PROSSER — Jerrod Sessler, a Republican from Prosser, is running for the U.S. Congress against incumbent Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., and Tiffany Smiley, among others. Sessler said he feels he is a unique candidate.

“I’m a unique bird when it comes to politics,” Sessler said. “Most people that are like me don’t get involved in politics. We have businesses; we have lives; we have families. We’re too busy for this stuff.” 

Sessler said his uniqueness also comes from his experience as a businessman, farmer and rancher and a veteran in the U.S. Navy. The experience that has given him provides him with perspective and a set of priorities that focuses on putting America first.

Legislation & Policies

Sessler said that, while he primarily wants to focus on what he feels is corruption in Washington D.C., he does have priorities for legislation he’d like to push forward if he wins the election this year. The primary among those is what he’s tentatively calling the Critical Infrastructure Act.

The notion behind the law is to follow a model similar to the Endangered Species Act which has focused on protecting wildlife across the nation. The difference would be that the legislation he’d like to put forward would look at critical pieces of infrastructure that need to be maintained in order to keep Americans safe and the economy flowing. This might include bridges, power production facilities and other pieces of vital infrastructure and prioritize their maintenance.

“And so, a Critical Infrastructure Act would identify, for example, a power generating dam, its environment around it, and it would provide protection to it,” Sessler said. 

Other policy items he’d like to focus on is preventing what he feels is overreach on the part of the executive branch of government under the Joe Biden Administration.

“We have an out-of-control, administrative state that is combined with an executive branch that has just basically no limits. So the executive branch has become its own legal authority through its policy,” he said. 

Historically, Biden and former President Donald Trump have had very different policies regarding immigration. Trump introduced what is called the Remain in Mexico Policy which Biden reversed soon after entering the Oval Office. About 70,000 people were returned to Mexico under the policy to await processing to enter the U.S.

According to Human Rights First, a nonprofit, more than 1,500 migrants were kidnapped, raped or abused after being returned to Mexico under the policy. 

A Trump-appointed judge initially ruled that Biden had improperly canceled the policy, but that ruling was overridden in 2022 by the U.S. Supreme Court and the policy was fully terminated. 

The Biden and Trump administrations also differ in separating migrant families and a variety of other concerns related to immigration and executive use of power. 

SSI 

Sessler expressed frustration at how Social Security funds have been managed in the last few decades. He pointed out that cost of living has greatly increased while the dollar amount of payments to those who contributed to receive retirement benefits from the Social Security Administration have only gone up marginally, thus reducing the value of the contributions. 

“You know if people work all their lives and they make some decent choices, and they buy some real estate and they did it, you know, they're probably going to be okay. In terms of the Social Security, it's unfortunate, but the way the funds have been handled, and the way things have gone down. What's going to happen is they're going to still get the same funds that they would have gotten (years ago),” Sessler said. 

Since Social Security hasn’t increased in value, the payments will remain low, he said, and with the cost of living increasing, he feels Social Security has a reduced value. 

“And so what happens is you have what I call a diminishing return,” Sessler said. “So, the return curve actually goes down. So, people that have gotten Social Security in the past got kind of an equitable result, right? They put money in; they got checks that kind of helped them. Well, now that result is coming down, it's gonna be a diminishing return.”

Sessler did not suggest a fix for the issue but said it would take determination on the part of Americans to fix that issue.

“There’s ways of fixing it,” he said. “We just have to see if the American people have the fortitude to do something about it.” 

Health Care Costs

Sessler said the situations arising from the increasing costs for health care are very difficult.

“It's heartbreaking to see some of the circumstances and different situations that people are in especially when they can't afford the care that they need. It's truly heartbreaking,” he said. 

Sessler said that he understands some of the frustration that goes with rising expenses for health care as a cancer survivor. He said he feels that much of the problem isn’t just costs at the doctor’s office or hospital, but also with the lifestyle that Americans tend to have with unhealthy diets.

“I didn’t do conventional medical treatment,” he said. “And what that enabled me to do was learn more about how much control I have in terms of my lifestyle in maintaining my health.” 

Sessler went on to say that Americans need to move back toward a healthier diet and treat things like processed foods as occasional treats rather than core diet items to help them stay healthier. He said personal responsibility was vital in improving the situation, but also said there are economic factors that need to be addressed.

Sessler said he has developed a policy statement that details who should be responsible for health care costs to divide it in a way he feels is more equitable. He also said nurturing the economy so that people are more financially stable would help to address the issue.

“I'm obviously a big fan of people taking personal responsibility, but I do think that there's things that we can do to make it easier for the American people to live a healthy, long life,” he said. 

Wildfires

Sessler acknowledged that wildfires are a serious concern nationwide, but also specifically in the 4th Congressional District which stretches from the northern to the southern borders of the state and includes Yakima, the Tri-Cities, Moses Lake, East Wenatchee, Quincy, Moses Lake, Ephrata, Soap Lake and the Grand Coulee Dam. 

