Press Releases

In many of our counties, the federal government is the majority landowner. When these large tracts of land are locked up by changing policies, a greater portion of education and transportation costs are pushed on to private property owners. As a landowner, the federal government has a responsibility to help shoulder that burden.

While saving money and rooting out waste should always be a priority, that work is now extremely critical given the amount of debt our country faces. We need everyone in Congress to be a Super Hero if we are to get our nation’s fiscal house in order.

No one should be rewarded for breaking the law and that's exactly what these new directives advocate. There’s no question that our immigration laws need to be reformed, but unilateral action will not achieve the practical, workable system we need.

Everyone who followed Mr. Hill's case understood that he was not hunting a grizzly bear. He was protecting his family, which he truly believed was in harm’s way. This legislation will allow an individual to act in self-defense without having to mount a costly defense for their actions, if done appropriately. This is a common-sense change that needs to be passed.

It is time to do what we have done for over two hundred years and what the President acknowledged tonight. He said, 'Our recovery will be driven not by Washington, but by our businesses and workers.' I agree. We need to turn the private sector loose, remove the stranglehold of regulations, lower taxes and get the government out of the way so the private sector can create jobs.

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Jim Risch will host a telephone town hall on Monday, September 12th at 7:00 pm Mountain, 6:00 pm Pacific. Risch will give a brief update on issues being discussed in Congress and take questions from Idahoans for the bulk of the hour. He will also ask participants to respond to […]

On each and every vote I carefully consider what Idahoans want done on the issue. These votes are a reflection of Idahoans’ desire to reduce federal spending, stop job-stifling regulations and to not raise taxes. My main focus is to vote how Idahoans want me to vote, and if the scorecards show that is voting conservative, so be it.

The federal case against Mr. Hill for shooting a grizzly that was on his property, where he believed he was protecting his family, is another example for the need to reform the Endangered Species Act. Protection of your family and property has been sacrosanct since this country was formed. What Mr. Hill did was not a criminal act in the court of common sense. My hope is that common sense prevails in this case.

This is a step in the right direction. We are making actual cuts to government spending, putting spending controls in place and providing for a vote on a balanced budget amendment without raising taxes. While it is a step in the right direction, it is only a first step in slowing the federal spending that is harming our economy. I am committed to continuing this effort to balance our budget and make government live within its means.

It is disappointing that the only real plan to confront our spending and debt crisis offered in either house of Congress fell short by four votes and on a party line vote with all Republicans supporting a balanced budget amendment to our constitution and all Democrats opposing.