Last Friday, May 8th, Calif. Rep. T.J. Cox (CA-21) headlined a letter to House leadership calling for any COVID-19 infrastructure stimulus package to include the Bureau of Reclamation infrastructure. 

Bureau of Reclamation facilities supply drinking water for 31 million people and irrigation water for over 10 million acres of farmland.

The letter states: “Farms and farmworkers are continuing to work through the COVID-19 pandemic, providing one of our most important resources: food. It is essential that financial resources for the infrastructure so critical to water supply and feeding our nation are included in any COVID-19 infrastructure funding package.”

In a press statement, Rep. Cox notes, “Upgrading water infrastructure in the Central Valley is overdue and the economic recovery is an opportunity to address these critical needs.”

Additional signatories included Reps. Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Ami Bera (CA-7), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Jim Costa (CA-16), John Garamendi (CA-3), Deb Haaland (NM-1), and Josh Harder (CA-10).

Click here to read the full text of the letter.