Jim Risch is the junior United States Senator from Idaho, having served in the Senate since 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1943 and moved to Idaho as a young man. He earned his law degree from the University of Idaho College of Law and worked as a prosecuting attorney before entering politics. He had one of the most extensive careers in Idaho government of any current senator, serving as Ada County Prosecuting Attorney, in the Idaho State Senate (including as Senate President Pro Tempore), as Lieutenant Governor, and briefly as Governor of Idaho in 2006 following the resignation of Dirk Kempthorne.
In the Senate, Risch serves as a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he has previously served as ranking member and has been a prominent voice on U.S. policy toward China, Russia, and the Middle East. He also sits on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He has focused on national security, natural resource policy, and deregulation throughout his Senate career, and his intelligence committee work has given him a deep background in foreign threats and covert operations oversight.
- Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Subcommittee on Energy
- Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining
- Subcommittee on Water and Power
- 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
- S. 5484: Affordable HOMES Act of 2026 — Introduced
- S. 5374: A bill to facilitate the conveyance of certain land in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, platted under section 2387 of the Revised Statutes, and for other purposes. — Introduced
- S. 5254: Civil Nuclear Export Act of 2026 — Introduced
- S. 5266: Veterans’ Earned Benefits Access Act of 2026 — Introduced
- SRES. 827: A resolution recognizing the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute, Inc. (SAAMI) and commending its work establishing industry standards that ensure the safe interoperability of firearms and ammunition. — Introduced