Devin Nunes

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Chairman, this amendment is another stall tactic. There have been several speakers who have talked about how this bill creates no water. Well, I hate to break it to people, but bills don't create water. It rains. That is why the founding fathers of our State, including Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, two United States presidents, worked with the leadership of California to develop a system that could keep water for 5 years so we could withstand 5 years of drought. I hate to have to use this, but this is how it works. Mr. Chairman, the sun melts the snow. The snow gets stored in the reservoirs, in this case this is Yosemite, where San Francisco gets all of its water. Then the water runs out. That is how it works. That is how the system was designed to work. If you don't understand this chart, I have another chart. Once again, I apologize, Mr. Chairman, because this one is a little basic. But, sun--sun creates heat. Heat melts ice. Ice becomes water. Water we use to drink and irrigate our crops. That is how this works. Government doesn't create water. Government can only help to create the infrastructure to hold the water in an area that is like California that is always in a drought. So our friends from the coastal areas of California like to have it both ways. They like to drink their water from the Sierra Nevadas and pipe it over so it never has to go into the delta. At the same time, they dump their sewage into the delta that kills the fish. So this bill was not designed to make it rain. Nobody can do that. We don't need to measure clouds. This bill is designed to get the water that we have in the wet years and hold it for the dry years.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, Alongside my colleague David Valadao, I rise today to pay tribute to Judge Frank Creede, Jr., who recently passed away. Frank Creede distinguished himself at an early age. During World War II, he joined the army at the age of eighteen and served in a heavy machine-gun squad in Europe, where he was taken prisoner during the Battle of the Bulge. Surviving a forced march and a railroad ride in a boxcar from Belgium to Germany, he was liberated from his POW camp in April 1945 and was later awarded the Purple Heart. Upon his return to the United States, Frank began his long, eminent legal career. After practicing law for more than two decades and becoming a founding partner of the law firm now called Creede, Dawson, Gillaspy and Ninnis, he was appointed as a Fresno County judge by Governor Ronald Reagan in 1973. He heard more than 200 jury trials and adjudicated many high-profile cases during his outstanding tenure on the bench, which included service as presiding judge of the Superior Court and several other courts. Judge Creede retired in 1998 after being re-elected to the Superior Court four times. Among his many awards and commendations, the Fresno County Law Library was renamed in his honor. In retirement Judge Creede remained active as a visiting judge. He also participated in a remarkably wide array of charitable organizations and civic groups including some dedicated to preventing animal cruelty, which was a particular passion of his. Known for his sense of humor, work ethic, and compassion, Judge Creede was a wonderful asset to the Fresno community. For decades he served his country and his community with distinction. He leaves behind an enduring legacy that his family should look upon with the deepest sense of pride.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for all your hard work in putting this bill together. Mr. Chairman, the underlying bill includes funding for three environmental programs that have shown very little accountability since they were enacted, specifically, the Central Valley Project Improvement Act Restoration Fund, the CALFED Program, and the San Joaquin River Restoration Fund. I remain concerned about the expenditures in these programs and whether they are going to the intended purpose. I urge the committee to conduct an oversight hearing into these programs, and would urge you, Mr. Chairman, perhaps you could contact the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study of these programs run by the Bureau of Reclamation's Mid-Pacific region.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to record a few observations about the California high-speed rail project. It's no surprise that high-speed rail has become a boondoggle even before any track has been installed. This was a political project from the beginning, backed by local politicians who thought it would raise their political fortunes. For example, as noted by Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters, a planned route between Merced and Bakersfield was the direct result of President Obama's effort to help an endangered Democrat lawmaker, whose district received $700 million of stimulus funding just before the 2010 elections. Californians were deceived about the most fundamental aspects of this project, whose price tag has already doubled to $68 billion. With independent estimates routinely exceeding $100 billion, it's hard to believe the initial estimates were put forward in good faith, or that voters would have approved the project if they had known its true cost. Recently, Governor Brown has even proposed raiding the state's cap-and- trade program to help finance the ballooning costs. Make no mistake, this railway will never operate without