MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript: California Drought Relief

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Congressman John Garamendi of California joins me tonight.

Congressman, good to have you with us.

REP. JOHN GARAMENDI, (D) CALIFORNIA: Hello, Ed.

SCHULTZ: Now that it is hitting the leadership in the House, would the
philosophy change somewhat for the role of the Federal Government, because
if people are losing their farms and their ranches, what is the role of the
Federal Government in their commitment to American citizens?

GARAMENDI: Well, certainly, the Federal Government has a major role to
play in dealing with this drought. And it`s not just to California
drought, Ed. This is stretching across the entire Southern United States
all away across -- all the way to Florida.

So this is really a national issue. And the Federal Government has a
specific set of opportunities to deal with it. In California, without new
money, we could focus the existing Federal Government programs to really
augment to coordinate and to really cause the California Bond Act which
passed by 60 percent majority just last November to actually get up and
going earlier. Talk about the communities that are losing their water
system, the Department of Agriculture has existing programs but they need
to be focused.

We have aquifers that are depleted. We need conservation programs both
urban and agriculture. All of those programs are in effect. So, what we
really need to do is to stop fighting in Washington and focus our attention
on those things that are in place in federal law with money already
available.

Now, if they want to bring new money in, well then, more than happy to
spend money on their favorite projects without an offset but for the things
that they don`t really care about. They demand an offset.

In this case, let`s solve the problems of the drought all across the South
-- southern part of the United States, put the money there to help the
communities, to help with the conservation, recycling, all of those things
need to be done now.

SCHULTZ: Well, the experts are predicting that the economic loss is going
to be roughly $3 billion in this year alone, 2015 for the state of
California. That means job loss.

GARAMENDI: Exactly.

SCHULTZ: That means folks losing farms, generation, you know, some of
these farms that there are like three, four generations. That`s hard on
people.

GARAMENDI: Absolutely.

SCHULTZ: What do you do to avert that?

GARAMENDI: Well, first of all, don`t steal somebody`s water. For the last
four years, McCarthy and the folks from the southern San Joaquin Valley
have put forth legislation in Congress, actually passed that would steal
water from farmers and the environment of the North, from the fishermen --
the salmon fishermen. Don`t do that.

Don`t engage in a pointless water battle but rather focus on the things
that can be done to assist people. Some of the communities perhaps in my
district do have 30 percent unemployment. And so, what we need to do is to
employ those people, putting in place the conservation measure that makes
sense.

And it`s everything from toilets to agricultural conservation programs,
drip irrigation, better management of the canal systems. All of those
things are jobs that we need now and we need those conservation programs.
We know that we need to take care of the aquifers and we need to replenish
the aquifers.

SCHULTZ: OK. Congressman John Garamendi of California, good to have you
with us tonight, sir. Thanks so much.

GARAMENDI: Thank you. Thank you.

SCHULTZ: I appreciate it.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source