Press Releases
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) met with members of the Idaho National Guard who were deployed to Washington, D.C. on Friday to aid in the protection of local residents and peaceful protestors demonstrating against the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The roughly 400 Idaho National Guardsmen who volunteered for this deployment remain […]
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, the Senate unanimously passed the Small Business Lending Continuity Act of 2020. This bipartisan legislation, led by U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), will make a technical correction to the CARES Act and prevent the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) flagship 7(a) Loan Guarantee Program from shutting down when the Paycheck […]
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) joined Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and 25 of his Republican colleagues in sending a letter to Attorney General Bill Barr urging the Department of Justice to investigate whether dozens of Planned Parenthood affiliates across the country applied for and received loans from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) despite knowing they […]
WASHINGTON – Starting on Tuesday, May 26th, eligible farmers and ranchers can begin submitting applications for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) administered by USDA. The program is the result of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was supported by the entire Idaho Delegation, and includes $16 billion to provide immediate […]
WASHINGTON – Last week, U.S. Senators for Idaho Jim Risch and Mike Crapo joined Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and 25 of their Republican colleagues in urging leadership to provide businesses with regulatory relief in the wake of the economic crisis caused by the global pandemic. “In contrast to unsustainable increases in federal spending, the easing of regulatory […]
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) advocated for increased small business-led research related to the coronavirus pandemic and response. The Senators wrote to the eleven federal agencies that participate in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs and called on them to […]
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators for Idaho Jim Risch and Mike Crapo today joined Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and 16 of their Senate colleagues in writing a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice requesting that the department investigate potential anticompetitive activities in the highly concentrated beef packing sector. “Recent pricing discrepancies between fed cattle and boxed […]
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today introduced the Energy Infrastructure Protection Act, a bill to boost protections for critical electric infrastructure. The bill updates provisions in the Federal Power Act and restricts federal disclosures of certain sensitive energy information. “It’s crucial that the federal government and electric industry work in tandem […]
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), offered his condolences to the family of Idaho State Representative Thyra Stevenson upon learning of her passing earlier today: “Vicki and I are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Rep. Thyra Stevenson this morning,” said Risch. “Thyra was a dedicated public servant for Nez Perce and Lewis Counties, […]
WASHINGTON – On Monday, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced $470 million in food purchases under Section 32 funding to occur in the third quarter of the 2020 fiscal year. Section 32 funds are used for a number of purposes to support the agricultural supply chain. As part of the announcement, Secretary Perdue designated $50 million in surplus potato […]