Labor Chief Criticizes Chenoweth, Crapo

Randy Ambuehl, president of the Idaho AFL-CIO, said Thursday Idaho’s working people are being hurt by the Republicans’ budget-cutting efforts and GOP congressmen Mike Crapo and Helen Chenoweth are part of it.

“We need to tell our congresspeople to stop balancing the budget and stop giving tax breaks to the wealthy, on the backs of working people,” he told a news conference.

“They are singing the direct national Democratic Party line,” said Chenoweth press secretary Khris Bershers. “Helen Chenoweth was during the campaign and remains now 100 percent behind the working people of Idaho.”

As part of a $1 million national campaign against 20 Republicans, ads started running in Idaho this week attacking Chenoweth for her recent votes in Congress. Ambuehl said organized labor spent about $9,500 for 85 Idaho commercials which will continue through Labor Day.

He said in the eight months the freshman member of Congress has been in office, the AFL-CIO has tried repeatedly to meet with her. She finally agreed, and Chenoweth planned to meet later with Ambuehl and other union members.