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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), ranking member and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement in recognition of the eleventh anniversary of the Syrian uprising:“Eleven years ago, protesters across Syria took to the streets in a courageous call for democratic...

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 entitled, Combatting Authoritarianism: U.S. Tools and Responses . The witnesses for panel one included: The Honorable Uzra Zeya, under secretary for civilian security,...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement ahead of tomorrow’s 11th anniversary of the Syrian conflict:“Today marks 11 years since the start of the conflict in Syria. Since 2011, dictator Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, has overseen a...

WASHINGTON – Forty-nine Republican Senators today told the Biden Administration they will not support the revived Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran, which, according to public reports, will weaken sanctions and lessen restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program.“According to press reports, the Biden Administration may soon conclude an...

BOISE, Idaho – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today joined Bret Baier on Fox News Sunday to discuss the administration’s efforts to rejoin JCPOA and U.S. efforts to support the Ukrainian people in defending themselves against Russia. To watch the full interview on YouTube, click here...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and Todd Young (R-Ind.) announced their Israel Relations Normalization Act was included in the FY2022 bipartisan funding agreement, which passed the Senate by a vote of...

BOISE, Idaho – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today published an op-ed in The Hill reflecting on the second anniversary of the World Health Organization’s declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic and advocating for his International Pandemic Preparedness and COVID-19 Response Act,...

In a letter to President Biden, 42 Republican senators write, “…we strongly disagree with the Defense Department's decision to delay and deny Poland the option to transfer fighter jets to Ukraine.”  WASHINGTON – Following the Defense Department’s decision to reject Poland’s plans to provide MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, U.S. Senator Jim...

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 entitled: Examining U.S. Security Cooperation and Assistance . The committee heard witness testimony from, The Honorable Jessica Lewis, assistant secretary of State for...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today co-led his Republican colleagues in a press conference to discuss the Biden Administration’s efforts to forge a nuclear deal with Iran. Watch Senator Risch’s full opening remarks on YouTube here. Download Senator Risch’s opening remarks...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) yesterday introduced a resolution expressing support for a second U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit as an important opportunity to strengthen ties between the United States and African partners...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), ranking member and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today led seven of their Senate colleagues in writing a letter to President Joe Biden calling for democracy, good governance, and human rights to be top priorities for the upcoming U.S.-ASEAN (Association...

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 entitled, Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: Assessing the U.S. and International Response. The committee heard testimony from The Honorable Victoria Nuland, under secretary of...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) today urged the Biden Administration to accelerate the sale of M1A2 SEPv3 tanks to Poland. The letter also asks the Biden Administration to...

BOISE, Idaho – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement on the importance of defending both the Indo-Pacific and Europe:“The Indo-Pacific must be the priority theater. U.S. alliances, the region’s economic weight, and threats posed by China all make it central...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, yesterday welcomed His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, crown prince and prime minister of Bahrain to the U.S. Capitol. “It was an honor to welcome His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa to the U.S. Capitol...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today led his Republican colleagues in a press conference to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine and efforts to support the Ukrainian people and punish Putin.   Watch Senator Risch’s full opening remarks on YouTube here. Download Senator...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to reconsider his reported...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement in response to President Biden’s State of the Union address: “While President Biden attempted to make the case tonight that ‘America is back’ and our diplomacy is stronger than ever,...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today asked for unanimous consent on passage of his Never Yielding Europe’s Territory (NYET) Act, legislation to support the people of Ukraine and impose crippling sanctions on Russia. Senate Democrats objected to Senator...