News Releases
Owyhee Initiative Signed Into Law
Washington, DC - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo said he was glad to be in the company of fellow Idahoans today at the White House as President Barack Obama signed the public lands bill containing Idaho's Owyhee Initiative legislation. Crapo, members of the Owyhee Initiative Work Group, the Idaho Delegation and many others worked for eight years on the collaborative effort to preserve the economic interests and wild lands of Southwest Idaho. It creates the first wilderness in Idaho in nearly 30 years. … Continue Reading
March 27, 2009
Crapo Budget Amendment Aims To Release Over $1 Billion To Victims Of Crime
Washington, DC - In a voice vote during the FY 2010 Budget Resolution mark-up, the Senate Budget Committee unanimously approved an amendment by Idaho Senator Mike Crapo that would prevent Congress from shifting money away from victims of crime nationwide. "For too many years, Congress has been robbing this fund of non-taxpayer dollars to pay for taxpayer-funded programs, not the intended recipients under the law-crime victims," said Crapo. "It is time to fix this oversight in the system that … Continue Reading
March 27, 2009
Crapo Rejects Farm Cuts In Budget Proposal
Washington, DC - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, is warning against unwarranted cuts in the safety net for Idaho and American agriculture as Congress considers proposals for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 budget. Crapo joined Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) in leading a bipartisan group of 21 Senators, including Idaho Senator Jim Risch, in sending a letter to the President expressing opposition to Market Access Program (MAP) funding cuts proposed in the Presid… Continue Reading
March 26, 2009
Crapo Opposes Budget That Passes Debt To Future Generations
Washington, DC - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo voted no today as the Senate Budget Committee approved a Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 Budget Resolution on a 13-10 vote along party lines. The daylong markup in committee included yes votes on two key amendments offered by Crapo concerning Americans' right to know about the federal debt and on funding issues related to assisting victims of domestic violence and other crimes. "While Idahoans, and Americans across the country are cutting back on their spending… Continue Reading
March 26, 2009
Idaho Delegation Welcomes Use Of Dairy Products In Nutrition Programs
Washington, DC - Idaho's Congressional Delegation lauded a plan announced by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today to utilize approximately 200 million pounds of nonfat dry milk for nutrition programs and assist the dairy industry to withstand current challenges with decreased dairy prices and high input costs. In February, Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch and Representatives Mike Simpson and Walt Minnick wrote U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to urge assistance for the Id… Continue Reading
March 25, 2009
Crapo Commends Final Passage Of Owyhee Initiative
Washington, DC - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo said local collaboration and a commitment to working in a bipartisan fashion are the reasons Idaho will soon have its first land management and wilderness legislation in nearly 30 years. The U.S. House of Representatives today gave final approval to a Public Lands bill already approved by the Senate. President Obama is expected to sign the legislation during a White House ceremony, perhaps as early as Monday. Crapo's Owyhee Initiative legislation star… Continue Reading
March 19, 2009
Senate Again Approves Owyhee, Idaho Projects
Washington, DC - The U.S. Senate today again approved a public lands package, H.R. 146, containing Idaho Senator Mike Crapo's Owyhee Initiative Legislation and several other projects to benefit Idahoans. With Crapo on the Senate floor to manage the vote, the measure passed 77 to 20. Now that it has been approved by the Senate, the bill goes to the House for a simple majority vote next week. "Many of the provisions in this legislation, such as the Owyhee Initiative, are the product of years of… Continue Reading
March 18, 2009
Bipartisan Bill Seeks Fairness On Firearms Taxes
Washington, DC - Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Chairman Max Baucus (D-Montana) of the Senate Finance Committee introduced legislation today to stop a discriminatory tax collection practice affecting the nation's firearms manufacturers. The bill makes it easier to file excise taxes and may result in increased funding for state wildlife programs. The Firearms Fairness and Affordability Act would reverse the current practice that requires firearms and ammunition manufacturers to pay excise t… Continue Reading
March 18, 2009
400 Idaho Students Petition Crapo On National Debt
Washington, DC - Idaho students are speaking out on the national debt and student dropout rates in a big way this week-taking their message all the way to the U.S. Capitol and carrying petitions with more than 400 names. Students with the mayor's advisory groups from Nampa and Caldwell met with Idaho Senator Mike Crapo this morning, accompanied by both Nampa Mayor Tom Dale and Caldwell Mayor Garret Nancolas. Crapo said the group's presentation calling for reduced federal debt and for legislat… Continue Reading
March 17, 2009
Crapo To Award Idaho Girl's Heroism, Present Congressional Awards In CDA
Coeur d'Alene - Maya Hippenstiel of Coeur d'Alene may be just seven years old, but she may possess the heart and bravery of someone much older, according to Idaho Senator Mike Crapo. Hippenstiel saved her brother from drowning in an abandoned well in January and, on Friday, she will be honored with Crapo on hand to present her with his Spirit of Idaho Award. "Although having your brother safe and sound by your side is the greatest reward, I want to publicly acknowledge Maya's great courage an… Continue Reading
