WASHINGTON (KIFI) — On the 22nd day of the government shutdown, Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson joined House Republican leadership Wednesday to address the ongoing impacts on America’s national parks.
Simpson highlighted the significant, often overlooked, autumn visitation to the parks. Challenging the notion that national parks are primarily summer destinations, he cited statistics showing that 28 million people visited in October and another 24 million in November in 2024.
“I love Yellowstone in October and in November, when you get there and see the first snowfall and things like that, it’s a great time to visit our national parks,” said Simpson. “But we have families who have been planning to visit our National Parks for years, sometimes setting aside resources, that are now canceling their visits because of the impact this shutdown could have on their vacations.”
Simpson blames Democrats for prolonged shutdown
Simpson also praised the current Republican leadership team for its efforts toward restoring “regular order”—the normal, annual appropriations process. However, he said one thing is preventing that from happening — the government shutdown.
“We need to open this government back up,” Simpson insisted. While acknowledging that “many other issues… need to be debated and worked on,” he pointed out that those legislative functions are on hold. He quoted Chairman Bruce Westerman, noting that key leaders “can’t have hearings and that type of stuff when we’re shut down.”
“So we need to change that, we need to open this government back up.” Simpson concluded, blaming the Senate Minority Leader for the impasse. “Get rid of this stupid Schumer shutdown…and let us do our jobs.”
Simpson also argued that House Republicans provided democrats with a clean CR (Continuing Resolution)—a temporary funding bill free of major policy riders— which he said House Democrats ultimately rejected.
Idaho Dems Point Finger at “Trump Shutdown” Over Healthcare
In contrast to Congressman Simpson’s remarks, since the early days of the shutdown, Idaho Democrats have blamed the Republican-controlled government for the lapse in funding and highlighted potential consequences for Idaho families.
The Idaho Democratic Party argues that the funding expired “despite Republican control of the White House and both chambers of Congress,” claiming that Donald Trump and Idaho Republicans “refused to get serious about avoiding a shutdown.”
The Democratic response heavily focused on the potential impact on healthcare costs, stating that Democrats were in Washington, D.C. “ready to negotiate” to prevent health insurance premiums from doubling for 100,605 Idahoans and to stop 37,000 Idahoans from losing their health insurance entirely.
In September, Idaho Democratic Party Chair Lauren Necochea released a scathing statement, labeling the closure a “Trump Shutdown.”
“Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the White House. With all that power, they showed they can’t lead and don’t care to,” said Necochea. “Democrats fought to protect your health care, keep premiums from doubling for more than 100,000 Idahoans, and save our rural hospitals from devastating cuts. But Mike Simpson, Russ Fulcher, Jim Risch, and Mike Crapo stood with their party and turned their backs on Idaho families,” stated Necochea.
