James E. Risch dossier →

• In-person public town hall meetings with constituents 3358 days silent
  Expected position: As the senior U.S. Senator from Idaho and Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Risch would be expected to periodically hold open public town halls to hear directly from constituents across Idaho. Evidence of activity on adjacent topics: Risch has not held an in-person town hall since Trump was elected in 2016, according to multiple news sources. Organizers in Pocatello, Lewiston, and Boise have held 'empty chair' town halls where Risch declined to participate. Constituents created 'missing politician' posters circulating on social media. During this period, Risch was active in Washington, chaired hearings, gave floor speeches, and appeared at GOP fundraisers, but declined public forums. His office limited a March 2025 meeting with constituents to 10 people for 20 minutes, with attendees reporting staff 'just going through the motions.' Primary URL: https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/have-you-seen-this-politician-public-seeks-town-halls-with-idahos-missing-federal-delegates/
• Trump's shift away from supporting Ukraine, including Trump falsely accusing Ukraine of starting the war and calling Zelensky a 'dictator' 72 days silent
  Expected position: As Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a longtime vocal supporter of Ukraine who called Putin's invasion 'murderous aggression' and co-sponsored the REPO Act to seize Russian assets, Risch would be expected to publicly defend Ukraine and correct Trump's false statements. Evidence of activity on adjacent topics: Risch was publicly active on foreign policy during this period — chairing hearings and speaking at the Munich Security Conference — but fell silent after Trump falsely accused Ukraine of starting the war and called Zelensky a 'dictator.' The Idaho Statesman editorialized on February 21, 2025: 'Risch has long supported Ukraine. Silence on Trump's betrayal is abetting its fall.' By May 2025, local media noted Risch had blocked Democratic resolutions supporting Ukraine, a reversal of his prior posture. Primary URL: https://www.idahostatesman.com/opinion/editorials/article300669159.html
• corporate pacs, industry unlisted
  Interested donors: Pinnacle West Capital Corporation PAC, Potlatchdeltic Corporation Political Action Committee (Potla, J.R. Simplot Company Political Action Committee, Wsp USA Inc. PAC, Transcanada USA Services PAC
  Pinnacle West Capital Corporation PAC, Potlatchdeltic Corporation Political Action Committee (Potla, J.R. Simplot Company Political Action Committee, Wsp USA Inc. PAC, Transcanada USA Services PAC (amounts: $6,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026), $5,000 (2024), $5,000 (2026), $5,000 (2024)) — interest area: corporate pacs, industry unlisted
• other / unclassified
  Interested donors: Equipment Leasing And Finance Assn PAC (Leasepac), Mid Manhattan Political Action Committee (Mid PAC), Seasonal Employer PAC, Americans4hindus PAC (Multi-Candidate), Boone And Crockett PAC, Send In The Seal PAC, The Roosevelt Initiative
  Equipment Leasing And Finance Assn PAC (Leasepac), Mid Manhattan Political Action Committee (Mid PAC), Seasonal Employer PAC, Americans4hindus PAC (Multi-Candidate), Boone And Crockett PAC, Send In The Seal PAC, The Roosevelt Initiative (amounts: $5,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026), $5,000 (2024), $5,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026)) — interest area: other / unclassified
• other candidates' committees
  Interested donors: Project West Political Action Committee, One Team Senate Majority
  Project West Political Action Committee, One Team Senate Majority (amounts: $5,000 (2026), $7,001 (2026)) — interest area: other candidates' committees
• ideological & single-issue
  Interested donors: Californians For Freedom PAC
  Californians For Freedom PAC (amounts: $5,000 (2026)) — interest area: ideological & single-issue
• colleagues' leadership pacs
  Interested donors: Road To Freedom Campaign Committee, Bluegrass Committee, Republican Majority Fund, Responsibility And Freedom Work PAC (Rfwpac), The Hawkeye PAC, Freedom Fund, Dirigo PAC, Heartland Values PAC, Making A Responsible Stand For Households In America (Marsha PAC), Arkansas For Leadership PAC (Arkpac), Common Values PAC, Free State PAC, Continuing America'S Strength And Security PAC, Wild And Wonderful PAC, Leadership And Accountability Are National Keys PAC - Lank PAC, Lead Encourage Elect PAC, Tomorrow Is Meaningful PAC, Strategy PAC, Jobs Freedom And Security PAC, Nebraska Sandhills PAC, Big Sky Opportunity PAC, Badlands PAC, Oorah! Political Action Committee, Jobs Opportunity And New Ideas PAC, Boots PAC, R Senate PAC, True North PAC, Together Holding Our Majority PAC, The Peter Norbeck Leadership PAC, Defend Our Conservative Senate PAC (Doc'S PAC), Common Sense For America PAC, Sock It To 'Em PAC, Conservatives Harvesting Success PAC, Let'S Get To Work PAC, Fighting For Missouri PAC, Senate Eagle PAC, Gem State PAC, Fight On PAC, Steer PAC, Working For Ohio, Alabama First PAC, Winning For America PAC, Building A National Knowledgeable Security PAC, American Excellence PAC, Building Up Democracy'S Dream, Michigan'S Resurgence PAC, Pennsylvania Honor, Best At Bringing Entrepreneurial Results Never Imagined Or Envisioned PAC, Florida Leads, North Carolina First
  Road To Freedom Campaign Committee, Bluegrass Committee, Republican Majority Fund, Responsibility And Freedom Work PAC (Rfwpac), The Hawkeye PAC, Freedom Fund, Dirigo PAC, Heartland Values PAC, Making A Responsible Stand For Households In America (Marsha PAC), Arkansas For Leadership PAC (Arkpac), Common Values PAC, Free State PAC, Continuing America'S Strength And Security PAC, Wild And Wonderful PAC, Leadership And Accountability Are National Keys PAC - Lank PAC, Lead Encourage Elect PAC, Tomorrow Is Meaningful PAC, Strategy PAC, Jobs Freedom And Security PAC, Nebraska Sandhills PAC, Big Sky Opportunity PAC, Badlands PAC, Oorah! Political Action Committee, Jobs Opportunity And New Ideas PAC, Boots PAC, R Senate PAC, True North PAC, Together Holding Our Majority PAC, The Peter Norbeck Leadership PAC, Defend Our Conservative Senate PAC (Doc'S PAC), Common Sense For America PAC, Sock It To 'Em PAC, Conservatives Harvesting Success PAC, Let'S Get To Work PAC, Fighting For Missouri PAC, Senate Eagle PAC, Gem State PAC, Fight On PAC, Steer PAC, Working For Ohio, Alabama First PAC, Winning For America PAC, Building A National Knowledgeable Security PAC, American Excellence PAC, Building Up Democracy'S Dream, Michigan'S Resurgence PAC, Pennsylvania Honor, Best At Bringing Entrepreneurial Results Never Imagined Or Envisioned PAC, Florida Leads, North Carolina First (amounts: $5,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $10,000 (2024), $10,000 (2024), $10,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $10,000 (2024), $5,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $10,000 (2024), $10,000 (2024), $10,000 (2026), $10,000 (2024), $10,000 (2024), $10,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $10,000 (2024), $10,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026), $10,000 (2026)) — interest area: colleagues' leadership pacs

