Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson and Oregon Congressman Kurt Schrader today reintroduced the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act (WDFA), legislation which would fix the current budgeting process for wildfires. In recent years, Congress has budgeted for wildfire suppression by appropriating money according to the average cost for wildfires over the past ten years, known as the “ten-year average.” When costs exceed an agency’s fire budget, that agency is forced to borrow from non-fire accounts to pay for ... Read more

On Thursday, Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson discussed important Idaho issues with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell during a hearing held by the House Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee. The topics ranged from ongoing litigation that prevents the Forest Service from managing public lands, to treating wildfire funding like other natural disasters. “How do you maintain the public’s right to have a say in how their publ... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson released the following statement addressing the Administration’s FY18 Budget. “Now that Congress has received the Administration’s FY18 budget, my colleagues and I will give serious thought and discussion to the proposals that the President has put forward. I look forward to carefully reviewing the President’s request in the coming weeks so that Congress can get to work on funding bills for fiscal year 2018, which begins in just a few short months. Although we are ... Read more

On Friday, President Trump signed the Fiscal Year 2017 Consolidated Appropriations Act into law which includes Congressman Simpson's agreement on the Gateway West Transmission Line. “I applaud President Trump for signing the fiscal year 2017 appropriations legislation into law,” said Congressman Simpson. “This bill contains many important provisions for Idaho including an agreement that allows the Gateway West Transmission line to pursue an Idaho-based solution while enhancing the Birds of Prey ... Read more

On Thursday, Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson supported the American Health Care Act which passed the House of Representatives by 217-213. The legislation is a repeal and replacement plan for Obamacare. “I voted against the passage of Obamacare and I have voted to repeal it over 60 times,” said Simpson. “Many members promised the American public that they would repeal and replace Obamacare and this vote is the first step to fulfilling that promise. I believe in keeping my promises.” Specifically, ... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today applauded the House passage of H.R. 244, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017, which included many important provisions for Idaho and Western States. “This is a comprehensive and responsible package that contains many significant wins for Idaho and Western States, and will avoid a government shut down,” said Simpson. “It is the product of this past year’s worth of thoughtful deliberation and line-by-line analysis of every program in the federal budget. F... Read more

On Wednesday, the House passed the Fiscal Year 2017 Consolidated Appropriations Act by a vote of 309-118. The legislation includes Congressman Mike Simpson and Congressman Raul Labrador’s Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area Boundary Modification Act, which addresses the routing of the Gateway West Transmission Line, through the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (NCA). Idaho Senator Jim Risch, who sits on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson released the following statement regarding the U.S. military strikes in Syria: “I support the President’s action against the Assad regime. The United States of America took a strong stand tonight against the unfathomable act Bashar al-Assad conducted this week by murdering innocent men, women and children with a chemical attack.” Read more

Congressman Mike Simpson and Congressman Raul Labrador have introduced legislation to address the routing of the Gateway West Transmission Line, through the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (NCA). The project – jointly proposed by Idaho Power and Rocky Mountain Power - will construct and operate 1,000 miles of high voltage transmission line across Wyoming and Idaho and creates more than 1,200 jobs and represents $3.5 billion in economic investment. The legislation is a compro... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson this week supported legislation to improve hiring practices at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and to protect the Second Amendment Rights of veterans. H.R. 1259, the VA Accountability First Act, gives the VA Secretary increased flexibility to remove, demote, or suspend VA employees for performance or misconduct. This bill was introduced to streamline administrative action against underperforming employees at VA facilities. The bill also ensures protections ... Read more