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Source: Congress.gov
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The committee will come to order. The chair notes the presence of a quorum pursuant to committee rules. Members of the committee may submit written opening statements for the record. I ask that members may revise and extend their remarks on the bills to be considered at this markup and have those remarks included in the record. Without objection, so ordered. Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare recess of the committee at any time. Pursuant to Committee Rule 3I, the Chair announces that he may postpone further proceedings today on the question of approving any measure or matter or adopting an amendment on which a recorded vote is ordered. I now recognize myself for an opening statement. Welcome to our first markup of the 119th Congress. During our committee's organizing meeting, I said that we must increase access to our public lands and natural resources, managing them well, facilitating economic development for local communities, and expanding recreational opportunities for all Americans. And we have worked hard on that charge since the first day of Congress. In fact, while today is our first legislative markup, I'm proud to report that this committee has already succeeded in moving 16 bills off the House floor. Our constituents elected each of us to advance sound policy through the legislative process, and I'm excited to continue doing just that. The legislation under consideration improves communities' access to water resources, promotes access to affordable and reliable energy, and encourages sound land management practices to safeguard communities against catastrophic wildfire. To name a few, H.R. 302, the Water Rights Protection Act of 2025, by our colleague Representative Malloy, addresses a longstanding source of conflict in the West, water rights. The bill provides a legislative fix to prevent the federal government from seizing privately owned waters. H.R. 231, the Colorado River Basin System Conservation Extension Act of 2025 by Representative Hageman, reauthorizes a critical program under the Bureau of Reclamation that reduces consumptive use of water resources in the Colorado River Basin by more than 22,000 acre-feet.
Her second bill on the markup, HR 1001, that among other things requires the Western Area Power Administration to enter a memorandum of understanding to address the impacts of flow experiments at Glen Canyon Dam on the Upper Colorado River Basin. HR 331 by Representative Fulcher amends the Aquifer Recharge Flexibility Act to allow holders of an existing right-of-way to use existing infrastructure to facilitate aquifer recharge. HR 1044 by Representative Valadao authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to extend the Cahuilla project permit for up to an additional 40 years, allowing the project to continue supplying reliable and affordable hydroelectric power to the region. H.R. 1110 by our colleague Representative LaMalfa requires the Secretary of Agriculture to develop a strategy to increase livestock grazing as a means of reducing wildfire risk. We will also be marking up our committee's authorization and oversight plan for the 119th Congress, which we must do under Clause 2D1 of House Rule 10 by March 1st. Last Congress, our committee held 87 oversight hearings addressing critical issues like China's growing malign influence in the Indo-Pacific and the international criminal cartels targeting Indian communities with the illegal drugs trafficked across our borders. Our committee has not missed a beat in the 119th Congress with its oversight work. In addition to the hearings we have conducted on our nation's critical mineral and energy supply chains, this afternoon our Oversight and Investigation Subcommittee will examine the Bureau of Indian Education. The hearing will focus on how the agency's mismanagement has had devastating impacts on the quality of education and the opportunities available to some of the most vulnerable children in Indian Country. These are the kind of real-world issues our constituents elected us to investigate and address through oversight and legislation in this committee. I'm proud of the legislative oversight work this committee has completed during my tenure as chairman.
I'm excited for the work we will do in the 119th Congress and humbled by the trust placed in each of us by our constituents to address the issues most important to them, their families, and their communities. With that, I yield back, and I recognize Ranking Member Huffman for any opening statement he may have. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and good morning, everyone. I am glad to join you at the first markup of legislation for the 119th Congress. Our staffs have worked together to reach agreement on most of the bills that we'll consider today, and I appreciate that collaboration. But I can't help but wonder if what we're doing today will even matter, because it ignores a very large elephant in the room. Right now, the administration is illegally blocking funds enacted by Congress to help hardworking Americans, including funding meant for wildfire management and water infrastructure projects at a time when communities in California are still reeling from disaster and other communities are hoping to avoid the next disaster. Are we considering measures related to these egregious abuses of power today? No. The administration has illegally fired inspectors general from at least 18 federal agencies, including the Department of Interior, without warning, without explanation, in clear violation of the law. But are we gathering today to advance legislation to force the White House to follow the law and reinstate these independent watchdogs? We are not. Elon Musk and his Doge tech bros are ransacking federal agencies, accessing America's private data, and purporting to fire people and shut down entire programs. It appears that NOAA is next on the chopping block, a science-based agency that provides critical weather data, lifesaving storm warnings, maritime safety, among other massively important functions. Gutting NOAA, the way DOGE is attempting to do with so many other agencies, will literally put lives at risk.
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