Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Emergency Water Delivery Act

Floor Speech

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3964, a bill that undermines long-standing local, state, and Federal agreements on the California water supply and creates a dangerous precedent for similar Congressional overreach in other states.

As the Governor of California said, this bill ``falsely suggests the promise of water relief when that is simply not possible given the scarcity of water supplies.'' Instead, it picks winners and losers, prioritizing some interests above others and disrupting years of collaboration to balance water needs.

The President has directed his Administration to work with California and local jurisdictions to provide information, flexibility in federal law, and emergency grant assistance to respond to the drought. Congress should not act unilaterally to preempt the efforts the State has already undertaken to respond to this disaster.

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