March 12, 2009
Crapo Bill Would Stop Tax Hike On Capital Gains
Washington, DC - Arguing that investors need certainty and not tax increases, Idaho Senator Mike Crapo has introduced legislation, S. 567, to make permanent the tax relief on capital gains and dividend payments originally approved by Congress in 2003. Crapo, a member of both the Senate Finance and Budget Committees, notes President Obama's proposed 2010 budget would allow tax rates on capital gains and dividends to rise from 15 to 20 percent for many American families. He said families and senio… Continue Reading
March 11, 2009
Crapo Statement On Lands Vote
Washington, DC - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo issued this statement following a vote today in the U.S. House of Representatives on the Omnibus Lands bill that included Crapo's Owyhee Initiative legislation. The final vote was 282 to 144, meaning the effort to advance the legislation failed by two votes in the House based on a need for two-thirds approval from those voting. "Despite falling just two votes short in the House, we will continue to press ahead with efforts to pass the Owyhee Initiativ… Continue Reading
March 11, 2009
Chu Confirms INL Role In Future Nuclear Efforts
Washington, DC - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo won a commitment from Energy Secretary Steven Chu today that the Idaho National Laboratory will play an ongoing role in advancing nuclear research that could change the way the nation handles not only future technology but the disposal of waste products. Crapo told Secretary Chu he was disappointed that funding for nuclear initiatives and for the Yucca Mountain Repository has been cut back in President Obama's FY 2010 budget. "Are you and the Administ… Continue Reading
March 10, 2009
Crapo: 8% Spending Increase Unacceptable
Washington, DC - Out-of-control spending by the U.S. Congress has taken on new significance, according to Idaho Senator Mike Crapo. On a voice vote following a cloture vote of 62 to 35 to stop debate, the Senate tonight voted to pass an omnibus "catch-all" spending bill for Fiscal Year 2009. Crapo voted no, noting there are more than 100 cases in this bill where federal agencies are receiving duplicate funding contained both in this measure and the recently-passed economic stimulus bill. Crap… Continue Reading
March 06, 2009
Delegation Wants Assurance On Doe Security
Washington, DC - Idaho's Congressional Delegation is calling on the Department of Energy (DOE) for improved security measures regarding employees. The request comes following a potential identity theft threat involving information from 59,000 present and former workers at the Idaho National Laboratory at Idaho Falls. Delegation members were notified today by DOE that an encoded disc containing personal data from the employees was either lost or stolen in transit via United Parcel Service. The pa… Continue Reading
March 06, 2009
Governor, Idaho Congressional Delegation Praise Wolf Delisting
(BOISE) - Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter and all four members of Idaho's congressional delegation joined today in praising Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's affirmation of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision to remove gray wolves from the list of threatened and endangered species in Idaho and other areas. "Wolves are a fully recovered species that is thriving in Idaho. That's a fact, and it is heartening to see that Secretary Salazar recognizes it," said Governor Otter, who urged today's … Continue Reading
March 05, 2009
Idaho Delegation Questions Chu Over Yucca
Washington, DC - Idaho's Congressional Delegation has written Energy Secretary Steven Chu to express concern over the Obama Administration's plan to scale back funding for the Yucca Mountain nuclear storage facility in Nevada. Yucca Mountain is slated to be the permanent repository for more than 300 metric tons of nuclear materials produced by the U.S. military and 4,400 cubic meters of high-level waste that was sent to Idaho for temporary storage. Under court-ordered provisions of the 1995 "Bat… Continue Reading
February 26, 2009
Crapo: Budget Increases Both Spending And Taxes
Washington, DC - Noting that President Barack Obama's new budget proposals seek an increase in both federal spending and taxes, at a time when Idahoans are having to cut back on their family budget, Idaho Senator Mike Crapo called for new bipartisan efforts to find a path forward that will be better for the economy and taxpayers. Crapo, a member of both the Senate Budget and Finance Committees, said the Fiscal Year 2010 proposal would double the debt owed by U.S. taxpayers in five years. "I d… Continue Reading
February 26, 2009
Crapo, Lincoln Introduce Railroad Legislation
Washington, DC - Senators Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) have introduced legislation to extend the tax credit to increase the necessary investment in rehabilitation and upgrades for short line railroads. The announcement came as Crapo met with representatives of Watco Companies and other short line railroad companies in his Washington, DC office to discuss the legislation on "Railroad Day" on Capitol Hill. Watco operates rail services in eastern, southern and north-central… Continue Reading
February 26, 2009
Crapo Votes To Uphold Free Speech Protection
Washington, DC - Free speech on radio stations across Idaho and the nation must be protected, says Idaho Senator Mike Crapo. That's why Crapo joined with 29 other Senators to introduce legislation to ensure broadcasters are protected against efforts to increase federal control over the airwaves as well as the content of talk radio and other programs. The legislation was approved today on a vote of 87 to 11 as an amendment to the D.C. Voting Rights Bill. "Free speech and the right to express o… Continue Reading
