Editorials
Weekly Column: Protecting Idahoans' Second Amendment Rights
The Second Amendment of our Constitution reads: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." I firmly believe this provision prohibits the federal government from denying citizens this right. Burdening law-abiding citizens of this country with additional gun restrictions is not the answer to safeguarding the public. As gun control advocates continue to seek creative methods of advancing the… Continue Reading
October 18, 2021
Weekly Column: Idaho-Style Alternative To Biden 30 By 30 Initiative
As Idahoans, we have a stronger incentive than anyone to preserve, maintain and enhance the land we call home-like reducing wildfire threats, improving soil health, restoring waterways and enhancing wildlife habitat. A far more productive path than President Biden's vague call to put 30 percent of our land and water in conservation status by 2030 (known as the 30 by 30 initiative) is to focus on improving the health of our existing public lands and waters. We recently joined congressional coll… Continue Reading
October 11, 2021
Weekly Column: Tax Hikes Violate Biden Promise And Reverse 2017 Tax Cut Progress
During the development of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017, Republicans were keenly focused on how any changes would affect the overall tax burden on any one group. The result was pro-growth reform of our business and international tax code, largely paid for by broadening the tax base and other revenue increases, all wrapped around a broad-based tax cut in which low- and middle-income Idahoans and Americans received the greatest percentage reductions. The vast majority of the Republic… Continue Reading
October 04, 2021
Weekly Column: Double Death Tax The Wrong Way To Go
Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and often when a business owner dies, the family business is tied up in their estate. Recognizing this, Congress created exemptions from estate and capital gains taxes, including allowing a step-up in the value ("tax basis") of a business to its then fair market value. That way, heirs are not subjected to taxes on the business's unrealized value, including "phantom value" increases stemming from inflation. This helps Idaho families pass small … Continue Reading
September 27, 2021
Weekly Column: Financial Institutions Should Not Be IRS Agents
Few things are more private than your household finances. Under the guise of closing the 'tax gap,' the Biden Administration and congressional allies are trying to ram through a new, partisan reporting scheme in which financial institutions report customer transactions to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This proposal would turn every American's local bank, credit union and payment provider into an IRS agent, monitoring and reporting on deposits and withdrawals made in private accounts--at … Continue Reading
September 20, 2021
Weekly Column: We Cannot Tax And Spend Our Way Into A Stronger Economy
The United States is experiencing record price increases and rising inflation, and Americans are rightly concerned. A recent poll said that when Americans are asked to name the top economic problem facing their family today, rising prices and the cost of living are overwhelmingly the top issue. Economists on both sides of the aisle have warned excessive, non-productive spending could put us in this position. Now, Democrats are advancing an additional $3.5 trillion in spending that will balloo… Continue Reading
September 13, 2021
Weekly Column: Our Constitution
Nearly 234 years ago, our nation's Founders overcame months of debates, disagreements and multiple drafts to produce the greatest government in the world. We have an extraordinary system, outlined in the Constitution, which promises Americans basic principles of individual rights and freedoms, limited government, rule of law, sovereignty, separation of powers and a representative government. The purpose of our Constitution is reflected in its Preamble: "We the People of the United States, in … Continue Reading
September 06, 2021
Weekly Column: Investing In Idaho And Opposing Reckless Spending
The media and others have incorrectly conflated the Senate-passed hard Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) we voted for with "President Biden's social infrastructure bill." They are incorrectly being lumped together, and the IIJA is being criticized for provisions not in it. Were it not for the passage of the IIJA, the Democrats would most certainly have passed a much larger reconciliation package in the $6 trillion range. Voting "no" on the Senate-passed hard infrastructure bill wo… Continue Reading
August 30, 2021
Weekly Column: Securing Resources For Idaho Crime Victims
Crime victims in Idaho and across our country deserve full access to resources after a traumatic experience. Ensuring funds intended for helping crime victims recover are only used for that purpose is central to making progress in decreasing the impact of violent crime and supporting victims. The U.S. Senate unanimously passed H.R. 1652, the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021, or VOCA Fix Act. The U.S. House of Representatives previously passed the b… Continue Reading
August 23, 2021
Weekly Column: Building On Bipartisan Retirement Law To Make It Easier For Idahoans To Save For Retirement
The pandemic put a great deal of economic stress on workers and retirees, and some had no choice but to withdraw money from their retirement accounts to make ends meet. As the economy continues to bounce back, we have a chance to build on the success of the Setting Every Community up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act of 2019 in a bipartisan way to help make it easier for Idahoans and all Americans to save for retirement. In 2019, Congress passed and President Trump signed into law … Continue Reading
August 16, 2021
Weekly Column: Investing In Idaho
