Ranking Member's Press
Ranking Member Risch Opening Statement at Nominations Hearing for Assistant Secretaries, Representative to NATO, Ambassador to France
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today gave the following opening remarks at a full committee nomination hearing for the Honorable Julieta Valls Noyes, nominee to be assistant secretary of State for population, refugees, and migration, the Honorable Denise Campbell Bauer, nominee to be ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the United States to the French Republic, Ms. Julianne Smith, nominee to be United States per… Continue Reading
September 14, 2021
ICYMI: Risch with Bret Baier on Afghanistan
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined Bret Baier on Fox News to discuss today’s committee hearing on the administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.To watch on YouTube, click here.To download the video file, click here. When asked for a reaction on today’s hearing with Secretary Blinken, Risch responded:“[The administration is] out of step with the American people - the vast majority of the American people wat… Continue Reading
September 14, 2021
Ranking Member Risch Opening Statement at Hearing Examining the U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today gave the following opening remarks at a full committee hearing examining the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The committee heard witness testimony from Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. Ranking Member Risch gave the following remarks:“Thank you very much Mr. Chairman.“Secretary Blinken, good morning and welcome back to our committee. You are doing the right thing testifying here t… Continue Reading
September 11, 2021
Risch: We Must Not Allow Terrorism to Gain a Foothold Once More
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement marking twenty years since the September 11 th terrorist attacks on our homeland. "Today's anniversary of the horrific attacks on our homeland on September 11, 2001 is especially solemn. Twenty years later, it is still hard to comprehend these acts of pure evil. Vicki and I continue to mourn the lives lost as a result of those attacks. We owe our deepes… Continue Reading
September 09, 2021
Ranking Member Risch: IAEA Should Censure Iran
BOISE, Idaho - U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement ahead of next week's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors meeting: "The IAEA Board of Governors should censure Iran for its failure to engage with the IAEA's investigation and for obstructing its monitoring activities. Iran's recent actions are not consistent with its claims to have a peaceful nuclear program, and instead indic… Continue Reading
September 09, 2021
Risch, Burr Request GAO Report on Global Biosecurity Risks
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Richard Burr (R-N.C.), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, today sent a letter to Comptroller General Gene Dodaro requesting a Government Accountability Office report on U.S. government oversight of certain federally funded international biological research to ensure potential national security risks to the United States are appropriately consid… Continue Reading
September 02, 2021
Ranking Member Risch on Ukrainian President Zelensky’s White House Visit
BOISE, Idaho - U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on President Biden’s meeting with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday:“Yesterday’s meeting between President Biden and President Zelensky was long overdue. And while I welcome the meeting, I am very disappointed that the White House chose to schedule it during a period when the Senate was out of session and unable to greet our friend and partner.… Continue Reading
August 30, 2021
Ranking Member Risch on U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan
BOISE, Idaho - U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement after the last U.S. military plane left Kabul, Afghanistan:“To the men and women in uniform who risked so much over the last 20 years, there are no words that appropriately recognize your steadfast determination and the sacrifices you have made to keep Americans safe. Our military kept the faith, and we owe them a debt of gratitude that can never be re… Continue Reading
August 26, 2021
Ranking Member Risch on Bombings in Kabul
BOISE, Idaho - U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement after several reports of explosions in Kabul:“Reports of military and civilian casualties at the hands of terrorists in Kabul are horrifying, and deeply sad. I pray for those who have lost their lives, and those injured.“Today’s bombings outside of the airport and around Kabul serve as the official return to rule by terrorism in Afghanistan. As these b… Continue Reading
August 25, 2021
Risch: Investigation into COVID Origins Must Continue
BOISE, Idaho - U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on the reportedly inconclusive intelligence assessment on the origins of COVID-19 briefed to the president earlier this week:“China’s unwillingness to share data and information relevant to identifying the origins of COVID-19 is truly shameful. Yet, the work to identify how this virus started and spread must continue.“As I wrote to the president last month, … Continue Reading
