WASHINGTON, March 30 (Rep.) -- Del. Aumua Amata Radewagen, R-American Samoa, issued the following news release on March 29, 2023: Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata testified last week before key lawmakers of the Appropriations Committee to emphasize American Samoa's appropriations situation, while expressing concern about the new challenges faced as a fishing-based economy. "Tuna is to American Samoa, what the potato is to Idaho and the lobster is to Maine - without them our economies and identit  more

BOISE, Idaho, March 28 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release on March 27, 2023: U.S. Senator Mike Crapo's office (R-Idaho) today announced staff changes and a new hire in his Idaho offices. Casey Attebery is now fulfilling the role of State Director of Natural Resources and Environment. Casey has worked for Crapo for 12 years, serving in various roles in Crapo's Washington, D.C., office before returning to Idaho in 2017 to begin working as State Director of Agriculture  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) joined Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) to introduce the Merchant Category Code (MCC) Neutrality Act, which would prohibit the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from auditing taxpayers based primarily on the MCC used by their business. The bill would also require the IRS to provide a report to Congress with an annual total of audits initiated for each MCC, and it would serve as  more

WASHINGTON, March 31 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following remarks on March 30, 2023: U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, delivered the following remarks at a hearing entitled, "Pharmacy Benefit Managers and the Prescription Drug Supply Chain: Impact on Patients and Taxpayers." As prepared for delivery: "Thank you, Mr. Chairman. "I have long championed efforts to improve prescription drug access and affordability for Americans,   more

WASHINGTON, March 31 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Mike Crapo, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Jim Risch (both R-Idaho) joined Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota), Ranking Member of the Finance Committee Subcommittee on Taxation and Internal Revenue Service Oversight, to reintroduce legislation to permanently repeal the federal estate tax, more commonly known as the death tax. The Death Tax Repeal Act would end this purely puni  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch (both R-Idaho) joined Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-Louisiana), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and 35 additional Republican colleagues to introduce a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to overturn President Biden's student loan cancelation scheme, which would transfer up to $20,000 in student loan debt per borrower onto taxpayers, costing an estimated $  more

WASHINGTON, March 31 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch (both R-Idaho) joined in introducing a resolution recognizing the 30th anniversary of the National Guard Youth Challenge Program (NGYCP). The resolution recognizes the NGYCP's 30 years of successfully developing at-risk youth in our communities, commends the accomplishments of the program's graduates, and reaffirms the Senate's commitment to supporting the program's work d  more

WASHINGTON, March 30 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release on March 29, 2023: U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch's (both R-Idaho) Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution passed the Senate today. The CRA challenged the Biden administration's Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, which grossly expands federal regulatory authority over water. "The passing of this CRA shows there is bipartisan support to halt the Biden Administration's effort to trample on states  more

WASHINGTON, March 31 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch (both R-Idaho) applauded the Senate passage of a measure that would end the COVID national emergency declaration. "Last year, the Administration admitted what Idahoans already knew to be true - the worst of the pandemic is behind us. It is time to move forward and terminate the COVID-19 national emergency authority that the Administration has been relying upon to make unr  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release on March 28, 2023: U.S. Senators Mike Crapo, Jim Risch (both R-Idaho), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada), Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virgina), John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today introduced the FAST Fix Act to create greater opportunities for small businesses in underserved states, like Idaho, to gain access to Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and S  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch and U.S. Representative Russ Fulcher (all R-Idaho) celebrated the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) decision to extend hours for the Porthill Port of Entry. CBP's announcement comes after Crapo, Risch and Fulcher wrote Executive Assistant Commissioner Pete Flores encouraging CBP to extend hours at Porthill as a part of the pilot program that would evaluate traffic  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Mike Crapo, Jim Risch (both R-Idaho) and Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) introduced the bipartisan CURD (Codifying Useful Regulatory Definitions) Act to help better inform consumers' cheese purchasing decisions. The CURD Act would codify a formal definition of "natural cheese," a term commonly used on food packaging that currently lacks an official definition. Under the CURD Act, "natural cheese" would  more