massive taxpayer subsidies. To make it appear financially sustainable, planners estimated that the line from San Francisco to Los Angeles will carry more than twice as many riders and cost half the price compared to a trip from Washington to New York on the existing high-speed rail line there. This is a preposterous estimate for a region which, compared to the Northeast Corridor, has a smaller population base, lower population density, and less extensive mass transit system to connect everyone. Furthermore, nonpartisan reports as well as research by the State Auditor and Legislative Analyst have cast doubt on the project's basic assumptions, and these misgivings were reinforced recently when a state judge found that the state had no valid financial plan for the project. In light of this stunning level of waste and deception, California high-speed rail has already proved itself to be a monumental failure. Californians are being forcibly evicted from their homes and businesses to make way for an extravagant train to nowhere. The only reasonable course of action is to spare our communities further misfortune by ending this project once and for all.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Madam Speaker, I'd like to pay tribute, as Mr. Costa said, to Dr. Pete Mehas, an enthusiastic leader of the central valley and a man whom I was privileged to call my friend. Pete was a major force in shaping and improving our local school system, serving as a schoolteacher, administrator, school superintendent, CSU board of trustees member, and he leaves a legacy of excellence and commitment that is an outstanding role model for future educators. Pete's passion, of course, was sports, and it's hard to imagine what athletics around Fresno would be like today without his decades-long contribution as a high school athlete, college football player, soccer, football, and tennis coach, his work on sports scholarships and the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame. Through the coaches he later hired at various schools and institutions, he left a lasting impact on the sports programs throughout the central valley. Aside from his long list of accomplishments, Dr. Mehas was friendly, optimistic, and outgoing, with a constant, infectious smile. He was widely known in the community and deeply loved. Characteristically, he seemed to be at every Fresno State football game. I'll miss seeing him there.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today alongside my colleagues, Representatives David Valadao, Jim Costa, and David Cicilline, to commemorate the retirement of U.S. Ambassador to Portugal Allan Katz. A lawyer by training, Ambassador Katz worked on the staffs of Congressmen Bill Gunter and David Obey before serving as General Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives Commission on Administrative Review. He then moved to Florida, where he served as Assistant Insurance Commissioner and General Counsel for the State of Florida Insurance Department. Afterward he went into private practice. In March 2010, Allan Katz was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as U.S. Ambassador to Portugal. A capable and gifted representative of our Nation, Ambassador Katz served with distinction, upholding the United States' long friendship with the Portuguese people. We recognize and commend his fine service on the occasion of his retirement.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Chair, I rise today to address the crucial need for retaining the U.S. military's force structure at Lajes Field. Due to Air Force planners' short-sighted decision to draw down at Lajes, the United States is poised to surrender a military asset of unparalleled strategic value. Located on the Azores island chain between Europe and the United States, Lajes is like the Hawaii of the Atlantic Ocean--only closer to the American mainland. The islands belong to Portugal, a strong U.S. ally since World War II that has never prevented us from conducting operational missions. The base at this crucial location has bolstered the United States' control of the Atlantic since World War II, proving critical to our tracking of Soviet submarines during the Cold War. It allows for U.S. access to Europe, the Middle East, and western and sub-Saharan Africa, and enables the expeditionary movement of warfighters, aircraft, ships, and global communications to AFRICOM and CENTCOM's joint, coalition, and NATO operations. It is also a vital site for countering a major regional threat, al- Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which has known ties to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and other violent groups. In fact, from Lajes, ten of the eighteen African countries that hold State Department Travel Warnings can be reached within six hours. Further, Lajes is well- positioned to act as a logistical hub not only for the Defense Department, but also for USAID, the State Department, and other agencies. Having engaged with Portuguese officials for years on this issue, I know that the consequences of drawing down the base will be dire. Our strategic planners may believe we can leave a mere skeletal operation at Lajes and retain access there, but in reality, the Air Force's decision to draw down at the base means a total end to the U.S. presence at Lajes. This will severely impact the Azorean economy, forcing Portugal to find a new tenant for the site. In light of the weak Portuguese economy, we do not want to make Azoreans choose