Walt Minnick

Idaho locations named as potential home of F-35s

2009-10-29T23:27:59Z

Washington, DC—Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch and Congressmen Mike Simpson and Walt Minnick have notified commanders at Mountain Home Air Force Base and the Idaho Air National Guard they have both qualified as top five locations, in their respective categories, under consideration for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The two locations are not competing against each other as Mountain Home Air Force Base is under consideration for the operation of up to three squadrons of the F-35, while the Boise Air Terminal is being considered for training and support missions through the Idaho Air National Guard.

“The Air Force clearly recognizes the excellent facilities, training range, community support and future contributions for Idaho in nominating Mountain Home Air Force Base and Boise Air National Guard to host our next generation fighters,” Crapo said. “Over the past year, I have met with Air Force leaders and personally expressed my support for these missions to the Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz. This is exciting news, and the first step to securing the future missions for Idaho that will lead to an increased investment in jobs, aircraft and infrastructure in Idaho. I will follow closely the Air Force’s consideration as we move ahead in this vetting process.”

"Having two sites qualify in the top five reflects the first-rate facilities, training and support our military men and women receive in Idaho,” said Risch. “As the public process now begins, I encourage Idahoans to play a supportive role in these important siting decisions.”

"It is great news that the Air Force has chosen both the Boise Air National Guard and Mountain Home Air Force Base as candidate sites for the Joint Strike Fighter. Idaho has excellent training facilities, top notch military personnel, and outstanding community support. I look forward to working with the Air Force as they continue with their assessments,” said Simpson.

"To be part of this final group is testament to the excellent, hardworking folks in the Boise Air National Guard and the crews at Mountain Home Air Force Base," Minnick said. "I will continue working with the Idaho Delegation and the Air Force to make the case that our state offers the best candidates to house the Joint Strike Fighters."

The Air Force considered 205 bases in this initial selection round on various factors including: airspace, flight training ranges, weather, support facilities, runways, taxi ramps, environmental concerns and cost. Military efficiencies, operational plans and building partnerships were also weighed.

The next step in the base selection process includes a formal environmental analysis, site surveys and public meetings. Senior Air Force officials will then evaluate that and other data before announcing their preferred locations in late spring of 2010 and a record of decision by early 2011.

Initial deployment of the F-35 begins in 2013, with 250-300 aircraft projected for delivery by 2017. Sites not selected in the initial deployment will continue to be evaluated as potential homes for the 1,763 total aircraft slated for purchase by 2035.

Idaho Delegation: Post bills online before votes

2009-10-21T17:08:27Z

The following editorial is submitted by Senator Mike Crapo, Senator Jim Risch, Representative Mike Simpson and Representative Walt Minnick:

Earlier this year Congress faced some tough choices. It was clear the economy was headed in a dangerous direction, and the country faced financial challenges not seen in generations. Action was required to prevent another Great Depression.

There was a lot of debate about the right course to take. Some wanted aggressive action by the federal government; others felt that limited and strategic government action was warranted. Still, others supported a combination of tax relief and incentives to motivate the private sector to act on its own.

The debate was critical because it helped the public learn about the slipping economy; the public, in turn, helped inform the debate by providing feedback to Senators and Representatives. That process should have continued after bills were introduced, so the people most affected by the slipping economy and by proposed deficit spending – the public – would have say in the final proposal.

Unfortunately, the public did not get as much opportunity to weigh in on the final bill. The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act – the stimulus bill – was formally introduced just hours before the first vote in Congress.

Regardless of your position on that bill or any others over the last ten years, it simply isn’t right to write legislation without giving the public – let alone members of Congress – the ability to read it first. It’s not good government, and it’s not the way this country should make public policy. Most importantly, it’s not the way Idahoans want government to work.

As your elected Senators and Representatives, we have a responsibility to represent Idaho values in Washington, D.C. At our regular delegation meetings, we always search for the right approach for our state, without worrying about what’s best for ourselves or our political parties.

That’s what Idahoans have come to expect from their elected officials: to seek consensus, to reach out to the people who put us into office and solicit their input. When we take the time to listen to the people we represent, our work is better. In fact, the work of both Houses of Congress would better reflect the wishes of the country if the public was able to better track the legislative process.

This is critically important for the upcoming votes on health care. Throughout Idaho over the summer, it was clear that you were informed about the various proposals before Congress. The efforts at town meetings demonstrated that Americans want to read and understand the bills. It’s imperative to know how the proposals will affect our families, but time is needed to delve more deeply into the actual legislation without relying on broad talking points and media soundbites. You need sufficient time to review the language and the financial analysis.

With technology now available, it’s easy for such information to be made available. That is why we strongly support efforts to require Congress to post bills online no less than 72 hours before a vote so the public can have an opportunity to read, review and provide feedback. We have all supported various efforts to move efforts along to provide bill language on the Internet, as well as efforts to force a vote by Congress on those measures.

We will continue advocating for these policies and will continue to seek more ways for you to be better engaged and informed on the issues before the U.S. Congress. That’s part of the job you hired each of us to do.

Delegation piece on Academy Day

2009-09-23T21:27:37Z

Guest opinion submitted by Idaho’s Congressional Delegation

One of the most important and enjoyable aspects of being a member of Congress is the ability to nominate young Idahoans to the United States military service academies. Every year, as your elected officials, we each have the honor of nominating deserving young women and men to the U.S Air Force Academy, the U.S. Military Academy, The U.S. Naval Academy, and the Merchant Marine Academy. If you are interested in receiving an excellent education and an opportunity to develop strong character and leadership abilities, all while serving your country, we encourage you to attend the 9th Annual Service Academy Day in Idaho to learn about the nomination process.

