News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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This week marked the conclusion of the public comment period for Governor Inslee and Senator Murray’s recently released draft Lower Snake River Dams Benefit Replacement Report. I have read the Inslee-Murray report, and while I could comment on the missing data points or perspectives that are found on every single page, it is also clear this draft report has come to the same conclusion that I, along with federal scientists, engineers, and fish biologists, have understood for many years now: Our communities cannot afford to breach and remove t...
This Fourth of July, Americans in Central Washington and across the country are contending with a host of financial worries. Red-hot inflation has contributed to a skyrocketing cost of living and continues to wreak havoc on financial markets, the American supply chain, and Americans’ pocketbooks. As the country deals with record-high gas prices and sparse shelves at the grocery store, it is more important than ever to call to mind what it is that makes our country great—and how we can return to greatness once more. Independence Day gives us...
The Biden Administration must be held accountable for failing to serve Central Washington’s veterans. This weekend, details on a draft report from the VA’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) broke news headlines, outlining that not only did the new Electronic Health Record (EHR) system rolled out at Spokane (and now Walla Walla’s) VA hospitals cause harm to at least 148 veterans, but that Cerner Corporation, which owns the contract for this system, knew their system was flawed and withheld that information from the Department of Veter...
A year and a half ago, when President Biden was sworn into office, gas prices were $2.39 a gallon. Today, gas prices have more than doubled, averaging $5.01 per gallon. The Labor Department reported Friday that inflation rose to 8.6% in the 12 months ending in May, its highest level since December 1981. Virtually no sector of the economy was left untouched. Electricity is up 12% from a year ago, groceries 11.9%, and rent 5.9%. It’s not rocket science; the policy decisions being made by this Administration have directly impacted the state of o...
China has been buying up American farmland, and, for some reason, people aren’t worried about it. Maybe they’re unaware that China’s American agricultural land holdings have increased over tenfold in the last decade. Maybe they’re unaware that at the beginning of 2020, investments from China held $2 billion of American agricultural land. Maybe they’re unaware that 2021 was the 10th straight year America’s trade deficit with the Chinese eclipsed $300 billion. Maybe they’re unaware that China owns 50% of the global reserves of corn. But I’m...
Over the past year and a half — under the Democrats’ one-party rule — rural communities like ours in Central Washington have been harmed by the failed, anti-energy policies coming out of our nation’s capital. Gas prices have hit all-time highs, and American families are facing high inflation and supply chain interruptions thata threaten our way of life. It is more critical than ever that our nation establishes a strong, reliable, all-of-the-above domestic energy portfolio. Fortunately for us in Central Washington, we have a prime example...
This week, as Native American tribes and communities gather to honor the women and girls who have been murdered or gone missing at alarming rates here in Central Washington and across the country, the glaring question remains: When will this end? For decades, indigenous women have faced a murder rate 10 times higher than the national average, and in Washington state, native women account for 7% of all reported missing women. The lack of a streamlined reporting apparatus and accurate data combined with jurisdictional challenges have left tribes...
Currently, a little over 1.3 million people are serving on active duty in our nation’s military—that is less than half of one percent of the U.S. population. Securing our national defense and protecting our interests is a heavy burden to rest on these men and women, and that is why continuing to care for our servicemembers and veterans is such a solemn duty for the federal government. I’m honored to represent over 39,000 veterans in Central Washington and consider it one of my highest priorities to ensure they receive the high-quality care and...
Farming season is here, and unfortunately, due to supply-chain issues and rising energy costs exacerbated by President Biden’s policies, input costs are at a record-high. This has placed a huge burden on Central Washington farmers and will have a massive impact on this year’s harvest. A poor harvest does not just hurt a farmer’s bottom line, it hurts everyone up and down the supply chain, from the local community to the end consumer who faces higher food prices and even food shortages. Farmers from across Central Washington are concerned becau...
It is completely mind-boggling that amidst an energy and supply chain crisis, President Biden would remove a source of power and transportation for an entire region. Yet, just last week, the White House updated their blog with a post about doing just that: breaching the four Lower Snake River Dams. This “blog post” proves that the Biden Administration is beholden to radical, environmental lobbyists, and is only hearing their side of the argument. They are completely ignoring the devastating impacts that breaching the Lower Snake River Dams wou...
One of the biggest misconceptions about Daylight Saving Time is that farmers pushed for it, because “they needed daylight hours to work in their fields”. Nothing could be further from the truth. The adoption of daylight saving time in the United States through the Calder Act, also known as the Standard Time Act of 1918, was devised to conserve energy during wartime. Even then, the agriculture industry spoke out against it. Here’s why: Shifting the clocks back and forth is hugely disruptive for our farmers and ranchers, not to mention any lives...
As the Congressman for Washington’s 4th Congressional District, my number one priority is advocating for the people who live and work right here in Central Washington, contributing to our communities and economy. That’s why, last week, I voted in favor of the Consolidated Appropriations Act. This legislation not only delivers on many of Central Washington’s top priorities but preserves long-standing conservative principles and takes significant actions to strengthen our national security. Decisions about the needs of our communities shoul...