between their alliance with the United States and their ability to feed their families. While our strategic planners may not want to be in the Azores anymore, leaders of other nations feel differently. Several high ranking Chinese officials have visited the islands in recent years, including a sojourn by China's Ambassador to Portugal just a few weeks ago, as well as a June 2012 visit to Terceira by then-Premier Wen Jiabao. The Chinese did not divulge what all these delegates were doing there, but I assure you they weren't sipping port and enjoying the pleasant climate. In the wake of the decision to wind down Lajes, we cannot assume the Portuguese will exclude China or other bad actors from the site simply out of allegiance to the U.S.; the recent decision to send a rapid reaction force of 500 U.S. Marines to Moron, Spain--a contingent that would have much more flexibility at the logistics hub of Lajes--could easily be interpreted as a calculated insult to our Portuguese friends. These Marines could easily be located in Lajes, which is a safe environment that allows for forward basing at Rota, Spain, or Sigonella, Italy, or if necessary, for the deployment of troops in Western and sub-Saharan Africa. This amendment would give Defense Department planners the opportunity to think outside the box. If they did, they would realize this solution would allow the Air Force to scale-down at Lajes, provide maximum strategic flexibility for the Marines, and fully utilize the Lajes facility. The retention of Lajes was not an issue for seventy years because prior planners never contemplated giving up something so crucial to U.S. interests. Because this Congress does not assume that Chinese and Russian subs will voluntarily stop sailing beneath the Atlantic Ocean or that jihadists will stop training in sub-Saharan Africa, we need the flexibility that Lajes' unique location provides. As we reduce our European footprint--comprising 110,000 personnel and dozens of military installations--we need to base our decisions on each site's global strategic value and tactical and strategic flexibility. It would cost billions to build a base like Lajes today, and we must understand that the decision by Air Force planners to draw down at Lajes means closing the site and losing our access there. Therefore, Mr. Chair, I encourage my colleagues to vote for this amendment to retain the current force structure at Lajes Field, and to keep this crucial military asset fully staffed and fully operational.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today alongside my colleagues, Representatives Costa and Valadao, to honor the accomplishments of outgoing Fresno County Superintendent of Schools Larry Powell, who has dedicated forty-three years to public education in the Sanger Unified, Fresno Unified, and Central Unified school districts. Mr. Powell began his career in education with a B.A. in Political Science from California State University Fresno and later received his M.A. in Educational Administration from Fresno Pacific University. He was named Superintendent of the Year in 2003 by the Association of California Administrators Region 9 and received the prestigious designation of ``Top Dog'' in 2007 from California State University Fresno. A dedicated public servant, Mr. Powell has served on the boards of numerous community and educational organizations, including the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association, Break the Barriers, the Sequoia Council of the Boy Scouts, the Fresno Sports Council, the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame, the Economic Development Corporation, the Fresno Compact, SALT-Fresno, the Highway City Development Corporation, the School Employers Association of California, CSUF President's Commission on Education, and Rachel's Challenge. Characteristic of his courage and determination, Mr. Powell was diagnosed with Polio as an infant but overcame all challenges, became a champion wrestler and coach, and has shared his inspirational story in over 1,600 speeches nationwide. He lives by the message that the only things you cannot do are the things you do not attempt. Mr. Speaker, we commend and applaud Larry Powell for his dedicated career in public education and congratulate him on a well-deserved retirement.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the Armenian Genocide, one of the bloodiest, most tragic occurrences of the twentieth century. In 1915, the Ottoman Empire began implementing a program to systematically exterminate its Armenian population. Committing crimes so vast that they nearly defy belief, the Ottomans resorted to death marches, human burnings, mass starvation, extermination camps, and other outrages that still shock the human conscience. More than a million people were slaughtered in the carnage. It is hard to image anyone today visiting Armenia's Tzidzemagapert, the genocide monument and memorial, without being shaken by the experience, as I was. The site is a permanent reminder of the horrifying depravity mankind is capable of when unshackled from any notion of mercy or compassion. That the Armenian people could recover from such a tragedy, and recover from the ensuing decades of Soviet rule, to establish an independent state in which they control their own destiny, is a tribute to the amazing resiliency and love of freedom harbored by the Armenian nation. On this anniversary of the beginning of the Genocide, let us remember and honor the victims of this terrible crime.