mr. lamalfa, for five minutes. mr. lamalfa: thank you, madam speaker. so i was looking at a local news source here today. the title of the article was "heat waves add burden to electric vehicle owners." so there is challenges, it turns out, that these heavy expensive batteries in electric vehicles have a tendency to get damaged by high temperatures. electric vehicles are extremely complicated and they're expensive. repairing batteries in them is nearly impossible and replacing one is very costly. i saw a bit on one of the -- there's an expensive brand of pickup out they were talking about how to repair it in a fender-bender that somebody hit the rear quarter panel on it and it drove the body work up to the forward part of the car. it's not just repairing the quarter panel. they made it a $42,000 compare because there's so much complexity with all the electric vehicle technology that drives all the different wheels and has such an extensive wiring system. so we're being told as americans that we should start driving these vehicles. we should buy them, re

mr. lamalfa: mr. speaker, i move that the house be adjourned. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on t the motion to adjourn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. accordingly, the house stands adjourned until 9:00 a.m. >> work on the defense policy bill out of getting nearly $785 billion to fund the pentagon for the fiscal year 2024. members considering hundreds of amendments over the past few days from -- such as one from texas would prohibit the defense department from spending any funds for abortion services and another from south carolina banning funds for gender reassignment surgery for service members. several political reporters speculate the passage of these events has promoted democratic support for the bill. the final passage of vote is effective tomorrow. more life has coverage when the members return here on c-span. -- live house coverage when the members return on c-span. >> order your copy of the 118th congressional directory here at c-span.org. it is your access to the federal go

mr. lamalfa: this year marks the 78th anniversary of the state of israel and re-creation after world war ii when many countries around the world got their independence. on the day it was -- israel was officially declared independence back in 1948, of course, the day after they were attacked immediately by five surrounded arab countries. so we see israel's existence is not an easy one. it's one that requires our alliance as they are a loyal, loyal friend to this country as we are to them. so it's only fitting that this week we'll have the president of israel, we welcome president isaac herzog, who my understanding is actually the first native born israeli since the creation of the state. so welcome this week to address here in the house president isaac herzog. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: thank you. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess subject to the call of the chair.

mr. lamalfa for five minutes per thank you, mr. chairman. resuming work a little while ago, talking about utilizing volunteers and keeping the trails open. we get a fair amount of questions up in my area about the status of the trails, when they fall intoo neglect and you get behind. the next thing you know you get a memo that says we can't recapture betrayal, it would be too expensive, which is their de facto closure of betrayal and people feel like they are done very deliberately because there seems to be more and more exclusion from forest service land for hiking, hunting, offer vehicles andnd such. can you disabuse that assumption that folks contact me about? >> yeah. i mean, i was able, the good news about the break as i was able to look something up with a staff pic there's about 75% of the trails open, so probably a court of the trails that are still struggling probably from -- >> are you talking whiskeytown? >> yeah, sorry. butt there is, there should be o other purpose actions if you will to keep something closed and there should be

mr. lamalfa, for five minutes. mr. lamalfa: thank you, madam speaker. well, as the country deals with distractions that are the truth of which is very difficult to get out of the white house or other sources such as the missing titanic submarine, when did it actually implode, couldn't get the truth on that, or where is the package of cocaine that came in the white house? who's responsible for that? why can't they track that with their massive security systems? or silliness such as males competing in women sports and being in women's places like their locker rooms, all distract away -- they are important issues but they distract from some really important issues that don't get a lot of press, a lot of coverage these days. . take the situation of iran and development of nuclear weapons. that's a very unstable country and one that's a very well noted sponsor of terror around the world in many areas. harken back a little ways here. under the obama administration, everybody remembers that first pallet of cash floated to iran, about $400 million basically of

mr. lamalfa, for five minutes. mr. lamalfa: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, we weren't supposed to really talk about this up until recently here that indeed the united states does have an ammunition shortage for our military here and around the world. but it's so widely reported in the press. i guess we shouldn't ignore it anymore and pretend it isn't a problem. recently, with the controversy around cluster bombs, the president has defended his decision to send them to ukraine by announcing the u.s. army ammunition stockpiles are depleted. in other words, basically, this is all we have that we can give them at this point. primary reasons are, lack of funds and little focus on production. and truly, the lack of will to truly ramp up and build our ammunition stocks to what they should be. the u.s. military's goal, you know, decades ago was we could fight a two-front war. the united states used to have that might and capability. we saw that in world war ii with many or allies, of course, around the world we fought side by side with. as we know, mo

mr. lamalfa: thank you, mr. speaker. we know from the bible under john 15:13, the phrase, there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends which is applicable to our military willing to enlist and serve in that way to defend our country. so what's the reward? well, when the covid farce hit they were told initially after the president said oh, we're not going to require injections that if you don't take this injection for covid-19, you're going to be removed from the military. and indeed that happened to many service members who said, i don't really wish in this free country to take an untested injection. so provisions were making in the ndaa have to do with the covid-19 vaccine so-called discharges continues the prohibition on adverse action for any service members that refuses to take it but gives them a path back to service. we invite them to come back and serve. with recruitments actually down during the summer season, usually there is an uptick for those recruited and coming into the military, w