• H.R.XXXX ↗ NAY 2025-12-11
  Extension of Enhanced ACA Premium Tax Credits (preventing health care cost increases for 100,605 Idahoans)
  why contradicted?

  [against_constituent] Risch voted against extending the enhanced ACA tax credits that 100,605 Idahoans rely on. The Idaho Democratic Party stated his vote would cause health care costs to double for these constituents. Idaho has a 10.5% poverty rate, and 8.3% of Idahoans lacked health insurance in 2023.
• H.R.1 ↗ YEA 2025-07-01
  One Big Beautiful Bill Act (extending 2017 tax cuts, cutting $1.6 trillion in federal spending including $900 billion from Medicaid and $267 billion from SNAP over 10 years)
  why contradicted?

  [against_constituent] Risch voted for the bill that passed 51-50 with VP Vance casting the tiebreaker. He praised it as 'the largest tax cut in history' for 'working Idahoans.' However, independent analyses projected $4.3 billion in lost federal funding for Idaho Medicaid and cuts affecting Idaho's 130,000+ SNAP recipients. Idaho has a 10.5% poverty rate and a median household income of $77,800. An Idaho constituent opinion piece pleaded: 'Sen. Risch, please don't strip away programs for less fortunate.'

No documented broken promises on file.

• reversal SCORE 90
  Risch spent years as one of the Senate's most outspoken Republican advocates for Ukraine, citing America's 1994 security commitments and calling Putin's invasion 'murderous aggression.' Within weeks of Trump's 2025 inauguration, Risch fell silent amid Trump's pro-Russia pivot, then actively blocked Senate resolutions supporting Ukraine — a complete reversal on the same policy question (U.S. support for Ukraine against Russian aggression) affecting the same population and invoking the same 1994 Budapest Memorandum commitments.