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today alongside my colleague, Representative David Valadao, to pay tribute to the people of Nagorno Karabakh. Armenians have suffered some of the worst savagery of recent history, from the massacre of more than a million people in the Armenian Genocide, to the cruel repression of Soviet rule, to Azerbaijan's war against Nagorno Karabakh and the ongoing siege of that region. Through these trials and tribulations, the Armenian people have paid a steep price for their freedom. The hero's welcome Azerbaijan recently afforded to Ramil Safarov, an Azerbaijani military officer who murdered a sleeping Armenian officer during a NATO-sponsored program in Hungary, is a stark reminder of the unrelenting hostility Armenians face today. In this year, which marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of another anti-Armenian atrocity--the Sumgait pogroms--we pay homage to the Armenian people and particularly the people of Nagorno Karabakh, who bravely struggle to maintain their right to self-determination.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today alongside my colleagues, Representative Costa and Representative Valadao, to honor the life and career of Jim Sweeney, who passed away on February 8, 2013. Mr. Sweeney was the legendary coach of the Fresno State football team, leading the Bulldogs for nearly two decades and leaving an indelible imprint on his team, his school, and his community. The son of a hardscrabble miner, Mr. Sweeney worked in the mines during his college summers. Afterward, he coached high school football for several years in his native Montana and then became an assistant coach of the Montana State Bobcats in 1960. Appointed head coach in 1963, he served five years in that position and eight years as head coach of the Washington State Cougars before becoming head coach at Fresno State, the position that would define his career. During his nineteen years at Fresno State, interrupted by a two-year stint on the coaching staffs of the Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Cardinals, Mr. Sweeney elevated the Bulldogs to national prominence. A charismatic, no-nonsense leader, he brought an infectious enthusiasm to the entire community and inspired fierce loyalty in his players. He implanted an enduring team spirit with his resounding renditions of team fight songs and his inception of the ``Bulldog born, Bulldog bred'' chant that players still invoke today. In Fresno, Mr. Sweeney won eight conference titles and five bowl games on his way to amassing 144 victories, the most of any head coach in Bulldog history. Among his many well-deserved accolades, the team's football field was renamed in his honor. Personifying excellence, hard-work, and integrity, Mr. Sweeney was well-loved in his community and is a true California icon. His trademark wit and unceasing passion will be missed by the legions of fans and admirers he has left behind.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, alongside my colleague, Congressman Kevin McCarthy, we rise today to honor Phillip James Cline, District Attorney of Tulare County, on the occasion of his retirement. Mr. Cline is a Tulare County native, having graduated from Exeter Union High School, College of the Sequoias, California State University Fresno, and San Joaquin College of Law. He also served in the United States Air Force as a Staff Sergeant. After joining the bar and working briefly in private practice, Mr. Cline joined the District Attorney's Office in 1978. He served as a prosecutor for more than 30 years, specializing in homicide cases and winning numerous high-profile death penalty cases. In 1992, Mr. Cline began serving as District Attorney. Re-elected three times, he initiated programs to address workers' compensation and automobile insurance fraud, domestic violence, major narcotics, sexual assault and child abuse, welfare fraud, auto theft, gang violence and child abduction, among others. He created the state's first Rural Crime Program, designed to protect the agricultural industry, and developed other programs addressing consumer fraud, career criminal prosecution, victim's services, elder abuse prosecution and the safe neighborhoods program. Mr. Cline and his staff also implemented programs designed to strike at the root causes of crime. These included a program to reduce teen pregnancy, which received statewide recognition, as well as a Veterans' Court to address the needs of combat veterans. Mr. Cline is a member of many professional and philanthropic organizations. He is past president of the Tulare County Bar Association and is an active member of the California and National District Attorney's Associations. He is the only District Attorney ever elected president of the Tulare County Police Chiefs' Association. Mr. Cline has also served on the boards of the HEART after-school program and the Tulare County Library Foundation, among others. He has been active in Pro Youth Walk Run, the Justice Run and the annual Victims of Homicide Memorial Quilt Ceremony. Please join Congressman McCarthy and me in congratulating Mr. Phillip James Cline on his retirement from his position as District Attorney of Tulare County.