lamalfa: he was amazed and blown away and emotional by the variety we have here. yet the priorities don't seem to be producing for americans, even producing for those we help around the worrell. it seems to be waste basted more on environmental needs like in my home state of california where they are releasing more water to the ocean than to agriculture this year. why does this affect all americans? why does this affect you? because so many of the crops that you -- that we grow in california supply somewhere between 90% and 98% of what americans need of those crops. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. lamalfa: we are doing this environmental stuff still in california. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess subject to the call of the chair. >> washington journal. host: two reporters join us to talk about the week ahead. siobhan hughes covers congress for the wall street journal. joey garrison covers the white house for usa today. thanks for giving us your time this

lamalfa of california, i inform the house that mr. lamalfa will vote no on the previous question. the speaker pro tempore: for at purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. lawson, i inform the hse that mr. lawson will vote yea on the previous question. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from pennsylvania the speaker pro tempore: as the member designated by m speier, i inform the house that ms. speer will vote yes on the previous question. e speaker pro tempore: for what purse does the gentleman fromorth carolina rise? >> as the member designated by mrs. boebert of colorado, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the hou that mrs. boebertill vote no. as the member designated by mr. bishop, i inform the house that mr. bishopill vote no on the previous question. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? >> as the member designated by mr. gonzales of ohio, i inform the house that mr. gonzales will question.n the previous the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose doethe gentlen

lamalfa. representative lamalfa? >> thank you, madam chair. yes, i'm here, mostly. [laughs] . thank you for convening today's hearing. i have a few thoughts on what is going on here in rural california. and the effects of legislation on people that were provided lyft and uber services and tie that back in into a vehicles are able to provide in our rural area. excuse my illness here today. i'm at home. taking it easy here, so ... my rural district in northern california, lyft was performing about 2500 rides late at night, which you know might entail people that have had too much to drink or other purposes, but certainly drunk driving and drowsy driving is something we want to avoid. in the state of california, of course, a bill passed called ab5, and it's being, the pro act is being modeled after that. the result was that they were trying to -- uber drivers as employees of companies, where actually they really do have, in their own way, autonomy as to set their own hours and their own workplace, etc. the voters to california overturned that portion of ab5 initiative process to

lamalfa of california, i inform the house that mr. lamalfa will vote yea on h.r. 6833. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. crist of florida, lawson of florida, roybal-allard of california, i inform the house that all three of these members will vote yea on h.r. 6833. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from mississippi seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. lamalfa of california, i inform the house that mr. lamalfa will vote nay on h.r. 6833. the speaker: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by representatives kahele, mrvan, strickland, i inform the house that these members will vote yes on h.r. 6833. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. brooks, i inform the house that mr. brooks will vote nay on h.r. 6833. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpo

lamalfa mentioned, is a test in many states in the united states. it's the most stringent test to address the classification of workers. >> thank you very much. mr. samuelsen, i want to thank the transport workers union for working with me on a provision in the bipartisan infrastructure bill that improves transit safety program with bus driver protection and blind spot removal requirements. how can technology help drivers with blind spot issues and general safety issues? >> thank you for the question. in terms of blind spots on buses, it is a fact that buses in the united states, across every transportation district, every transit provider, bus operators are ordered to go through pedestrian right-of-way areas to maintain schedule on buses with blind spots. that is a bit of a disaster waiting to happen. and it's an example of where technology has such an extremely positive place in terms of collision avoidance and that type of thing in order to protect pedestrians, protect riders, and protect the operator. and so technology does have its place. and i

lamalfa, for five minutes. mr. lamalfa: thank you, mr. speaker.ell, there's been a lot of talk about energy and energy costs in this country and, of course, my home state of california where you can easily find fuel over $6 a gallon. so let me translate this conversation into what it means for farmers and what farmers mean for food supply. now, we know the united states farmer provides the best, cleanest, the most efficient process, more grown per acre, per unit than anywhere else in the world. so it's amazing to me just a few days ago president biden announced that we're going to have food shortages in the world and even here. we're already seeing the empty shelves. we're already seeing the high prices. you know, supply and demand for everything. so in the united states of america, food shortages makes me ask, what are our priorities as a country, as a government here or in my home state of california's government? we're looking at energy costs. so everything requires energy when you have a product that goes from a field, from a mine, from a manu

