Peter DeFazio

Senator Tammy Baldwin and Representatives Jared Huffman and Chellie Pingree led 25 colleagues in a bipartisan, bicameral letter this week asking Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack for immediate assistance for organic poultry and dairy producers.   “We’re writing on behalf of the organic and poultry sectors to request emergency relief in response to skyrocketing feed costs that are impacting the future viabi

Last week a group of western lawmakers asked the Department of Agriculture and Interior Department for additional wildfire fighting resources.  Oregon’s Peter DeFazio joined 24 other lawmakers, primarily from California, asking the federal government to assist in continuing to fight fires aggressively, communicate clearly and take administrative steps now to prepare additional personnel for when t

By a 93-1 vote, the Senate passed the Water Resources Development Act Thursday.  The legislation looks to permanently adjust the cost-share ratio for Inland Waterways Trust Fund projects from the current 65% general revenues-35% IWTF funds to 75% general revenue-25% IWTF. ...

After record heat and wildfires devastated many portions of the west, several members of Congress have asked President Biden to declare a drought disaster. Democrats Joe Neguse of Colorado and Jared Huffman of California, whose districts have been hit hard by drought and wildfires, joined 31 other lawmakers in the House asking the president and FEMA to release additional resources to help Western

Washington Senator Patty Murray as well as eastern Washington’s Cathy McMorris Rodgers and western Oregon’s Peter DeFazio recently led a bipartisan letter to the Biden administration asking the president to prioritize the renegotiation of the Columbia River Treaty.  Lawmakers ...

Earlier this Spring, Oregon’s Peter DeFazio and Washington’s Dan Newhouse joined Rodney Davis of Illinois, Ron Kind of Wisconsin, Jimmy Panetta of California and Chellie Pingree of Maine, introducing the Continuous Improvement and Accountability in Organics Standards Act, better known as the CIAO Act. Newhouse ...

Late last week, a host of lawmakers including central Washington’s Dan Newhouse and western Oregon’s Peter DeFazio introduction legislation they say will improve the federal process for the oversight of organic standards. Supporters says the Continuous Improvement and Accountability in Organic Standards Act will establish a new framework for advancing organic standards, improving oversight and e

On Tuesday, Washington Representative Dan Newhouse, Oregon’s Peter DeFazio, joined California reps Mike Thompson, Barbara Lee and Jimmy Panetta to reintroduce the WHIP+ Reauthorization Act. This bipartisan bill introduced by Members from West Coast states hit hard by wildfires this summer and fall. The prop ...

On Friday, Dan Newhouse and Mike Thompson, co-chairs of the Congressional Wine Caucus sent a letter to Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue seeking COVID-19 relief for wine grape growers. The bipartisan letter, signed by 41 members of Congress, is in response to the fact that wine grapes were not included in the list of commodities eligible for CFAP assistance ...

Central Washington’s Dan Newhouse joined a handful of fellow representatives late last week, calling on House and Senate leadership to provide additional resources for rural hospital during the COVID-19 outbreak. Newhouse pointed out rural communities face unique challenges when it comes to health care access, and these challenges are only made worse by the current public health crisis. The ...