Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Today the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced a $1.4 million Hazard Mitigation Grant for Butte County Fire Safe Council. This grant will be used to reduce fire fuels and create a defensible space around residences within 500 feet of main evacuation routes and in the unincorporated areas of Butte County, and identify the locations of hazardous trees within 300 feet of residences and within 500 feet of evacuation routes. Reducing fire fuels and creating defensible spaces increases the likelihood of structures surviving wildfires, minimizing damage, and reduces the chance for a wildfire to become out of control.

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R – Richvale) voted against H.R. 4521. This bill, introduced last week by Speaker Pelosi, was pitched as an attempt to protect American interests from China. In reality, it is a thinly veiled partisan climate change bill that does nothing to hold China accountable for its intellectual property theft, anti-competitive behaviors towards Americans and significant human rights abuses. This $325 billion, nearly 3,000 paged piece of legislation mentions “coral reefs” 394 times, more times than it actually mentions “China” (374). This bill authorizes $8 billion into an unaccountable U.N. climate slush fund, which has already awarded over $100 million to China, and does not guarantee the $8 billion won’t be used to purchase things like solar panels or batteries, whose supply chains in China are tainted by the genocide of the Uyghur religious minority.

Washington, D.C. – Yesterday the Congressional Western Caucus hosted a 2022 Kick-off Chairmen’s Briefing to outline their goals and priorities for the Caucus in 2022. Chairman Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), Senate Western Caucus Chairman Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), and other members of the Caucus discussed their policy priorities for the upcoming year. The Congressional Western Caucus is made up of over 60 Members who serve as the voice of rural America in Congress. Many of the Caucus’s policy priorities for the upcoming year regard improvements in domestic energy policy, private property rights, water policy, forest revitalization, and farming and agriculture.

Washington, D.C. – Today, Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R – Richvale) participated in a hearing on a review of Farm Bill Conservation Programs. This hearing is the first of the House Agriculture Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee for 2022. For nearly forty years, Congress has supported voluntary, incentive-based conservation through Title II of the Farm Bill, such as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Witnesses were Zach Ducheneaux, Administrator at the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Terry Cosby, Chief at the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif) and Congressman Mike Thompson (D- Calif) led a letter with Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif), Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif), Congressman Tom McClintock (R-Calif), Congressman Jared Huffman (D-Calif), and Congressman John Garamendi (D-Calif) to Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Charles Rettig to expedite and release tax guidance to help wildfire victims understand the taxability of their claims from the Fire Victim Trust. The Trust, a $13.5 billion settlement established in July 2020, is made up of over seventy thousand survivors of the 2015 Butte Fire, the 2017 North Bay Wildfires, and the 2018 Camp Fire. The Trust first began distributing funds in November 2020, and by the end of 2021 totaled $1.7 billion in awards. As a result, this year will be the first that many victims’ awards may be taxable.

Washington DC- Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R- Richvale) announced that he has nominated 16 northern California residents as candidates to the United States Service Academies. The U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Merchant Marines Academy each require a Congressional nomination in order to attend.

Washington, D.C. – This week, Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R- Richvale) and the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing to review the implications of electric vehicle (EV) investments for rural Americans. Electric Vehicles are a significant priority for the Biden Administration and they are pushing additional spending to expand the use of EVs to the American public. While some consumers have moved towards them, they represent a small portion of the US fleet of vehicles and remain relatively expensive with limited charging networks, especially in rural areas.

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) voted against H.R. 5746 – The Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act. In what was originally supposed to be a NASA-related bill, just last night Democrats gutted the bill and amended in over 700 pages of changes to how states administer elections. This hybrid bill was then rushed to the floor for consideration in less than 24 hours in a ruthless attempt by Democrats to fundamentally change our Republic, nationalize elections, and ultimately overthrow the Senate Filibuster.