About Mike | U.S. Senator Mike Crapo
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As a lifelong Idahoan, Mike Crapo has learned that a willingness to listen makes for a more effective leader and lawmaker.

Mike’s commonsense approach and collaborative, creative problem-solving have enabled him to achieve lasting solutions to issues of importance to Idahoans and the nation. Mike ranks 10th in overall Senate seniority in the 118th Congress.

Leadership

Mike’s sensible approach has earned him the respect of his colleagues, and he has been selected to serve in various leadership roles. Mike continues to serve as Chief Deputy Whip among Senate Republicans for the 118th Congress. During Mike’s tenure in the House, he served on House Leadership as New Member Leader, Strategic Planning Leader and Deputy Whip for the Western Region.

Idaho Legislature

Before being elected to the United States Senate in 1998, Mike served three terms as the 2nd District Representative for Idaho in the U.S. House of Representatives. Previously, he served in the Idaho State Senate from 1984 to 1992, and spent his final four years in the Idaho Legislature as Senate President Pro Tempore.

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Aug. 9, 2023, with Rep. Russ Fulcher, thanking Gini and Lisa of Alzheimer's Association for their hard work and leadership in advocating for Alzheimer's research.

Experience and Education

Prior to his service in Congress, Mike was a partner in the law firm of Holden, Kidwell, Hahn & Crapo. He is a member of the Idaho and California Bar Associations and the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court. He received his Juris Doctorate cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1977, and he graduated summa cum laude from Brigham Young University in 1973 with a B.A. in political science. Following graduation from law school, he served a one-year clerkship with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Priorities

In addition to addressing our national debt, preserving and building on pro-growth tax policies, improving our global competitiveness in trade deals and expanding access to affordable, quality health care, Mike’s many priorities for the 118th Congress include:

  • Pushing back against the overreach of the federal government; 
  • Ensuring veterans receive the care and services they deserve; 
  • Boosting energy innovation, including our nuclear energy infrastructure;
  • Protecting Idahoans’ Second Amendment rights;
  • Supporting Idaho communities; and
  • Advancing locally-driven collaboration as the best means of addressing many of our environment and public lands issues. 
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Sept. 2022, Senator Crapo meets with Tonya Star, wife of late Major Richard Star, who led efforts to provide combat-injured veterans with less than 20 years of military service their full benefits.

Finance Committee

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Sept. 2023, Senator Crapo at Senate Finance Committee Hearing.

Senator Crapo joined the Senate Finance Committee in 2005, and became the top Republican on the Committee in February 2021, giving Idaho a strong voice in legislation relating to federal tax policy; federal social safety net; health care programs; and implementation of reciprocal foreign trade agreements. Senator Crapo strongly supports free market policies that fuel economic growth. Building on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017, increasing access to quality, affordable health care and promoting the U.S.’s global competitiveness through free and fair trade are among his top priorities.

Banking Committee

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Senator Crapo chairing a Banking Committee hearing.

In addition to serving on the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Crapo is a current member and former Chairman (115th and 116th Congresses) and Ranking Member (113th Congress) of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, which has jurisdiction over efforts to promote the stability of the financial system and responsible lending to families and businesses. He has been a member of the Committee since the beginning of his Senate service in 1999.

He serves on three Banking Subcommittees:

  1. Securities, Insurance and Investment;
  2. Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection; and
  3. Housing, Transportation and Community Development.

His strong background and interest in the finance arena has led to his leadership role in making inroads in the areas of regulatory relief, expansion of homeownership, trade and securities and investment. As Chairman of the Banking Committee, he successfully ushered important bipartisan bills into law, including:

  • legislation to right-size regulation for smaller financial institutions;
  • legislation to strengthen and expand economic sanctions against Russia; and
  • legislation to protect our nation’s critical technologies from foreign competitors, among others. 

Joint Committee on Taxation

Senator Crapo also continues serving on the Joint Committee on Taxation, a bipartisan committee with members of both the House and Senate who work collaboratively on the tax legislative process.

