High Speed Rail has Become a High Priced Boondoggle

As Governor Jerry Brown struggles to press forward with his over-budget high-speed rail boondoggle, please click on the picture below to watch a short video about the project's effects on farmers and Valley residents.  

Video: What's causing the California water crisis?

Once again, the San Joaquin Valley is feeling the effects of our man-made water crisis. Click on the image below to watch a short video about some of the misguided policies and counter-productive responses that are creating severe problems for Valley families and farmers: 

Nunes trip generates fake news attacks

As many of you know, I recently returned from an overseas trip for the House Intelligence Committee in which I met with U.S. military and intelligence personnel and foreign government officials in numerous countries. Somewhat unsurprisingly, I came home to find a deluge of fake news stories about my trip. It's a sad commentary on the mainstream media today that it will re-report, without the slightest skepticism, obviously false stories that are based on anonymous sources, as long as the stories serve the Democrats' political purposes.

Julie Kelly at American Greatness debunked these fake news stories here.

My visits with U.S. troops overseas

I just returned from a trip overseas for the House Intelligence Committee, having met with government, military, and intelligence officials in various countries. I also had the opportunity to meet with U.S. troops stationed abroad, whose patriotism and high morale are deeply inspiring. The trip included visits with the Army's 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry and the Marine Corps Black Sea Rotational Force at the Mihail Kogalniceanu (MK) Air Base in Romania, a key logistical hub for U.S. forces in the Black Sea region. I also went to the country of Georgia to observe Noble Partner 2018, a multinational military exercise led by the U.S. and Georgian militaries. Pictures of those visits are below.   

Soldiers and Marines at MK Air Base, Romania

Discussing exercise Noble Partner with Commander 

and Command Sergeant-Major, Georgia

Soldiers from California, exercise Noble Partner, Georgia

Observing a new Russian military base over the border in Russia-occupied Georgia

With participants in Noble Partner and Rep. Crawford, Georgia

Another California water grab

The California State Water Resources Control Board recently proposed a plan to increase unimpaired water flow requirements on the San Joaquin River. Simply put, this would divert even more water away from people in the guise of environmental protection. Touted as a plan to protect “beneficial water use,” this is simply a scheme to grab more water from California cities, farms, and industry. I recently signed a letter with my California congressional colleagues expressing our strong opposition to the plan. You can read the letter here.

Given that California is experiencing another dry water year, it's totally unacceptable for the state to adopt more water supply restrictions. I will continue working with my colleagues in Congress to fight back against actions like these that would further curtail water deliveries to the San Joaquin Valley.

Wall Street Journal visits the Valley

Wall Street Journal columnist Kim Strassel recently visited the San Joaquin Valley to research a column about my investigation of government surveillance abuses. You can read it here and here.