NAMPA, Idaho — Senior Reporter Don Nelson spoke with Senator Mike Crapo on Tuesday, addressing concerns from Americans regarding the war in Iran and the partial government shutdown.
Sen. Crapo has been a vocal supporter of President Trump and both his foreign and domestic policies.
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President Trump says that it won't take long to take down the Iranian regime, despite the conflict stretching into its third week. The war in Iran has resulted in the deaths of 13 American service members, and gas prices have soared.
So, Nelson asked Senator Crapo, "When is it time for Congressional leaders to tell the President, enough is enough?"
Sen. Crapo answered that he believes President Trump is "absolutely" justified to take action in Iran.
"It was very clear that Iran would not stop its efforts to build a nuclear weapon," Sen. Crapo said. "It was very clear that Iran would not stop its terrorist activities across the globe, including attacking and killing American soldiers across the globe.”
Nelson then asked Sen. Crapo about gas price concerns related to the war in Iran. "If it gets to about five bucks a gallon, the heads are going to start spinning,” Nelson said.
Sen. Crapo said that Americans are seeing that jump in prices because the "choke point" is in the Strait of Hormuz.
"About 20% of the world's oil supply goes through that strait, and Iran is threatening that it is going to mine that strait," Sen Crapo said. "And because of that threat, the oil can't flow."
However, Sen. Crapo says he believes the Strait will eventually reopen.
Nelson then asked the senator questions surrounding the partial government shutdown, as lawmakers continue to debate funding for the Department of Homeland Security.
The funding debate in Washington centers around funds being allotted for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol.
Sen. Crapo acknowledges that the shutdown impacts far more than those two agencies. "It is our Coast Guards, it's the TSA, it's our cybersecurity for protecting our nation globally, and other activities," Sen Crapo said.
Nelson then mentioned the current struggles that American airports are facing due to the shutdown.
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"When will T-S-A agents start getting paid again and getting our airports back in order?" Nelson asked.
"Well, the Republicans have been trying to open the DHS for 3 weeks now," Sen. Crapo said. "And in fact, it's over 1 month now."
Republican lawmakers want to reopen the government, Sen. Crapo said.
"We will probably have another vote or two in the next 24 hours on whether to open the government up," Sen. Crapo said. "The Democrats have refused to do so until we defund ICE and defund the CBP."
Idaho News 6 will continue to ask our Congressional delegation questions about the war in Iran and the partial government shutdown.
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This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