mr. lamalfa, for five minutes. mr. lamalfa: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to pay tribute and recognition of mike reynolds of fresno, california, who recently passed away. he's left behind a legacy on our state and indeed for the people that love safe streets and feel it's proper to make those criminals pay the price for their activity. mike was a remarkable individual who exemplified resilience and dedication in the face of adversity. he was the driving force behind the three strikes law in california that many other states since picked up afterwards. this after the tragic murder of his daughter by violent serial offenders during a robbery. his daughter pictured here. no parent should have to see the loss of their child, especially time and time and time again around our country with repeat offenders. we know better. we know better as a society how to treat crime, how to deal with it. yet this happens. so mike was a champion for passing an initiative in california called the three strikes and you are out law to make sure repeat offenders would do pro

mr. lamalfa: thank you, mr. chairman. i'm really wounded by that and because the logic just isn't there. what we're talking about is an aircraft that is fully certified, that if it was under a 90 day or longer contract, everybody would be hunky-dory with it. it would be perfectly kosher. in this situation here, since it doesn't have that long of a contract, it's not now considered a public aircraft. so it meets all the standards for safety, for transporting personnel, as well as transporting the products with which we'll be putting out the fire. so i am just mystified as to the logic, why we can't do this. it will save a lot of unneeded pain and it will also allow local entities to be able to afford to keep these aircraft around because they're not going to be l locked into 90-day contracts. i'm lost as to why this couldn't be agreed to by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. i reserve. the chair: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: thank you, sir. let me

mr. lamalfa. mr. lamalfa: thank you, my colleague from louisiana, mr. johnson, i appreciate you leading us once again as we communicate with the american folks, the good things we're getting done around here. that's important, the communication, the openness of the house to the people is a critical element and something we were missing for about 2 1/2 years around here as the covid disaster exacerbated by government action as a disaster, hit this country. indeed, overreaction has cost us so much economically, so much to the good will and the mental state of many of our people. you know. look at the damage that was done to our school kids as they lost basically two years out of their lives. i think that'll be damage that's done to a generation that i don't know how quickly that's going to recover. but we here, republicans in the majority in the u.s. house, have worked toward restoring people's faith in the government by allowing them to participate, opening the house, the gallery, once again. i can have people from my district here tonight that that righ

mr. lamalfa from california. >> i appreciate sitting in on the committee today. director reynolds, thank you for your time. in my own district, we have lassen national park, the volcano. the phone lines have been down for quite a while, at least april, perhaps longer. that is not to be unexpected from the amount of snow we had. but there is no other phone number listed on the park's website that is working or available. even including fire and law enforcement except for 911. the only option to visitors is inquiring through email. which the email response is "we will get back to you asap." we have been getting dissatisfaction from our constituents on that. how can we improve? i can't imagine this is going to make any positive experience for our folks with just that level of communications. and then take that to what it means for public safety as well if you would. >> is that a question, sir? >> do you believe that's going to be a positive experience for people to not have timely communication as we're in the summer season, beach boys all summer long -- and what ab

mr. lamalfa: -- for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek to be recognized? mr. mall fa: i move that the house be adjourned. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to adjourn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. accordingly the house stands adjourned until our life form involving you to discuss the latest issues in government, politics and public policy, from washington dc and across the country. coming up thursday morning, california republican congressman thomas mcclintock, a member of the judiciary committee investigates funding and gop investigations and adam smith, a top democrat on the armed services committee talked about the 2024 defense spending -- bill and an upcoming spending deadline. c-span's washington journal, join in the conversation live at 7:00 eastern thursday morning on c-span, c-span now, or online at c-span.org. >> the senate judiciary committee is working on legislation dealing with the conduct of the u.s. supreme court known as the supreme court ethics, recusal and transparenc

mr. lamalfa: thank you, mr. speaker. this is national forest week across this country. i encourage everybody to partake in enjoying your national forests. our nation indeed was blessed by god with some truly inspiring natural beauty. it's our job to preserve it and utilize it for future generations. unfortunately many of our national forests are under threat, not just from something, the usually climate change nonsense, but actually wildfires. caused by overcrowded forests. too many trees. we haven't been tending to the forests for 50 years. the federal government has refused to properly thin and manage our forests, largely because of a lack of funding or, in a lot of cases, frisk louis lawsuits pre-- frivolous lawsuits preventing the work that needs to be done by extreme environmental groups. they're now overgrown, overcrowded tinder boxes. all it takes is one lightning strike, a cigarette butt, a spark from a flat tire going down a rural highway. once they catch fire, they become infernos such as the million acre fire i had in my district a couple years ago called the

mr. lamalfa: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. lamalfa: well, it used to be california was the land of innovation and ideas but now it's the place where a lot of bad ideas come and in fact for the lrest of the country. i'm talking about port production. california said we need to dictate to the rest of the country how it's done. there's not a lot. a proposition said we can't use gestation crates for pork production. those are there to help piglets to not be squashed by their mother but it's been interpreted to be something completely different. we need h.r.417 -- h.r. 4417, the eats act, in order to have pork production in this country that's not dictated by some crazies in california that says we can't have you produce it like it. we did it with eggs. it will lead to higher prices and possibly lead to the importation of it because one state is trying to dictate it and reach across state lines with its tentacle of crazy ideas. it will keep going and going until we stop. i yield back.

