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Crapo sworn in, joins Senate Judiciary Committee |
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January 5, 2017 |
Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, flanked by Senator Jim
Risch, took the oath of office January 3 and was
sworn into office to begin his next term.
After serving eight years in the Idaho Senate
and six years as a U.S. Congressman, Crapo was
elected to the U.S. Senate representing Idaho's
first district in 1998.
With the convening of the 115th Congress, Crapo
announced he will join the Senate Judiciary
Committee.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction
for nominations such as the Attorney General,
Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court and judges
for appellate and district courts. It also has
oversight of numerous federal departments,
including the Department of Justice and its
agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI).
Specific to Idaho, Crapo will work with the
President-elect to nominate and confirm Idaho’s
next U.S. District Judge.
Additionally, the committee has jurisdiction
over immigration and naturalization policy,
which Crapo has been active in supporting
reforms to ensure the strongest border security
possible and not incentivizing or rewarding
illegal entry into our country. The Senate
Judiciary Committee also has responsibility for
overseeing amendments to the Constitution, which
would include efforts to pass an amendment
requiring Congress to balance the nation’s
budget each year.
Crapo has long supported a Balanced Budget
Amendment as an essential means to control the
nation’s exploding debt. Having worked as lawyer
in Idaho Falls before entering public service,
Crapo’s legal education and experience has
prepared him to take an active role on the
committee as it considers these important
nominations and legal matters.
“The Constitution is clear in the rights it
grants to citizens and the powers it bestows
upon government. As part of this influential
committee, I will work to ensure that the role
of government is properly restrained while
protecting individual rights and the access to
equal justice to which all American’s are
entitled,” Crapo said. “When the committee
convenes, it will hold hearings and act to fill
the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court. That
nominee must follow in the model of Justice
Scalia, looking first and foremost to the
Constitution for guidance. I will also work with
other panel members to advance to the full
Senate a nominee to be Idaho’s next U.S.
District judge. I take seriously the oversight
responsibilities of this committee and I will be
active to prevent any further infringement on
the Second Amendment Rights of citizens and to
ensure that our agencies operate transparently
and within the bounds of our Constitution.”
In this new Congress, Crapo will continue to
serve as the Chief Deputy Whip among Senate
Republicans, a position that assists on
legislation and matters before the full Senate.
In addition to joining the Judiciary Committee,
Crapo will remain on four other committees that
he also served on in the 114th Congress:
Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, with
jurisdiction over the nation’s financial,
insurance and housing sectors; Budget,
responsible for crafting Congress’ annual budget
plan and overseeing the operation of the
Congressional Budget Office; Finance, with
oversight over federal tax regulation,
international trade policy, Social Security and
federal health care programs; and Indian
Affairs, tasked with addressing the unique
challenges of the native peoples of our country.
Crapo will also remain a member of the Joint
Committee on Taxation, a bipartisan committee
with members of both the House and Senate that
works collaboratively on the tax legislative
process. |
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