News Releases
Healthy Pulse Crop Initiative On Display at Lewiston School
Lewiston - Two new initiatives created in the five-year Farm Bill will assist pulse crops-healthy foods like peas, lentils and chickpeas-grown on the Palouse of Idaho and Washington. The benefits of the new programs will be on display this week before a health class in Lewiston and celebrated by growers, researchers and industry groups. Idaho Senator Mike Crapo and Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) led the effort to create the Pulse Health Initiative and a school nutrition pilot program f… Continue Reading
March 17, 2014
Crapo to Meet with Interior Secretary, Welcome Colleagues to Idaho National Lab
Boise. - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo meets with U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell today at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise to get an overview of the coming wildfire season and discuss legislation revising the way fighting fires is funded by the federal government. Crapo joined with Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and others to introduce the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act of 2013. The measure, included by the Obama Administration in its Fiscal Year 2015 budget, … Continue Reading
March 14, 2014
New Veterans' Transportation Program Announced
Boise. - A new service offered to military veterans, their families and other Idahoans to make transportation options easier to find will be unveiled Tuesday at the Idaho Statehouse. Idaho Senator Mike Crapo worked with the Community Transportation Association of Idaho (CTAI), local veterans' service groups, the Idaho Division of Veterans Services, the U.S. Department of Transportation and M2 Traffic Management, LLC to establish the new transportation resource directory for Idaho, FindMyIdahoR… Continue Reading
March 13, 2014
Members of Congress from Idaho, Oregon and Idaho Governor Join Interior Secretary Jewell for 2014 Fire Season Outlook, Discuss Funding
Boise - United States Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell will visit the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise on Monday, March 17, 2014, for a briefing on the outlook of the 2014 wildfire season and a plan to revise fire funding introduced into Congress by Senators Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and co-sponsored by Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon). U.S. Representatives Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) and Kurt Schrader (D-Oregon) have introduced a com… Continue Reading
March 13, 2014
Crapo Co-Sponsors Legislation On Gun Owner Data Collection
Washington, D.C. - Second Amendment rights will get stronger under legislation recently co-sponsored by Idaho Senator Mike Crapo. The bill, introduced by Senator Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi), would prohibit any federal funding from being used to support a gun registry created and/or maintained by non-federal entities, including state and local governments. "Idahoans are becoming increasingly concerned with the federal governments' collection and storage of their private, personal information" … Continue Reading
March 11, 2014
Crapo, Johnson Announce Agreement on Housing Finance Reform
Washington, DC - Today, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Johnson (D-SD) and Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID) announced that they have reached an agreement on a housing finance reform proposal. Last fall, the Senate Banking Committee hosted an in-depth series of hearings exploring essential elements necessary for reform and over the past few months they have been negotiating and drafting the reform proposal. The bipartisan agreement includes measures from Committee Members on both sides of… Continue Reading
March 06, 2014
Crapo, Risch Vote To Address Assault And Rape In The Military
Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch voted today to enact new measures to increase protections for military personnel from sexual assault. The Victims Protection Act was introduced by Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-New Hampshire), Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) and Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska). This measure empowers victims, increases protections against retaliation for reporting sexual traumas and further increases accountability in the military justice system. With Crapo and Risc… Continue Reading
March 05, 2014
Crapo, Cardin Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Protect Fish Habitats And Related Jobs
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Ben Cardin (D-Maryland), Chairman of the Senate Water and Wildlife Subcommittee, have introduced a bill to leverage public-private partnerships and engage stakeholders like commercial fisherman, anglers, outfitters and other angling and sportsmen industries to make lasting improvements to the health and sustainability of our nation's fish habitats. Their legislation, The National Fish Habitat Conservation Act (NFHCA) authorizes $7.2 mi… Continue Reading
March 04, 2014
Crapo: Presidentâ??s Budget Breaks Spending Caps That He Signed Into Law Just Two Months Ago
Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, a member of the U.S. Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement today regarding the President's Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 budget, which was delivered to Capitol Hill this morning. "The proposal, submitted by the President today, once again ignores the debt crisis this country faces and encourages a path of unsustainable spending that will continue to lead the country further in the wrong direction. Congress has made modest progress in cu… Continue Reading
February 28, 2014
Idaho Senators Tell FCC To Stop Stifling Free Speech
Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch joined all of their Republican colleagues to demand an explanation for an ill-conceived and inappropriate study regarding newsroom decisions. In a letter sent to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Senators, led by Senator Roy Blunt (R-Missouri) want to know the reasons behind why the FCC undertook the study, which has now been suspended. In recent weeks, Idahoans along with the rest of the country learned that the FCC was… Continue Reading