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Madam Speaker, the 1974 Jackson-Vanik amendment effectively pressured the Soviet Union over its appalling human rights record. It was an important part of America's decades-long effort to contain and ultimately bring down an evil empire. Times have changed. The Cold War is over, and the USSR has given way to the Russian Federation. Its ruler, Vladimir Putin, presides over an authoritarian regime that closely controls the key economic sectors, shackles the media, stamps out most dissent, and stage-manages the political process. Nevertheless, Putin's Russia is not the Soviet Union, and we should update our laws accordingly. The Jackson-Vanik amendment addresses problems from a different era. By joining the WTO, Russia has undertaken new obligations to adhere to the rule of law. As we approve normal trade relations with Russia, we must verify that it adheres to its new responsibilities. Furthermore, by approving the Magnitsky Act, we will signal that corrupt thugs who attack whistleblowers and human rights activists will be held to account--in America, if not Russia. That is why, Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Nancy Osborne, an important public figure in the Central Valley news industry, on the occasion of her retirement. Ms. Osborne graduated from Las Cruces High School in New Mexico and attended New Mexico State University for 3 years. Following a five year break from her education, she returned to college in the valley at Fresno State University. She graduated in 1976 with a BA in Speech Communications and began work on a Master's degree. After a year of graduate study, she accepted a reporting job at ABC30. As one of only a handful of women in the local broadcast industry, Nancy became a role model for many young women. In the fall of 1977, Nancy joined the anchor team at KFSN-TV. In 1980, she produced and anchored the valley's first locally produced news magazine show while continuing to co-anchor Action News. In 1996, Nancy joined the Action News Management Team. While continuing her coverage of the valley's political scene and issues involving children and families, she was named Executive Producer-- Special Projects. With this new assignment, she helped shape Action News around the clock. In January 2004, after a short hiatus, Nancy returned to reporting full time, once again adding her experience and expertise to the expanding daily Action News coverage while continuing to co-anchor Action News Live at Five. She also wrote a popular blog, ``The Red, White, and True'', which focused on stories about the Central Valley's military personnel and families. In 2005, Nancy was inducted into the prestigious Silver Circle by the Northern California chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for her commitment of over 25 years to the Fresno television market and broadcast news industry. Nancy has reported on countless stories and events important to the people of Central California and she has given her time and effort to numerous non-profits and charities over the decades. Please join me in congratulating Ms. Osborne on her ``award-winning and trailblazing television career,'' as she retires from ABC30 Action News.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, I rise to today to recognize the life and work of Everett ``Bud'' Rank, Jr., who passed away on June 3, 2012. He will not only go down in history as a former member of both the Nixon and Reagan Administrations' Agriculture Departments, but as an avid golfer, ardent family man, and longtime Valley rancher. Bud was a lifelong Fresno resident. He was born on December 1, 1921 and attended Clovis High School before fighting in World War II for four years as a gunner's mate in the South Pacific. After the war, Bud returned to his roots in Fresno to help organize the Clovis chapter of the Future Farmers of America; where he later served as president. Bud's passion for agriculture was reflected by the time and effort he contributed to the many organizations he was a part of. He was a member of the California Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers, the Clovis Grange, the International Cotton Advisory Committee, the Sierra Soil and Water Conservation District, and many others. Bud worked within the Agriculture Department, first as Western Regional Director of Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service, then as both head of the ASCS and Executive Vice President of the Commodity Credit Corp. While his commitment to the San Joaquin Valley agricultural community was unmatched, Bud's commitment to education was equally impressive. He wanted each student to have every opportunity to thrive in school and reach the highest level of education possible. He did this by serving three terms as the President of the Clovis Unified School District Board of Trustees in the 1960s and early 1970s. His contribution and impact on the community are now honored and remembered though the Bud Rank Elementary School in Clovis. Bud was a legendary community leader. He cared greatly about the future of the San Joaquin Valley residents and youth. He leaves behind a legacy that will be hard to equal. The people of Fresno will miss Bud for years to come, but will never forget all that he gave and did for the people of Fresno County.