Recently in Washington

Last week the House passed the conference report for H.R. 3326, the Defense Appropriations Act for FY2010, as well as H.R.2847, a new stimulus spending bill.  The House also passed a continuing resolution to fund the government through next week and an increase to the national debt limit.

Simpson Opposes Latest So-Called “Stimulus”
Congressman Mike Simpson expressed his vigorous opposition to the Democrats’ latest spending spree.  Late the night before the vote, House Democrats unveiled a new $149 billion “stimulus” package that includes bailouts to states and significant new spending for federal programs.  The Democrats also voted to increase the debt limit by $290 billion.

“While Idaho families are struggling to make ends meet and one in ten Americans is out of work, the Democrats have been doing everything they can to kill jobs by imposing greater tax and regulatory burdens on our nation’s job creators,” said Simpson.  “Businesses in Idaho have told me that they cannot afford to invest in job creation while Congress is debating costly and expensive healthcare reform, cap and trade, and other sweeping and burdensome regulatory reforms that will make it even more difficult for them to survive.  Apparently the Democrats don’t realize the key connection between jobs and those who create them.  Rather than looking for real solutions to our nation’s economic crisis, they are simply pouring money into old, failed policies.”

The so-called “jobs bill” passed by the House of Representatives last week provides approximately $70 billion for programs across government that already received funding under the $789.5 billion stimulus package signed into law by President Obama in February.  In many cases, this additional funding is going to agencies in spite of the fact that only a fraction of this original funding has actually been spent to create jobs. 

“The EPA has only spent 6% of the funding it received under the Democrats’ stimulus package earlier this year, but this bill throws another $2 billion into its programs,” said Simpson, who is Ranking Member on the Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the EPA.  “The EPA received an enormous increase in funding through the regular appropriations process this year, which means that this one agency has received more than two-and-a-half times its regular budget in this calendar year alone.  How can one agency responsibly spend all this money in so short an amount of time?”

Simpson also expressed deep concern that the bill takes $75 billion from unspent or repaid Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds to direct toward new governmental spending.  When TARP was originally created, Republicans insisted that it contain a number of taxpayer protections, including a requirement that any repaid funds are returned to the taxpayer to pay down the national debt.

“Unfortunately, Republicans’ fears about TARP have become reality,” said Simpson.  “Now that companies are paying back the TARP payments they received and the taxpayer is making billions of dollars in interest, the Democrats are trying to turn the program from a one-time emergency measure to a permanent slush fund for growing government.”

Simpson has opposed nearly $5 trillion in new spending this year and joined his Republican colleagues in opposing both the stimulus bill and legislation to increase the debt ceiling. Instead, Simpson has supported a number of proposals to reduce taxes on American families and small businesses, create jobs, keep families in their homes, and help them rebuild their savings.

Simpson Secures Funding for Idaho Falls, Blackfoot, Pocatello Based Projects
Congressman Mike Simpson, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, has secured funding for various Idaho projects including the Hybrid Energy Systems Design at the INL and the 3-D Technology for Advanced Sensor Systems at Boise State University. This bill also includes funding for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The funding is part of the Conference Report for the FY2010 Defense Appropriations Bill. The legislation passed the House with a final vote of 395-34. 

“Idaho is home to some of the most innovative people in our nation and this money will directly fund research that will enhance our armed services in multiple ways,” said Simpson. “Our military must be on the cutting edge and that means developing new technologies. I’m extremely proud of Idaho’s contribution to our national security and look forward to seeing these projects evolve.”

The bill contains funding for the following projects:
$2,000,000 for 3-D Technology for Advanced Sensor Systems at Boise State University. This project will continue to develop 3-D processing techniques on silicon and LTCC platforms. These include technologies for die- and wafer-scale bonding and 3-D interconnects. These techniques will be applied to create 3-D integration and packaging solutions applicable to a general category of high performance sensor systems. The military has a need for new 3-D packaging of electronic systems, particularly sensor systems for portable applications, allowing the soldier in the field to be more effective.

$3,200,000 for Domestic Manufacturing of 45nm Electronics (DOME) at American Semiconductor Inc.  This program will deploy a new foundry capability to address the most critical electronics sourcing issue faced for secure supply of advanced Department of Defense integrated circuits in 2012 and beyond. DOME is an Air Force sponsored initiative to implement a 45nm state-of-the-art wafer fabrication capability to meet current and future system requirements for fabrication of specialized integrated circuits in a broadly available foundry capacity to serve DOD. Defense system requirements are often highly specialized and include capability beyond that of standard commercial devices due to their unique operational environments. This advanced process technology enables higher speed, lower power electronics that are of vital importance to the military and intelligence communities. The DOME program will deliver the capability to manufacture semiconductors at the most advanced technology node currently in production, 45nm, at an American run on-shore facility optimized for the DoD.

$2,000,000 for Material, Design, and Fabrication Solutions for Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS) with Premier Technology. Premier Technology Inc. will work with the Idaho National Lab and the U.S. Navy to provide material, design and fabrication solutions for ASDS external structural components. This project will assist the Navy in bringing ASDS to its fullest operational capability by addressing challenges that it faces in key material issues.