WASHINGTON, March 30 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Mike Crapo, Jim Risch (both R-Idaho) and Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) announced the introduction of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Standardization and Accountability of Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) Act. This measure would freeze the VA rollout of the EHRM program until certain improvements have been made. "America's veterans deserve to know the systems housing their medical re  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: At a U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs hearing examining recent bank failures, senior member and former chairman of the Committee Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) raised questions of Federal Reserve Vice Chairman for Supervision Michael Barr about whether the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act (S. 2155) prevented federal regulators, particularly the Federal Reserve, fr  more

WASHINGTON, March 24 -- Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: Congressman Russ Fulcher (R-ID) was joined by Congressman August Pfluger (R-TX), Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-IL), Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Congressman Randy Weber (R-TX), and Congressman Tom Tiffany (R-WI) in introducing the ATF Transparency Act. The legislation improves the process for Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives' (ATF) background checks and National Firearms Act (NFA) applica  more

WASHINGTON, April 1 -- Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, issued the following news release: Senator John Hoeven this week joined Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) in introducing legislation to assist small businesses in underserved states to gain access to Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards. This legislation, the FAST Fix Act, would provide outreach, financial support, and technical assistance to help businesses in rural areas more effective  more

WASHINGTON, April 1 -- Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, issued the following statement on March 31, 2023: * * * Congressman Russ Fulcher (ID-01) released the following statement on the indictment of President Donald J. Trump: "From day one, the Manhattan District Attorney has been driven not by genuine evidence of wrongdoing, but by political motivations. That has tainted his case against President Trump and shaken the trust of Americans in our justice system. Seven years after the election of Pr  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: U.S Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Ted Budd (R-N.C.) introduced the Stopping Traffickers and Their Accomplices Act to require abortion providers to file a report with the National Human Trafficking Hotline if there is reasonable suspicion to believe a woman is a victim of human trafficking. "Human traffickers will do everything in their power to exploit and violate their victims, including coercing women in  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, issued the following news release on March 28, 2023: U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) with Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today introduced the FAST Fix Act to create greater opportunities for small businesses in underserved states, like Idaho, to gain access to Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and   more

WASHINGTON, March 30 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, issued the following news release and letter: U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) wrote a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra demanding the agency answer for its guidance that encourages medical professionals to provide "gender-affirming" treatments for children and the use of taxpayer dollars to prescribe dangerous and experimental drugs and surgeries on America's youth. U.S. Senators Mike Crapo   more

WASHINGTON, March 30 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) introduced the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act, bipartisan legislation to crack down on and schedule the highly dangerous sedative causing fatal overdoses nationwide. Xylazine, also known as "tranq" or tranquilizer is an easily accessible veterinary tranquilizer being used as a low-cost cuttin  more

WASHINGTON, April 1 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, (both R-Idaho) joined Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota), Ranking Member of the Finance Committee Subcommittee on Taxation and Internal Revenue Service Oversight, to reintroduce legislation to permanently repeal the federal estate tax, more commonly known as the death tax. The Death Tax Repeal Act would end this purely puni  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo (both R-Idaho) joined Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-Louisiana), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and 35 additional Republican colleagues to introduce a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to overturn President Biden's student loan cancelation scheme, which would transfer up to $20,000 in student loan debt per borrower onto taxpayers, costing an estimated   more

WASHINGTON, March 30 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, issued the following news release on March 29, 2023: U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo's (both R-Idaho) Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution today passed the Senate. The CRA challenged the Biden administration's Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, which grossly expands federal regulatory authority over water. "Today's vote is a decisive and bipartisan movement away from big government. Idaho has been managing water longer than   more

WASHINGTON, March 31 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo (both R-Idaho) applauded the Senate passage of a measure that would end the COVID national emergency declaration. "The COVID-19 pandemic is over, and it is well past time for the national emergency declaration surrounding the pandemic to end. The passage of this joint resolution should send a strong message to the President to stop using the pandemic as an excuse to spen  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo and U.S. Representative Russ Fulcher (all R-Idaho) celebrated the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's decision to extend hours for the Porthill Port of Entry. CBP's announcement comes after Risch, Crapo, and Fulcher wrote Executive Assistant Commissioner Pete Flores encouraging CBP to extend hours at Porthill as a part of the pilot program that would evaluate traffic flo  more

