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Learn more about my role as Chairman of the Interior and Environment Subcommittee.
My priorities on the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee:
As Chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, I have a unique opportunity to influence federal policies that directly impact Idaho. The federal government owns nearly two-thirds of the land in our state, so Idahoans interact with agencies like the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on a daily basis. Land management agencies need to be good neighbors, and in my position I am working to ensure that they are able to act effectively and efficiently on the public’s behalf.
At a time when budget deficits are threatening our economy and it is necessary to rein in federal spending, we must carefully scrutinize every taxpayer dollar that is spent. Because land management policies and decisions have such an impact on Idahoans, I know that there are a number of programs, whether they are public grazing, recreation, or maintenance of our National Parks, that are very important to people throughout Idaho and the nation, and the budget crisis will force us all to make some very difficult decisions. Throughout this process I am focused on ensuring that agencies under my subcommittee’s jurisdiction are focusing their resources on core mission programs while reining in unnecessary spending, duplication, and waste.
While the Appropriations Committee oversees funding for federal agencies, authorizing committees, like the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, have jurisdiction over policy issues. I am working closely with my colleagues on various authorizing committees because, as we all recognize, at the end of the day agencies cannot implement policies without adequate funding. I have held dozens of hearings in my subcommittee to carefully examine the programs on which agencies are spending taxpayer dollars, and as I begin writing the budget for these agencies for the coming fiscal year, I will consider decreasing or eliminating funding for programs that are not justified or where I don’t believe agencies have authority to act.
Throughout this process, it is crucial that I hear from Idahoans who are impacted by the actions of these agencies. I value your thoughts and suggestions as we work to shape the budget of the Forest Service and Department of Interior for the coming year.
Recent subcommittee activity:
The House Appropriations Committee marked up the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY2013 on June 28, 2012. Congressman Simpson put forth a bill that responds to our nation’s fiscal crisis by cutting $1.2 billion from the current fiscal year’s level. The bill shifts the focus away from efforts to grow government and puts it back on proven, core programs.
Interior FY2013 Appropriations Bill Approved by Committee
Simpson Cuts EPA Budget, Reins in Regulatory Agenda
Chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee focuses on jobs, economic growth in FY2013 funding bill
Chairman Mike Simpson’s Grazing Provisions Pass Appropriations Committee
Subcommittee jurisdiction:
The subcommittee engages in comprehensive oversight of and writes the annual budget for the following agencies:
- Department of the Interior (except the Bureau of Reclamation and Central Utah Project);
- Environmental Protection Agency;
- U.S. Forest Service (USDA);
- Agencies for Native Americans, including;
- Environmental organizations, including;
- Other independent agencies, including;
- National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities (except the Institute of Museum and Library Services),
- Smithsonian Institution,
- National Gallery of Art,
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum,
- John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,
- Advisory Council on Historic Preservation,
- Commission of Fine Arts,
- National Capital Planning Commission,
- Presidio Trust,
- White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance, and
- Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.