August 25, 2021
Risch Office Helps Idahoans Leave Afghanistan
BOISE, Idaho - U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement on his office's efforts to bring Idahoans home from Afghanistan: "One of the most important functions that a congressional office serves is to assist our constituents when they need help. That need has rarely been greater than as of late, when we had a number of Idaho residents reach out for help when they suddenly needed to get out of Afghanistan jus… Continue Reading
August 24, 2021
Ranking Member Risch on 30th Anniv. of Ukraine’s Independence
BOISE, Idaho - U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement on the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence:“Congratulations to Ukraine on 30 years of independence. Ukraine has faced many difficulties over the years, but the Ukrainian people have worked hard, overcome many obstacles, and sacrificed much to ensure the success and Western orientation of their country.“Amid today’s celebrations, however, Ukraine… Continue Reading
August 21, 2021
Risch and Colleagues Urge POTUS to Ensure Safe Evacuation of American Citizens and Allies from Afghanistan
BOISE, Idaho - U.S Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine) in a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to take the necessary steps to ensure all American citizens, allies, and partners wishing to leave Afghanistan are safely evacuated. The letter further urges the president to see that American Mark Freichs, who is still being held hostage by the Taliban, is se… Continue Reading
August 19, 2021
Risch, Rubio Lead Senate Colleagues in Letter to Sec Def Demanding Accountability for U.S. Military Equipment Abandoned in Afghanistan
BOISE, Idaho - U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), ranking member of the subcommittee overseeing the Western Hemisphere, led U.S. Senators Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va… Continue Reading
August 18, 2021
Risch, McCaul Highlights Biden's Failed Policy to Stop Nord Stream 2
BOISE, Idaho - U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Representative Michael McCaul (R-Texas), lead Republican of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today released the following "myth vs. fact" sheet to highlight a number of the Biden Administration's discredited talking points on the Russian malign influence Nord Stream 2 pipeline project. Risch and McCaul aim to set the record straight with the facts: ###… Continue Reading
August 16, 2021
Risch Statement on Zambia Elections
BOISE, Idaho - U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement on Zambia’s August 12th elections:“Last week, millions of Zambians went to the polls to exercise their democratic rights. I congratulate President-elect Hakainde Hichilema on his historic victory and look forward to a full and peaceful transfer of power.“The United States remains a committed partner to Zambia. I hope that this election will serve as a … Continue Reading
August 16, 2021
Ranking Member Risch Statement on Afghanistan
BOISE, Idaho - U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement on the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan:“President Biden is not the first president to move toward an exit in Afghanistan, but he is the first to do so without any clear plan to protect our interests, our citizens, and our closest friends. This rushed and political decision to withdraw without consideration of our counterterrorism priorities will allo… Continue Reading
August 13, 2021
Risch: It’s Past Time We Bring American Detainees like Austin Tice Home
BOISE, Idaho - U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement ahead of the August 14 anniversary of American citizen Austin Tice’s kidnapping in Syria:“On August 14, 2012, American journalist Austin Tice was kidnapped at a roadside checkpoint in Damascus, Syria. Nine years later, and just days after his 40th birthday, Austin sadly remains in captivity.“It is a travesty that Austin and other American citizens such… Continue Reading
August 09, 2021
Risch, Durbin Propose Further U.S. Action at the U.N. on Belarus
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) today sent a letter to U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield proposing further action by the United States government to respond to the increasingly concerning situation in Belarus.“The multitude of crimes committed by Alexander Lukashenka’s regime indicate that his government has no intention of protecting the fundamental human righ… Continue Reading
August 09, 2021
Risch, Menendez, Durbin, Blunt Introduce Senate Resolution in Commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the ANZUS Treaty
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), ranking member and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, this weekend were joined by Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) in introducing a Senate resolution to honor the 70th anniversary (September 1) of the signing of the Security Treaty between Australia, New Zealand, and the United States, known as the ANZUS Treaty. In addition to celebrating the countries’ history of cooperation rooted in s… Continue Reading
