Washington, D.C. -- Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Ranking Member on the Environment and Public Works Committee, made the following statement after reports that House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy intends to include a last minute poison pill in the Water Resources Development Act.

 

Senator Boxer said: “I was stunned to see comments made by Kevin McCarthy that the outrageous poison pill that he is trying to place on WRDA is ‘a little small agreement’ on California drought.  They have taken a very bipartisan WRDA jobs bill and now have jeopardized it completely.  This bill won’t go anywhere in the Senate if I have anything to do with it, because it will result in the loss of thousands of fishery jobs, it will roll back the Endangered Species Act which was signed by President Nixon, and it will also take away power from Congress to approve new dams all over the country.  The bill also fails to include strong Buy America requirements.  I will use every tool at my disposal to stop this last minute poison pill rider.”

 

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