News Releases
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
February 12, 2014
Crapo Co-Sponsors Bill To Prevent IRS Targeting
Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo has joined Senator Jeff Flake (R-Arizona) and 38 senate colleagues to introduce the Stop Targeting of Political Beliefs by the IRS Act. This bill would prevent further targeting of conservative social welfare organizations by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by reverting back to the IRS standards and definitions that were in place on January 1, 2010-a date prior to the agency's targeting. The bill also suspends for one year any IRS rulemaking relat… Continue Reading
February 10, 2014
Administration Announces Delay Of Employer Mandate, Again
Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, released the following statement after the Obama Administration's decision to delay the Obamacare employer mandate, again. The administration had delayed until 2015 the provision that fines employers who do not provide health insurance for full time equivalent employees. Now, under new rules for medium-size employers, certain businesses will avoid penalty until 2016. "Many Idahoans tell me that they are tir… Continue Reading
February 07, 2014
Crapoâ??s Forest Roads Regulatory Relief Legislation Becomes Law
Washington, D.C. - Federal, state, county, tribal and private forest owners, along with farmers and ranchers, will benefit from language, included in the Farm Bill, signed into law by President Barack Obama. The Silviculture Regulatory Consistency Act, more commonly known as the forest roads legislation, introduced by Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), would codify positions taken by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Supreme Court that forest roads used… Continue Reading
February 06, 2014
Crapo Statement On Senate Confirmation Of Baucus Nomination
Washington, D.C. - Today, Idaho Senator Mike Crapo supported Senator Max Baucus of Montana's nomination to be the next U.S. envoy to China. Since Crapo arrived in the Senate in 1999, the two have partnered together on issues of mutual interest and importance to the West. Crapo and Baucus served together on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and Senate Finance Committee, which Baucus has chaired since 2007. "Max is a friend and has been a good partner on many resource, trade an… Continue Reading
February 06, 2014
Crapo To Host First Tele-Townhall Of 2014
Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo has scheduled his first statewide tele-townhall of the year for Wednesday, February 12. The hour-long call will allow Crapo to hear directly from Idahoans about the many challenging issues facing the nation. Crapo will also take time to explain the recently-passed Farm Bill and the flaws and benefits, including deficit reduction measures, associated with this important piece of legislation. The call begins at 7:00 PM Mountain Time / 6:00 PM Pacific … Continue Reading
February 04, 2014
Crapo Backs Five-Year Farm Bill
Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo joined a bipartisan majority in the U.S. Senate and voted to approve the House-passed Agricultural Act of 2014 conference report, commonly known as the Farm Bill. The bill, which passed 68-32, concludes a long process that began last year when the House and Senate passed separate versions. A conference committee made up of members of the House and Senate has been working for the last several months to iron out the differences and come to a final agre… Continue Reading
January 31, 2014
Crapo: Administration Has No Excuse, Approve Keystone
Washington, D.C. - Today, the U.S. State Department released a final environmental analysis of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. The report, like previous studies, shows that the pipeline would not cause a major expansion of production in the Canadian oil sands or contribute to increased greenhouse gas emissions. Idaho Senator Mike Crapo has been a strong proponent of the project, pushing the administration to approve the pipeline for several years.? "Achieving U.S. energy independence is a … Continue Reading
January 28, 2014
Crapo: Presidentâ??s Speech Shows Country Faces Serious Challenges Ahead
Washington, D.C. - Following the State of the Union address, Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, Ranking Member of the Senate Banking Committee and member of the Senate Finance and Budget Committees, issued the following statement: "We must focus harder on our massive national debt. Now at a staggering $17 trillion, this level of debt is irresponsible, unacceptable, and quite frankly, dangerous. An overwhelming majority of voters want the president and Congress to spend more time addressing the nationa… Continue Reading
January 24, 2014
Crapo Office Travels to Council
Boise - To better assist Idahoans with questions and issues concerning federal agencies and policies, Idaho Senator Mike Crapo's office is continuing a rotation of remote office hours on behalf of the Senator across the southwest part of the state. Crapo's Regional Director Bryan Ricker has been meeting with constituents on behalf of the senator. This month, Ricker will be in Adams County to assist Idahoans with any questions or problems related to federal agencies or with problems regardin… Continue Reading
January 23, 2014
Crapo Welcomes Spring 2014 Interns
Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo welcomes seven new interns to his Boise regional office and his Capitol office in Washington, D.C., to learn more about Congress and the federal government. Interns assist the Senator and his staff in serving the people of Idaho by conducting legislative research, providing administrative support and giving tours of the U.S. Capitol to visiting Idahoans and their families. "Having served an internship on Capitol Hill, I know what a tremendous opport… Continue Reading
January 17, 2014
Idaho Senators Co-Sponsor Concealed Carry Legislation
Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch are co-sponsoring legislation to expand gun rights of law-abiding citizens in states like Idaho. The Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2014 will allow an individual permitted or entitled by their state of residence to carry a concealed firearm the right to maintain that concealed carry in any other state that allows or does not prohibit the practice. In addition, concealed carry permits will be treated like drivers' lic… Continue Reading
January 17, 2014
Crapo Statement On The Retirement Announcement of Senator Tom Coburn
Washington, D.C. - Following the news that Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn would retire from the U.S. Senate at the end of the year, Idaho Senator Mike Crapo released the following statement: "Tom's spirit of service and sacrifice for his constituents and taxpayers across the country is unmatched. He has devoted his career in Congress to promoting fiscal responsibility by showing the American people the waste, fraud and abuse that should be eliminated in the federal government. I have had the op… Continue Reading
January 16, 2014
Crapo And Risch Vote Against Omnibus Spending Package
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch today voted against H.R. 3547, the Omnibus Appropriations Bill. "The U.S. federal debt is well over $17 trillion dollars, a staggering $55,000 per person," said Crapo. "The federal government has been fiscally irresponsible for far too long and unfortunately, this bill continues this practice. Once again, a massive spending bill was brought to the Senate floor at the last minute and members were prevented from improving the bill with … Continue Reading
