As I said in my opening statement, this amendment has been painstakingly negotiated and crafted over a period of eight months

We are all aware of the human and economic tragedy that occurred in California's Central Valley in 2009 and 2010 when hundreds of billions of gallons of contracted water were diverted to the ocean in the name of the Delta Smelt. This policy fallowed between a quarter million and a half million acres of some of the most productive farmland in America

This bill presents us with a simple question: "It is possible - just possible - that from time to time Congress has passed a spending bill or two that ought to have had greater scrutiny?" The answer to this question might elude some members of the House, but I assure them it is self-evident to everybody else.