Mike Simpson

It seems to me like there is an agenda of trying to push the green technology.

I am, frankly, disappointed that we are seeing reductions in small modular reactors.

If you are going to push it forward, then push it forward.

If you will remember back to the beginning of WIPP, Congress had to force WIPP on Carlsbad.

I am glad to see somebody else brought up Yucca Mountain first.

You just can't declare something at the executive branch that it is no longer the law.

I think that is the law of the land. It hasn't been changed.

I must express my disappointment that this budget continues to reflect the administration's decision to shut down the Yucca Mountain project.

What the American people want to know is how much deficit are we going to add to our current deficit if we were to pass this blueprint this year, which I understand is $1.3 trillion.

They talk a lot about it, but their budgets do not reflect that, and I also hear a lot of talk about Simpson-Bowles, which I support, but you know what? This administration walked away from it.

You ought to at least present a budget which says, 'I do not care, 50 years from now.' Make it some time, but tell us when, if we adopt this spending plan, when we will achieve a balanced budget, and quit adding to the debt.

I was surprised that they are really watching Congress.

We all know that we have got to restrain discretionary spending. We all know that we have got to get entitlements under control.

We have had economists and other experts come and tell us that we have a structural deficit problem that is unsustainable.

Providing this authority will ensure that existing water diversions can be properly maintained and repaired when necessary and preserves beneficial use for private property owners who hold water rights under state law.

This bipartisan, non-controversial legislation is a technical fix intended to enable the Forest Service to authorize and permit existing historical water diversions within Idaho wilderness.

Count mine as one solid voice on behalf of ensuring that the landscape we bequeath to future generations is one with an abundant, generous, and diverse system of wilderness areas.

H.R. 2050 is bipartisan and non-controversial. It is intended as a simple, reasonable solution to a problem that I think we can all agree should be solved as quickly as possible.

H.R. 2050 authorizes the Forest Service to issue special use permits for all qualifying historic water systems in these wilderness areas.

This nonpartisan, noncontroversial legislation is a technical fix intended to enable the Forest Service to authorize and permit existing historical water diversions within Idaho wilderness.

Just quickly to add to that, as a big believer in those incredible educational opportunities of apps, of a lot of this digital media, how do we monetize that?

One of the most glaring decisions by the Administration to ignore this fundamental principal of law is the attempt by the Administration to unilaterally withdraw the license application for Yucca Mountain.

No Administration or Congress can unilaterally decide the law doesn't apply to them.

After spending billions of dollars going into ever-changing directions, how do you sustain a program with a 20- to 30-year lifetime frame in an environment of ever-changing policies?

I don't think anybody on this committee or anybody that I am aware of isn't in favor of teacher quality programs and improving teacher quality.