding any excuse to impeach this President, they are leaving the American people hung out to dry. Let's get to work. There are countless things other than this witch hunt.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, while LeBron James, Steve Kerr, and seemingly most of the NBA shamefully refuse to stand up to Chinese authoritarianism for fear of it affecting their future business investments, the free world is watching. For months, the Chinese Government has been badly mistreating those protesting for a freer form of government in Hong Kong. But those facts are inconvenient for the National Basketball Association. Tear gas, rubber bullets, concentration camps for religious minorities, these are just a few of the tactics employed on those who only seek freedom from a police state under communist rule. That is why, tonight, Congress unanimously passed multiple bipartisan measures to hold China accountable for its brutality, including banning the export to China of crowd-control weapons, and strongly condemning Chinese interference in Hong Kong's affairs. The people of Hong Kong have a right to protest for an open government amidst the shackles of communism and authoritarianism. Despite what LeBron James says, Congress is educated on this matter, and we stand with the protestors in Hong Kong. I wish more of the NBA would wake up and show some backbone, too.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Mr. Meadows, for the opportunity here today. Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, my Democratic colleagues passed a measure that would install an ombudsman within DHS to monitor the practices of our Border Patrol and detainment officers. Thankfully, the Senate immediately tossed that idea aside. I have some good news for my colleagues across the aisle, however, because I can tell you that any inspection of our border facilities would find an agency, though underfunded, standing strong, despite a record-setting deluge of people coming at our southern border. Looks like today is Groundhog Day because we are voting on yet another resolution to stop being able to legally call what is happening on our southern border an emergency. My colleagues justify this by calling the President's actions unprecedented. Unprecedented is what you call it when our immigration system is on pace to be overwhelmed by a million immigrants pleading asylum. Maybe Democrats call this policy. Unprecedented is what you call it when Congress refuses to fund our national security agencies and starts threatening to abolish an agency and fire our enforcement officers for doing their job. The situation is unprecedented, but it is not because the President's actions are unprecedented. It is the actions from my Democrat colleagues. Rather than further consider this resolution, I hope the majority leader and Speaker immediately allow us to recognize the crisis--as some Democrats have, inadvertently--that we are facing on the border. Let's address the root causes of the emergency. Fund the Border Patrol's $3 billion backlog, and install physical barriers and security measures necessary to ensure the whole length of our southern border is secure.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, I want to point out a unique opportunity for viewing. The U.S. Park Service, their division of the Historic Vehicle Association, places on display in The National Mall, several times a year, unique vehicles with unique histories. Right now, in a glass case just a couple of blocks from here in The National Mall is the 1966 Volkswagen van that belonged to Esau and Janie Jenkins from South Carolina, who were longtime revered civil rights leaders back in the day, transporting people to rallies and to get them out to vote and for voter registration, education, all sorts of things in the civil rights movement, starting back in the 1940s until they obtained this van and used it for many years. It was brought out from a field where it had been deteriorating over many years. It was brought back to life in this display for everyone to see in this glass case. It will be here for the rest of the week. I encourage people to go down and check that out and see what the Historic Vehicle Association is doing.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, I rise tonight to commend Vicki Christiansen, the Forest Service Chief, for proposing a new rule to add to our fire danger mitigation that we need to do in California and across the West. Building upon my bill from a year and a half ago, the Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act, this allows the streamlining of the process to clear trees and brush, et cetera, around power lines, that make it a fire hazard. We have certainly suffered enough fire loss in California. I had the Camp fire right in my own district, the Carr fire last year as well and, this year, already 54,000 acres burned in Plumas County. As it is right now, our utilities have a hard time being able to get out and do the work because the permit process can be difficult. So they resort to lately, right in the middle of my district, what is known as the public safety power shutoff as a precaution, with the wind conditions and heat perhaps being able to cause additional wildfire. We shouldn't put the utilities in that position of being cursed if they do or cursed if they don't for a possible fire. We need to get the work done around the power lines. So I hope this rule put through by the U.S. Forest Service will help us accomplish that.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to applaud the efforts of U.S. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler and Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao with regard to the unreasonable automobile fuel mileage standards put upon consumers by a 2015 Obama-era rule. In only 5 model years from now, all U.S. cars would have to average 55 miles per gallon under this current standard. Most people drive cars these days that are somewhere around 25 to 33 miles per gallon. They would be forced into very small cars that don't fit their family's needs. What the administration is seeking to do is freeze this timeline at 37 miles per gallon until technology can catch up, et cetera, so people can choose to buy cars that fit their lives. Under the old rule and what the California Air Resources Board is trying to foist upon all 50 States in meeting the Obama rule, they will not have that choice anymore. Unfortunately, a few scared automakers have sat down with CARB to try to cut a deal to fix the one they agreed to a few years ago with no real idea of how they would meet 55 miles per gallon with current technology and physics at the time. At this point, there are very few 55-mile-per-gallon vehicles to even choose from. Most people don't want to buy those cars because it doesn't fit their family, their life, what they want, and what they desire. CARB is trying to foist that on all 50 States, and auto manufacturers will be herded toward it by desiring to make the same car type for all 50 States, not just California. This needs to be stopped, and we must draw the line here.