Gov. Little highlights recent trip to Texas-Mexico border
On Wednesday, I joined Idaho State Police personnel to recap my recent trip to Eagle Pass, Texas, and reinforce a simple fact – the CARTELS, not the American government, currently control access to our country.
Last weekend, I joined 12 other Republican governors in receiving a detailed briefing from Texas Governor Greg Abbott at the border. We held a unified press conference to call on President Joe Biden to take immediate action to secure the border.
Over 7 million illegal immigrants have been apprehended at the border in the past three years, and 1.7 million immigrants who “got away” from Customs and Border Patrol in the same time period. Just last year, the DEA seized enough fentanyl-laced pills to kill every single man, woman, and child in the United States, plus more.
The Mexican drug cartels are responsible for the fentanyl supply in our region. They mass produce fentanyl in powder and pill form from precursor chemicals imported from China primarily. They are also the source of other drugs in our region, including meth, heroin, and cocaine.
In just a decade, thousands of Idahoans have died from drug overdoses, and with each passing year, overdose deaths increase in number. In just two years, from 2020 to 2022, Idaho saw a 33-percent increase in all drug overdose deaths, and in just one year, from 2021 to 2022, Idaho saw a 24-percent increase in overdose deaths involving fentanyl. Emergency departments see more than 5,000 visits related to overdose in a single year.
We simply must do more, as a country, to secure the border and get a handle on this crisis. Yes, Congress has a requirement to act, but there is a lot the President can do through executive order RIGHT NOW.
WATCH: 'We have to do something': Gov. Little calls on Biden to secure southern border
 The FLOOD of fentanyl & human trafficking coming across our lawless southern border is unacceptable.
In Idaho, we're tackling the problem head-on.
Our state troopers will bring back skills and techniques to STOP these criminals and protect Idahoans.
"After trying to send a message to the Biden Administration alongside more than a dozen other Republican governors at the Texas-Mexico border, Governor Brad Little is calling on the federal government to secure the southern border.
"Every time I visit the border, one simple fact is reinforced: The cartels - not the American government, and not the Mexico government - are controlling access into our country," Governor Little said. "The cartels purposely overwhelm the Border Patrol agents with illegal crossings in one area as a distraction, and then they smuggle the bad guys and drugs across in other areas."
Little said the dangerous drugs like fentanyl, which he said are cheap, dangerous, abundant and deadly. From 2020 to 2022, Idaho saw a 33% increase in all drug overdoses.
Governor Little is now demanding action from the Biden Administration to secure the southern border.
"Congress has requirement to act, but there's a lot the president can do with an executive order right now," Governor Little said. "In particular, he can do what Republican governors called on him to do for three straight year - Bring back Trump's border policies immediately to protect America, restore security, and put us on a path to end the crisis at our southern border."
The meeting of 15 governors in Texas came just over a week after Governor Little announced he would send Idaho State Police troopers to the border to work alongside the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).
The state troopers will train with the Texas DPS to learn tactics related to stopping drug trafficking and human trafficking."
IDAHO FIRST SUCCESS: Water Investments Bring Upgrades to Nampa Wastewater Facility
Our HISTORIC investments into water are helping communities across Idaho provide clean, plentiful water for their residents.
The City of Nampa's Recycled Water Program is an EXCELLENT example of an innovative, community-driven, sustainable, and effective means of tackling the challenges we face in the arid West.
Major upgrade to Nampa wastewater facility, Idaho's largest water project, nearing completion
"Nampa’s Wastewater Treatment Facility will be finishing a major upgrade in the coming year. The $165 million project brings a sustainable solution to utilizing wastewater, unlike any other in the state.
“This project is the right thing to do,” Gov. Brad Little said, standing at a podium outside of the facility. “These are projects that are going to — when built well — last for generations and the people of Idaho are going to be well-rewarded.”
According to MaryAnna Peavey, grants and loans bureau chief of the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, this is the largest water project the state has seen. With its completion, the facility’s capacity will be increased by 50%.
“The sewer system is going to be sustainable, is going to be well-designed, is going to be available for this generation and the next,” Little said.
With the facility’s new upgrades, wastewater will be processed through the plant to achieve a Class A quality. The water will be used for irrigation and discharge 11 million gallons of water a day, equivalent to 15% of the city’s irrigation needs in the summer.
The project is largely covered by a $165 million low-interest loan from the Department of Environmental Quality. An additional $6 million comes from the Idaho Water Resource Board (IWRB) as part of Little’s initiative to modernize Idaho’s water infrastructure across the state."
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Republican Governors Criticize Biden Administration's Burdensome Forest Rules
Proud to join Montana Governor Greg Gianforte in pushing back on the Biden Administration’s proposal to add more federal red tape around forest management!
"The governors wrote in response to a notice of intent (NOI) by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Forest Service to prepare an environmental impact statement amending all land management systems to include old-growth forest conditions without engaging with states.
“We have watched this effort unfold over the course of nearly two years,” the governors wrote. “During this time, USDA and USFS leadership have failed to engage with us as leaders of our states to address any of the challenges and flaws we have identified. While the NOI seems to suggest that there were areas of consensus, we clearly do not agree with that assessment. Our concerns remain ignored.”
In addition to criticizing the agencies for their blatant disregard for state interests, the governors noted that the proposed amendment would run counter to State Forest Action Plans adopted to address forest health and wildfires.
The letter included signatures from Utah Governor Spencer Cox, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, Idaho Governor Brad Little, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo, and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.
The governors concluded, “USDA and USFS should be focusing on where the need truly is – removing administrative bottlenecks and working with partners to increase the pace and scale of forest management projects in order to meaningfully address our forest and wildfire health crisis.”"
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