WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) is preparing for his sixth term serving Washington’s Fourth Congressional District.
NonStop Local’s Zander Adams spoke with the representative about his priorities for the next session of Congress.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: You have sustained two decades of public office serving Washington State. To what do you attribute your success?
A: Being an agriculture director, being a farmer: the issues that are important to my constituents, those things that people worry about are the same things that I worry about. Because we share the same challenges.
Q: What is your plan for protecting the Lower Snake River dams, and how do you balance that with historically low salmon runs?
A: I have been and will continue to work very hard to protect the dams. I’ve said many times that the dams and salmon can and do coexist. The survival rate of salmon as they move through the dams is in the mid-ninety percentile, and we’re working very hard to improve that. Other issues need to be addressed: perhaps predators, habitat, the conditions in the ocean. Many things impact salmon survivability. People point to the dams as the problem, when in truth, the numbers of salmon were already dwindling before the construction of the Snake River dams. We can accomplish both. And we’ve proven that.
Context: The American Fisheries Society maintains the only way to effectively restore salmon and steelhead populations in the Snake River is breaching of the dams.
Q: What do you think of the pushback against the Horse Heaven Hills Wind Farm Project? What role would you take in advocating for or against renewable energy projects?
A: I’m an all of the energy above guy. But I think in this particular case, the governor and the siting committee have failed to listen to the people in the local area on their strong feelings. I think, in the rush at the end of a term, for the governor to take this action was short sighted. We need to make sure that people feel like their voices have been heard. In this particular case, I don’t think they have.
Q: President-elect Trump has pledged mass deportations for people in the country illegally. Would you support mass deportation efforts in Washington state?
A: I have heard that Tom Homan will be focusing on those people that present a national security risk, the public security risk, or those people whose visas have expired.
I remember widespread deportations during the Obama administration. So this is nothing new. It not only removes people who pose threats that I mentioned, but it also sends a signal to others that are wanting to come to our country that the United States does not have that flashing, neon open sign turned on anymore. They better think twice about coming to the southern border or any of the borders of the United States, because it’s just not as easy to get in. I think that will allow us to make sure our borders are secure much easier. Currently, they are overwhelmed. And we are not able to stop those people that are trying to do us harm. The number of people on the enemy watch list coming in over the last four years has grown tremendously. So I think taking some of these, in some people’s minds drastic, but certainly strong actions to protect our security in this country are justified.
Q: What does your ideal plan look like for how Washington should fight the fentanyl crisis, and how will you ensure action is taken?
A: At the federal level, stopping the flow of these illicit drugs coming from other countries– particularly China– but getting control of our southern border is a big part of it as well.
I think the bottom line is, helping make sure people don’t get started on them in the first place is a big part of this.
Q: How will you address potential disruptions to Washington’s economy if President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed tariff’s lead to labor shortages or changes in trade relationships?
A: Tariffs are a tool. They’re one of the many tools in a government’s toolbox to level the playing field. My concern, and something that I’ll express to the new administration as this transition happens: if tariffs seem to be punitive to another country, there is retaliation. There can be, and many times that’s focused on agricultural products. I want to express that concern so the administration is strategic in utilizing this tool.
Q: President-elect Trump called you a ‘Repuplican In Name Only’ on Truth Social in his endorsement of your challenger, Jerrod Sessler. What do you say to that, and how will you work with the President-elect and House Republicans?
A: A lot of things are said during the campaign season. I’m as conservative as any Republican in our conference. I work well with my fellow Republicans here in Washington, DC. I work well across the aisle as well. Just like the first Trump administration, which I was able to accomplish a lot of good things for our district and for our state, I’m very confident that will also be the case in the second Trump administration.