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend Andrew Wheeler, Administrator at EPA, and R.D. James, administrator at the Army Corps of Engineers, for withdrawing the very devastating WOTUS rule, the waters of the United States rule that was put in about 4 years ago under the Obama administration which went way beyond the bounds of what the Clean Water Act passed and was intended by this Congress in 1972. It has been devastating to farmers, ranchers, and others outside that do things with the management of water seeming to be not just in what is called navigable waterways but every mud puddle across the United States. This was a massive overreach by the previous administration on that, and we can put this back on a better path so that we have the type of management that actually does help keep our water clean in this country but also not onerous regulations that make it impossible to farm and ranch in this country. We have seen farmers receive million-dollar fines because of merely reengaging crops have been fallow for a while or changing a crop, which is way beyond the scope of what the Clean Water Act intended and had provisions for exemptions for agriculture. It is a great step. Thank you, EPA and Army Corps, for the repeal of this measure.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Chair, we know how to ecologically do it well. This isn't 1850. We are not going to go out and do horrible environmental damage. We know how to do this right and we will be responsible. When that resource is done being used someday, we are going to put it back how it was. We need to develop within our own country under our own rules, instead of having the arrogance of relying on other countries who do it without rules, such as China, such as the Middle East, and others that don't have our best interests or even the environment at heart.

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Chairman, I wish to thank my colleague from Alaska, the Dean of the House here, Mr. Young, for his strong efforts for many years on opening up this important piece of energy for our country and for our whole grid. It is fascinating to listen to the debate here. Every piece of land, everything we would ever go to develop, whether it is for a pipeline, for energy, for forestry, the moment somebody approaches that resource, these God-given resources we have all over this country, it now becomes this pristine, untouchable, non-usable land that we shouldn't have anything to do with as humankind. Salvage logging after a fire, oh, we can't do that. We have to sue over that. So we hear a lot about Big Oil. How about big enviro? There are a lot of people who make a lot of money, six-digit numbers and more, in this town, a lot of dollars that come in by invoking a picture of an animal who probably was a victim of a fire in a forest because we are not managing that. We have 47,000 acres of burning fire right in my district, in Plumas County in northern California, because we are not allowed to go out and manage these lands. Almost everybody here in this Congress that lives more than a few hundred miles away flew here by a jet to get to this place to do this session. So where is the hypocrisy being talked about with the amount of energy everyone uses? Energy has to come from somewhere, Mr. Chairman, for us to live as we do, to keep the lights on in this place, to keep it cool in here, to keep it warm in the winter--especially in the northeast where it is extremely cold. Oil is needed. Energy is needed. We need to develop it in this country. We hear: We are exporting oil. We are importing oil. Well, there are different types of oil for different types of purposes, too. You have different types of food you exchange for different recipes. We have different types of oil and different types of energy. Do we want to be relying or have our European allies relying on Iranian oil? Is that what we are asking here? Do we want them to be relying upon Russian natural gas in our European theater? No. We need to be part of that matrix, the United States. If we are an exporter or self-sufficient, we need to be active on this.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, during our August recess, we had a very successful trip to the Tahoe area looking at some of the work that has been done following the Angora Fire some years ago for recovering our forested areas and doing the types of thinning and management that needs to be done to make our areas much more fire-safe and sustainable into the future. This has been a very successful and bipartisan effort. Senator Feinstein, as well as our local Members of the House, had support of this work. And we are at that time of year again--devastating fires affecting the West, affecting my own district in California right now. The one known as the Walker fire is burning our national forest in Plumas County--people are being displaced, having to desperately move their cattle out of the area. And a lot of good work is being done. A lot of dozers are up there, a lot of aircraft are going. But why do we have to do this year after year after year? We should be managing our assets--the people's assets--our national forest--in a way that makes it fire-safe, it makes the habitat safe for the wildlife that is there. And later on, all the negative effects you have from all the ash and all the things that get into the streams, you have negative water quality. We need to be much more proactive. Madam Speaker, there are 44,000 acres burning in my district right now, just on that one Walker fire and the fear people have to put up with, and the loss of wildlife. We have to do much more. We need the Forest Service to be empowered with the tools to get this work done.