OPINION: The delegation’s scandal — collaboration among Idaho’s GOP and Democrats

This is likely going to deeply anger the Idaho congressional members, but they have a big (poorly kept) secret that has got to be exposed and likely will infuriate many people in their party.

They haven’t done a great job of keeping the lid on, though, since everything that follows is based on news releases from their offices, and I’m only reciting releases from the last three months.

All four of them — Sens. Mike Crapo and James Risch and Reps. Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson — for years have been engaging in behavior many of their constituents, of their own party at least, have been persuaded is deeply wrong.

These veteran Republican legislators have worked on legislation, with Democrats. A lot. Repeatedly. Hundreds of times, at least in the cases of Crapo, Risch and Simpson, who have been in Congress the longest.

The last three months of news releases issued by the four — the picture going further back would be similar but the data volume unmanageable in the space of a column — tells the tale.

Crapo and Risch both worked on a measure (concerning rural veterinarians) with, among others, Democratic Sens. Patty Murray, of Washington; Debbie Stabenow, of Michigan; Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, both of Minnesota; and Kristen Gillibrand, of New York. They joined in a resolution on nuclear power with Democratic Sen. Chris Coons, of Delaware, Cory Booker of New Jersey, and Sherrod Brown, of Ohio, among others. They joined with Oregon’s two Democrats, Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, on a measure supporting the U.S. Forest Service’s Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Program. Democratic Montana Sen. Jon Tester was with them on a measure concerning operations procedures on Customs offices at the border with Canada. Colorado Democrats Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper were alongside them on a measure concerning veterans services. A measure the Idahoans backed to prevent closure of Air National Guard fighter squadrons was joined by Hickenlooper and Maryland’s Chris Van Hollen.

Both senators independently joined alongside Democrats on other measures. Crapo and Wyden (plus two Northwest Democratic representatives) lent their names to legislation on innovative forest products. Wyden and Crapo, in fact, have co-sponsored lots of measures over the years, including (in announcements from the last three months) measures on pharmacy accounting and identity theft. Crapo and Virginia’s Mark Warner joined on a Prevent All Soring Tactics Act, which has to do with horses. Crapo has co-sponsored nuclear downwinder legislation with New Mexico’s Ben Ray Lujan.

When Risch recently co-introduced a measure on tax credits and adoption, one of his partners was Pennsylvania Democrat Robert Casey, and Merkley joined with Risch in a measure on stillbirths. New Mexico’s Martin Heinrich signed on with him on a hardrock mine measure.

Close Idaho political watchers may be unsurprised that Simpson has worked across the aisle for help on legislation, and he has. The VA Benefits Act and the VET CARE Act on which he’s worked both have lots of sponsors, deeply split between the parties.

But Fulcher has done a fair amount of work with Democrats, too. When he got House passage for the Treating Tribes & Counties as Good Neighbor Authority Act on Sept. 14, his co-leader was Washington Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. And Fulcher and Simpson both joined with New Hampshire Democrat Chris Pappas on the Bring Our Heroes Home Act (on prisoners of war).

All of this isn’t a complete list, either, and, once again, it only covers the last three months. This season hasn’t been unusual. For that matter, lists like this wouldn’t be abnormal for most members of Congress of either party.

All of this is worth bearing in mind as the subject of working across the aisle — and the role that concept has played in ousting a speaker of the House and general congressional disruption — has come to the fore.

Such work is a necessary part of the job for any member of Congress (or, for that matter, legislature) who wants to accomplish something, which many of them actually do.

However scandalous that might seem in some quarters.

Stapilus is a former Idaho newspaper reporter and editor and blogs at ridenbaugh.com. His email address is stapilus@ridenbaugh.com.