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Chairman, today is another milestone in our work to conduct strong oversight of the intelligence community. In just under 2 years as chairman and ranking member, the gentleman from Michigan and the gentleman from Maryland have proven that the Intelligence Committee is now really not just a bipartisan committee, but I think more importantly a nonpartisan committee, which is why this bill passed out of committee 19 0. During these austere times, it is also important to not only sustain our Nation's intelligence capabilities and provide for future needs, but to do so in a fiscally responsible way. This bill achieves significant savings by holding the line on authorizing spending below last year's levels--curbs unnecessary personnel growth--and targets intelligence investments. Included in this bill are the tools necessary to reduce operational costs of the intelligence community's front-line operators and provisions to conduct a house cleaning of ``back office'' operations. Moreover, this bill ensures that acquisitions are done on cost and on schedule while still expanding the IC community's comparative advantage of cutting-edge research and technology. One of the critical gaps this bill fixes is with structural deficiencies in the CIA Inspector General's Office. We are taking steps to allow the CIA to better recruit and retain a professional staff of investigators. This is done by allowing the IG to designate certain positions as law enforcement officers for retirement purposes. Mr. Chairman, it is critical that the Congress demand accountability and financial oversight of our classified intelligence programs. That can only be done through consistent passage of an intelligence authorization bill. I urge all Members to support the bill before us today.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor William Frank McFarlane, who passed away on Tuesday, May 15, 2012. Mr. McFarlane was a pillar of the California agricultural community. Bill McFarlane was born in Fresno, California, on January 1, 1926, and grew up on a farm in Clovis. He attended Jefferson Elementary School and Clovis Union High School. While at California State University, Fresno, Bill transferred to the University of Southern California, earning Bachelor of Science degrees in Naval Science and Business Administration. At a young age, Bill began his successful career in agriculture. He and his parents formed a partnership in 1948, McFarlane and McFarlane, growing Muscat grapes for raisins and wine, cotton, grain, plums, vegetable and flower seeds, almonds, citrus, and rice. While many other achievements would follow in his long career, Bill always remained a farmer at heart. A tireless supporter of other farmers in the San Joaquin Valley, Bill was a member of the Sun-Maid Raisin Growers Advisory Council; president of Clovis-Sanger Cooperative Gin; joined the board of Calcot, Ltd. in 1955 and was chairman of that organization from 1966 to 1974; served as president of California Cotton Growers Association; a member of the Producers Steering Committee of the National Cotton Council; a director of the Western Cotton Growers Association; the founding president of Central California Almond Growers Association and served on the board of Blue Diamond Growers for 17 years, 4 years as chairman. Bill was a principal of the family-farming group Cinco Farms; served as president of California Westside Farmers for 8 years; a chairman of Farm-Water Alliance for 6 years, whose effort culminated in the signing into law of the federal Reclamation Reform Act of 1982. Bill was also a member of the board of Westlands Water District, and served on the board of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the 8 years of the Reagan Administration. In 1967, he became a director of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, as well as the Agricultural Council of California, becoming chairman of the council and was awarded their Co-Op Farmer of the Year Award in 1994. Bill received the 1994 Agriculturalist of the Year Award at the California State Fair, and in 2000 the Greater Fresno Area Chamber of Commerce Agriculturist of the Year Award. After serving for 14 years on the board of the California State University, Fresno, Agricultural Foundation, Bill's final expression of his love for agriculture was his commitment to Friends of Agricultural Extension, reflecting his belief in the public value of university agricultural research. While his commitment to the San Joaquin Valley agricultural community was unmatched, Bill's commitment to education was equally impressive. He was a member of the Jefferson Union Elementary governing board; a charter member of the Clovis Unified School District board; a founding member of the board of directors of the Foundation for Clovis Schools; and a member of the Reagan Educational Center Agriculture Department Advisory Committee. Bill was particularly proud when Clovis Unified School District honored him by naming the McFarlane-Coffman Agricultural Center after him. Bill McFarlane's legacy to his friends, family, colleagues, and countless numbers of students will be remembered for generations to come. The San Joaquin Valley has been blessed with many people whose commitment to the valley has made it the greatest agricultural region in the world. Among these people, Bill was one of the greats.