The
House of Representatives this week passed its third bill in three years to
alleviate the California water crisis. Based on extensive, bipartisan
House-Senate negotiations, the California
Emergency Drought Relief Act (H.R. 5781) included numerous Senate
demands. The bill did not even strive to permanently solve the crisis, instead
proposing measures simply to bring some short-term relief to families and to
help farmers get through the upcoming growing season. Nevertheless, the Senate
refused to approve even these minimal, temporary actions, just as it declined
to act on the previous House water bills. The House was also prepared to pass
the measures as part of the Omnibus spending bill, but the effort was killed by Senate opposition.
Having
rejected all our initiatives, the senators should explain their plan for
relieving the water crisis. As I argued on the House floor, by the way they’re acting, it’s almost as if they have no
plan at all . . .
