Mike Simpson

There are too many people in this world who think, hey, I can just plug in my car. This energy comes out of the ethos somewhere, and that is not true.

If you are going to tax somebody for a purpose, and for a need, and you still have that need, why not spend that money on that need?

Politics has stopped us from solving this problem. And we need to just move on and get it done.

Every part of the country has a competitive advantage with something.

If you ever see me in a driverless vehicle, you will know that hell has frozen over.

Electric cars is not the answer. It is a part of the answer.

I find that really strange.

One of the challenges you have is that in Idaho I might drive 500, 600, 700 miles a day. I don't have 4 hours to charge a battery halfway there or a third of the way there two or three times.

I applaud the transparency that you are trying to create there as long as we can maintain that privacy of people's medical records.

What is very clear is that what is happening in Venezuela is not simply a Venezuelan problem, as bad as it is in Venezuela.

As I have studied politics since junior high school, I guess, I understood that it was the legislative branch that wrote the law.

Didn't the Administrator say that that could be kept confidential under the proposal that they are making?

I think there needs to be clarity in the statutes with respect to background levels and exceptional events.

It is your job to carry out the law as passed by Congress.

In my view, it is not wise. I think that the collaboration with the States and localities is really the heart of federalism on these issues.

One of the other important programs that was actually zeroed out in last year's budget that we didn't zero out and is zeroed out again in this year's budget is Rural Water Assistance.

Thank you for what you do. We look forward to working with you to try to solve some of these problems in the future.

It is both a trust and a moral responsibility that we fund Indian healthcare.

We have to work together to make sure we rekindle our fisheries, particularly with salmon.

I am pleased all of the bills we are considering today honor that promise, and I look forward to working with Chairman Bishop and this Subcommittee to address the LWCF, as well.

Their annual appropriated budget of $2.9 billion for the entire agency simply won't be able to account for the $11.6 billion backlog in maintenance.

It is long past due that we discuss the backlog maintenance in our national parks.

Our national parks have long been thought of as America's best idea. In fact, they have other complimentary names, such as our crown jewels. But more than anything, they are ours.

This legislation uses unobligated revenues from all energy sources to pay for the backlog maintenance in national parks.

The parks belong to the American people and we should care for them as our own.