mr. lamalfa: i hear nonsense. i call nonsense. our strength is not our diversity ample strength is in unity. we take diverse ideas and diverse talents and put them together. whether offensive football team where you have all different types an sizes of people with speeds and talent, they all come together as a team they all start to play at the same time. same thing for the military. we have the navajo code talkers, they weren't worried what color or gender they are. we have all starts of people coming together as a team. our military is forced together in recruiting and training to become a team. you don't worry about what everybody looks like or this that or the other. that's what we have when eve unity not diversity which is divisive. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. all time for the gentleman from south carolina has expire thsmed gentlelady from hawaii. ms. tokuda: thank you, mr. chairman. in closing, i just have one question to ask. what about us scares you? my grandfather, my father-in-law, my brother, they all f

mr. lamalfa: i hear nonsense. i call nonsense. our strength is not our diversity ample strength is in unity. we take diverse ideas and diverse talents and put them together. whether offensive football team where you have all different types an sizes of people with speeds and talent, they all come together as a team they all start to play at the same time. same thing for the military. we have the navajo code talkers, they weren't worried what color or gender they are. we have all starts of people coming together as a team. our military is forced together in recruiting and training to become a team. you don't worry about what everybody looks like or this that or the other. that's what we have when eve unity not diversity which is divisive. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. all time for the gentleman from south carolina has expire thsmed gentlelady from hawaii. ms. tokuda: thank you, mr. chairman. in closing, i just have one question to ask. what about us scares you? my grandfather, my father-in-law, my brother, they all f

mr. lamalfa of california for 25 minutes. >> thank you mister secretary for spending time with this today as we tackle the farm bill on time this year. i want to thank you for the quick response by your agency for the issues on the disaster declaration we have for tree nuts more specifically walnuts in california, where the terrible preharvest drought and heat wave really negatively affected that crop. and so they have a pretty large carryover of low quality knots that are still stuck in the supply chain. so section 32 was helpful for a good portion of that on the disaster declaration. and some low interest drones. but though loans have to be paid back and that sector who has never really asked for much of anything in this type of vein. they're looking for enough relief to move this back log of calk through crop through. and what happens of rubble to get them to direct help with this backlog for these tree not growers, specifically the walnut grow or? 's >> we've provided resources to the state agriculture departments to essentially allow them to purchase local and regionally produce food

mr. lamalfa: the evidence keeps popping up again and again and again there is a lot of problems with their interaction was foreign concerns. our duty as representatives is to demand the transparency and accountability from our leaders whether it's within this house or in the administration, in the bureaucracy, or what have you. that said, congress, the american people, cannot ignore the mounting evidence and questionable business dealings that have plagued hunter biden and the rest of the biden family for seemingly years now. we know hunter biden served as a board member for a firm that's been accused of bribery. we know he's worked with an vin hement fund controlled by the bank of china getting paid huge salaries for something he has no expertise and spending no time on. all this comes amid allegations of questionable business ethics, legal exposure, and concerns about u.s. national security because of his relationships in china. what do we hear lately? they want to go after president trump -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman's time has expired. for

mr. lamalfa: i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. >> without objection. mr. lamalfa: one of the cornerstones of our responsibilities in congress is oversight of government operations, white house, courts or of ourselves. so what are we looking at right now in the biden administration? they can't keep the white house clean and orderly and honorable. the story coming out on this cocaine issue is embarrassing for the country and embarrassing that the leader of the free world will not investigate and provide answers on that and some other activities that have gone on in the lawn there. accountability is extremely important for people to have faith in what their government is doing and to see the department of justice either not doing its job or weaponized against those lowers the faith and us as legislators. we have have to do better and we have to have oversight hearings that questions are answered here in this house and also a better self-governance by the white house and this place of acting right and doing right and being honorable

mr. lamalfa: mr. speaker, soon the house committee on rules will begin its consideration of this year's farm bill. the bill that includes some of the top priorities for not only northern california, but the whole country. my own district is home to some of the most productive agriculture regions in the world. the second largest rice growing region in the nation and we grow over half of the dried plums, also known as prunes, produced in the world. our farmers are international leaders in walnut production, among other crops. the farm bill gives farmers the tools they need to manage their risks during a difficult economic year or in a natural disaster, with the insurance that has been so successful over recent years. it strengthens incentives for our next generation of farmers as our farmers' average age is well into 60 now. it alkoits resources to -- allocates resources to programs that are vital to the economic well-being of all rural areas that have agriculture by funding rural health projects that h