California drought bill dead

Members of Congress have fought over a drought bill for California for months. Negotiation between the two parties has been ongoing, until now. On Thursday, California Republicans said the bill is dead for the year.

The California Republican Caucus decided to throw in the towel after Senator Dianne Feinstein accused her Republican colleagues of adding language that was unsupported by a number of stakeholders.

“The bill that Republicans tried to place in the omnibus last week—in my name and without my knowledge—hadn’t been reviewed by me, Senator Boxer, the state or the White House. Each of those parties is key to coming up with a bill that can actually be signed into law,” Feinstein said in a release. “There were at least a half-dozen items in the bill that I had rejected and that would have drawn objections from state or federal agencies—some of them would likely violate environmental law. Several more provisions were still being negotiated and hadn’t been reviewed by state or federal stakeholders.”

Republicans, on the other hand, believe Feinstein is letting down fellow Californians, especially in a time of need.

“The response from Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer is disappointing given our proposal’s inclusion of many California Democrat priorities but unfortunately not surprising as they have opposed every legislative effort to find bipartisan agreement,” said Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23). “The stakes are too high not to act.”

While the bill is dead for now, California Republicans remain optimistic that a compromise can be made.

“The purpose of this drought relief bill is to expeditiously bring water to California communities, which have been suffering from a devastating drought for more than four years. House Republicans have been diligently working with Senator Feinstein for months, crafting a bill ideal for bipartisan and bicameral support,” Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-49) said in a statement. “It is disingenuous for someone to say that the process was secretive. I am hopeful that the Senator can put our communities first and help us bring drought relief to our state as soon as possible.”