Media

Washington, D.C. – Today, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a “special military operation” in Ukraine, including launching missiles from Belarus into Ukraine, killing at least 40 Ukrainian soldiers and wounding dozens more. Putin has warned other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to “consequences they have never seen”, and justified his actions after the U.S. and its allies crossed Russia’s “red line” by expanding the NATO alliance along Russia’s borders. Following this attack, President Biden announced further economic sanctions against Russia that would target Russian banks holding a combined $1 trillion in assets, including VTB Bank. He also stated that the U.S. would impose sanctions on additional Russian oligarchs with links to the Kremlin.

Washington, D.C. – Today, Russia officially invaded Ukraine after months of amassing an estimated 150,000 – 190,000 troops and artillery at Ukraine’s northern, southern and eastern borders. Russia has previously demanded the U.S. and NATO bar Ukraine from joining the military alliance and pull back troops from Eastern European member states. The United States first began supplying weapons to Ukraine after the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Chico, CA – Today, Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R – Richvale) announced a United States Forest Service Indefinite-Delivery contract award to the Firestorm Wildland Fire Suppression, Inc. This contract award was part of several made throughout the country for Type 2 Initial Attack (IA) qualified wildland firefighter crews. The contract period is for five years from 2/8/2022 to 2/7/2027 and is not to exceed $140 million.

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R – Richvale) voted in support of H.R. 3076 – The Postal Service Reform Act. Americans and small businesses around the country, whether in rural regions or cities, rely on the Postal Service for their mail, packages, medicine, newspapers, and more. The provisions included in the Postal Service Reform Act are critical to helping the Postal Service become financially viable and ensure it provides the high quality of service Americans expect and deserve.

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).