“Academy Day” will be held on October 3, 2009, in Boise and Coeur d’Alene. Officials from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado; the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York; the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland; and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York will be there to provide information about each service academy. A Congressional nomination is not needed to attend the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, but representatives have been invited to share information about this school as well.

In Boise, Academy Day will be held at Gowen Field, Building 600 Auditorium, 4040 West Guard Street (an RSVP is required to attend this event). At Coeur d’Alene, Academy Day will be held at the Coeur d’Alene Library, 702 E. Front Street (an RSVP is not required to attend this event). Both events will run from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m., local time. Congressional staff, recruiters, academy liaisons, and cadets and midshipmen from Idaho will be available to speak with students, parents, and school officials. These events are a great resource for students and parents. We invite you to come and learn not only about the application process but also about academy life and the lifelong benefits that attending a military service academy can bring.

America’s military academies offer an elite education and excellent military training. United States service academies are committed to developing each individual academically, physically, and ethically and with the values of duty, honor, integrity, excellence, leadership, and service. These academies provide second-to-none training and preparation, which will help you to achieve your life goals while serving your country. Attending one of these Academies is an honor in itself, but graduating from one will lead to excellent opportunities for important leadership roles in the military and beyond.

Admission to the service academies is based upon academic accomplishments, extra-curricular involvement, demonstrated leadership, and a desire to serve your country. Interested students may apply after January of their junior year and before October 31st of their senior year of high school by submitting the appropriate paperwork to their United States Congressmen, Senators, or the Vice President. Students are encouraged to apply to each of their Idaho elected officials to increase their odds for acceptance. Nominations will be announced in December.

Academy Day is a great resource for students and parents to learn about the application process, academy life and the benefits of attending a service academy. We urge all interested students and their parents to attend the Academy Day event in your area. However, if you are unable to attend, or if an event is not being held in your area, you can find additional information and everything you will need to know about the application process on each of our websites or by contacting one of the following:

Look for areas of agreement on health care

2009-09-10T22:07:08Z

Did you know that Idaho orthopedic surgeons pay half the malpractice insurance as do their counterparts in Pennsylvania, thanks to our state’s tort-reform law?

Did you know that many Idaho businesses have dropped health insurance altogether, due to the cost, and are now offering high deductible health-savings accounts or no insurance at all?

Did you know that many Idaho doctors who practice specialty medicine are strong advocates for increased preventative and general care?

I didn’t know those things before I came home from Washington, D.C., at the beginning of this month, but I know them now.

During the six weeks I was home traveling to all 19 counties in my district, I met many of you and have heard your stories about the need for improving our health-insurance system.

There was the woman whose daughter fought leukemia and won, only to be denied insurance later on because she had been ill in the past.

There was the man who was injured while working on his dairy farm, and who now cannot get health insurance at all because the pins in his shoulder are defined as a “pre-existing condition.”

There are the over-burdened, low income clinics, overwhelmed and understaffed, which must deal day after day with an increasing flood of patients who no longer have health insurance and who cannot afford to pay to visit a doctor..

There was the businessman who told of offering health insurance to his employees, only to have his youngest workers turn it down and ask for raises instead.

And there was the self-employed contractor who now cannot afford to buy insurance for himself and his family, and who worries every day that even a minor accident could bankrupt his business and cost him his home.

I have learned, I have heard your stories, and I will do what I can to incorporate their lessons into the health care proposals Congress is considering this fall. But what I knew before also continues to hold true: The vast majority of Idahoans want improvements to the health-insurance system.

While there has been much debate over the health-insurance reforms where people differ, I continue to be struck by the areas where almost all Idahoans agree:

-    We want any reforms to be fiscally sound, and to leave our country in a stronger fiscal position for having adopted those reforms.
-    We want affordable insurance to be available to all Americans without regard to where we work, our age or the current state of our health.
-    We want to see changes made that reduce the skyrocketing costs in our health-care system and drive up our premiums.
-    We want more access to preventative care, and more health-care professionals in rural communities.
-    We want to choose our own doctors and remain free to make our own health care decisions.

Finally, Idahoans want accountability – from insurance companies to make sure those companies provide basic, reliable coverage at stable costs. And we want more accountability from the federal government, to make sure every nickel we spend is spent wisely.

Both items are critical, and are among the reasons I continue to oppose a new taxpayer funded and government-run insurance company. I have come under heavy fire for this stance in Washington and even here in Idaho, but I believe there is a path forward.

If we allow small businesses and individuals to band together and create large, new pools of those needing insurance, they can negotiate with insurance companies and drive the kinds of hard bargains which lead to reduce premiums, more efficient service and a lot more customer choice.

It’s a solution, and there are many such solutions that would help us achieve meaningful reform, including several put forth by the president in his address to the nation. Yet while Idahoans I have met with are always respectful, passionate and engaged on the issue, the national media has focused on the angry few at the far edges of the political spectrum. That’s unfortunate, because there is far more agreement than disagreement.

Last month you sent a clear message that you wanted Congress to slow down and allow more time for discussion and debate. That you want us to reform health care in a bipartisan way incorporating the best ideas from both parties. Although the debate has been at times stressful for us all, the last month as been a most useful exercise of democracy.

As the discussion continues, I urge all Idahoans to look beyond the national rhetoric and disagreements, and instead look for common ground. We must fix a system that has failed that young woman with leukemia, and the dairy farmer with pins in his shoulder. We need comprehensive health care reform but we must get it right.

And as Americans, not Republicans or Democrats, we need to do it together.