February 26, 2014
Crapo Encourages Idaho Students To Apply for Congressional Internship Program
Washington, D.C. -The deadline is rapidly approaching for Idaho's students to apply for internship opportunities in U.S. Senator Mike Crapo's Washington, D.C., office, or one of his six regional offices throughout Idaho. Students have until March 1 to submit an application to be considered for an internship position for both the summer and fall semesters. The internship experience provides Idaho students a unique opportunity to learn about Congress and the legislative process firsthand. Intern… Continue Reading
February 26, 2014
Crapo Comments On Tax Reform Outline Released By House of Representatives Chief Tax Writer
Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo issued the following statement regarding the tax reform outline plan released earlier today by the House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Michigan): "For years, I have consistently worked with many of my colleagues to enact comprehensive tax reform to simplify our overly-complex, anti-competitive code and reduce all tax rates," said Crapo. "Chairman Camp has been at the forefront of this issue and understands how antiquated our current … Continue Reading
February 25, 2014
Crapo Makes Staff Changes
Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo announced the promotion and hiring of several staff positions in his Washington, D.C., office. Included is a new executive assistant/scheduler, health care policy aide and front office personnel. Following the retirement of Crapo's long-time Executive Assistant/Scheduler, Karen Brown, Kathleen Amacio joins the Senator's staff as the Executive Assistant/Scheduler. Most recently, Kathleen served in the same capacity for Senator Mike Johanns (R-Nebras… Continue Reading
February 24, 2014
Delegation: Support Growing For Fire Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Members of Idaho's Congressional Delegation are welcoming the Administration's announcement that it plans to include a change in how fighting wildfires on public lands is funded in the upcoming 2015 budget outline. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch and Representatives Mike Simpson and Raul Labrador met with U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell last week about collaborative land management planning, including discussing their legislation that would place some firefighting… Continue Reading
February 24, 2014
Crapo Says Administration Short-Changing 70,000 Idahoans Who Rely on Medicare Advantage
Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo is objecting to an announcement late Friday from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) concerning yet another round of cuts to the successful Medicare Advantage (MA) program for 2015. Due to Obamacare, over the next two years, MA will see about $45.5 billion in cuts on top of the reductions proposed by CMS. For beneficiaries, this means increased premiums, limited provider networks and in many cases cancelled plans. Crapo originally l… Continue Reading
February 19, 2014
Bipartisan Group Of Senators Object To Additional Cuts To Medicare Advantage
Washington, D.C. - A bipartisan coalition of forty senators, led by Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Charles Schumer (D-New York), have written the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to express concern with additional cuts to Medicare Advantage in 2015. In the letter, the senators state, "We are strongly committed to preserving the high quality health plan choices and benefits that our constituents receive through the Medicare Advantage (MA) program. Given the impact that payment polici… Continue Reading
February 17, 2014
Crapo Sets Town Hall Meetings; Event With Forest Service Chief
Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo will hold two town hall-style meetings in Idaho this week during visits in the Treasure Valley and the Magic Valley. He will also meet Wednesday with Chief Tom Tidwell of the U.S. Forest Service during an event with the Idaho Forest Restoration Partnership (IFRP) to discuss his new fire funding legislation and collaborative land management projects in Idaho. Coming on the heels of a statewide telephone town hall meeting last week, Crapo will meet… Continue Reading
February 14, 2014
Idaho Delegation Announces Service Academy Day
Washington, D.C. - Today the Idaho Congressional Delegation announced they will hold the 2014 Service Academy Day on Sat., Mar. 1 at KMVT Community Room, Twin Falls, ID. The purpose of this event is to share information with prospective candidates and their parents about the congressional nomination process to our nation's service academies. Registration for this event will take place at 2:30 p.m. and the program begins at 3:00. Speakers include: Idaho Cadets and Midshipmen, Academy Liaison O… Continue Reading
February 14, 2014
Crapo Welcomes Oregonâ??s Ron Wyden As Chairman Of Finance Committee
Washington, D.C. - Following the resignation of Senator Max Baucus to become U.S. Ambassador to China, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden has been named Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, a senior member of the Finance Committee released the following statement in response to Wyden's new role: "Ron has demonstrated a real understanding of the issues affecting rural states, particularly those in the Pacific Northwest. Since my arrival in the Senate, Ron has proven to be … Continue Reading
February 13, 2014
Crapo, Risch Introduce Legislation To Provide Idaho A Third District Judge
Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch have introduced legislation that would create an additional federal district judgeship in Idaho for the first time in sixty years. Idaho is one of only three states (North Dakota and Vermont are the others) with only two authorized judgeships for the entire state. In contrast, the Central District of California and the Southern District of New York each have 28 authorized judgeships. If passed, the Crapo-Risch legislation would add a … Continue Reading
