Newhouse Outlines Final Priorities

U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse has outlined his priorities for his final four months in office, highlighting several federal issues with implications for Central Washington businesses and communities.

His immediate priorities include passing temporary funding legislation to keep the federal government operating beyond the September 30 fiscal-year deadline, advancing expanded sanctions against Russia, and passing the National Defense Authorization Act.

Newhouse also addressed federal funding for the Hanford cleanup and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The two operations receive more than $4 billion in federal funding and play a significant role in the Tri-Cities economy. Budget negotiations remain underway as policymakers weigh funding needs against the federal deficit.

Other regional priorities include transferring portions of the Columbia River shoreline from federal to local control and preserving the four Lower Snake River dams. Newhouse emphasized the dams’ role in supplying carbon-free hydropower throughout the Northwest.

His remarks also covered tariffs and trade with Canada, the conflict in Iran, and growing public concern about large-scale data centers. Four projects are reportedly underway in the Mid-Columbia, including an Amazon Web Services development near Wallula Gap, with additional projects contemplated in Richland and West Richland. Newhouse encouraged residents to continue asking questions about energy and other infrastructure demands while recognizing the importance of expanding technological capabilities.

Veteran services were another focus. Newhouse urged his successor to continue serving the estimated 15,000 veterans in Benton and Franklin counties and approximately 46,000 veterans within a 75-mile radius. Current initiatives include a proposed $48 million, 150,000-square-foot Veterans Affairs clinic in Kennewick and a new state-operated veterans cemetery in Richland.

The proposed Kennewick clinic would be approximately 10 times larger than the existing Richland location and would expand the services available to veterans locally. The proposed Richland cemetery would serve veterans and their families as Washington’s second state-operated veterans cemetery.

Newhouse is retiring after six terms in Congress and is expected to leave office at the end of December.

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