mr. lamalfa: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to speak to the house. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today on the floor of congress to speak out against the ban on tiktok that will take place in six days on january 19. mr. khanna: i call on president biden and president-elect trump to put a pause on this ban so 170 million americans don't lose their free speech. and millions of americans' livelihood will be ended if this ban takes place. we need to be for free speech. we can protect americans' data. we can protect us from foreign interference on algorithms, but we should not ban tiktok. i call on others to join me in standing up for free speech and opposing this tiktok -- tiktok ban. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the

mr. lamalfa, for five minutes. mr. lamalfa: thank you, mr. speaker. well, it's everywhere. you can't avoid it in the news. it shouldn't be avoided. it's so horrible. the fires we have now in southern california that are devastating so much there. so much value. so much lost. and up to 24 lost lives now. it's an incredibly unnecessary happening. they have been raging in l.a. it happens every year santa ana winds. in the northern california portion i represent, we have had that devastation already many times. town of paradise, greenville, town of canyon dam and others completely obliterated. .. our governor has been up there to see those fires. especially the paradise one. when president trump came to paradise and visited to see the devastation. so at the time, president trump asked him and others, what are you doing to clear the land in such a way that makes it less fire-prone, you know, to rake the forest floor, and people made fun of that word, rake, which is a technical term for some of the equipment used in forestry. to make sure areas can be a little more fire-safe, by

mr. lamalfa. mr. lamalfa: thank you, mr. moore, appreciate it a lot. you know, if you watch this channel a whole lot, you might see me on the floor a lot talking about forestry and water, whether it's california or the whole west. and my colleague from utah, i know it greatly effects him too. the way the forest fires and lack of forest management is -- it's appalling. and why do we have to suffer this year after year? when we know what actually works. when the forest services should be doing its job and treating more acres at a timeline that is much more rapid, we say increase the pace and scale of doing so, and it just doesn't happen. we know they face lawsuits all the time but at some point we have to be able to beat the lawsuits, let them come, but go get the work done. and be bold. be strong. and take them on. because after some point, it's got to be proven that what we're doing is the right thing, even though you have a liberal judge in san francisco or somewhere that's trying to say, oh, you got to study -- restudy once again for a sal mander or

mr. lamalfa, for five minutes. mr. lamalfa: thank you, mr. speaker. i just want to point out again president trump leading the way to make america prosperous and even more free than what we have been the last four years. president trump as part of his package of executive orders has withdrawn us once again from the calamity that is the paris accords. our governor in california keeps pushing us down the path of taking away our cars, gas stoves, leaf brothers, light bulbs, you name it in this endless effort to somehow chase down carbon dioxide. let me show you, carbon dioxide i'll remind you once again is a tiny portion of our atmosphere. when i ask the average person, this is interesting, how much co-2 is there in the atmosphere, what's the percentage as a gas? most people just tend to believe, they don't really know, they got their lives and busy, they think, wow, must be 20%, 50%? a lot is because of the hype. the hype of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle and so-called scientists and the media trying to corral us into being scared of co-2

mr. lamalfa, for five minutes. mr. lamalfa: thank you, mr. speaker. well, on his first day in office president trump waited no time in addressing california's water crisis by citing the memorandum titled, putting people over fish, stopping radical environmentalism to provide water to southern california. so we are very pleased with the president's strong actions on that on many fronts yesterday and look forward to wog adminin that. i did say southern california. as representative of northern california like what? what are you doing, doug? what we are actually want people to understand due to storage like this, this is a lake shasta up in shasta county, just north of reading. holds 4.5 million acre-feet of water when full. part of the federal project known as the c.d.p., central valley project, built in the 1930's. we have an opportunity to raise it 18 feet and add 600,000 more. that's a different story for a different way. as well as the other projects we have around the state that hold a lot of waiter. ache orrville, 3.5 million acre-feet. the presid

mr. lamalfa: mr. baker. >> we were extraordinarily concerned about that waiver. you would not have thought that carb could come up with a waiver that the e.p.a. wouldn't have approved but they have found one. so we were pleased when it was withdrawn. mr. lamalfa: they know they would go out of business. >> if short line railroads can't pass on costs to their customers, they would go out of business. and they left that in there. well, that's an ok result. and we found that pretty horrifying and shippers found that pretty horrifying -- mr. lamalfa: important in my area, ag products moving rice or other things in the area, wood from the mill and being able to get it to the mill in a timely manner. tell me about this -- if president trump has come out on the side of not allowing this mandate to come forward. what if we have a change politically? and should we have a change in the laws to make certain that carb doesn't have the ability to get waivers in the future and just keep some continuity in the industry? >> i would say absolutely. what carb tried to do with regu

