News Releases
Crapo, Colleagues Introduce Financial Institution Customer Protection Act
Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), a longtime opponent of Operation Choke Point, and former Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, is taking additional steps to further his efforts to prohibit financial institutions from denying services to law-abiding businesses holding politically disfavored opinions. He joined U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in introducing the Financial Institution Customer Protection Act. The bill would prohibit federal regulators from arbitrarily forc… Continue Reading
April 14, 2021
Idaho Delegation Urges USDA to Distribute Timber Hauling Relief
Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, and U.S. Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson (all R-Idaho) want quick action on assistance to the timber industry. The Idaho congressional delegation sent a letter to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Vilsack urging him to quickly distribute $200 million in funding for the timber industry that was included in the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act passed in December. "Idaho… Continue Reading
April 13, 2021
Crapo, Cornyn, Colleagues Ask Biden to Fund Initiatives to Increase U.S. Semiconductor Production
Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) joined U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) and a bipartisan, bicameral group of colleagues in sending a letter to President Biden requesting that he fund the initiatives to restore semiconductor manufacturing to American soil included in the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act that was signed into law in December as part of the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. "We write today to enc… Continue Reading
April 09, 2021
Idaho Delegation Welcomes Withdrawal of Plans to Sell Seattle Archives Facility
Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, and U.S. Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson (all R-Idaho) issued the following joint statement after the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced that it would withdraw its January 24, 2020, approval of the sale of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) facility in Seattle: "The items at the Seattle Federal Records Center tell the great story of the state of Idaho, from the Tribes originally inhabiting… Continue Reading
April 01, 2021
Western Senators Introduce MORE PILT Act
Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch (both R-Idaho) joined U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) in introducing the Making Obligations Right by Enlarging Payments in Lieu of Taxes Act, or MORE PILT Act. This bill would direct the Secretary of Interior to conduct a study on federal lands eligible for PILT payments to determine the actual property value of the land and the foregone property tax revenues that counties would have otherwise received. "PILT payments are critical to rur… Continue Reading
March 26, 2021
Crapo, Risch, Colleagues Introduce Resolution Highlighting Crisis at Southern Border
Washington, D.C.--Citing the recent influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch (both R-Idaho) recently joined Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) and 19 additional co-sponsors in introducing a Senate Resolution expressing a sense of the Senate that the situation at the southern border constitutes a crisis. "President Biden used his first day in office to terminate the national emergency on the border, undoing a number of efforts by the Trump Administrati… Continue Reading
March 26, 2021
Crapo, Risch Introduce Bill to Delist Grizzly Bears
Washington, D.C.--Today, U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch (both R-Idaho), joined U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming) and colleagues in introducing the Grizzly Bear State Management Act. This bill would remove grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem from the endangered species list and shift management to the states. "Idaho's local wildlife managers have a history of successful species management practices based on sound science and collaborative efforts among federal, sta… Continue Reading
March 25, 2021
Crapo Joins Bipartisan Group to Make Case for Comprehensive Diplomatic Approach Toward Iran
Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina); and a group of 39 of their Senate colleagues in sending a letter to President Joe Biden outlining the pillars of a comprehensive diplomatic Iran strategy that will garner bipartisan support in Congress. "While we may hav… Continue Reading
March 24, 2021
Crapo, Colleagues Reintroduce Federal Agency Accountability Legislation
Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) has again joined Senators Rick Scott (R-Florida), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Mike Braun (R-Indiana) and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) to reintroduce S.925, the Federal Agency Sunset Commission Act, to help streamline operations and identify inefficiencies of bloated federal agencies in order to reduce waste and save taxpayer dollars. The legislation would create a review process to routinely evaluate the efficiency of federal agencies, justify thei… Continue Reading
March 19, 2021
Crapo, Bennet Applaud House Passage of Bipartisan Farm Workforce Modernization Act
Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Michael Bennet (D-Colorado) released the following joint statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Farm Workforce Modernization Act by a vote of 247-174. Crapo and Bennet will introduce companion legislation in the U.S. Senate. "We applaud our colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives -- on both sides of the aisle -- for their work on this crucial legislation to make much-needed reforms to our immigrat… Continue Reading
