Mike Crapo

Notable Quotes

He’s framed SRS renewal as “urgent business” for counties that host vast federal forests.

from Congress moves to revive secure rural schools after 2023 funding cliff · Updated 6 days ago

"This law will provide retroactive pay to counties that faced deep cuts. I continue to press for a long-term solution to provide Idaho's county governments with more certainty."

from Congress moves to revive secure rural schools after 2023 funding cliff · Updated 6 days ago

Stories

Congress moves to revive secure rural schools after 2023 funding cliff

Rule Changes

Lead Senate author of Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025

President Donald Trump signed the Secure Rural Schools reauthorization into law on December 18, 2025, ending a two-year funding cliff that had devastated more than 700 forested counties. The bill directs the USDA Forest Service to deliver retroactive payments for FY2024 and FY2025 within 45 days of enactment—by early February 2026—and extends the program through FY2026. Counties that had cut sheriffs' patrols, closed schools, and delayed road repairs are now budgeting for an influx of roughly $280 million per year.

Updated 6 days ago

Scott Bessent’s farmland divestiture: ethics clash inside Trump’s Treasury

Money Moves

Receives OGE letters about Bessent’s noncompliance; potential gatekeeper for any Senate ethics or oversight hearings

Scott Bessent became Treasury Secretary in January 2025. An ethics agreement required him to sell substantial holdings, including up to $25 million in North Dakota soybean and corn farmland that earned as much as $1 million a year in rent. After months of delays, the Office of Government Ethics warned him in August 2025 that he'd failed to comply on time.