E-Newsletter: Recently in Washington
Statement
Simpson and Walden Move to Stop Closure of Idaho Sheep Research Station
Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson, Oregon Congressman Greg Walden, and other western members of Congress have asked the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture to stop the closure of the U.S. Sheep Experimental Station in Dubois, Idaho. In a letter, the members ask that Subcommittee Chairman Robert Aderholt not approve the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) request for reprogramming of funds from the sheep station in Dubois. Reprogramming of funds would result in closure of the facility.
"We were disappointed to learn that ARS has plans to close the US. Sheep Experimental Station in Dubois and frustrated that ARS did not notify Congress or the sheep industry until the decision had been made," Congressman Simpson said. "In our letter to Chairman Aderholt, we explain that closure of the Dubois Sheep Experiment Station would have a substantial impact on the western sheep industry and express our concern that people involved in the industry were not consulted before ARS made this decision."
"I was shocked to learn that the USDA is attempting to close the Dubois Sheep Experiment Station without consulting western farmers and ranchers or having a plan to ensure the station's important research continues." Congressman Walden said. "No other station conducts research into the unique challenges that confront sheep producers in Oregon and across the west, like grazing techniques, diseases, or developing new breeds. That's why we are working hard with other western representatives to keep this station open so this innovative ag research can continue."
Congressman Simpson and Congressman Walden state in the letter that the ARS sheep center at Dubois conducts critical research on the interaction between domestic and bighorn sheep, and that "it would be difficult, if not impossible, for this research to continue if the Dubois center was closed.
Simpson's Newborn Screening Bill Passes House
Bill reauthorizes landmark 2008 Newborn Screening Bill
The House of Representatives has passed H.R. 1281, the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act, co-authored by Congressman Mike Simpson and Congresswoman Lucile Roybal-Allard (CA). The bill would reauthorize programs for five years while updating and building upon the landmark 2008 Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act first offered by Simpson and Roybal-Allard.
"I am so pleased to see the House take up and pass the bipartisan Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act, and I am so grateful to Congresswoman Roybal-Allard for her dedication to this issue. She has truly led the way in making this bill a reality," said Congressman Simpson. "Though it doesn't receive a lot of national media attention, it is as important as any bill we will pass this year. Screening detects conditions that are otherwise undetectable at birth and if left untreated can cause disability, developmental delay, illness, or even death."
Congresswoman Roybal-Allard added, "Our collective efforts to rapidly identify and treat these disorders are making a difference between health and disability, and even life and death, for the children affected by these severe diseases."
"Newborn screening allows us to save lives and prevent serious disability," said March of Dimes President Dr. Jennifer L. Howse. "Given that one in every 300 infants has a condition that can be detected through this screening, newborn screening represents an indispensable investment in health, families, and our economy. The March of Dimes is deeply grateful to Representatives Roybal-Allard and Simpson for their steadfast leadership on this issue vital to newborn and their families."
Newborn screening is run by individual states, but the original 2008 Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act first encouraged states to uniformly test for a recommended set of disorders, and provided resources for individual states to grow their own screening programs. Before that legislation, state screening varied greatly, with only 10 states requiring infants to be screened for all the treatable "core conditions" recommended. Today, most states require screening for at least 29 of the 31 core conditions.
The test consists of a simple prick on the heel of newborns before they leave the hospital. That blood sample tests for serious genetic, metabolic, or hearing disorders that may not be apparent at birth. Without the test, parents may have no way of knowing heir child needs treatment.
"Besides the obvious benefit to families who suffer an enormous emotional and economic burden when a one of these conditions goes undiagnosed for too long, this legislation is a powerful tool for savings in our already overburdened health care system," added Simpson. "As a former dentist, I have seen the value of diagnosing and treating a condition early in a child's life."
One example is found in a 2012 study on severe combined immunodeficiency, known as SCID, which is one of the 31 core conditions recommended for state screening. The Medicaid cost of treating a baby with SCID in the first two years can be $2 million dollars or more. Yet an infant diagnosed early can be cured through a bone marrow transplant in the first three months of life, costing $100,000.