$2,000,000 for Accelerator-Driven Non-Destructive Testing at Idaho State University. The Idaho Accelerator Center (IAC) will develop a research, education and commercialization program that takes non-destructive testing techniques developed at the IAC and advances their development. The development of practical non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques will help the U.S. Air Force reduce aircraft downtime necessary for inspection and enhance turn-around times by quickly identifying needed repairs through spectroscopy and the use of x-ray. The development of practical NDT techniques will be of immense value to the armed forces in critical areas including quicker return of aircraft to the line by reducing the tear-downs necessary for inspection and non-destructively addressing the enormous 'aging fleet' problem of the U.S.A.F.

$2,000,000 for Hybrid Energy Systems Design and Testing at the Idaho National Laboratory. The Hybrid Energy Systems Development and Testing Program will provide the Army transformational technologies that advance Army leadership in global energy security and carbon reduction. Hybrid energy concepts provided through this program could allow the Army to simultaneously address energy supply (electrical grid and fuel supply) security and surety, environmental (CO2) footprint reduction, and provide national economic benefits. This program will provide a foundation for Army leadership in clean, smart, secure energy for future defense and non-defense applications.
 
$1,600,000 for Radiation Hardened Cryogenic Read Out Integrated Circuits at ON Semiconductor. Readout integrated circuits (ROIC) are the foundation of thermal imaging systems. These systems have forever changed modern warfare and surveillance. The United States Air Force and the Missile Defense Agency have been investigating ways to improve manufacturing capabilities and improve cryogenic and radiation performance of these circuits. The thermal imagers of the future will operate in harsh environmental conditions for longer periods of time and will have increased resolution (through increased pixel count) than the detectors of today. Maintaining a domestic source of this technology, as well as working to enhance the manufacturing capabilities of this critical technology, are as equally important as increasing the yield.

This is the last of the 12 appropriations bills to be passed by Congress and marks the completion of the appropriations process for FY2010.

House Legislative Business This Week 

The House is not in session this week.

In the News

GOP lawmakers work to stop EPA 'land grab'
Letter: Restoration Act threatens states' sovereignty
By Carol Ryan Dumas
Capital Press,
 http://www.capitalpress.com/idaho/CRD-clean-water-act--p-4-or-5-120809

As wrangling continues in Congress over expanding federal power over all U.S. waters, members of the Senate and House Western Caucuses have reiterated their opposition to the proposed Clean Water Restoration Act.

Sending a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., 11 senators and 17 congressmen -- all Republicans -- stated the Restoration Act poses serious threats to states' sovereignty and rural economies.

At the heart of their opposition is the bill's intent to update the Clean Water Act by removing the word "navigable" from waters under federal regulation.

"The CWRA seeks to expand the jurisdictional sweep of the Clean Water Act, introduced in 1972, by granting the federal government authority over all U.S. waterways," the letter stated.
Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, said he is deeply concerned the legislation would restrict farmers' and ranchers' ability to make decisions about their own property.

"The Clean Water Restoration Act is a big government land grab, pure and simple. And it is being forced on the agriculture community by people who don't know the first thing about crops or cows," he said.

The Western legislators contend there is overwhelming opposition to the bill in their home states, citing concerns over job loss and regulatory overreach.

"This legislation would grant the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers virtually unlimited regulatory control over all wet areas within a state. This bill attempts to trump state's rights and preempts state and local governments from making local land and water use decisions. ... Commercial and residential real estate development, agriculture, transmission, transportation and mining will all be effected. Thousands of jobs will be lost," they stated in the letter.

The expansion of federal power over the nation's waterways will pave the way for complete federal regulation of every water resource, from puddles to playas, they contend.

Simpson's counterpart in the Senate, Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, is so concerned he put a hold on the bill on June 18, the day it passed in the Senate Committee on Environmental Public Works.

"By expanding the reach of the federal government beyond its proper role, we threaten state sovereignty and private property rights," he said last week. "Stripping states of their authorities ... tramples on state and private property rights and will simply add more responsibilities to an overextended federal government."

Crapo said he has grave reservations about altering the scope of the Clean Water Act and vowed to oppose it in the Senate.

"I intend to use every tool and privilege afforded to slow or stop this ill-conceived attack on Idaho's sovereignty over managing its waters."

The Western legislators said they oppose any attempt to move the legislation, either as a stand-alone bill or as an attachment to a bill in either house.

"More specifically, we cannot imagine any bill so important that we could support it with the Clean Water Restoration Act attached," they stated.

The signers
The following Representatives and Senators participated in the letter:
Senators:  John Barrasso (Wyo.), Bob Bennett (Utah), Mike Crapo (Idaho), John Ensign (Nev.), Mike Enzi (Wyo.), Orrin Hatch (Utah), Mike Johanns (Neb.), Jon Kyl (Ariz.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), James Risch (Idaho), Pat Roberts (Kan.), John Thune (S.D.)

House Members:  Rob Bishop, (Utah), Jason Chaffetz (Utah), Mike Coffman (Colo.), Michael Conaway (Texas), Jeff Flake (Ariz.), Dean Heller (Nev.), Wally Herger (Calif.), Doug Lamborn (Colo.), Cynthia Lummis (Wyo.), Tom McClintock (Calif.), Denny Rehberg (Mont.), John Shadegg (Ariz.), Mike Simpson (Idaho), Lee Terry (Neb.), Mac Thornberry (Texas), Greg Walden (Ore.), Don Young (Alaska)