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, 1 year ago, on July 23, the Carr fire broke out in Shasta County, California, near Reading, sometimes referred to as a ``firenado'' that burned nearly 230,000 acres and destroyed 1,600 structures. Most tragically of all, it took eight lives. It took over a month to fully extinguish what became one of the most destructive fires in California State history. For those impacted by it, it must have felt like the blink of an eye. Everything they owned went up in smoke. Now, a year later, everyone is still working the recovery process as best as can be done. It is still not easy. In the aftermath of this disaster, and even during it, our community showed just how strong and resilient our people are. Families, friends, and neighbors came together to help each other in any possible way, with water, food, clothes, everything they needed, and they have continued to do so for the whole year. Some of the first homes are now being completed as people are moving forward, a good sign. Preventing another fire like this is one of my top priorities. The Carr fire was started when a flat tire caused a wheel to scrape against the asphalt and create a spark in the nearby forested area; so I have introduced legislation called the CARR Act, Combustion Avoidance on Rural Roads Act, which helps avoid this sort of combustion on rural roads by allowing categorical exclusions to clear vegetation within 300 feet of a roadway. We have got much to do, and for people who lost everything, this is prevention that will help keep it from happening again.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, today, the Democrats got their wish. Special Counsel Robert Mueller testified before not one but two House committees. I wonder if they would reconsider that in hindsight. I don't think it went as they had planned. Today's hearings only hammered home the simple fact we already knew. The special counsel did not find evidence to charge the President with a crime. Game over. Sadly, this was nothing more than political theater and a colossal waste of time. Democrats wanted reinforcement for their partisan witch hunt against the President. Didn't happen. If anything, today's testimony is only going to raise more questions as to why this entire investigation was even opened in the first place and why exculpatory evidence wasn't included in the report. After wasting 22 months, 25 million taxpayer dollars, and countless other resources, Americans deserve to know the truth about how this whole episode was fabricated and who is responsible. The Steele dossier, abuse of our intelligence agencies, DNC direct involvement? If Democrats would put as much effort in improving our country as they do into baseless attempts to impeach the President, we might just be able to get something done around here. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to move on from this disaster and get back to work for the American people.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, tonight we voted on a resolution opposing efforts to delegitimize the State of Israel and oppose the Global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions, BDS, Movement targeting Israel. I am a cosponsor of this resolution, but the House should also be voting on legislation to combat these efforts to undermine one of our strongest allies, like the Senate did when they passed a bill to authorize State or local governments to divest assets from entities deploying BDS against Israel. But, unfortunately, Democrat leadership refuses to let us vote on this bill in the House for fear of fractures within their own party. Just last week, one of their Members actually introduced legislation that supports this hate-fueled BDS movement, even drawing disgraceful comparisons between boycotting Israel now and boycotting Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s. Let's not forget that the United States and Israel have a long history of working together to achieve stability in the Middle East, the inventions they work on together, and they remain one of our strongest and most loyal allies today. Our actions in this Chamber need to unequivocally support that relationship and the lone beacon of freely elected government that is Israel in the Middle East. As Golda Meir put it: We will only have peace when they love their children more than they hate us.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, in Matthew in the New Testament, it talks about: ``You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.'' Mr. Speaker, the tree of the House of Representatives hasn't borne much fruit this week. At a time of hurricane and floods, the continued border crisis exacerbated by inaction on properly defining ``asylum'' or ``legal immigration,'' instead of the kitchen-table issues families sent us to work on, we get impeachment questions that, for all the hype, barely mustered one-fifth of House votes to not table that discussion. Next week is another round of Robert Mueller, after 2 years and tens of millions of dollars of drilling a dry well. Mr. Speaker, for those who watch this House, our constituents, to actually feel embarrassed by its governing, even causing our Speaker pro tempore to abandon the Chair--out of privilege, I believe--over this infighting, we have some serious self-contemplation and soul- searching to do as a body to uphold the dignity of this institution, not just change the rules to support the inappropriate language of its leaders of this House or attack our close ally Israel with a BDS resolution. Mr. Speaker, we will be recognized by the fruits we produce in this body.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, the latest proposal offered by my Democrat colleagues to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $15 an hour nationally is going to be devastating to small businesses and especially to jobs. A 107 percent increase is not going to create more jobs. It might sound nice on the surface, but it will be very harmful. There is this myth that a large segment of Americans earn at or below the minimum wage, but, in reality, it is only 2.3 percent; and half of them are below the age of 25 who need these entry-level jobs to learn a skill, to learn to show up every day, to be on time, and to grow from there. Increasing it to $15 an hour nationally would cause small companies to pass on higher prices to consumers, likely driving consumers away, and for a small business' little profit margin already, potentially forcing them to close their doors. I visited a restaurant in my district that had two locations, and they have already closed one. They are afraid, as California is already on the track at $12 and higher, how much longer they can keep their businesses open because of the huge cost of labor as a percentage of their business. So let's get on the right track and do the things that support job growth and the success we have had the last couple of years after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and not go down this path.