lamalfa: i joined several of my republican colleagues on the trip to southern border of arizona and we received a he briefing and went on field tours and a staging site. i was horrified by what i saw. president biden halted the border and left it wide open to smuggle illegal dugs. women and children being abused in ways unimaginable. and how the cartel recycles a child victim and conduit and when they are done, they take them dope and recycle them. they prey on families of what they oh to the cartel. the filth and trash, the drugs, containers of drugs, pills you find there in the washes, it's horrific. we must control our border. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? >> unanimous consent for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> tomorrow, we will be addressed by the head of state from ukraine. i have been talking to young people, students, older people, if they know the background between those countries and a starvation of ukranian people that took place in 1932 and 1933. 10% of americans know t

lamalfa: thank you. people, it's time to focus. our energy crisis, our energy costs. that also relates to food. and our country, we're already seeing bare shelves of food items. you might remember boris yeltsen went to our country. he's amazed on what's on american shelves. and now we have shelves like in russia. in my home state of california, as they cut off the water supply in the clamth basin who got zero water to farm crops and san joaquin valley, zero water conditions. we look at conditions around the world. russia is deciding to make it harder to plant crops. hungary decided they won't export grain this year. this will have a ripple effect through all food supply and certainly prices. price of wheat is way up. maybe 100% wheat futures. we'll feel -- if we're not planting our own food in this country and we have the water to do it in california but it's all going out to the ocean in order to support fish that no longer support -- live there and a salinity issue. we have to focus once again. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for wh

lamalfa: thank you. a few weeks ago i went to the southern border and i was shocked and appalled to hear about the humanitarian crisis, the violence, and the drug smuggling firsthand on site. president biden and democrats' open border policies have allowed a record number of illegals and illegal drugs in our country. staggering numbers slip pass without fence or enough border patrol. now, the president biden is thinking about repealing one of the most effective methods of deporting illegal immigrants, title 42. title 42 is a public health law that allows u.s. border agents to send them back if they post a health risk to americans and if they're from a country with a communicable disease outbreak. during the height of the crisis, they want to let them in by repealing title 42. it will be more illegal immigration in this country. it will eliminate the few tools we have to expel illegal immigrants. they tried to force vaccine on americans, force them to wear masks on airplanes and airports and at the same t

lamalfa. mr. lamalfa: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain up to 15 requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognize -- from rhode island seek recognition? mr. langevin: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. langevin: -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. langevin: mr. speaker, today i rise to honor the legacy of my good friend and colleague, congressman don young from alaska, who sadly passed away on the evening of march 18. don was an inspirational man who served the people of alaska in the house of representatives for nearly half a century and did so with a giant heart and tremendo

lamalfa. mr. lamalfa: thank you to my colleague from louisiana here tonight. i rise during this special order to offer thoughts on the real state of the union. last night, the president addressed the nation and attempted to rewrite the history of his first 14 months in office. the speech was short on solutions to our everyday challenges. record inflation, skyrocketing price of gas, and supply chain disruptions that are affecting everything from food to consumer goods. this administration owns this energy crisis, which is the direct result of the crippling domestic production. we don't produce our own energy, it makes us more vulnerable to global market fluctuations, such as those caused by the russian aggression to ukraine. the biden administration continues to ignore the national emergency at our southern boreder is with unprecedented illegal immigration. millions of apprehensions and limited deportations. it's a serious situation that continues to threaten our national security. let's focus for a moment here on u.s. energy, though. americans have been feelin

lamalfa: what are the priorities of this administration are. when you look at the different world events are when john kerry says we hope this ukraine intervention doesn't interfere with the progress we are making with putin on climate change, what are the priorities. the carbon dioxide represents .04% and you see the gases represented by a much larger percentage. but, if john kerry and this administration's big priority is co-2, what are they doing to help remedy that? my home state of california, it is shutting dune both nuclear power plants. it is tearing up hydroelectric dams on the klammoth river. and no, it is something else, some other agenda. if we had more nuclear power plants, we wouldn't have the fuel forum. we produce 9,000 pounds of uranium, yet our needs for our power plants and military ships and medical is 45 million pounds. 9,000 versus 45 million. this isn't the priority of this administration to meet the erm needs if you look at the production of like that let alone oil and gas which is so critical. we need to focus on what t