mr. lamalfa, for five minutes. mr. lamalfa: thank you, mr. speaker. well, here to talk about the endangered species act. indeed, it was designed back in the early 1970's and passed bipartisanly, signed by richard nixon, to protect endangered species. but what we see with its implementation in my home state in california and many other areas around this country, especially in the west, there's been significant misinterpretation of it. indeed, it's been weaponized to stop many things that would be good for people, even for the environment. we're talking forestry, forestry practices that would make our lands safer and less fire-prone. we're talking water supply that would help value farmers, would help urban areas and certainly would be helping the situation in los angeles right now. what i have depicted here is a brush-clearing project that was just above pacific palisades, those other areas in l.a., that they actually had under way for a while until a national monument was declared above an area called altadina and it stopped the ability to clear brush

mr. lamalfa, for five minutes. mr. lamalfa: thank you, madam speaker. i want to highlight this morning a piece of legislation i intend to co-sponsor that's brought by my good major league, john joyce from pennsylvania. it's known as the preserving choice in vehicles -- vehicle purchases act. the bill aims to prevent the u.s. e.p.a. from issuing clean air act waivers that would enable state-level bans or restrictions on gas and deedsle vehicles. diesel vehicles. it ensures americans can select the vehicles based on their individual needs and financial situations without undue government interference. my home state of california, once again, leading on the wrong things. the agency called the california air resources board is intending to ban the sale of gas and diesel powered cars, trucks, and s.u.v.'s by 2035. only 10 model years from now. who the heck is carb? especially since this has far-reaching effects across the country. there are seven other states seeking to emulate what carb is doing. this regulation seeks to force a transition to electric vehic

mr. lamalfa: mr. speaker, we're well aware that women's sports are under threat and it's high time we actually finish the job and take a stand against the threat against them. i'm very happy to partner with mr. steube once again in being -- supporting his bill on the protection of women and girls in sports act. which is about fairness and ensuring the female athletes have the opportunity to compete on a level playing field, on their own playing field. title ix was designed to give women and girls equal opportunities in sports. biological males competing on those same fields with them undermines that intent and puts these athletes at a disadvantage in a lot -- and a lot of discomfort. this isn't about being exclusionary. it's really recognizing biological realities, protecting the integrity of women and girls sports. female athletes should not have to compete against those with inherent physical advantages. the bill ensures that women can continue to compete fairly, earn scholarships, earn the medals,

mr. lamalfa: thank you, madam speaker. well, in another one of the 11th hour thumb of nose at the american people moves, the biden administration has decided to transfer 11 guantanamo detainees from the war on terror back to owe man -- oman, which is a reckless move, puts american lives at risk and a slap in the face to those that have fought for freedom in that area. and to try to stop the likes of al qaeda. our soldiers, our fighting people, everybody who's cared at all about that has to be taking this as a slap in the face. justice never was done. these detainees, many who have ties directly to terrorism, are being resettled without facing justice. this action weakens our national security and signals a dangerous leniency towards those who have plotted against our country. despite the administration's claims of releasing these individuals only increasing the likelihood they'll return to their roots and pull off another never along with the cells already in this country. we have seen them already recycle through to some

mr. lamalfa: mr. speaker, governor gavin newsom's high speed rail project has been a symbol of fiscal mismanagement and now the department of government efficiency here in d.c. known as doge is stepping in to examine the situation as well. originally projected to cost $33 billion back in 2008, the price tag has now ballooned closer to $130 billion. despite an initial completion date for 2020, now it's at best by about 2030, maybe even 2035. zero passengers have even ridden on the thing because it's not possible yet. this boondoggle has already consumed $6.8 billion in federal funds of all u.s. taxpayers. now they're asking for $8 billion more, which is way short of $130 billion. doge's analysis paints a grim picture of a project spiraling out of control with no end in sight. governor newsom keeps funneling california tax dollars into this never-ending pit, ignoring needs like critical water infrastructure, which would be helping all of our state, including southern california, if we can raise shasta d

mr. lamalfa: mr. speaker, colleagues, we see it every year, especially in the west when fire season hits, it can be very devastating. some years were better than others in the north part of the state that i represent and some of my colleagues in surrounding states got hit pretty hard in the forested areas. as you know right now, los angeles area is taking it really badly with the annual santa ana winds. winds driving fire to something that hasn't been seen in at least 60 years in that area devastating towns and causing just immeasurable damage and the fires are still raging. by the grace of god maybe the wind will stop, maybe it will shift somewhat and give the firefighters a better chance. they are doing badly right now coming from all over the state and neighboring states as well two weigh in with the aircraft, equipment and firefighters on the ground. so it's going to be extremely difficult until the winds die down or pray for rain to help them out as well. it's not unfamiliar for me in my northern