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Madam Chair, I rise in strong support of this bill. The bill before us today is targeted towards a very specific and growing threat to our Nation. Every day, American businesses are being targeted by China, Russia, and other foreign actors for cyber- exploitation and theft. These acts of industrial espionage are causing enormous losses of valuable American intellectual property that ultimately costs the United States jobs. We cannot afford to allow high-paying jobs to be stolen in this manner, nor can we simply sit by and allow the cyberwarfare being conducted against us to continue without consequences. Madam Chairman, jobs are at stake, as is the technological capital of the United States. But if the reality of this economic cyberwarfare isn't convincing enough, you should understand that there are other good reasons for us to support this bill. The state-of-the-art technology stolen from Americans can easily be turned against us and represents a serious threat to America's critical infrastructure. None in this body would likely disagree that we have to prevent our enemies from protecting American military technology. That's why we have long had export controls and other mechanisms to prevent such a thing from occurring. Madam Chairman, how is the theft of intellectual property any less a threat today? Whether we like it or not, cyberwarfare is a reality. Our government and its security agencies understand this and are using both classified and unclassified information to fight the threat. But without passage of this bill, they are being forced to do so without the meaningful participation of industries--private industries--that are being subjected to attacks, that in some cases our government even knows about but cannot share that with those private companies. So we shouldn't expect America's private sector innovators to protect themselves if we won't tell them where the attacks are coming from. If we don't share this information or allow them to share information with us, how do we expect to secure the sensitive information?

Mr. NUNES. So we essentially have three choices. We can pass this bill, very narrowly focused, allowing our intelligence community to work with private industry, or we can fund a massive new government program. I think we've proven that those massive new government programs seldom work and are often costly. Or would the opponents of this bill simply rather do nothing and allow our country to continue to be attacked every day? We need to pass this bill to enable cyberthreat-sharing and provide clear authority for the private sector to defend its networks. Madam Chair, I want to close by saying that we should congratulate Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Ruppersberger for the work that they've done to protect this country.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, I was asking my good friend from Colorado to enter into a colloquy with me, and that's okay. But I do want to say that the gentleman from Colorado and myself work in a bipartisan manner. We're both cochairs of the Mexico-U.S. Caucus. We've worked hard on that, and I would hope that the gentleman from Colorado would listen to the debate today because I think after we listen to the debate--I understand some of the concerns that he raises. But as Mr. Bishop pointed out, the Rules Committee was very gracious to allow all the amendments on the Democrat side and the Republican side to be offered and accepted to be debated here on the floor. So I would just urge my colleague, with whom we work together on numerous other issues in this Congress, that we find today a way to come together in a bipartisan manner. Hopefully, the gentleman from Colorado will listen to all the facts as they're presented. Mr. Speaker, after decades of California water being controlled by the Federal Government, Congress can conclude one thing: flushing water into the San Francisco Bay is not helping to recover species, and people are suffering needlessly. We're going to hear a lot from opponents about this bill, about science. I want to start right off the bat and make one thing clear: we're supporting sound science with H.R. 1837, and we are rejecting junk science that has long been foisted on the people of California, junk science the Federal court has labeled the unlawful work of zealots. It is important for me to impress upon the House, the opponents of H.R. 1837 do not possess scientific high ground, as they are all but certain to allege. Their experts, and the activists masquerading as experts who support them, have been biased from the beginning and have molded their work to produce the findings that best suit their radical agenda. We can say this with certainty that this agenda has not improved the fish populations. If that were true, we would not be here today. Mr. Speaker, the U.S. District Court has thrown out the biological decisions used to justify the horrible regulations that cut off water supplies to families throughout California. The court's decision was a shocking indictment of the kind of government operating in America today when it comes to our environmental laws. The U.S. District Court judge said, I've never seen anything like it. He went on to say that government scientists acted like zealots and had attempted to mislead and to deceive the court into accepting junk science. These are powerful statements by the Federal court and should give anyone who believes in due process, open government, and justice a cause for concern. But the band has marched on without missing a beat; and instead of disciplining these scientists, the Fish and Wildlife Service actually gave them an award for outstanding service under pressure. The arrogant disregard for public trust didn't stop there. Just yesterday, the President issued a veto threat, essentially doubling down on the dishonest smear campaign accusing House Republicans, and I believe many Democrats, of doing just the sort of thing that his administration has been found guilty of by a