lamalfa. mr. lamalfa: i thank my colleague, mr. johnson, for getting the message out. because that is really important. we are talking to the public about this situation. that we don't have to be in. we have seen with the fairly new biden administration that inflation has risen tremendously. i don't get pleasure on bagging on the president. but you have to go to the core of issues and the policies in place have harmed the u.s. economy and harmed regular families of the the cost of fuel has been a noticeable part of this. my home state of california, we always enjoy extra costs because of the way things are done there. four bucks for the rest of the country, it is 5.50 in my home state. this surge is affecting everybody and greater burden on rural residents. we have to drive longer distance and their jobs on the basis of fuel. and there is less exports of things that are produced in rural america, less services, less employment because of the high cost of everything. we are talking to some truckers and they can't deliver anymore because they can't afford the fuel. imagi

lamalfa. mr. lamalfa: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker: the chair will entertain up to five one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, madam speaker. no amount of warnings from the biden administration and our intelligence could have prepared us for the sheer brutality and devastation we have seen from mr. putin, who expected a quick toppling of ukraine's young democracy. he was wrong and we have watched in awe the resilience and heroism of the ukrainians, led by president zelensky. but their bravery alone is not enough. we must meet their bravery with gl

lamalfa: thank you, madam speaker. with americans facing higher prices everywhere, at the gas pump, the grocery store, car dealership, clothing stores and even hotels, americans are paying more everywhere thanks to incredible inflation brought on by president biden's plan for spending. well, with the new budget now coming out, we are going to see an even bigger amount of deficit. the american families facing a $3500 yearly inflation tax, the biden administration wants to spend $73 trillion over the next 10 years. just in the budget year, not new spending, not covid spending, this is what normal budgets will start to look like. which was $8 trillion more than what the c.b.o. is predicting for the same period of time. under this budget, biden can eisley add $15 -- easily add $15 trillion more to the national debt. which would make it $45 trillion, $46 trillion by the year 2032. we can't manage this. if the price of interest goes up much more, it will completely eviscerate our ability to do anything besides mandatory spen

lamalfa: today the national average for a imln of gas is late over $4. $4.06. in my home state of california the average price across our state is $5.34. the first time ever, the average gas price per gallon is over $5 in every single california county. i know california brings a lot of pain upon itself, self-inflicted, but i've seen a lot of mainstream media try to claim the prices and increases are due to russia's attack on ukraine, not the biden administration's anti-energy agenda. if that were true how has our gas price increased $1.60 over the last year, not just the last two wreaks of the ukraine conflict? since taking office, the biden administration has frozen all new oil and gas project osen federal lands and implemented extreme financial barriers on domestic production. on kay one he dhild keystone x.l. pipeline which could be supplying more oil than what russia imports to us. in his first week we had executive orders stopping on our federal lands. we need to replace russian energy with our own production. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for wh

lamalfa of california, i inform the house that mr. lamalfa will vote nay on h.r. 2116. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the the gentleman from florida rise? >>> madam speaker, as the member designated by miss cathy mcmorris rodgers, i inform the house that miss rodgers will vote nay on h.r. 2116. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from texas rise? ms. escobar: madam speaker, as the member designated by ms. roybal-allard, i inform the house that ms. roybal-allard will vote yes on h.r. 2116. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the the gentleman from california rise? mr. gomez: as the member designated representatives cardenas and swalwell, i inform the house that these members will vote aye on h.r. 2116. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the the gentleman from new jersey rise? mr. pallone: thank you, madam speaker. as the member designated by mr. sires, mr. welch, mrs. kirkpatrick, mr. kim, mr. pascrell, mr. payne, and mre that these members will vote yes on h.r. 2116. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpo

lamalfa. >> think you madam chair for the hearing today. fema's always key issue especially in our western states as well. a lot of chatter about climate change, climate change every committee, every conversation. we suffer out here with forests, they're not managed, we had 1 million acre dixie fire just last year. and several other fires in the six digit -- as well as the campfire and paradise which was a big one, i'll be talking about that in a moment. here we can hardly get the forest service -- manager lands in the way that will give us some way to battle fire and contain fire much more easily. so it's talk on one time but not much action. forest service has time this week to go down and see from helicopters new mexico. managed to find time to do that. pretty freaking amazing. to our folks in fema, when we look back at the campfire in paradise. there was an issue of postfire where there's a lot of damage trees, dead trees that were left behind because i think fema really hadn't had a lot of practice with those protocols and what you do