Family Farm Alliance Executive Director Sam Barncastle will testify before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at a hearing titled “The Federal Reclamation Program’s Next Century.”
The hearing begins at 10:00 a.m. ET in room 1324 of the Longworth House Office Building. Watch it live here.
Sam’s testimony lays out four recommendations for what the next century of the federal reclamation program must look like:
- Cut the red tape. Permitting delays are strangling infrastructure projects that Western communities urgently need.
- Honor the Secretary’s commitment. The DOI Secretarial Order on water deliveries must be fully implemented, not delayed or weakened.
- Trust the locals. Water managers closest to the ground should have the authority to make decisions that reflect their communities’ needs.
- Invest for the long term. Federal funding and policy must match the scale of what’s coming: drought, demand, and a changing climate do not wait.