mr. lamalfa. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lamalfa: i thank my colleague for leading this charge. we seem to have a common california problem any way on a lot of issues. reminding people that california is a sanctuary state and some of the first sanctuary cities emanated from california, leading to this problem. by doing so, governor gavin newsome and the rest they have state is defying federal law on enforcing borders and turning other criminal illegal aliens when they capture them and detain them. lives are being lost because of that. let me go back in time a little bit so they're not forgotten. shamil shaw -- jameel shaw ii. at the time a high school student, promising athlete, shot and killed march of 2008 near his home in los angeles. his assailant, an undocumented immigrant, illegal ailian, whatever you want to call it, a member of the 18th street gang. been released from jail the day before. prior to the shooting. later on, he was finally convicted in 2012 and sentenced to death, then commuted by gavin newsome. shaw's de

mr. lamalfa. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lamalfa: i thank my colleague for leading this charge. we seem to have a common california problem any way on a lot of issues. reminding people that california is a sanctuary state and some of the first sanctuary cities emanated from california, leading to this problem. by doing so, governor gavin newsome and the rest they have state is defying federal law on enforcing borders and turning other criminal illegal aliens when they capture them and detain them. lives are being lost because of that. let me go back in time a little bit so they're not forgotten. shamil shaw -- jameel shaw ii. at the time a high school student, promising athlete, shot and killed march of 2008 near his home in los angeles. his assailant, an undocumented immigrant, illegal ailian, whatever you want to call it, a member of the 18th street gang. been released from jail the day before. prior to the shooting. later on, he was finally convicted in 2012 and sentenced to death, then commuted by gavin newsome. shaw's de

mr. lamalfa: thank you, mr. speaker. on day one, president trump took bold action to revoke the unrealistic biden mandate that aimed for 50% of all new cars to be electric by 2030. only 4 1/2 model years from now. this decision protects americans and industries from being sacrificed on the altar of radical environmental. i. automakers can now focus on innovation and consumer desires rather than being forced into a one size fits all e.v. agenda that stifles competition and choices for real people. gavin newsome's california has been a cheer leader for these extreme policies, pushing mandates that hurt working family, drive up costs to meet their california goals. president trump's move rejects that failed approach, puts common sense back in the driver's seat. that's parking lot of a broader effort to restore energy independence, roll back harmful relationlations and ensure america isn't crippled by radical climate agendas. instead of empty handed promises by gavin newsome we have president trump who is focused on a forwar

mr. lamalfa: thank you, mr. speaker. the birth right citizenship act is a necessary step to restore integrity to our immigration system. the 14th amendment was never intended to grant citizenship to children of individuals who enter or remain in the country illegally. the pup of the 14th amendment was to guarantee full rights to freed slave, not to exploit citizenship through birth tourism. one in three births is to illegal immigrant mothers and nearly 400,000 of these mothers come across the border to gift birth. the founders couldn't imagine how that would be twisted to make that somehow legal. it fuels a global birth tourism industry. citizenship is one of america's most precious privileges. this legislation prioritizes the rule of law. it's about fairness, not denying tun but ening sure laws are respected and applied consistency. let's take this step to protect the value of u.s. citizenship. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek reck necessary? >> unanimous con

mr. lamalfa, we've introduced the modern clean safe trucks act, which will repeal the world war i era federal excise tax. i wonder if you could just speak a little bit more and underscore for the committee the importance of looking at this 12% fet, which i think sets us back with respect to us procuring newer, safer trucks, easing supply chain challenges, and working to support businesses like yours. and by the way, congratulations on 60 years in business. mr. dellinger: thank you. from the fet, i mean, you could look at it in a lot of different ways. and i spoke earlier about, you know, for every 10 trucks we purchased, we could purchase 11 and create jobs. but other ways are when you're looking at that environmental footprint as well, if we were able to take trucks, incentivize people to buy newer trucks that have better safety systems on, and eliminate some of the 2007, 2010, and earlier trucks, and actually have then a truck that is more energy-efficient and produces less emissions would be better for the economy, would be better for the environment. i guess from also from a safety standp

mr. lamalfa: thank you, mr. speaker. california's on fire once again. only now instead of burning up the red counties and forested areas to the north it's devastating portions of los angeles. everybody is seeing it on the news. every year we know the santa ana winds are going to glow. -- blow. every year we know there's going to be risk. so whether our govern -- what is our governor doing to help stop the risk? virtually nothing other than showing up for press conferences, waving his arms around and having long practiced monologues about oh, it's someone else's fault, this or that. so it's time for the governor to either bear down or get out of the way because california keeps suffering. my counties up north, camp fire, dixie fire, one million acres. now it's hitting the constituents of southern california hard. why does this have to keep happening? why is in the anything being den to mitigate the issue of forest management, of brush management, and lower the risk? why is the water being cut off at the hydrants? is it because you won't allow us to build