Nunes on Face the Nation Sunday

I will be appearing on CBS’ Face the Nation this Sunday. In most Central Valley locations the show will begin airing at 8:30 am PST. For a list of broadcast times, click this link.

A gathering threat

Terrorists struck on American soil last weekend when two armed jihadists attempted to storm an event in Garland, Texas, that was displaying cartoons of Mohammad. Thanks to quick action by a police officer, the casualties were limited to one security guard being shot in the foot – as well as the two attackers, who were killed before they could commit the atrocity they had planned.

The threat posed by Islamist extremists has rapidly grown more severe. The Islamic State controls wide swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, while al Qaeda groups continue to spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Many of these groups now have battlefield experience and terrorism credentials, deep support networks, and the ability to broadcast their propaganda worldwide through social media.

This critical threat is not confined to the Middle East. Like the murderous attacks in Paris earlier this year, the Garland assault shows that Islamist terrorists have a wide reach throughout the world. Those who believe the jihadists will spare the U.S. if we simply withdraw from our position of world leadership are deluding themselves. This movement does not make limited demands that can be appeased. Like Communism, its adherents are openly, proudly intent on world domination, and they will continue pursuing that goal until they are decisively defeated.

Separately, the Nunes Digest is updated for your weekend reading here.         

Water update "CA Guac"

This week, the media continued to bemoan the California drought while downplaying how much water we’re losing due to environmental regulations. I took on some of the media spin about the water crisis last week in an article for National Review. Writing for the same magazine, Kevin Williamson has a piece out today debunking the common argument that global warming is to blame for the crisis. Read his piece “Global Warming Guacamole” here.  

Separately, the Nunes Digest is updated for your weekend reading here.

Fox News story and other water wars updates

The effects of Governor Jerry Brown’s water restrictions continue to reverberate across the state. A lot of the media coverage blames farmers for the crisis without even mentioning the environmental regulations that have been decimating the Central Valley water supply for decades. I offer a corrective to the media’s reporting in a new article here, and I argue my points in a Fox News report here. And in case you missed it, you can see my comments on the House floor last year on the water crisis by clicking on the picture below:

 

 

Water woes

The national media suddenly took notice of the California water wars this week after Governor Brown announced state-wide water restrictions. It’s nice to see some media interest in the problem, though they’re coming pretty late to the game. It’s amazing how a decades-long crisis in the Valley turns into a big story once the effects hit San Francisco and other coastal enclaves.

Governor Brown, President Obama, and many others are blaming the water crisis on global warming, but I have a different take. To watch my remarks during a water debate on the House floor last year, click here. For a comprehensive rebuttal of our opponents’ arguments, click here.

Additionally, take a look at articles by Victor Davis Hanson on this issue here and here.   

Thoughts on my Middle East trip and new water restrictions

I just returned from a trip to Europe and the Middle East, where a highlight was the chance to meet with U.S. troops stationed overseas. I also spoke to representatives of our Middle Eastern allies, who are rightfully worried by spreading instability and violence. Aside from the battle against ISIS in Syria, Iraq, and northern Africa, Iran is a major concern. Using proxy militias as well as their own special forces, the mullahs are aggressively expanding their influence in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, and elsewhere.

The specter of Iran gaining nuclear capabilities hangs over the region. Unsurprisingly, the framework agreement that the Obama administration recently signed with Iran did not ease our allies’ concerns. Instead of forcing the mullahs to completely abandon their nuclear program, the Obama administration will allow numerous nuclear sites, thousands of centrifuges, and other key parts of the program to remain intact. Our allies struggle to understand why the Iranian regime – the world’s biggest sponsor of terrorism –  can extract so many concessions from the world’s superpower. This is part of a strange pattern with the Obama administration – stridently anti-American regimes in Iran and Cuba are persistently courted, while relations with close allies like the Kurds, Jordan, Israel, and Egypt are diminished.

Separately, as you know, Gov. Brown has announced mandatory water restrictions for the first time in California history. This provoked the New York Times to dutifully parrot talking points that connect the drought to global warming. As I mentioned in a press statement, neither the drought nor global warming has caused the water crisis in the Central Valley, where the irrigation system was designed to withstand five years of drought. The crisis exists because our water is being diverted for environmental causes, as Victor Davis Hanson explains here. Now that the Governor resorted to water rationing, I hope he will reconsider his opposition to all the bills we passed in the House of Representatives that would alleviate the water crisis.            

On another note, I wanted to draw your attention to the Fresno Bee article here about Pete Dern, the Fresno firefighter who was critically injured after falling through a roof while battling a blaze. The article provides information on where you can donate to Dern and upcoming blood drives for him.  

Finally, the Nunes Digest is updated for your weekend reading here.