Budget Committee

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Oct. 2022, Senator Crapo visiting the University of Idaho.

In 2003, Mike was selected to serve as a member of the Senate Budget Committee, which is responsible for crafting Congress’s annual budget plan, monitoring action on the budget and overseeing the operation of the Congressional Budget Office. Mike's fiscally-conservative principles guide his continued efforts to rein in federal spending and address our nation’s fiscal health.

Committee on Indian Affairs

Mike served on the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs for 12 years. Idaho is home to five Native American Tribes, contributing to the richness of Idaho's history and the State's future. The Indian Affairs Committee is tasked with addressing the unique challenges of the native peoples of our country, including health care access, education, economic development and land management, and considering any necessary legislative solutions.

Judiciary Committee

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September 2022, Senator Crapo visiting Minidoka War Relocation Center in Jerome County and meeting with Karen, a survivor of the camp.

From the start of the 115th Congress through the 116th Congress, Mike served on the Senate Judiciary Committee. As a former practicing attorney in Idaho Falls before entering public service, Mike assumed an active role on the Committee responsible for criminal justice policy and other related matters and remains engaged in any issues before the Committee—as with other committees on which he has served.

During his service on the Committee, the Judiciary Committee advanced a historic number of judges, including three Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Debbie Smith Act, which supports state and local crime laboratories in processing cases and uploading DNA profiles into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) DNA database, was among the Crapo-backed legislation under the Committee’s jurisdiction signed into law during his Committee service.

Agriculture Committee

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October 24, 2022--Idaho Farm Bureau awarding Senator Crapo the Friend of Farm Bureau Award for outstanding service during the 117th Congress.

From 2001 to 2008, Mike served as a member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee and advanced the needs of Idaho's agriculture and timber industries during the crafting of the 2002 Farm Bill and the 2008 Farm Bill. In 2003, he also helped craft the Healthy Forests Restoration Act to provide the U.S. Forest Service with the tools to restore forest health and reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfires. During his service on the Committee, he served as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Rural Revitalization, Conservation, Forestry and Credit, with jurisdiction over rural development; conservation; stewardship of natural resources; state, local and private forests and general forestry; and agricultural and rural credit.

Environment Committee

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Aug. 16, 2023, Senator Crapo visiting the Porthill Port of Entry.

Mike served on the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee from 2009 to 2017, having served on it previously from 1999 to 2005. Previously, Mike served as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife. Idaho is defined, in part, by its vast natural resources and the environmental issues that often accompany them, and Mike is heavily involved in natural resources related issues ranging from efforts to update and strengthen the Endangered Species Act to clean water to salmon recovery. Mike has also led on a number of bipartisan, nuclear-related proposals.

Caucuses

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August 24, 2022, Senator Crapo presenting the Idaho Falls Bandits with the Spirit of Idaho Award.

Mike leads or serves on many caucuses, which provide an organized forum to join with others in advocating for a wide range of issues important to Idahoans:

  • Founder and Co-Chairman, Senate Nuclear Cleanup Caucus;
  • Senate Wildfire Caucus;
  • Co-Chairman, Community Development Finance Caucus;
  • Co-Chairman, Heart and Stroke Coalition; 
  • Co-Chairman, Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Caucus;
  • Founder, Congressional Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Caucus, reinforcing his role as a champion of men’s and women’s health issues; 
  • Senate National Guard Caucus;
  • Air Force Caucus;
  • Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus;
  • Senate Western Caucus;
  • Co-Chairman, Senate Impact Aid Coalition;
  • Senate Working Forests Caucus;
  • Senate Recycling Caucus;
  • Career and Technical Education Caucus;
  • Canada-U.S. Interparliamentary Group;
  • Senate National Laboratory Caucus;
  • Congressional TRIO Caucus;
  • Senate Caucus on Foster Youth;
  • Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism;
  • Senate Mental Health Caucus;
  • United Services Organizations (USO) Congressional Caucus and others.