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U.S. Senator from Idaho

Jim Risch

Republican · Idaho

Former Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Idaho, serving in Senate since 2009. Ranking member of Foreign Relations Committee. Focus on foreign policy, energy, and federal lands.

Record

Conservative Republican. Foreign Relations Committee ranking member with focus on national security and energy policy. Advocate for Idaho ranchers and federal land management.

Legislative Record

Recently sponsored bills (8 on record)

  • S.4960 — CLEAN Act (Introduced, Jul 14, 2026)
  • S.4726 — PEACE in Sudan Act (Introduced, Jun 9, 2026)
  • S.4621 — SILVER Act (Introduced, May 21, 2026)
  • S.4108 — Veteran Burial Benefit Correction Act (Introduced, Mar 17, 2026)
  • S.3814 — ARC Act of 2026 (Introduced, Feb 10, 2026)
  • S.3085 — Firearm Access During Shutdowns Act of 2025 (Introduced, Oct 30, 2025)
    Firearm Access During Shutdowns Act of 2025 This bill requires various federal agencies to continue certain operations, functions, and services related to firearms during a government shutdown. The bill applies to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Instant Criminal Background Check…
  • S.2960 — Deter PRC Aggression Against Taiwan Act (Introduced, Oct 1, 2025)
  • S.2904 — SHADOW Fleet Sanctions Act of 2026 (Introduced, Sep 18, 2025)

Notable votes

  • Voted Yea on S.Res. 817 — S. Res. 817 (Resolution Agreed to, Jul 30, 2026)
  • Voted Yea on S.Res. 817 — Motion to Invoke Cloture: S. Res. 817 (Cloture Motion Agreed to, Jul 29, 2026)
  • Voted Yea on H.R. 6644 — Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 6644 with an Amendment (SA 5823) (Cloture Motion Agreed to, Jun 18, 2026)
  • Voted Yea on S. 2 — S. 2, As Amended (Bill Passed, Jun 5, 2026)
  • Voted Nay on S. 2 — Cortez Masto Amdt. No. 5463 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
  • Voted Nay on S. 2 — Padilla Amdt. No. 5808 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
  • Voted Nay on S. 2 — Gallego Amdt. No. 5813 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
  • Voted Nay on S. 2 — Peters Amdt. No. 5763 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)

Recently cosponsored bills (12 on record)

  • S.5179 — A bill to clarify that for purposes of Federal nondiscrimination requirements applicable to education programs or activities receiving Federal financial assistance, discrimination prohibited under title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is based on the biological reality of sex. (Introduced, Jul 30, 2026)
  • S.1289 — 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Commemorative Coin Act (Introduced, Jul 29, 2026)
  • S.4952 — Protecting American Taxpayers Act (Introduced, Jul 23, 2026)
  • S.5092 — RAAM Act (Introduced, Jul 22, 2026)
  • S.5048 — Hydropower Licensing Affordability Act (Introduced, Jul 21, 2026)
  • S.4395 — Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2026 (Introduced, Jul 20, 2026)
  • S.5025 — Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026 (Introduced, Jul 16, 2026)
  • S.4838 — Outdoor Recreational Outfitting and Guiding Act (Introduced, Jul 15, 2026)

Voting analysis

Jim Risch chairs the foreign relations committee and sits ex officio on its regional subcommittees. His departures, though, are almost entirely domestic and almost entirely about spending.

5.2%
Votes against the Republican majority
213
Roll calls where a party majority formed
31 of 51
Rank among Senate Republicans, most defections first

No to the bills that passed

Five separate measures cleared the Senate with his conference behind them and with him against — among them a continuing appropriations bill, a further spending measure and an appropriations package. Voting against completed legislation rather than against amendments puts a member on record about outcomes rather than drafting, and that is where most of his record sits.

Two departures cut the other way and both involve foreign policy: a bill he voted to pass against his party, and a foreign aid supplemental he supported. For the chairman of foreign relations, those are the votes closest to his own jurisdiction, and they are the ones where he crossed toward the other side.

The 10 most recent of 11 roll calls where Jim Risch voted against the Senate Republican majority.
Roll callDateOutcomeTheir vote
H.R. 3944
Johnson Amdt. No. 3428
On the Amendment S.Amdt. 3428 to S.Amdt. 3411 to H.R. 3944 (No short title on file) · roll call 119		Aug 1, 2025Amendment RejectedYea (party: Nay)
H.R. 1
Lee Amdt. No. 2745
On the Amendment S.Amdt. 2745 to S.Amdt. 2360 to H.R. 1 (No short title on file) · roll call 119		Jul 1, 2025Amendment RejectedYea (party: Nay)
S.Con.Res. 7
Paul Amdt No. 999
On the Amendment S.Amdt. 999 to S.Con.Res. 7 (No short title on file) · roll call 119		Feb 21, 2025Amendment RejectedYea (party: Nay)
H.R. 10545
On Passage of the Bill H.R. 10545 · roll call 118		Dec 21, 2024Bill PassedNay (party: Yea)
H.R. 9747
On Passage of the Bill H.R. 9747 · roll call 118		Sep 25, 2024Bill PassedNay (party: Yea)
S. 3853
On Passage of the Bill S. 3853 · roll call 118		Mar 7, 2024Bill PassedYea (party: Nay)
H.R. 815
H.R. 815, as Amended
On Passage of the Bill H.R. 815 · roll call 118		Feb 13, 2024Bill PassedYea (party: Nay)
H.R. 2872
H.R. 2872, As Amended
On Passage of the Bill H.R. 2872 · roll call 118		Jan 18, 2024Bill PassedNay (party: Yea)
H.R. 6363
On Passage of the Bill H.R. 6363 · roll call 118		Nov 15, 2023Bill PassedNay (party: Yea)
H.R. 4366
H.R. 4366, as amended
On Passage of the Bill H.R. 4366 · roll call 118		Nov 1, 2023Bill PassedNay (party: Yea)

Below the Idaho average

Idaho's two Republican senators sit close together, with Risch marginally the lower of the two.

Among the 2 Republicans in the Idaho delegation, the average rate of voting against the party majority is 5.6%. Jim Risch is below that average at 5.2%.

What he legislates on

International affairs lead the classification, matching the gavel. The filings include a clean act, a peace measure for Sudan, a silver bill, a correction to veteran burial benefits, and an arc act.

Sponsored bills carry the Congressional Research Service's own subject classification. Jim Risch's cluster into: International Affairs (3), Energy (2), Armed Forces and National Security (1), Finance and Financial Sector (1).

646
Bills sponsored
2860
Bills cosponsored

Of the 8 most recent of those, 8 currently sit at Introduced.

Tenure and attendance

He reached the Senate at the close of the two-thousands after serving as governor. He misses a moderate share of votes.

First elected in 2009, now serving across 9 terms. Jim Risch falls in the veteran cohort.

3.2%
Roll calls recorded as not voting
220
Roll calls eligible to vote on
7
Recorded as not voting

By the numbers

In the 119th Congress, Jim Risch has 646 bills sponsored, 2860 cosponsored, 8 recent floor votes recorded.

Committee assignments

  • Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
  • Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (Chairman)
  • Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
  • Senate Select Committee on Ethics
  • Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
  • United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control
  • Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Energy
  • Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Public Lands, Forests, and Mining
  • Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: Water and Power
  • Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: Africa and Global Health Policy (Ex Officio)
  • Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy (Ex Officio)
  • Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: Europe and Regional Security Cooperation (Ex Officio)

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