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the Trump administration's latest efforts to combat the skyrocketing housing costs in the United States. There is likely no State in the country feeling the ill effects of unaffordable housing more so than my home State of California. That is why I applaud the President's recent executive order establishing a White House Council on Eliminating Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing. Over the past 20 years, there have been countless regulations implemented in California that make building a home so expensive that many people can no longer afford to buy them or even rent. The cost of building a home is nearly six times higher per square foot than it was 30 years ago, due to uncompromising and often unnecessary environmental and safety regulations. I am glad there will now finally be a council tasked with looking into the true reasons behind these costs instead of continuing to offer Federal subsidies to simply mask the problem. In my home area of the First District, housing is a critical issue, with the loss of the town of Paradise and so many people displaced there and the housing that needs to be put in place back in Paradise or in surrounding communities to help these people. The mandates that are put upon them make it almost impossible to afford. I look forward to working with HUD Secretary Ben Carson and this White House council to examine and, hopefully, alleviate the housing crisis in California.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize June as Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month. Alzheimer's disease affects more than 5 million Americans. It is also our Nation's most expensive disease. We have got to continue working toward finding a cure for Alzheimer's; but, in the meantime, we have to cut down on preventable hospitalizations and lower the cost of care. That is why I cosponsored the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act last Congress, which President Trump has since signed into law. This bill will help educate community members and doctors on dementia detection, diagnosis, and symptom management. This Congress, I cosponsored the bipartisan Younger Onset Alzheimer's Act, to ensure younger people dealing with dementia or other symptoms have access to the counseling and support they need. I urge my colleagues, family, friends, and neighbors to do their part and know the warning signs of Alzheimer's disease. Education and awareness can make a huge difference in a person's life.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Chairman, I rise tonight in support of increasing the productivity of our national forestland. Somehow, America is the world's number two importer of lumber, and at the same time our forests continue to burn at an unprecedented rate. We need to get our forests back in working order. The majority provided $276 million for forest products, which is an increase of $7 million above the enacted level and $4 million below the President's budget request. My amendment would support job growth and increased timber production to support forest health and promote safe communities. This funding is critical to support the President's executive order on forest management that involves a plan to sell 3.7 billion board feet of timber and improve over 1.1 million acres of national forestland to mitigate wildfire risk. Right now there are 150 million dead trees just in my home State of California. If we don't act now to dedicate more resources toward timber management, we won't have any forest left to manage. Instead, we will be watching them burn, foul the air, and foul our water with ash; and in the meantime, we are still importing wood products. For example, as a result of the 2018 Carr fire in West Redding, California, which burned approximately 230,000 acres and eight people lost their lives, we also lost the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area encompassing 318 square miles which burned to the ground. We need to increase the pace and scale of forest production and wildfire mitigation in a way that makes business sense and includes the private sector. Mr. Chairman, 62 percent of forestlands in my district are federally owned. The remaining private forests in my district generate 73,000 jobs, contribute $4 billion in manufacturing and sales and supports $1.7 billion in payroll. There should be no reason our Federal forests cannot produce the same benefits and results to its employees and community as the private sector can. Let's focus on protecting public health, creating jobs, enjoying the great outdoors by reducing fire risks, and generating economic growth to rural communities across the U.S. Mr. Chairman, I thank the House for passage of my amendment.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, I rise to join my friends and colleagues in celebrating Juneteenth. Madam Speaker, 154 years ago, on June 19, 1865, Texas became the final State in the U.S. to officially abolish slavery. This was a pivotal day in American history, one that represents both the checkered past of our Nation as well as the rising above it. September 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and it took effect on January 1, 1863, throughout all the formerly Confederate States. Madam Speaker, 2 years later, Texas was the last stop on the road to the abolition of slavery in America on June 19, known as Juneteenth. On a day like Juneteenth, we encourage everyone to come together and celebrate this occasion and recognize not what makes us different from one other, but what we all have in common, all that we share: the love of freedom and individual rights that we are one people. There is still more to be done, but a lot of progress has been made the last 150 years, and we will continue to make that together as a society.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight this week as the first-ever Modernize the Truck Fleet Week. Currently, the average age of heavy-duty trucks on the road is nearly 10 years old. That is a decade's worth of technology and improvements that have effectively been sidelined. One big reason for this is the 12 percent Federal excise tax, known as the FET, on the sale of most heavy-duty new trucks. This tax was implemented over 100 years ago as a means of paying for World War I and is now the highest percentage tax Congress imposes on any product. It can tack on an additional $20,000 to the price of a new truck, which most truck owners simply cannot afford. This severely outdated tax discourages the purchase of newer, safer, more fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly trucks. It is time to get rid of this tax. That is why I have introduced H.R. 2381, the Modern, Clean, and Safe Trucks Act, which repeals the FET. The FET maybe made sense when it was implemented 100 years ago, but, just like the trucks that were designed in 1917, it is no longer viable in the modern world. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill.