By Congressman Dan Newhouse
In Central Washington, we have much to be grateful for. We are surrounded by bountiful farmland, majestic rivers, and a resilient community of families, farmers, small business owners, and veterans. In addition, we are fortunate to lead the way in clean, renewable, and affordable energy production.
As a lifelong resident of Central Washington, a farmer, and a business owner, I know firsthand the priorities that matter most to our district, because the issues that face our communities are my neighbor’s issues, my family’s issues—they’re my issues too. From defending our dams from being breached and securing our border, to promoting American energy independence, putting a stop to inflationary policies, supporting our law enforcement officers, and protecting American farmland from China, I take very seriously my commitment to deliver for the hard-working men and women of Central Washington.
And right now, the opposition to maintaining our way of life is strong in our nation’s capital.
Last week, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) announced what Americans have been feeling for over a year now—a recession. Inflation has skyrocketed and energy prices are soaring, in large part because of President Biden’s efforts to shut down America's energy production. On top of the stress this has placed on families’ budgets across the country, it’s also forced us to be reliant on our adversaries for our energy needs. To help provide relief to our families and protect our national security, I introduced the Gas Prices Relief Act. This legislation would prohibit the Biden Administration from enacting new rules or regulations that would decrease domestic energy production or increase gas prices, helping America recover from their failed energy policies.
In addition to combatting the rising cost to fill up your tank, I’m also working to lower food costs for all Americans through my legislation, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. This bill, which has now passed the House twice and awaits consideration by the Senate—addresses labor shortages and ensures we have a legal and reliable workforce for all of agriculture to ensure that not only are agriculture workers in the United States legally, but that they remain law-abiding and continue to contribute to our farms, ranches, local communities, and economies. A recent study conducted by Texas A&M found that H-2A reforms and an increase of a legal workforce would significantly lower costs of meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, and produce. Passing my legislation means we can secure our food supply and ensure American families can afford the groceries they need.
Unfortunately, the attacks don’t end there. Just this month, in the midst of a national energy crisis, the Biden Administration released a report calling to breach the Lower Snake River Dams, with no input or regard for the devastating impacts such a decision would have on Central Washington. Our dams provide so many benefits for our agriculture, transportation, navigation, irrigation, tourism, and clean energy sectors. Breaching them would not only be detrimental to our communities, but to our economy, farmers, and small businesses as well. According to multiple reports, dam breaching is expected to cost between $10.3 to $27.2 billion—and that’s a low estimate. To stop our dams from being breached, I introduced the Federal Columbia River Power System Certainty Act which utilizes the best available science to protect these critical pieces of infrastructure so they can continue to provide the carbon-free, baseload energy and myriad of other benefits our region depends on.
In addition to our energy sector being threatened by President Biden’s anti-American policies, our southern border is falling apart. I’ve visited the southern border myself and spoken with the agents there, and there is no doubt the situation is dire. This Administration's attempts to sweep it under the rug are harming our communities, law enforcement officers, and the hundreds of thousands of migrants coming across the border—while emboldening the drug cartels to be even more blatant in their trafficking operations. Our border is neither secure nor safe, which is why I introduced the Upholding the Law at Our Border Act to require this Administration to ensure that all laws are being upheld and our agents have the resources they need to protect all of our communities.
This trend of increased crime is not just limited to our southern border, it’s become clear that in Central Washington, crime is running rampant, causing our families and neighbors to feel unsafe. Our local law enforcement has been working tirelessly to address this increase in violent crime, drug trafficking, and other illegal activity. I’ve supported and introduced several bills to enable our police officers to better meet the needs of our communities. The COPS on the Beat Grant Program Reauthorization and Parity Act increases compensation and hiring processes for law enforcement officers, particularly those who work in rural and underserved areas, including many of the communities in Central Washington. The Law Enforcement Officers Preventing (Drug) Abuse Related Deaths or LEOPARD Act authorizes rural grant programs to allow state and local law enforcement agencies to purchase naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, an effective tool to prevent opioid overdose deaths. The Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act improves hiring and increases retention for tribal law enforcement officers in order to better protect native communities and help address the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls (MMIW). By equipping our tribal communities with the resources they need, we can better keep all of our communities safe.
The threats we face aren’t just domestic, however. Over the past decade, the Communist Chinese Party (CCP) has been buying up American farmland, slowly infiltrating our agricultural assets. Let me be clear: we cannot allow our adversaries to control our domestic food supply chain. This isn’t just a food security issue, it’s a national security issue as well. Recently, I introduced the Prohibition of Agricultural Land for the People’s Republic of China Act to secure our food supply chain. I continue to work to hold the CCP accountable for their human rights atrocities and protect our assets from their influence.
These are just a few of the areas that I am focusing on each day, and I am just getting started. It is one of my greatest honors to serve the people of Central Washington in Congress and I am proud to fight for such a beautiful and diverse district. And as long as I am in Congress, I will fight for Central Washington’s top priorities, protect our communities and freedoms, and deliver results each and every day.
