Press Releases

Today's vote is a demonstration of what is wrong with the legislative process in Washington. This bill was not carefully crafted or deliberated in a bipartisan fashion. It was thrown together with pet project after pet project piled on.

This is a giant fraud on the American people. Taxpayers are being hoodwinked into calling this a stimulus package when in fact much of it is nothing more than an enormous spending package that contains a wish list of pet projects and massive spending that will do little to quickly assist our economy and the families who desperately need help. This bill should be about creating jobs and helping families.

These scarves are representative of the countless hours the participants, organizers and volunteers put in leading up to these Games. I applaud them each for their efforts and encourage other Idahoans to join in welcoming the Special Olympics to our state.

Attorney General Holder and I have irreconcilable differences concerning the Second Amendment. He has argued its application is limited to states and militias, while I believe it means every individual has the right to 'keep and bear arms'. Putting someone with that limited view on gun ownership in the role of chief law enforcement officer of the United States is simply a deal breaker for me.

It is critically important that we understand what caused this near catastrophe in our banking and housing industry. We owe it to the American people to fix the problems and prevent it from ever happening again.

The President agreed with my assessment that besides a stimulus package, we must have stability in our banking industry and a thawing of our credit markets, and to get real estate markets moving again. The President said his staff is working on those two issues and they will be bringing proposals forward in the very near future.

This will be a lot of work, but I am committed to doing my best to represent Idahoans on these committees. I am humbled to be selected for some committees where freshmen usually are not placed. I look forward to getting started.

Inauguration day reminds us what a great country we live in. To transfer power in the highest office of the land in a peaceful and orderly fashion is a confirmation that our Founding Fathers put in place a remarkable system of government.

I am very disappointed that these groups decided to go to court. Our process began at the local level with input from a variety of wildland users. We crafted higher levels of protection for some lands that truly deserved it, and allowed multiple use of other lands where it fit. We provided for a collaborative process so all voices could be heard. To see these groups file because they didn't get exactly what they wanted is a disservice to the collaborative process and a step backward in resolving conflict in public lands management.

I congratulate my friend and colleague, Mike Crapo, on the passage of this legislation. He has put in an enormous amount of effort working with a wide variety of local citizens, elected officials and interest groups in creating consensus on this legislation. It was my pleasure to support the Owyhee Initiative and the collaboration it represents.