A large part of the concern is that most fires are caused by people, Sessler said. He feels that a big part of the problem isn’t just land management, but also about enforcing the law and finding those who set fires and putting them through the justice system.

“For starters, we need to continue to do a better job at catching people who are setting these fires. Because I'm convinced that's where a lot of them are coming from and we have caught some people in last few years,” he said. 

Additionally, he would like provisions in federal law to be utilized so Americans can use them for grazing, agriculture and recreation. By utilizing that sort of rules setting, livestock would help manage fuel on public lands and reduce the fire hazards present, he said. As an example, he pointed out a tree on his property that his cattle like to lie under. The cattle have pruned the tree up to about six feet off the ground, he said, and have done so without damaging the tree. 

Public use as Sessler mentioned is allowed through multiple federal laws including the Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 and Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. Benefits of such use recognized by the AFBF include sustaining rangelands, supporting watersheds and wildlife habitats, supporting rural economies and reducing wildfire risks. 

As part of the discussion on wildland fuel management, Sessler also expressed that he feels the 30 by 2030 and 50 by 2050 policy set by the Biden Administration is an inappropriate use of federal authority. 

Under the plan, 30% of U.S. lands, freshwater and ocean areas would be protected by 2030 and 50% by 2050. While Sessler believed that plan indicates the U.S. government would own that much land, documentation put out by the White House does not indicate actual ownership of the land, but rather regulatory protection or cooperation with landowners to promote nature conservation efforts. For more information on the plan, visit https://bit.ly/30305050. 

Agriculture

Agriculture is important to Sessler, who manages his own land with his wife and family, mostly focused on raising livestock. 

“I'm a rancher. We have a bunch of cattle and different animals. We have a little bit of farming area but really just stuff for our own personal and also to feed our animals,” he said. 

Sessler said one of the most important things that can happen is to continue moving forward with the Columbia Basin Project to ensure farmers have sufficient water to grow crops. He said he feels the project isn’t moving as quickly as he’d like and the portions that are being done aren’t getting sufficient benefits from what is roughly 65% completed after being started in 1943.

“The most recent addition … is that eastern spur that only irrigated an additional 10,000 acres and that project cost about $35 million. And so, when you figure the math on that, that sucks. And what my concern is, is we've got farmers out in that kind of Eastern Odessa area that are drilling literally 5,000 feet down trying to suck water and they're running dual 400 horsepower engines to pull that water up from way down deep in the aquifers in order to keep their fields alive and growing,” Sessler said. 

The project’s completed portions include the Grand Coulee Dam and the maze of irrigation canals that are prevalent throughout Grant and Adams counties. 

For more information on the Columbia Basin Project, visit: https://bit.ly/CBHBasinProject.

Sessler said risk mitigation and regulation to be less of a priority for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation which is responsible for overseeing the Columbia Basin Project and more focused on completing the project to the benefit of the American people. 

There are environmental risks associated with the project which include impacts to aquifer recharging, lands being flooded for use as holding areas for water and impacts to Indigenous lands, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.

Sessler also said the structure of the federal farm bill needs to be rearranged and looked at closely. He said only a small portion — he estimated 3% — of the farm bill goes to support farmers with the remainder going to various nutrition programs. 

He also said that a method needs to be developed to allow farmers and ranchers to use supply and demand to set the price for their goods. Current markets are based on commodity values that issue prices for farmed commodities or livestock. That puts farmers and ranchers at a disadvantage, he said. 

Generally, Sessler said he would take a pragmatic approach to being in Congress and would focus on preserving conservative American values. He would look to reduce overspending and the national deficit and apply basic business practices to get the economy on track. 

“The number one thing that I think people can count on me for is I've been in business. I'm an engineer, veteran, former NASCAR driver married for 28 years — very conservative. (My wife and I) homeschooled and raised our three kids but I'm a business guy. I understand the numbers and every single farm is also a business. And I know that you know the experience I have ranching and farming and with friends is incredibly valuable. But what's even more valuable is the experience I have with business and with numbers,” Sessler said.

R. Hans “Rob” Miller may be reached at editor@columbiabasinherald.com.  

Candidate info: 

Jerrod Sessler (www.jerrodforcongress.com) is one of several candidates in the race for U.S. Representative for Congressional District 4. He is facing incumbent Dan Newhouse (www.Dannewhouse.com) and the other candidates listed below. The Columbia Basin Herald is reaching out to all candidates to provide readers with information prior to the August primary.

Mary Baechler
www.maryforcongress.org.

Benny “B3” Garcia
Vote4bennyWA04@zohomail.com

Barry Knowles
4thdistrictelectbarryk@gmail.com

John Malan
www.restore-america.info

“Birdie” Jane Muchlinski
birdie4uscongress@gmail.com

Tiffany Smiley
www.tiffanysmileyforcongress.com