Senators on both sides of the aisle have long agreed on the need to modernize and expand hard infrastructure, and infrastructure investments have traditionally been accomplished through bipartisanship and regular order. Traditional, hard infrastructure investments include funding of roads and bridges, transit, rail, airports, drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, ports and inland waterways, water storage and broadband infrastructure. The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Ac… Continue Reading
August 09, 2021
Weekly Column: Keeping Pressure On China, Not Idaho Producers
We must work to ensure free and fair trade-and use trade enforcement tools as necessary-while taking into account the best interests of our domestic manufacturers. One of the reasons I held firm on including the Trade Act of 2021 in the Senate-passed S. 1260, the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA), was to make sure the pressure stays on China, not Americans. As Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, I worked with Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) to negotiate a … Continue Reading
August 02, 2021
Weekly Column: From The Mailbag--Removing The Filibuster Would Increase Divisiveness Rather Than Efficiency
As participants in the decisions made in Congress, Idahoans contact me with valuable input about the issues our country faces. I post information about various issues of importance on my website, http://crapo.senate.gov. One of the issues Idahoans have contacted me about recently is the proposal to revise the standing rules of the U.S. Senate to remove the Senate filibuster, which requires 60 votes to end debate and proceed to a vote. The following is my response: The Senate is commonly refe… Continue Reading
July 26, 2021
Weekly Column: Ensuring Idaho Medicare Beneficiaries Receive Coverage For Cancer Detection
Under current law, Medicare only covers preventive services Congress has explicitly authorized, or the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended. As the Republican Ranking Member on the Senate Finance Committee that oversees a wide range of federal policy, including social and health care services programs, I reintroduced S. 1873, the Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act of 2021. This legislation would ensure Medicare beneficiaries in Idaho and across America … Continue Reading
July 19, 2021
Weekly Column: Working To Lower Prescription Drug Costs For Idahoans
America's biopharmaceutical innovation recently brought life-saving vaccines to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in under one year. This same medical ingenuity is leading the world in bringing life-saving therapies to patients and discovering cures for the future. However, access to affordable prescriptions remains one of the most persistent challenges facing our nation, and these treatments are only effective if patients can afford them. I recently reintroduced the Lower Costs, More Cures Act to… Continue Reading
July 12, 2021
Weekly Column: Tax Compliance Contingent On Trust
Nearly every American engages in what the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) calls "voluntary tax compliance," which is to say they make disclosures, file returns and pay taxes without being directly compelled to do so. Voluntary compliance is a bedrock of our tax system, and is dependent on taxpayer trust that laws are equitable, equally applied, administered fairly, and administered without penalty for timely compliance. Voluntary compliance also relies on taxpayers trusting the IRS to safeguard… Continue Reading
July 05, 2021
Weekly Column: Full Picture Needed To Shore Up Medicare For Idaho Recipients
More than 355,000 Idahoans-approximately 19 percent of Idaho's population-are enrolled in Medicare, according to April 2021 data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. To maintain the promises made to protect current Idaho Medicare recipients, while strengthening the system to guarantee benefits for future retirees, we must shore up Medicare, which is nearing insolvency. A clear understanding of the program's current funding status, taking into account the impacts of the COVID-… Continue Reading
June 28, 2021
Weekly Column: American Exceptionalism
Former President Ronald Reagan's words from decades ago continue to ring true today: "The American dream lives-not only in the hearts and minds of our own countrymen but in the hearts and minds of millions of the world's people in both free and oppressed societies who look to us for leadership. As long as that dream lives, as long as we continue to defend it, America has a future, and all mankind has reason to hope." Our American dream is rooted in the Declaration of Independence adopted on… Continue Reading
June 21, 2021
Weekly Column: Health Care Flexibilities--Lessons Learned From The Pandemic
Telehealth services have been especially useful during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Idaho Department of Insurance, telemedicine visits went from 200 appointments per month to 28,000 visits in April 2020 alone. We can use lessons-learned from the expansion of telehealth and other flexibilities to make sensible changes that can better enable Idahoans' access to quality care going forward. Information on the impact of expanded telehealth on access, quality and cost helps guide permane… Continue Reading
June 14, 2021
Weekly Column: From The Mailbag--Supreme Court Packing
As participants in the decisions made in Congress, Idahoans contact me with valuable input about the issues our country faces. Realizing that many may not have the chance to contact me, I post information about various issues of importance on my website, http://crapo.senate.gov. One of the issues Idahoans have contacted me about is the makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court, especially in the wake of President Biden's new Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States. The follow… Continue Reading