WASHINGTON, March 30 -- Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo and U.S. Representative Russ Fulcher (all R-Idaho) celebrated the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's decision to extend hours for the Porthill Port of Entry. CBP's announcement comes after Risch, Crapo, and Fulcher wrote Executive Assistant Commissioner Pete Flores encouraging CBP to extend hours at Porthill as a part of the pilot program that would evaluate traffic fl  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo, (R-Idaho), and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) introduced the bipartisan CURD (Codifying Useful Regulatory Definitions) Act to help better inform consumers' cheese purchasing decisions. The CURD Act would codify a formal definition of "natural cheese," a term commonly used on food packaging that currently lacks an official definition. Under the CURD Act, "natural cheese" wo  more

WASHINGTON, March 31 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, issued the following news release on March 30, 2023: U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) today reintroduced the Security and Oversight of International Landholdings (SOIL) Act in order to provide oversight and transparency of purchases of U.S. agricultural land that threaten national security. "While there's no question America has some of the best farmland in the worl  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release and letter: U.S. Senate Banking Committee Republicans, including U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), are demanding answers and seeking records from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco regarding their supervision of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) in the leadup to its failure. The Republican members of the Committee are striving to deliver transparency and accountability   more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following column on March 27, 2023: * * * Crafting New Farm Bill Starts With Listening To Idaho Farmers And Ranchers As many of the programs authorized in the 2018 Farm Bill expire this year, it is time to write a new Farm Bill. Throughout my time in Congress, I have greatly valued opportunities to work for Idahoans to help shape past Farm Bills to ensure federal farm policy best empowers Idaho production. I am looking to Idaho agri  more

WASHINGTON, March 31 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement: * * * Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) issued the following statement on guidance released by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service on clean vehicle tax credit eligibility: "The ever-changing, and late, Treasury guidance on electric vehicle tax credits has once again failed to follow through on promises that mi  more

WASHINGTON, March 31 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, delivered the following remarks at a hearing entitled, "Pharmacy Benefit Managers and the Prescription Drug Supply Chain: Impact on Patients and Taxpayers." As prepared for delivery: "Thank you, Mr. Chairman. "I have long championed efforts to improve prescription drug acces  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on March 28, 2023: * * * Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) issued the following statement on the Biden Administration's attempt to side-step a statutory requirement for the clean vehicle tax credit in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) by negotiating the United States - Japan Critical Minerals Agreement: "Contrary to the Biden Administratio  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), ranking member and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, were joined today by Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in introducing the International Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2023, bipartisan legislation to reauthorize and enhance critica  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), ranking member of the Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women's Issues Subcommittee, Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) today reintroduced th  more

WASHINGTON, March 29 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following news release on March 28, 2023: U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today gave the following opening remarks at a full committee hearing on U.S. support of democracy and human rights. The witnesses included Mr. Leopoldo Lopez, a Venezuelan freedom activist and co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, Ms. Sviatl  more

WASHINGTON, March 31 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, this week joined U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) in introducing a bipartisan resolution in commemoration of the upcoming one-year anniversa  more

WASHINGTON, March 30 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following news release on March 29, 2023: U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, yesterday met with Colombian Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva, Justice Minister Nestor Osuna, and Ambassador to the United States Luis Gilberto Murillo. "Yesterday's meeting with Foreign Minister Leyva, Justice Minister Osuna, and Ambassador Muril  more

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, were joined by Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in introducing the International Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2023, bipartisan legislation to reauthorize and enhance critical p  more

WASHINGTON, March 31 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release on March 30, 2023: U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Taxation and Internal Revenue Service Oversight, today led 40 of his Senate colleagues, including Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, in reintroducing legislation to permanently repeal the federal estate tax, more commonly known as the deat  more

WASHINGTON, March 31 -- Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, issued the following statement on March 30, 2023: * * * "When it comes to the products we buy or consume, names matter. We expect a product's name to tell us about what it is, what it will do, and whether it will make our lives better. But when the name of a product leads us to believe it is something that isn't true, we can be misled into buying something that doesn't give us what we expected. That's why I am concerned that the Food and Drug  more