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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement on the State Department’s decision to make changes to its ‘China House’ plan based on feedback the senator provided: “China is our highest foreign policy priority, and the...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on the Biden Administration’s prisoner swap to bring home Brittney Griner home in exchange for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer nicknamed the Merchant of Death: “It is always good news when an...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today praised the inclusion of several of his Senate Foreign Relations Committee-related priorities in the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA): Taiwan “I am pleased that the FY2023 NDAA includes new security authorities to...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Joe Manchin, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today applauded the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s passage of their International Nuclear Energy Act , legislation to promote engagement...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Ben Cardin (D-Md.), chair of the U.S. Helsinki Commission and author of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, today applauded the committee’s passage of their resolution recognizing Russian actions in...

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 nominations hearing. The witness for panel one included: The Honorable Lynne M. Tracy, nominee to be ambassador to Russia. On panel two, the witnesses included: The Honorable...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and U.S. Representative Michael McCaul (R-Texas), lead Republican of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement in reaction to the Biden Administration easing sanctions on the Maduro regime in...

BOISE, Idaho – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, this weekend participated in a moderated discussion on today’s top international security issues at the Halifax International Security Forum. (Photo courtesy of Halifax International Security Forum) On China: “China is the...

BOISE, Idaho – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement marking the third anniversary of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act being signed into law: “In the three years since Congress came together to pass this legislation, Xi Jinping has done...

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, today led the bipartisan Senate delegation to the Halifax International Security Forum in a press conference. Risch and...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Mitt Romney (R-Utah), ranking member of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, today urged the Biden Administration to begin the process of implementing Romney’s...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, announced additional members of the bipartisan congressional delegation they will lead to the Halifax International Security Forum...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today submitted the following opening remarks to the record on assessing U.S. policy in the Caucasus. The committee heard witness testimony from the Honorable Karen Donfried, assistant secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, and U.S. House Ways and Means Republican Leader Kevin Brady (R-Texas) yesterday wrote to the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of State,...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement marking two years since the start of the war in northern Ethiopia: “Two years into the war in northern Ethiopia, the government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People's Liberation Front have just agreed to...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), ranking member and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, yesterday sent a letter to the President of Tajikistan sharing their concerns over an escalation of violent harassment of journalists and the government’s failure to protect freedoms of speech...

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 urged the Biden Administration to better synchronize efforts with our G7 partners and condition assistance to address the erosion of Tunisian democracy. “We write to express our concerns...

BOISE, Idaho – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement ahead of International Religious Freedom Day on October 27: “Every person around the world deserves the right to practice their religion without fear. Unfortunately, freedom of religion is...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), ranking member and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and U.S. Representatives Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) and Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman and ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today released the below statement in observance of...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today led Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chuck Grassley...