Media

During the district work period this week, Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, CA) engaged in a whirlwind tour across the 3rd Congressional District.

“Eliminating the KC-10 fleet doesn’t make sense from the standpoint of military operations or budgeting,” said Garamendi. “The KC-10 serves a pivotal role in our Air Mobility and should for years to come. It is the bridge from the aging KC-135 fleet to the next generation of tanker aircraft. Tearing down this bridge would be penny-wise and pound-foolish. This idea should be taken off the table.”

“I’m a cosponsor of this bipartisan legislation, because Lake County residents deserve to be protected from these harmful invasive species," Congressman Garamendi said.

The bipartisan legislation continues the federal government’s commitment at Lake Tahoe by authorizing funding to reduce threats to wildfire, improve water clarity, combat invasive species and restore the environment in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The bill, H.R. 3315, exempts agricultural structures like barns, sheds and silos from FEMA requirements that effectively prohibit construction in areas designated as floodplains. These regulations, which apply to new construction and rehabilitation of existing buildings, require structures to be raised above any potential flood lines –a requirement that is too costly and impractical for large structures like equipment sheds and rice dryers.

University of California at Davis will lead the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Genomics to Improve poultry. They are one of ten research centers selected to develop a method for producing more food in an environmentally sensitive manner.

“Unless changes are made to the flood insurance program, a lot of my constituents will soon be hit hard in their pocketbook. This effect was not intended by the original reform, but it requires an immediate fix. The Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act provides some breathing room to prevent some of the worst unintended consequences. This bipartisan legislation is needed and I urge its swift adoption.”

With more sequestration budget cuts looming, the Air Force is considering elimination of the entire fleet of KC-10 aircraft, which is key to the military’s aerial refueling mission. Garamendi sent a bipartisan letter urging the Department of Defense to “take off the table this option that would be so detrimental to the strategic capabilities of our military around the world.”