Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson, House Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee Chairman, issued the following statement addressing the recent announcement of House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen’s retirement. “Rodney is an incredible legislator and a close friend who I will miss very much. It has been an honor to serve with him and as a member of his committees these many years. Under Chairman Frelinghuysen’s leadership and dedication, the House Appropriations Committee has com... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson invites high school students across the second congressional district to enter the 2018 High School Congressional Art Competition. This annual competition encourages Idaho's aspiring student artists to showcase their talents to the public, while recognizing their achievements alongside hundreds of other students and members of Congress from across the country. School administrators and art instructors across the state received entry forms, and a list of rules and g... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson is pleased to announce the following men and women have been officially appointed to the United States service academies. Simpson nominated the students in December 2017 in order to be accepted to the Class of 2022. The Idaho Congressional Delegation will congratulate and meet the candidates at a reception to be held at Gowen Field on Wed., Feb. 21 at 4:00 p.m. “It is an honor to nominate Idaho students to the service academies,” said Simpson. “Every year, I am imp... Read more

Congressman Mike Simpson praised the passage today of H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in the House of Representatives. H.R. 1 is the first comprehensive tax reform legislation to pass the House since 1986. “Since coming to Congress, I’ve talked to farmers, ranchers and businesses throughout Idaho and I consistently hear about the burden that our overly complex, outdated, and unfair tax code puts on families and small businesses,” said Simpson. “The bill that we voted on today has been years in... Read more

Members of Idaho’s Congressional Delegation praise the announcement by the U.S. Department of Energy to extend the operations contract of the Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA) at the Idaho National Laboratory as well-deserved reflection of their outstanding work and contributions to U.S. energy security. “I appreciate the commitment shown by DOE in announcing the contract extension for management at the Idaho National Laboratory,” said Idaho Senator Mike Crapo. “As the nation’s lead nuclear laborat... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson discussed the issue of fire borrowing during a House Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee hearing with Chief of the Forest Service, Tony Tooke this week. Specifically, Simpson emphasized the need to fund wildfires like other natural disasters. “Solving the issue of fire borrowing has been one of my top legislative priorities in Congress,” said Simpson. “In Idaho and other western states, fire-borrowing has decimated the budgets of... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson praised the passage of H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act today in the House of Representatives. H.R. 1 is the first comprehensive tax reform legislation to pass the House since 1986. “Since coming to Congress, I’ve talked to farmers, ranchers and businesses throughout Idaho and I consistently hear about the burden that our overly complex, outdated, and unfair tax code puts on families and small businesses,” said Simpson. “This bill will relieve much of that burden ... Read more

The House of Representatives today passed the conference report to H.R. 2810, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2018. Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson supported this legislation which fulfills Congress’ constitutional responsibility to provide for the common defense in addition to authorizing many important programs that support our military, including a pay increase and benefits to military members and their families. “The overwhelmingly support of the conference repor... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson issued the following on the news that former Congressman Orval Hansen passed away on Thursday evening. “Kathy and I are saddened to hear of the passing of Congressman Hansen,” said Simpson. “He saw the potential that existed in our state for world class nuclear energy research and because of that vision, Idaho National Laboratory is a respected leader in energy research. We are greatly indebted to Congressman Hansen for his service to Idaho and our nation.” Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson voted in favor of legislation that would advance effective forest management and address the issue of fire-borrowing. H.R. 2936, the Resilient Federal Forests Act would promote collaborative forest management, reduce frivolous litigation, and modernize the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act. Included in the package is Congressman Simpson’s bipartisan H.R. 1483, the Litigation Relief for Forest Management Projects Act which would reverse a dis... Read more