Similar legislation has already passed in the U.S. Senate, which will need to take up the House changes before sending it to the President for his signature.
Simpson Supports Bills to Create Jobs, Increase Energy Independence
Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson supported legislation that will lower energy costs and promote U.S. energy independence. H.R. 3301, the North American Energy Infrastructure Act, eliminates the requirement that oil and gas pipelines and electric transmission lines that cross U.S. borders with Mexico or Canada obtain a Presidential Permit in order to begin such projects. H.R. 6, the Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act, would set a timeframe for the Energy Department to review applications for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports and to require applicants, as a condition of approval, to publicly disclose the specific export destinations of such LNG exports. H.R. 4899, the Lowering Gasoline Prices to Fuel an America That Works Act of 2014, would require at least 25 percent of eligible federal land be made available annually to lease for oil and gas exploration.
"Lowering the price Americans pay at the pump and achieving energy independence will lead to a stronger economy and increase our national security," said Simpson. "Since the Obama Administration took office, they have offered more roadblocks than solutions toward these goals. For example, although our country still heavily relies on imported oil, the Obama Administration continues to block and delay permits for increased domestic energy production on our public lands as well as for job creating oil and gas pipeline projects and increasing LNG exports. These bills will help get us back on the right track."
H.R. 3301, H.R. 6, and H.R. 4899 passed the House with bi-partisan support, and will now move on to consideration in the U.S. Senate.
In the News
Gov. Otter blasts USDA on WIC spud exclusion
By John O'Connell, Capital Press, June 27, 2014
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter takes USDA to task for ignoring an advisory vote by lawmakers supporting potatoes in the federal Women, Infants and Children nutrition program.
SUN VALLEY, Idaho -- Idaho Gov. Butch Otter blasted USDA during a June 26 address to national potato growers for unilaterally continuing a ban on fresh, white potatoes in the federal Women, Infants and Children nutrition program, contrary to the wishes of Congress.
The Republican governor referenced language included in the federal appropriations bill passed last winter indicating it's the "sense of Congress" that USDA should reverse its ban on spuds in WIC. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, spearheaded the advisory legislation, with support from other potato-friendly lawmakers, after the industry failed to change the policy through the new farm bill.
Regardless, the final rules revising WIC packages were approved in March with the potato exclusion still in place, though USDA agreed to ask the Institute of Medicine to commence a scientific WIC foods review in 2015, a year ahead of schedule.
Otter also took First Lady Michelle Obama to task for lobbying against potatoes in WIC. She's made childhood nutrition her priority, and her Let's Move! initiative seeks to "solve the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation."
"Mike Simpson got an amendment to put potatoes back on WIC, and apparently Michelle Obama has a phone and a pen because USDA is not paying any attention to what the amendment says," Otter said. "I don't know where they learned about a republican form of a constitutional government, but the rule of law is strong. It should be strong."
The governor also voiced his optimism that fresh potatoes will eventually be included in the program.
"The game is not over with yet, and I am very confident that Mike will get his way and we will have our day to prove how nutritious and how beneficial potatoes can be on that WIC line," Otter said.
Sixty-seven House members signed a letter supporting spuds in WIC after the final rules were published, and 20 senators subsequently signed a similar letter. IOM guidelines have found the target WIC population already consumes enough potatoes.
"We're an industry that pound for pound and acre for acre produces more nutrients than any other crop," Otter told growers.
Frank Muir, president and CEO of the Idaho Potato Commission, said potatoes are perfect to meet the nutritional needs of the more than 9.7 million low-income pregnant or nursing women and their young children receiving WIC.
Muir emphasized that spuds are high in fiber and potassium, which USDA concludes WIC participants lack in their diets. Muir said spuds are also high in vitamin C and Folate, a crucial vitamin that helps the body synthesize and repair DNA and is especially important for the health of breast-feeding mothers.
Muir argues an IOM review of WIC-approved foods is not necessary because USDA already has the necessary nutrition data on its own food labels.
"The exclusion of potatoes from WIC is not based on any scientific logic in any shape or form," Muir said. "When opponents are really pushed, they come down to, "Well, people already eat enough potatoes.' That's not science. That's opinion."
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