United States Senator Mike Crapo - Idaho

*August State Work Period:
Visiting Idahoans on the Ground*

Congress typically takes a break
from votes and the hustle and bustle of Washington, D.C., in August in
order to spend more time on-the-ground in our respective states and
districts.
I'm in Idaho this month visiting with folks in almost
every region, discussing the hard work Idahoans are doing and learning
about policies that would better support those efforts here at
home.
Below is a snapshot of a few of my visits so far.
You can keep
up with more of my visits on X (@MikeCrapo [link 1]) or Facebook
(Facebook.com/MikeCrapo [link 2]).



[image =
[link removed]]

**Senator
Crapo visits Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, the region's
largest medical facility and Idaho's only burn center.**


[image =
[link removed]]

**Senator
Crapo visits with Dr. Rich Aman, former President, and Dr. Lori
Barber, current President, of the College of Eastern Idaho.**


[image =
[link removed]]

**Senator
Crapo assembles solar light kits for war-torn families in Ukraine with
Idahoan Lena Contor.**



[image =
[link removed]]

**Senator
Crapo visits Idaho State University and the Veterans Student Services
Center.**



*IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:*

As Ranking Member of the
Senate Finance Committee, I am committed to ensuring tax, health care
and trade policies best meet the needs of Idahoans.
Below is a
snapshot of some of the headlines of my efforts you may have
missed.

*RealClearMarkets: A Call to Extend the 2017 Tax Cuts and
Jobs Act [link 3]*

*By Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo,
August 20*

As the Democratic National Convention kicks off, the
Biden-Harris administration is forced to defend four years of reckless
spending and the ensuing inflation crisis.
With no way to justify the
prices crushing American families, the DNC platform targets the Trump
tax cuts, promising another Democrat term will "make the wealthy and
big corporations pay their fair share."
Vice President Harris has
said that she would raise the corporate tax rate; she has previously
supported repealing Republicans' tax cuts altogether.
With many of
the Republican-enacted *Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) provisions set to
expire at the end of 2025, and amid Democrats' continued attacks on
many of those provisions, now is a good time to evaluate how the bill
really worked*.

*Idaho State Journal: *Sen. Crapo talks nuclear
energy, federal judges and debt during Pocatello visit [link 4]

*By
Journal Staff, August 6 *

He's also nervous about the economic
impact of the 2017 tax act. If the act is allowed to expire at the end
of 2025 it will mean a tax hit of over $4 trillion for the American
people. Crapo said the debate in Congress over what to do about the
expiring tax act will be "the biggest tax battle in a decade.*" He
said if the Democrats get their way and raise corporate tax rates,
corporations will pass on those tax hikes to consumers in the form of
higher prices.* He said labor will be impacted in terms of fewer jobs
and lower wages and retirees will take a financial hit via a
diminished stock market.

*Axios:*Drug Pricing [link 5]

*By Peter
Sullivan, August 15 *

The other side*:* *"Although affordable
health care remains a pressing challenge for too many Americans,
misguided government overreach is not the solution," said Senate
Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo, one of the few Republican
lawmakers to weigh in. He pointed to Finance's bipartisan PBM
legislation as an alternative. *

*Newsweek:*Republicans Warn Joe
Biden's Medicare Plan May Break the Law [link 6]

*By Suzanne Blake,
August 14 *

Based on these concerns, Republicans are asking the
Government Accountability Office to look into the Medicare changes*.
"Consideration of these types of programmatic changes should fall
within the purview of the legislative branch," Senate Finance
Committee ranking member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho),* House Ways and Means
Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) and U.S. House Energy and Commerce
Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) said in a letter to
the agency.

*Financial Regulation News:Sens. Crapo, Wyden seek
information from Social Security Administration on use of AI [link
7]*

*By Dave Kovaleski, August 9*

*U.S. Sens. Mike Crapo (R-ID)
and Ron Wyden (D-OR) are seeking information from the Social Security
Administration (SSA) on its use of artificial intelligence (AI),
particularly when it comes to making decisions about benefit
eligibility or payment amounts. *The SSA has used AI systems for more
than 20 years to help with important tasks such as reviewing and
expediting certain disability claims, identifying possible fraud or
abuse, and flagging cases with high expected overpayment for
additional review.

*CNBC: The unemployment insurance program is
unprepared for a recession, experts say [link 8]*

*By **Greg
Iacurci, August 9 *

Renewed fears of a U.S. recession have put a
spotlight on unemployment. However, the system that workers rely on to
collect unemployment benefits is at risk of buckling -- as it did
during the Covid-19 pandemic -- if there's another economic downturn,
experts say. . . . *U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden,
D-Oregon, ranking committee member Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and 10
co-sponsors proposed bipartisan legislation in July to reform aspects
of the unemployment insurance program.*



*Contact Me*

Have
questions about a federal policy issue not listed here, or need help
with navigating paperwork at a federal agency?
Contact me at one of
my seven offices across Idaho and Washington, D.C., by visiting my
website at: [link removed] [link 9]


----------------------
footnotes
----------------------
[link 1]
[link removed]
[link 2]
[link removed]
[link 3]
[link removed]
[link
4]
[link removed]
[link
5]
[link removed]
[link
6]
[link removed]
[link
7]
[link removed]
[link
8]
[link removed].
[link
9] [link removed]

Contact
Information:

Website:

Offices:
239 Dirksen Senate
Building
Washington D.C., 20510
Phone: (202) 224-6142

Idaho
Falls
410 Memorial Drive
Suite 205
Idaho Falls, ID 83402
Phone:
(208) 522-9779

Boise
251 East Front Street
Suite 205
Boise, ID
83702
Phone: (208) 334-1776

Lewiston
313 'D' Street
Suite 105
Lewiston, ID 83501
Phone: (208) 743-1492

Caldwell
524 East
Cleveland Blvd.
Suite 220
Caldwell, ID 83605
Phone: (208)
455-0360

Pocatello
275 South 5th Avenue
Suite 100
Pocatello,
ID 83201
Phone: (208) 236-6775

Coeur d' Alene
610 Hubbard
Street
Suite 209
Coeur d' Alene, ID 83814
Phone: (208) 664-5490
Twin Falls
202 Falls Avenue
Suite 2
Twin Falls, ID 83301
Phone:
(208) 734-2515

Unsubscribe:
[link removed]

Privacy
Policy:
[link removed]