{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://simpson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=388092", "House Committee Blocks Sheep Station Closure", "2014-07-16", "2014", "2014-07", "Republican", "House", "ID", "Mike Simpson", "S001148", "simpson.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson applauded the decision to stop USDA\u2019s planned closure of the U.S. Sheep Experimental Station in Dubois, Idaho.\u00a0 Simpson, who is working with other western representatives to prevent closure of the facility, recently urged the chairman of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee to deny a request by the Agricultural Research Service to reprogram funds from the sheep station, which would result in its closure.\u00a0 Simpson was pleased to learn that the request has been denied.\r\n\u201cBecause of its location and expertise, experts at the Sheep Experimental Station Dubois are conducting research that no other facility is currently able to do, including unique research on the domestic-wildlife interface that is vital to the future of the sheep industry,\u201d said Simpson.\u00a0 \u201cClosing down the Dubois station would effectively end this important research, and it would be a huge loss to American agriculture, which is why my western colleagues and I are fighting so hard to keep it open.\u201d\r\n\u00a0Last week Congressman Simpson also sent a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, expressing disappointment that neither the USDA nor ARS notified Congress of their intent to close the Dubois center.\u00a0 In the letter, Simpson and other western Members of Congress expressed concern that neither agency has explained how research currently underway in Dubois would be continued.\u00a0\u00a0\r\n\u201cI\u2019m pleased that we have avoided shutting down the Dubois center for now, but I recognize that this decision does not eliminate the potential threat of future closure of the U.S. Sheep Experimental Station,\u201d Simpson said.\u00a0 \u201cI will continue to work with the USDA, University of Idaho, and members of the sheep industry to ensure the long-term viability of the sheep center at Dubois.\u00a0 It is critical that the sheep industry have a voice in future USDA decisions affecting their economic vitality.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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": ["http://simpson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=388092"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.966104842722416, "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"}