Press Releases

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene announced the start of a new risk management program for dairy farmers, known as the dairy Margin Protection Program, that she worked to include in the 5-year Farm Bill extension that passed earlier this year. This voluntary program allows dairy farmers to take steps to protect their business from economic risks beyond their control. “I worked hard… Read more »

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene welcomed an announcement from U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today that the USDA will begin taking applications from states for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) pilot program, which was included by Rep. DelBene in the Farm Bill reauthorization enacted earlier this year. The provision is… Read more »

This week, many Washington parents are receiving letters from school districts about their schools’ failure to meet adequate yearly progress (AYP) standards under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Under NCLB, schools’ AYP status this year is based on whether 100 percent of students pass the state reading and math assessments—a goal that is simply unattainable.… Read more »

“The influx of unaccompanied children across the southern border is nothing short of a humanitarian crisis that requires immediate action. We desperately need members of Congress to work together in a bipartisan way to develop an effective and humane course of action to address this problem, and I am frustrated that House Republicans are playing politics with this crisis instead of… Read more »

Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that Washington state will be the recipient of $35 million in federal funding from the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief (ER) program. The funding may be awarded to repair or reconstruct Federal-aid highways and roads that have suffered serious damage as a result of natural disasters or catastrophic failures.… Read more »

Today, a markup was held by the Natural Resources Committee on legislation from Congressman Dave Reichert (R-WA) and cosponsored by Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (D-WA): the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions and Pratt and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers Protection Act (H.R. 361); it was passed favorably out of committee. This legislation would expand the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and designate… Read more »

House Judiciary Committee Member Suzan DelBene issued the following statement today after Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy introduced a new version of the USA Freedom Act: “I am pleased that the version of the USA Freedom Act introduced today includes important improvements to the House-passed USA Freedom Act, and I commend Senator Leahy’s efforts to… Read more »

Reps. Suzan DelBene, WA-01, and Rick Larsen, WA-02, praised the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) announcement today that it will use its authority under the Clean Water Act to protect one of the world’s largest salmon fisheries in Bristol Bay, Alaska from the proposed Pebble Mine. The Bristol Bay salmon fishery supports thousands of jobs for Washington state fishers and… Read more »

Responding to a call from Congresswoman Suzan DelBene and local residents to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to take actions to reduce wait times and increase border crossing capacity at all five ports of entry in Whatcom County, CBP announced that it will begin extending the Point Roberts border crossing NEXUS lane hours… Read more »

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene joined her colleagues in the House Pro-Choice Caucus in introducing legislation today that would prohibit for-profit employers from using religious beliefs to deny employees coverage of contraception or any other vital health services required by federal law. The bill responds to the Supreme Court’s decision last week in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, and… Read more »