May 13, 2020 - On Tuesday, Representatives Kevin McCarthy, Devin Nunes (CA-22), Ken Calvert (CA-42), Tom McClintock (CA-04), Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), and Paul Cook (CA-08) responded to California Governor Newsom’s irresponsible lawsuit to deny Californians much-needed water. A temporary court ruling, announced yesterday by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, grants a preliminary injunction in the state’s lawsuit, ultimately blocking the Trump Administration’s biological opinions based on the latest science and data.

(Left) Representative Kevin McCarthy

The Members released the following statement expressing their frustrations:

“With yesterday’s temporary court ruling, the Newsom Administration was successful in denying California communities over 50,000 acre-feet of much-needed water in the month of May alone. Their actions prioritize politics over the needs of working Californians across our state. Even after the Trump Administration spent months consulting state agencies on the updated biological opinions, Governor Newsom has still decided to sue the federal government and issue its own state permit to block water supplies.

“Newsom’s reckless political games are placing some of the state's most vulnerable communities at risk of running out of water. The Governor should immediately drop this litigation and begin working with the federal government to implement policies that protect our state’s cities, farms, and communities.”
Source: Congressman Kevin McCarthy

Related: California Attorney General Secures Preliminary Injunction in Lawsuit Challenging the Trump Administration’s Expansion of Water Export Operations in the Central Valley