SANTA BARBARA, CA - Congressional Western Caucus Members participated in a policy roundtable hosted by the Western Caucus Foundation at the Ronald Reagan Center in Santa Barbara, California to discuss important issues facing the West.
Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04) introduced Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) to provide a keynote address, followed by three policy panels: students from the Young America’s Foundation discussing student activism on environmental issues; California Farm Bureau and Perimeter Solutions to discuss water, disaster relief, and fire prevention; and the American Exploration and Mining Association and Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) to discuss the need for strategic and critical mineral development.
“President Reagan’s legacy is one that Americans across the country admire because he understood that private citizens and industry are far more capable of overcoming our nation’s challenges than the federal government ever could be,” said Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04). “The Congressional Western Caucus is in California to hear firsthand from community leaders on the ground that are working to address our priorities – from wildfire fighting and prevention to agricultural challenges and critical mineral development. The focus of our field tour mirrors our focus in the nation’s capital: Channeling the spirit of President Reagan and representing the values that matter to local communities and empowering Americans – not the federal government – to work together.”
“As Members of the Western Caucus, we have firsthand knowledge of the unique challenges that our states face – including severe drought, catastrophic fires, obstacles to mineral development, and forest management concerns – and how the families and agricultural communities we represent are negatively impacted,” said Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23). “Listening to community leaders has offered us an invaluable perspective that has only confirmed what we already knew to be true: the Biden administration’s policies threaten our way of life. As we continue to move forward with addressing these issues, House Republicans are ready to collaborate on commonsense reforms that will support our districts, protect our agricultural communities, and empower the rights of hard-working Americans.”
"The Western Caucus is tackling critical issues facing our nation and having discussions on how we can preserve our energy and agricultural independence, protect our natural resources from our forests to our water sources, and prevent the massive fires we have been seeing across the West and in particular in California," said Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA-01). "Our farmers need water to grow food to put on our tables and miners in America can extract minerals in a cleaner manner than other countries while ensuring that we are not dependent on hostile countries. California and federal policies that make it harder to water our crops, manage our forests properly, or extract our abundant minerals make our country less safe and harm all Americans. At its heart, these challenges are because of poor government policy and inaction by government bureaucracy that doesn’t care. The Western Caucus gives members an opportunity to discuss and organize to fix these problems. There is a war on the west and we must overcome the policies of failure and scarcity that harm our constituents and America.
“Combatting the wildfire challenges in the west requires an innovative mix of fire prevention and suppression resources and policies,” said Rep. Ken Calvert (CA-42). “The Western Caucus is leading the way in putting the pieces in place to confront these disasters. I’m grateful for the members and staff who have traveled to California to gain a better understanding of the issues we are facing.”
“Western states and rural communities in particular face a unique set of challenges when it comes to wildfire prevention, water resources, and reliable and affordable energy,” said Rep. Jay Obernolte (CA-08). “Here in California, we are quickly approaching what might be one of the worst wildfire seasons on record. We are also facing what will likely be one of the worst droughts in our state’s history. And in addition, we are struggling with reliability and affordability in our energy grid. We must work together across state, local and federal governments to address the threats to our critical resources, prioritize our constituents’ rights to water, protect our communities, and improve life in the Western United States.”
"The Western Caucus round tables today at the Reagan Center highlight the damage that leftist policies have done to our economy and our environment," said Rep. Tom McClintock (CA-04). "Everything we touch that makes our lives better is either mined or grown, and yet the left has declared war on those very pursuits while harming the very environment they purport to care about. Today’s conference is another wake up call for families across the country."
“This extraordinary summit brought to the forefront crucial issues and emerging innovations for water use, resource management and the prevention/mitigation of wildfires. It is essential that we stop and reverse destructive policies that are creating water shortages and increased exposure to the fires that we know will occur. That’s why we discussed solutions that could be implemented today and make a lasting difference for years to come," said Rep. Darrell Issa (CA-50). "I must also mention the great work of the Young America’s Foundation and the inspiring students of their program that they are providing with the words, wisdom and meaning of Ronald Reagan. They are the true inheritors of the 40th President’s timeless legacy.”
"I want to thank the Congressional Western Caucus for highlighting the need to address the growing western water crisis,” said Rep. David Valadao (CA-21). “Water is the backbone of the Central Valley’s local economy, and without access to clean, reliable water, the farmers and producers that feed the nation simply cannot continue to grow their crops. As a result, countless jobs are lost, and families across the United States will face inevitable food shortages and higher costs. Addressing this water crisis cannot wait, and we will continue to raise our voices until the House Majority considers meaningful legislation to combat this crisis."
The roundtable follows a day of field tours where Members and staff were able to watch several aerial firefighting demonstrations and learn about the next generation of firefighting technology and fire retardants. They also participated in a discussion with the Orange County Fire Authority, CAL FIRE, and the U.S. Forest Service to learn how lawmakers can help increase collaboration to protect lands and communities throughout the West and beyond.
Following the demonstrations, they participated in an agriculture exhibition with the California Farm Bureau, Santa Barbara Farm Bureau, and the Western United States Agriculture Trade Association (WUSATA) to discuss challenges facing the agriculture industry from severe drought to burdensome federal regulations.
