Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today supported the House Interior and Environment Appropriations bill for FY17 during the House Appropriations Committee consideration. Included in the legislation are policies important to western states and critical funding for Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT), a vital program in the west that ensures communities are adequately compensated for the lack of tax revenue due to the presence of federal land. “Every county in Idaho depends on the federal government mee... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson voted in favor of two resolutions which voice the House of Representatives disapproval for two of President Obama’s proposed energy initiatives. The first, H.Con.Res. 89, would express the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to the United States economy. The second, H.Con.Res. 112, would express the sense of Congress opposing the President’s proposed $10 tax on every barrel of oil. Both passed the House on Friday. “The President continues to do... Read more

Idaho STEP Challenge In 2014, Congressman Mike Simpson started tracking his steps to achieve a series of personal weight loss goals. Since then, he has lost 68 pounds. Now, in an effort to advocate healthy lifestyles through his work in the House of Representatives, Congressman Simpson is challenging Idaho residents to a STEP Challenge. Beginning on June 1, 2016, Congressman Simpson will measure and record the number of miles he walks each week using his activity tracker. During the next calenda... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson has announced he will virtually walk from Washington D.C. to Boise during the next year as part of the Idaho STEP Challenge. Since 2014, Simpson has lost nearly 70 pounds using an activity tracker to monitor his daily steps. Simpson recently cosponsored H.R. 1218, the Personal Health Investment Today Act (PHIT Act) which aims to promote health and prevent obesity related diseases by allowing physical activity expenses to be reimbursed using pre-tax dollars. The Ida... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson last night supported passage of H.R. 4909, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2017. This legislation fulfills the constitutional responsibility of Congress to provide for the common defense by funding the Department of Defense. “I am very pleased to see the NDAA pass, and particularly for the recognition of the A-10’s importance in the bill and its unique and invaluable contributions to the armed forces,” said Simpson. “The fight against ... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today supported passage of the fiscal year 2017 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill. This bill provides funding to maintain military base infrastructure and to house, train, and equip military personnel, as well as other services for military families. It also funds the medical care and benefits administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). “This legislation provides an increase in funding for medical care and benefits adm... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson released the following statement after a federal judge ruled that the Obama administration unlawfully paid billions to Obamacare health insurers without congressional approval. “Yesterday’s ruling confirms what many American’s already know, the President is acting unilaterally without consulting Congress,” said Congressman Simpson. “The President didn’t confer with Republicans when Obamacare passed on party line votes, and he continues to ignore Congress as a colle... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson is a cosponsor of H.R. 2896, the Taking Account of Institutions with Low Operation Risk Act of 2015. The TAILOR Act would provide smaller community banks and credit unions with regulatory relief. H.R. 2896 requires federal financial regulatory agencies to consider the risk profile and business models of financial institutions when taking regulatory action; and requires agencies to tailor regulations accordingly as appropriate and necessary. Currently, small traditi... Read more

Idaho Congressman Simpson is a cosponsor of H.R. 4773, the Protecting Workplace Advancement and Opportunity Act, which blocks a U.S. Department of Labor rule to significantly increase the salary threshold for exemption from federal overtime pay requirements for managerial, professional or administrative positions. Currently under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), salaried employees who earn $23,660 or less are eligible for overtime pay if they work more than 40 hours per week. In its final ru... Read more

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson joined a bipartisan group of Members of Congress in sending a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) top official expressing extreme concerns with the use of federal funding for advocacy and lobbying efforts. EPA funds were recently linked to an advocacy project in Washington State. “As an Idahoan I fully expect to have differences with the EPA regarding policy,” said Simpson. “But one thing that we should always agree on is the law and these advocac... Read more