|
House
Passes
Priorities
for
Central
Washington
Rep.
Newhouse
visits
McNary
Dam
to
witness
the
negative
effects
of
a
forced
spill
order.
I
am
proud
to
report
the
House
of
Representatives
passed
H.R.
5895,
a
"mini-bus"
appropriations
bill
that
provides
funding
for
Energy
and
Water,
Legislative
Branch,
and
Military
Construction
and
Veterans
Affairs.
Of
all
the
funding
bills
I
work
on
with
my
colleagues
in
the
Appropriations
Committee,
the
Energy
and
Water
legislation
is
one
of
the
most
important
for
Central
Washington,
and
I
worked
to
include
vitally
important
resources
that
benefit
our
region
and
our
nation.
The
bill
restores
more
than
$200
million
dollars
for
Hanford's
Richland
Office
to
continue
providing
safe
and
effective
cleanup
operations
onsite.
It
also
restores
more
than
$40
million
to
the
Office
of
River
Protection
to
continue
important
work
on
the
56
million
gallons
of
remaining
radioactive
nuclear
waste,
as
the
federal
government
works
to
fulfill
its
moral
and
legal
obligation
to
cleanup
the
Hanford
site.
The
legislation
commits
to
move
forward
with
Yucca
Mountain
as
the
lead
geologic
repository
for
nuclear
waste
and
spent
fuel,
and
it
continues
its
commitment
to
supporting
science,
including
robust
funding
for
Basic
Energy
Sciences,
Cybersecurity,
and
the
National
Nuclear
Security
Administration.
These
programs
are
important
for
the
ground-breaking
work
conducted
at
the
Pacific
Northwest
National
Laboratory
as
they
work
to
tackle
the
most
challenging
problems
in
energy,
the
environment,
and
national
security.
Additionally,
the
bill
includes
language
I
authored
to
stop
the
danger,
anti-science
forced
spill
order
currently
in
effect
on
the
eight
lower-Snake
and
lower-Columbia
dams.
This
forced
spill
has
been
detrimental
to
endangered
fish
populations,
and
I
am
proud
that
this
legislation
takes
a
step
to
save
our
salmon
and
save
our
dams.
Click
here
to
read
more.
Click
here
to
watch
my
remarks
in
support
of
my
amendment.
I
offered
an
amendment
with
the
support
of
my
colleagues
in
the
Pacific
Northwest
to
prohibit
the
sale
of
transmission
assets
of
Power
Marketing
Administrations,
like
the
Bonneville
Power
Administration.
In
rural
communities,
we
rely
on
the
stable,
affordable
electricity
service
that
BPA
provides,
and
divesting
transmission
assets
is
a
misguided
attempt
to
fix
something
that
isn't
broken.
I
am
pleased
that
my
amendment
was
approved.
Wins
for
Rural
Communities
Click
here
to
watch
me
speak
in
support
of
my
amendment.
The
Appropriations
Committee
marked
up
the
Fiscal
Year
2019
Department
of
Interior,
Environment,
and
Related
Agencies
Appropriations
Act. This
legislation
provides
annual
funding
for
the
Department
of
the
Interior,
the
Environmental
Protection
Agency
(EPA),
the
U.S.
Forest
Service,
the
Indian
Health
Service,
and
various
independent
and
related
agencies.
The
Committee
adopted
my
amendment
to
deny
funding
for
the
U.S.
Department
of
Interior
proposal
to
transport
grizzly
bears
to
the
North
Cascades.
I
have
heard
my
constituents
loud
and
clear
on
their
opposition
to
transporting
grizzly
bears
to
the
North
Cascades,
and
the
rest
of
the
federal
government
should
take
note
of
local
communities’
voices
as
well.
I
am
pleased
that
my
amendment
to
deny
funding
to
a
proposal
to
transport
grizzlies
was
adopted
by
the
Committee
and
included
in
the
legislation
approved
today.
This
legislation
also
includes
important
priorities
for
rural
Central
Washington
that
encompass
federal
delisting
of
the
gray
wolf,
wildfire
prevention
and
mitigation,
and
preserving
the
North
Cascades
Smokejumper
Base
in
Winthrop.
Click
here
to
read
more.
Cutting
Spending
I
voted
to
support
H.R.
3,
the
Spending
Cuts
to
Expired
and
Unnecessary
Programs
Act,
which
rescinds
$15
billion
in
federal
spending
that
is
no
longer
needed
for
its
intended
purposes
and
returns
it
to
the
Treasury.
Congress
must
align
government
spending
–
which
is
all
taxpayers’
money
–
with
our
promises
to
taxpayers.
Steadying
the
fiscal
ship
of
state
will
require
a
continuous
effort
to
cut
wasteful
spending.
Rescinding
unspent
funds
is
an
important
step
to
rein
in
spending,
especially
when
our
national
debt
exceeds
$21
trillion.
Mexico
Tariffs
Affect
Washington
Agriculture
Mexico
recently
announced
new
tariffs
on
U.S.
farm
goods,
including
a
20%
tariff
on
apples.
This
announcement
comes
after
the
administration
applied
tariffs
on
steel
and
aluminum
imports
from
several
countries.
I
have
been
vocal
in
expressing
my
concern
about
potential
retaliatory
tariffs
on
the
U.S.
and
am
not
surprised
by
Mexico's
response. A
trade
war
with
Washington’s
agriculture
trading
partners
and
America’s
closest
allies
is
not
in
anyone’s
interest.
The
administration
must
recognize
the
necessity
of
preventing
retaliation
on
American
producers
by
continuing
to
negotiate
with
our
trading
partners
for
a
solution
that
ensures
a
fair
and
equitable
trading
relationship.
Read
more
in
the
Yakima
Herald
Republic.
In
Case
You
Missed
It:
Farmers
Need
Workers
iFiber
One
covered
the
need
for
reform
of
the
H-2A
agricultural
visa
program.
I
introduced
an
amendment
to
the
Agriculture
Appropriations
bill
that
would
streamline
the
H-2A
application
process
into
a
user-friendly
online
portal.
Agriculture
relies
on
stable
labor,
and
Central
Washington
farmers
need
relief.
Click
here
to
read
the
article.
136
Years
of
the
Yakama
Treaty
Click
here
to
watch
my
remarks
on
the
House
floor.
On
June
9,
1855,
the
United
States
entered
into
an
agreement
with
the
confederated
tribes
and
bands
of
the
Yakama
Nation.
This
year,
we
celebrate
the
136th
anniversary
of
a
successful
relationship
between
the
Yakamas,
the
federal
government,
and
the
people
of
Central
Washington.
Yakama
Nation's
presence
and
influence
is
evident
in
our
region,
and
I
am
grateful
for
their
input
as
I
work
to
represent
all
people
of
the
4th
Congressional
District.
Thank
you
for
reading
this
e-news
update.
It
is
an
honor
to
serve
you
in
Congress.
Sincerely,
Dan
Newhouse
Member
of
Congress |