On Thursday, Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson supported passage of full year fiscal year 2018 funding. While a continuing resolution funds the government until December 2017, full year appropriations must still be passed for the remainder of the fiscal year. The bill was passed by a vote of 211-198 and includes legislation previously passed by the House including Chairman Simpson’s Energy and Water bill which has critical funding for Idaho National Laboratory. “Today’s legislation is an important ... Read more

U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Jon Tester (D-MT) and U.S. Representatives Mike Simpson (R-ID) and Collin Peterson (D-MN) today underscored the urgency in reversing the ruling of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cottonwood Environmental Law Center v. U.S. Forest Service by introducing bipartisan bicameral legislation to do just that. The bill seeks to codify the position taken by the Obama administration that federal agencies are not required to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Serv... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today supported the House Interior and Environment Appropriations bill for FY17 during the House Appropriations Committee consideration. Included in the legislation are policies important to western states and critical funding for Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT), a vital program in the west that ensures communities are adequately compensated for the lack of tax revenue due to the presence of federal land. “Every county in Idaho depends on the federal government mee... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today applauded the passage of H.R. 2029, the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations bill that included many important provisions for Idaho and Western States. The House passed H.R. 2029 by a vote of 316-113, and it will be considered by the U.S. Senate today. Links to the bill text and reports can be found here: https://rules.house.gov/bill/114/hr-2029-sa. “I applaud Chairman Rogers and Speaker Ryan for their hard work in assembli... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson applauded the release of H.R. 2029, the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations bill that included many important provisions for Idaho and Western States. “I applaud Chairman Rogers and Speaker Ryan for their hard work in assembling this comprehensive and responsible package that will keep the government open through the rest of this fiscal year,” said Simpson. “This bill contains many critical wins for Idaho and Western States. It ... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson has signed onto legislation to give federal land managers better tools to improve sage-grouse habitat. H.R. 1793, the Sage-Grouse and Mule Deer Habitat Conservation and Restoration Act of 2015, would create a categorical exclusion from the NEPA process in order to remove pinyon-juniper from sage-grouse and mule deer habitat. “Some of the major threats to sage-grouse habitat are wildfire and invasive species, and controlling these threats requires good, active land ... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today supported passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY16, which includes a provision delaying the listing of the greater sage-grouse as an endangered species. Simpson supported language included in NDAA that would prevent the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from listing the bird for ten years, giving adequate time for effective state management plans to be developed and put into effect. The bill passed 269-151. “Given the impact that a decis... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today applauded the release of H.R. 83, the Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations bill that included many important provisions for Idaho and Western States. “This bill represents an important step for Congress toward fulfilling its constitutional responsibility to fund government operations through the regular process,” said Simpson. “When we fail to pass annual appropriations bills, we fail to look critically at how agencies spen... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today defended western priorities in the House Interior and Environment Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2015. Simpson, a member of the subcommittee, authored a number of provisions that were included in the bill, including language delaying the decision to list the sage-grouse as an endangered species by one year. Simpson successfully fought off efforts to strike this language during full committee consideration today. “What we’re trying to say [with this langu... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today supported the House Interior and Environment Appropriations bill for FY15 during subcommittee consideration. The bill takes significant steps to protect western interests and reflects Simpson’s influence as a member of the subcommittee. Among Simpson’s priorities included in the bill is full funding for Payment in Lieu of Taxes, a vital program in the west that ensures communities are adequately compensated for the lack of tax revenue due to the presence of f... Read more