March 18, 2021
Senators Introduce Legislation to Protect Private Water Rights
WASHINGTON, D.C.--Today, U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch (both R-Idaho) joined U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), in introducing S. 855., the Water Rights Protection Act. This legislation will protect privately-owned waters from being seized by the federal government. "The federal government has a long history of attempting to seize control of private water rights, undermining state water laws throughout the We… Continue Reading
March 18, 2021
Idaho Senators Question Legality of Border Wall Funding Freeze Amid Escalating Crisis
Washington, D.C.--Amid the rapidly escalating crisis along the southern border, U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch (both R-Idaho) joined Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia) and 37 of their Senate colleagues to send a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) highlighting the Administration's suspension of border wall funding and construction without lawful justification, as required by the Impoundment Control Act. "On January 20th, in one of the first official acts of his pre… Continue Reading
March 18, 2021
Crapo, Risch Welcome Idaho Delegates for U.S. Senate Youth Program
Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch (both R-Idaho) welcomed Idaho's delegates to the 59th annual United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) held March 14-17, 2021, in Washington, D.C. Jacob Ross Flick, of Gooding, and Adam Nicholas Jones, of Boise, were selected from among the state's top student leaders to participate in the 104 national student delegation. Due to the pandemic, the 2021 program will be the program's first-ever fully virtual Washington Week, and is designe… Continue Reading
March 17, 2021
Crapo Joins Bipartisan Bill to Boost R&D Grants
Washington, D.C.--Today, U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) joined U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) to reintroduce bipartisan legislation to improve underserved states' ability to successfully compete for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards. The FAST Fix Act will reform the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program to encourage federal research and development grants to be awarded to sm… Continue Reading
March 16, 2021
Crapo, Bennet Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Streamline Access to Resources for Veterans
Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Michael Bennet (D-Colorado) have reintroduced the Helping Unleash Benefits and Services (HUBS) for Veterans Act, bipartisan legislation to support local "network hubs," which streamline access to essential resources for veterans, servicemembers and their families. "Navigating a number of streams of information to gain access to the resources they need can be a daunting and time-consuming task for many servicemembers transitioning from t… Continue Reading
March 15, 2021
Crapo, Risch Introduce “State Fiscal Flexibility Act”
Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, and U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) have introduced S. 743, the "State Fiscal Flexibility Act," a bill to eliminate a provision in the American Rescue Plan that prevents states from using relief funds to cut taxes. "If a state like Idaho wants to provide tax relief in the interest of economic recovery, and to help people return to earning their livelihoods, the American Rescue Plan says it wi… Continue Reading
March 11, 2021
Crapo Joins Call to Stop Sale of Seattle Archives Facility
Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) joined Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) among the 25 bipartisan congressional members of the Idaho, Washington, Alaska and Oregon delegations in sending a letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), requesting it stop the sale of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) facility in Seattle in light of a recent court decision temporarily blocking the sale from moving forward. Fellow me… Continue Reading
March 06, 2021
Crapo: Massive COVID “Relief” Bill Misses the Mark
Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, voted against H.R.1319, the nearly $2 trillion budget reconciliation bill. This partisan bill, the product of a rushed process and non-pandemic wish-list items, passed in the U.S. Senate by a party-line vote of 50-49. "In 2020, Congress passed five bipartisan bills, totaling nearly $4 trillion, in pandemic relief," said Crapo. "No bill earned fewer than 90 votes in the Senate, and the largest… Continue Reading
March 04, 2021
Crapo, Risch Join 25 Colleagues to Support Fair Access to Banking
Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), a senior member of the Senate Banking Committee, and U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) have co-sponsored S. 563, the Fair Access to Banking Act, which would prevent discrimination by banks and financial service providers against constitutionally-protected industries and law-abiding businesses, such as firearms manufacturers. The bill is led by Senator Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota) and co-sponsored by 24 additional Senators. "Over the last fe… Continue Reading
February 26, 2021
Crapo Emphasizes Need for Fair Trade Policy at Hearing with USTR Nominee
WASHINGTON, DC - At a hearing to consider the nomination of Katherine Tai to serve as the United States Trade Representative (USTR), Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, stressed the need for strong enforcement of our trade deals and urged Ms. Tai, if confirmed, to press for policies that create a fairer climate for trade and expanded growth opportunities in the international marketplace for Idaho businesses and consumers. WATCH: Ranking Member Crapo deli… Continue Reading