Federal court. Mr. Speaker, we are not ignoring the latest science in favor of special interests. We are not the people who are sending zealots into the Federal court to lie in the defense of junk science. We are not the people rigging regulations to favor a small minority of special interest groups. The agenda of junk science governing the bay delta is indefensible. Just as the Federal court had said, it's dishonest. Congress needs to ask itself, who are these people that come up with these things? Who are they? I think the Congress will be interested to find out that one of the leaders just weeks ago, a guy by the name of Dr. Peter Gleick, he spent his career trying to dry up farmland in rural communities throughout California; and, in fact, he's even testified before Congress to this. But Dr. Gleick is an activist. He's an activist who poses as a scientist. Just a few weeks ago, he admitted to impersonating another person and stealing information from a nonprofit. He then mingled that stolen information with a fake memo in an effort to discredit his intellectual critics. Radicals like Dr. Gleick lie; they make it their mission to destroy scientists who do not agree with their twisted, anti-human views. Meanwhile, they are used by some in this House as an excuse to take people's water away, to take their private property rights away, to dry up farm land and, worst of all, to justify human suffering. Mr. Speaker, people in our Nation's bread basket are standing in food lines, and they're getting carrots that have been imported from China.

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield for a colloquy, please?

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, their sacrifices have done nothing to improve the environment. Fish populations have declined, and I think what we will prove today here in the Congress is that there is a better path forward, and H.R. 1837 provides that path forward. So I would urge not only my Republican colleagues but also my Democrat colleagues to listen to the evidence, and I would urge them to vote for this rule so we can move on to the debate so we can finally restore sanity to California's water system.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Once again, as many of my colleagues will say, Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt made a deal with Republican Governor Pete Wilson. A deal is a deal. The only problem was that there were some dishonest brokers at the table who never went to Congress to get this implemented.

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Chairman, I would like to remind the gentleman from California that facts are a funny thing, and the Deputy Under Secretary approved this bipartisan agreement in 1994. I remind the gentleman also that I defended his right in the Rules Committee. I defended the right of the Democrats to have all their amendments made in order. Mr. Chairman, when the Federal Government began to pass State preemption to take their water away, you can see here that up until this time we had full water allotment throughout California. Yes, when there was a drought, there were a few years we didn't have water, but look at the chaos that has erupted since. This is an important point. The Congress, by using State preemptions, has managed to take water away from cities, communities, and families. The opponents of this bill claim that somehow the salmon population is decreasing. We can see here in this graph at the bottom--I know it may be hard for some folks to see. The water exports are here. The green represents total water that flowed into the delta throughout the last 25 years. The red line indicates salmon populations. Lo and behold, there is no correlation between the water inflow into the delta and salmon population. But I will agree that the salmon population has declined, and this bill begins to fix that problem. Why? Because the delta smelt and salmon are being eaten by predator fish that are nonnative to the delta. Let me say that again. Striped bass, nonnative to the delta. This scientific evidence shows, as the bass population has increased, the smelt population has declined. This bill rectifies this. This bill allows fishermen to fish for the nonnative species. What this is about is we're shutting off the water to Californians and to their families because of the delta smelt right here. They talk a lot about these dangerous pumps that are pumping this water, these engineering projects that allowed this valley to bloom, that have improved the environment over time. Less than 2 percent of the juvenile salmon--it is negligible in the pumps. Instead of looking at ways to stop that negligible impact, we allow the predator fish, the striped bass, to eat 65 to 90 percent of the juvenile salmon that are being eaten by this bass.

Mr. NUNES. Here we have evidence of this. You can see the bass--I know this is a little gruesome for some folks at home. Here you have the smelt inside the bass. Yet this government is allowing this nonnative species to eat the thing that they so love, the delta smelt. What has been the result, Mr. Chairman? Food lines. In the breadbasket of the world where they used to grow the Nation's carrots, we now import carrots from China to feed the people in the food lines. This is what this is about. These are children in a food line eating carrots imported from China. Does this Congress have a moral compass to do the right thing with regards to children in food lines eating carrots imported from China?