U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson made an appearance in Idaho Falls Tuesday morning, meeting with Melaleuca Executive Chairman Frank VanderSloot as part of a promotional tour for the recently passed “One Big, Beautiful Bill” (OB3).

In a private meeting at Melaleuca’s production facilities guested by a few local media entities, the Republican speaker addressed OB3’s impacts on Idaho — defending claims of the bill’s positive impacts on the economies of Idaho and the nation.

“Not only do we secure the border ... ensure American energy dominance again ... and work on the principles of peace through strength by our investments, but we included the largest tax cuts in US history, as well as the largest spending cut at the same time,” said Johnson.

Johnson lauded VanderSloot’s company as an American success story, emphasizing the bill’s wider focus on business and economic growth, touting tax incentives and deductions for businesses.

In a written statement to the Post Register, the Republican political financier expressed appreciation for Johnson’s personal visit.

“We are thrilled that the administration and Congress are deeply interested in American businesses,” said VanderSloot. “We are extremely honored that Speaker Johnson considers Melaleuca an important home-grown American story.”

The speaker identified the reason for his visit to east Idaho as being driven by an interest in the region’s significant growth.

“What we see is our responsibility in Congress to help fuel that as much as possible,” Johnson said. “We love what’s happening in Idaho”.

Johnson read from a prepared list of benefits he claims Idaho will see under OB3: identifying wage increases, the “no-tax” on tips and overtime provisions in the bill, job and opportunity growth.

“This is real common-sense legislation for real people,” Johnson said. “It’s going to make a real difference in real people’s lives, and we’re excited to deliver it.”

Johnson’s visit comes as Idaho is in the throes of a projected budget deficit of $80 million. According to the nonprofit Tax Foundation, Idaho could lose an additional $167 million if the state conforms to OB3’s tax changes.

Concerns about national policies on immigration enforcement were also addressed. Idaho’s agriculture and dairy industries — which disproportionately rely on foreign labor — have seen deepening concerns from farmers, many of whom fear losing an already hard-found workforce of migrant laborers.

“We have to maintain the rule of law,” Johnson responded. “At the same time, we recognize that in some of these sectors ... we’re reliant on migrant workers to come in, and these people abide by the law because they come on a worker visa ... do the job and then go back home. We have to foster that kind of thing.”

Unlike agriculture and hospitality jobs, dairy work is year-round, rendering typical visa programs like H2A — a seasonal working visa — unapplicable to dairy workers. The Idaho Dairymen’s Association has recently opposed state legislation, akin to national policies, that would impose stricter immigration enforcement and criminal penalties to undocumented workers. Additionally, Idaho’s unauthorized immigrant population has remained steady — even between presidential administrations — with at least half of this population remaining in Idaho for over 16 years, as reported by the Idaho Capital Sun.

“There’s a lot of ideas on the table and Congress is working through it,” continued Johnson. “There is a lot of work to be done; I think that should be bipartisan because everybody recognizes the same needs and we’ve got to do right by those who are providing the jobs and needing those hands.”

Considering the proximity and influence of Idaho National Laboratory (INL) on east Idaho, the Post Register asked Johnson about the potential impacts of increased domestic energy production on the region.

“Energy policy equates to national security policy,” replied Johnson. “It is a big factor in our superiority, our dominance, as the world’s last great superpower.”

Johnson addressed OB3’s elimination of what has been called the “green new scam” by President Trump, primarily consisting of cuts to renewable energy tax credits and subsidies.

“We felt like it was unjust, and so we’re winding down some of those ... at the same time we’re ramping up energy production in other ways,” said Johnson.

He also referenced AI expansion and the building of data centers, which will require significant energy demands.

“We need to tap every resource we can, so stay tuned on that,” Johnson concluded.

When asked about what Congress is doing to address the rising concern of destructive wildfires in the western U.S., Johnson replied that the issue would require a “hands-on” approach from multiple entities.

“Congress is trying to foster this,” he said. “I think you’ll see public policy advancing more responsible management, and we’re going to encourage our local and state partners to do the same because it’s a whole team approach.”