If you ask almost any farmer in Central Washington these days what their most pervasive problem is, I can guarantee they’ll say labor. Producers across Washington and the country are keenly aware that there simply isn’t enough interest among domestic workers to fill these essential roles. As the breadbasket for the world, the labor crisis creates a threat to our food security and our national security. That is why I have been championing agricultural labor reform since coming to Congress. In 2019 my legislation, the Farm Workforce Mod...
Living in Central Washington means you’re pretty much as far as you can get from the southern border while remaining in the land of the free, so it’s easy to think President Biden’s open-border policies don’t affect us. Unfortunately, that couldn’t be further from the truth. President Biden’s open-border policies have allowed fentanyl to flow across the southern border and into our communities. In FY21, there was a 134% increase in the amount of fentanyl found by Customs and Border Protection. The 11,201 pounds of fentanyl that were seized by o...
Christmas is the season of hope and joy, and as we look to the brightening days ahead, it is important we bring that same sense of love and generosity that has filled our hearts and homes over the last few weeks with us into the new year. For those of us who have the privilege of calling Central Washington home, there is much for which we are grateful. We are free to observe holy days as our conscience, not the government, dictates. We are blessed to live in one of the most beautiful parts of the world, with bountiful farmland and majestic...
A few weeks ago, I was speaking with former Defense Secretary General James Mattis about some of the lessons he’s learned over the years. One of his biggest takeaways? How incredible of a community Central Washington is, and that sometimes it takes leaving to know what you have. As I breathe in the clean, crisp air in Sunnyside this winter morning, I couldn’t agree more. Central Washington truly has it all, from majestic rivers that we’ve harnessed to power our homes to gorgeous national forests and public lands. In our communities, peopl...
On Friday, the Labor Department announced that consumer prices increased by 6.8 percent in November compared to last year, the largest annual increase in over 39 years. If that doesn’t make apparent the impacts President Biden’s policies are having on American families to my progressive colleagues, I don’t know what will. Americans deserve fiscal responsibility. With the stranglehold the far left has on the Democratic Party, we’ve seen anything but that. Trillions of dollars in wasteful spending has been rammed through Congress over the las...
As talks of defunding the police ring through the halls of Congress, West-side legislators in Olympia continue to push through policies that are negatively impacting our communities, and this time, the consequences could be dangerous. Instead of empowering our law enforcement officers to protect our families and businesses, recent legislation passed by Democratic leaders in our state, in particular HB 1310, has tied the hands of our law enforcement officers behind their backs. Under this law, which went into effect in July of this year, our...
4 years ago, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, an armistice between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect and ended “the war to end all wars.” Now, we honor that day, the 116,516 American military personnel who lost their lives in that war, and every veteran who has served on behalf of our nation. On Veterans Day and every day, we say thank you. The state of Washington is home to over 520,000 veterans, and those of us in Washington’s Fourth Congressional District are proud to have 39,595 of these veter...
For more than 20 years, a group of plaintiffs led by a litigious special interest environmental group have held our region hostage, threatening to breach our dams and drain the lifeblood of our region. Their lawsuits have never been about the operation of our dams; rather, they have placed a bullseye on our critical infrastructure which provides clean, carbon-free energy throughout the region while protecting our native salmon population. They are driven by a singular, ideological goal: dam breaching. After federal scientists, engineers, and...
This month, gas prices nationwide are the highest they’ve been since October 2014, and President Biden’s failed energy policies are directly responsible. Since assuming office in January, President Biden has worked with congressional Democrats to put forth Executive Orders and other policies designed to reduce access to our country’s oil and gas resources, which not only diminishes the global competitiveness of American companies and workers but has strained our ability to access the energy we need to live and work. This Administration seems...
Central Washington is made up of honest, hardworking, freedom-loving Americans who provide food and fiber for this nation, and my district is home to some of the most dedicated and innovative agriculture producers in the country. Washington’s farmers and ranchers produce more than 300 commodities, including high-quality hay, wheat, beef, dairy, and specialty crops like apples, hops, potatoes, cherries, mint, and winegrapes. Blessed with the conditions to produce such a diverse range of crops, Central Washington is proud to share its natural a...
For the first time in a long time, we have good news for our family farmers who have been under tremendous economic strain caused by drought, wildfires, and extreme heat. Last week, the president signed into law H.R. 5305 – Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act (Continuing Resolution). A short-term funding solution to keep our government running is never ideal, but this Continuing Resolution provides for many of Central Washington’s priorities. Specifically, this law includes $28.6 billion in emergency sup...
I never thought I’d have to be writing this but let me be clear: The Constitution and Declaration of Independence, our nation’s foundational documents and declaration of beliefs, are not controversial – period. I will always stand to protect, defend, and follow our Constitution. Unfortunately, in the latest showing of “cancel culture,” the Biden Administration’s National Archives Task Force has labeled our country’s records – including seminal documents such as the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the U.S. Constitution ...
Sometimes, to stop fires, you have to start them. Democrats like President Biden often point to the West’s devastating wildfires as evidence of climate change, and while that’s certainly contributed to some of the events we are seeing unfolding across the country, it’s only part of the picture. The rest? Burdensome government regulations inhibiting proper forest management and “sue-and-settle” lawsuits that prevent any actionable plans from being implemented. In Central Washington, if you step outside today, you’re bound to be inundated b...
