Speeches
March 12, 2019
Speeches
For many years, our nations’ water policy was one of abundance and our nation’s lands policy was one of sustainable, scientific management. These policies served the betterment of both humanity and nature.
March 6, 2019
Speeches
Consent of the governed is the cornerstone of our democracy. In America, the people are the sovereign and they govern through the votes they cast. At the very core of this process is fair and free elections. EVERY citizen should be free to express themselves freely and to vote, and NO citizen should be muzzled or have their legitimate vote cancelled out by a fraudulent one. By definition, ONE side is always disappointed with the outcome, which is why it’s essential that BOTH sides are confident they were treated fairly.
Issues:
February 27, 2019
Speeches
H.R. 8 is brought to us by the same organizations and politicians who have made no secret of their intention ultimately to strip law-abiding citizens of their right to defend themselves. They know they can’t do it outright, so they do it through cynical measures like this, which weave a web of laws so intricate that sooner or later everyone can be caught up in them. This law affects not only a transfer of ownership – it affects ANY transfer of a weapon for ANY period of time.
February 26, 2019
Speeches
According to the EPA, since 1901, global precipitation has increased at an average rate of roughly a tenth of an inch per decade, while precipitation in the contiguous 48 states has increased at a rate of nearly 2/10ths of an inch per decade. Globally, annual rainfall alone produces roughly 50,000 gallons of freshwater every day for every man, woman and child on this planet. The problem is that this abundance of freshwater is unevenly distributed over time and space. Throughout the 20th Century, it was the policy of this government to guarantee abundant water for all the people and regions of our country. We built reservoirs to transfer water from wet years to dry years and we built canals to transfer water from wet regions to dry ones. By doing so, we made the deserts bloom, protected our communities from floods and droughts and opened up vast tracts of land to support a prosperous population made possible by water abundance. Sadly, these policies were reversed over the last 45 years...
February 10, 2019
Speeches
Thank you, Ladies and Gentlemen, for hosting these annual luncheons, which allow our entire community to come together to express our united support for the security of Israel. In the 11 years you have been kind enough to invite me to speak, one threat to the survival of Israel and the peace of the entire world has loomed above all others, and that is the illegitimate terrorist regime in Tehran. The mullahs have made crystal clear that they are determined to develop nuclear weapons and once obtained, to use them against Israel and against our own country.
January 29, 2019
Speeches
"I believe the President’s decision to temporarily resolve the shutdown was correct. The Democrats’ refusal even to discuss a path forward had created a crisis of governance in addition to the ongoing crisis at our southern border..."
Issues:
September 7, 2018
Speeches
Mr. Speaker: A republic can survive only as long as ALL political sides abide by our elections, respect our institutions, and obey our Constitution. The anonymous column by an official in the executive branch, who bragged of deliberately thwarting the will of the people as expressed through our presidential election, reflects a sentiment that is absolutely toxic to our form of government.
September 6, 2018
Speeches
When we talk of PILT funding, we should never lose sight of the fact that it is a very, very poor substitute for revenues generated locally by healthy economic activity and federal revenue sharing. Our ultimate objective should be not to institutionalize PILT, but to restore active management of our federal lands and a healthy balance between federal land ownership and productive private ownership of the lands within each county in the nation.
Issues:
August 7, 2018
Speeches
For many years, forest management and fire-prevention took a back-seat at these summits, but now nature is screaming its warning at us as fires rage throughout the west: the Tahoe Basin is on borrowed time. The fires all around us present a stark question: How much longer does Tahoe have? Will the view at next year’s summit be one of burned out structures, blackened vistas and an ash-choked l
Issues:
July 31, 2018
Speeches
I was deeply saddened to learn that the Ferguson Fire has taken the life of yet another firefighter, Capt. Brian Hughes of Squaw Valley, on Sunday and that bulldozer operator Don Ray Smith of Pollock Pines died Thursday while fighting the Carr fire. Their deaths remind us how much we owe every one of the thousands of dedicated men and women who stand between these fires and our homes and families. They know the dangers better than any, yet day after day and year after year take the front lines to stop these monster fires.
Issues: