{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://fulcher.house.gov/2025/04/10/id-0e32e10f-794c-4f1d-bb26-be0d81a9a483/", "Congressman Fulcher Telephone Town Hall Key Excerpts", "2025-04-10", "2025", "2025-04", "Republican", "House", "ID", "Russ Fulcher", "F000469", "fulcher.house.gov", "fulcher", "https://fulcher.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\n\nCONTACT: Christiann\u00e9 Allen, Christianne.Allen@mail.house.gov\n\nCONTACT: Marisa Melton, Marisa.Melton@mail.house.gov\n\nCongressman Fulcher Telephone Town Hall Key Excerpts\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Yesterday, Congressman Russ Fulcher hosted a live telephone town hall, taking questions from Idahoans and offering insights on pressing national and local issues.\n\nSpeaking to an audience of thousands from Washington, D.C., the Congressman emphasized the importance of transparency and open dialogue.\n\n\u201cThis is an exciting but confusing time, and I want to make sure I\u2019m speaking with you honestly and clearly,\u201d said Congressman Fulcher. \u201cWe\u2019re dealing with $36 trillion in national debt, bloated and inefficient federal agencies, and persistent rumors that often mislead. My job is to tell the truth as I understand it, with no agenda other than serving you. I want to keep doing these town halls and connecting in any way I can. Even if that has to be from 3,000 miles away.\u201d\n\nThroughout the town hall, constituents raised questions on a wide range of topics, including the economy, federal land policy, Social Security, immigration, and cultural issues.\n\nKey Excerpts\n\nAddressing federal agency restructuring, the Congressman assured listeners that recent audits and reductions are aimed at identifying fraud and restoring efficiency, not at eliminating critical services or jobs:\n\n\u201cWe are $36 trillion in debt as a nation, which is unsustainable. These are all interventions that I think are necessary. These audits need to take place because restructuring is critical and healthy. These D.C. agencies filled with bureaucracies have become too powerful, and quite frankly, inefficient and fraudulent to the point that they\u2019ve almost got a parallel form of rules and regulations that we all have to live by,\u201d said Congressman Fulcher.\n\nOn trade policy, the Congressman noted that recent tariff strategies have led to more than $3 trillion in private investments coming to the U.S. and brought over 70 countries to the table to negotiate better deals for American manufacturers and workers:\n\n\u201cAmerican companies have been historically discriminated against. We\u2019re the biggest market in the world. Everybody wants to be here, but they don\u2019t necessarily want to buy from us. So there is some merit, I believe, in putting American suppliers on a level playing field,\u201d said Congressman Fulcher.\n\nTurning to wildlife management in Idaho, the Congressman confirmed recent House Natural Resources Committee action that would return management of wolves and grizzly bears to state authorities:\n\n\u201cTo your point, our wildlife\u2014and a lot of our livestock\u2014have been the victims of wolves and grizzly bears, and the reality is, neither species is endangered anymore. That\u2019s why I\u2019m working to return management authority to the states, where it belongs. Today\u2019s action in the House Natural Resources Committee is a step in the right direction\u2014giving states the tools they need to protect rural communities, safeguard livestock, and responsibly manage predator populations,\u201d said Congressman Fulcher.\n\nOn federal land control, the Congressman explained that over half of Idaho\u2019s land is under federal control due to circumstances that go back to the Civil War. He said this federal oversight has led to poor land management, particularly in wildfire prevention, and expressed confidence that more local control is both necessary and inevitable. He assured listeners that the goal is not privatization but better stewardship through local stakeholder involvement:\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re governing as tenants, not landlords\u2014and that\u2019s not sustainable,\u201d Congressman Fulcher emphasized.\n\nSwitching to economic pressures and housing costs, the Congressman acknowledged the burden younger generations face when it comes to housing affordability, explaining that some local development efforts can offer short-term relief. However, the long-term solution lies in addressing the national debt:\n\n\u201cThe high cost of living is a serious concern,\u201d said Congressman Fulcher. \u201cLocal projects can help in the short term, but long-term relief comes from getting our national fiscal house in order\u2014reducing debt, lowering taxes, and encouraging economic growth.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T00:33:40Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://fulcher.house.gov/2025/04/10/id-0e32e10f-794c-4f1d-bb26-be0d81a9a483/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7214751094579697, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}