“Today, a stain will be left on the history of the U.S. House of Representatives… one which neither fact nor time will be able to wipe clean. Like other blights on history, this one is self-induced by the selfish ambition of mankind. Having found themselves more desiring of power than service, the stewards of a […]
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is proceeding with impeachment charges against President Trump. As a member of Congress and an Idaho Representative, I understand the gravity of the situation. Every future U.S. President will be subject to the precedent Congress sets within the next few days. To remain objective, every time I review information I […]
I spent some time personally witnessing today’s impeachment hearing. Here are some observations: What made today’s hearing interesting was not what happened “in” the hearing, but rather, what happened “around” it. Initial testimony from EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland captured attention when he said he “presumed” there was “quid pro quo”, insinuating the President put the […]
COEUR D’ALENE, ID – Effective June 5th, Rep. Russ Fulcher will be moving his Coeur d’Alene office. The move, which changes suite number but remains in the same building, will not interrupt constituent services and will help the office meet the growing number of casework. The phone and fax numbers for the Coeur d’Alene office […]
May 29, 2019 Contact: Alexah Rogge 202-225-6611 alexah.rogge@mail.house.gov WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Fulcher joined the Western Caucus to applaud the Department of the Interior’s action to increase transparency and accountability in attorney’s fees and costs by making important information publicly available online: Rep. Russ Fulcher commented, “In Idaho, hundreds of thousands of acres of timber burn every […]
Question: What is the definition of a ‘criminal’? Answer: Someone who has committed a crime by breaking the law. With this understood, it seems sensible that creating additional laws to be ignored by criminals is not the solution to stopping crime and violence in our communities. These new laws would not only add to the […]
As news of the government shutdown emanates from TV news channels, vastly different perspectives are communicated. The truth is uglier than any of them. A majority of members of Congress understand the facts about our southern border: 60,000 people per month are showing up trying to get into the country. Of that number, approximately 5,000 […]
I congratulate the legislature for voting to eliminate the tax on groceries! I encourage the Governor to sign the grocery tax repeal into law, and I invite the Lt. Governor to join me in this effort! That will be a great day for struggling Idaho families! Currently, Idahoans can get a grocery tax credit when […]
I read with interest a news headline on April 15, 2016 stating: “Idaho unemployment rate falls to 3.8 percent.” Sounds good, right? Well, whatever database this information comes from is at best, misleading. Here is the truth as validated by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare: As of 2014, 20.2% of Idahoans are on […]
In an effort to create an effective analogy and insert a little fun into a description of the 2016 Idaho legislative session, I am assigning roles to two groups of people: Group 1 is the “good guys”. In this summary they are the people who generally like the Gem State Patriot and its publisher. Group […]
When the Feds say jump, Idaho leaders ask how high. Think environmental regulations and policies regarding healthcare, education, marriage, and so on. Next will be water adjudication and another national monument.
If publicly asked the question “Do you agree more with the tax-and-spend philosophy of Ronald Reagan or Barack Obama,” I would predict that every member of Idaho’s super-majority republican legislative caucus would respond with Reagan. However, the results of the 2015 legislative session will be difficult for most lawmakers to explain during the next campaign […]