Michael (Mike) K. Simpson is serving his twelfth term in the House of Representatives for Idaho’s Second Congressional District.
Mike serves on the House Appropriations Committee. He is the Ranking Member for the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. He also serves on the Interior and Environment Subcommittee. These committees have jurisdiction over funding for a number of programs critical to Idaho, including the Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service, our National Parks, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Smithsonian Institute.
Preserving and Enjoying Idaho’s Public Lands
Idaho’s abundance of parks, forests, and public lands makes our state a wonderful place to live, work, and play. Nearly two-thirds of Idaho is public land, and as a life-long Idahoan I know the challenges that this creates for local governments. The federal government has the responsibility to be a good neighbor, rather than simply a burden on states and communities.
As a member of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, which oversees funding for federal land management agencies like the Forest Service, the BLM, the National Park Service, and the Fish and Wildlife Service, I regularly work with these agencies to ensure that they are cooperating with citizens and local leaders in Idaho and using taxpayer resources wisely. In addition, I constantly work with my colleagues who are not from the West to educate them about the issues and challenges of living in a public land state.