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Key Priorities
Philosophy,
Mission & Goals

Top Accomplishments

  • Assisted Idahoans in nearly 20,000 cases over the last ten years, to resolve disputes regarding the IRS, Social Security, immigration, and many other issues
  • Assisted over 2,500 Idahoans in obtaining passports since April 2007
  • Since 1990, has held over 300 town hall meetings, an average of 16-25 per year, as well as field hearings, forums, and workshops
  • Official Senate website recognized in both 2006 and 2003 with a Silver Mouse Award from the Congressional Management Foundation
  • Established a bi-weekly electronic newsletter to keep in touch with constituents, with more subscribers as of October, 2006 than The Idaho Statesman
  • Presented with the 2007 Internet Keep Safe Coalition Award for protecting children online
  • Secured over $122,419,000 for research at Idaho's universities since 2002
  • Secured over $17,324,000 for community development projects in Idaho since 2002
  • Sponsored and passed the Idaho Land Enhancement Act of 2006, to facilitate conveyance of federal land
  • Sponsored and passed the Healthy Forests Initiative, to help prevent wildfire and strengthen communities
  • Wrote and passed the County Payments law, to provide support for timber-dependent communities
  • Oversaw the successful confirmation of many Idahoans, including Dirk Kempthorne and Jim Caswell
  • Led congressional involvement in resolving the U.S. Canadian Softwood Lumber dispute
  • Led a congressional delegation to Cuba to open up agricultural trade for Idaho farmers and producers
  • Codified and secured initial funding for the National Rural Development Partnership, integrating all local, tribal, non-profit, state and federal groups to work together to address problems in rural areas
  • Advocated for and secured passage of legislation which will enable the University of Idaho to develop a Center for Livestock and Environmental Studies
  • Successfully fought against attempts to eliminate the sugar program
  • Persuaded USDA to provide a diversion/purchase program for potato farmers at a time of drastically low potato prices in 1997
  • Developed and codified the Grasslands Reserve Program, to give landowners the opportunity to protect, restore, and enhance grasslands on their property
  • Developed and secured passage of the Noxious Weed Control Act, to improve Idaho's ability to work collaboratively on noxious weed control and eradication
  • Developed and codified a federal loan guarantee program for cellulosic biomass projects
  • Wrote and passed the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004, to increase the competitiveness of fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and nursery crops grown in the United States
  • Secured over $352,444,000 for conservation projects in Idaho since 2002
  • Provided funding and leadership to get the National Academy of Sciences to investigate the EPA's science and application of the science in the Silver Valley Superfund site
  • Supported with both funding and leadership the development of the Pulaski Trail to commemorate the 1910 fire in Idaho and Forest Service Ranger Ed Pulaski
  • Helped ensure abandoned railroad rights of way were made available for the Rails to Trails program, including the Hiawatha Trail and the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes
  • Wrote and passed an extension of Temporary Non-Renewable grazing permits in for ranchers and in the Jarbidge area
  • Provided authorization for several important Idaho water projects, including Dworshak Reservoir, Little Wood River, Snake River, and Port of Lewiston
  • Secured over $25,176,000 for clean drinking water infrastructure in Idaho since 2002
  • Secured over $106,753,000 for Idaho transportation infrastructure since 2002, including funding for a new Air Traffic Control Tower at the Boise Airport
  • Voted for the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit, which is saving the average senior over $1200 per year in out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs
  • Wrote and passed a bill establishing long-term care insurance, to allow keep seniors and their families from going bankrupt to cover long-term care
  • Secured over $22,745,000 for infrastructure and programs at Idaho's hospitals since 2002
  • Wrote and passed the Hope For Children Act, to extend, increase, and improve the adoption tax credit
  • Cosponsored and passed the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 to help promote adoption and correct problems that were inherent in the foster care system
  • Wrote and passed the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Amendments Act to provide grants to states to strengthen families and protect children
  • Wrote and passed the Homeschool Non-Discrimination Act to provide benefits and equality for home-schooled students
  • Wrote and passed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, to protect law-abiding gun manufacturers from frivolous lawsuits
  • Wrote and passed the SAFE Act, to add some judicial, Congressional, and public oversight to Patriot Act powers
  • Voted for the Secure Fence Act, to authorize construction of a fence and help secure our borders
  • Secured funding through the Byrd-Craig amendment for more border patrol agents and detention beds
  • Secured over $38,508,000 for public safety initiatives in Idaho since 2002
  • Secured new VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinics in Caldwell and North Idaho
  • Secured a new VA Regional Office in Boise
  • Increased insurance benefits for veterans from $250,000 to $400,000
  • Changed the law to provide, through the Servicemembers Group Life Insurance, up to $100,000 for servicemembers seriously wounded since the War on Terror began
  • Helped negotiate the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act CDSOA extension agreement to allow Micron to keep illegal dumping deposits from foreign companies, resulting in tens of millions of dollars in duty payments to Micron
  • Served on the leadership team that developed the 1996 Telecom Act, which has resulted in broad investment in wireless and wireline infrastructure by industry, and continues to revolutionize communications
  • Secured over $44,649,000 in private defense- and agriculture-related research in Idaho since 2002
  • Cosponsored and passed legislation establishing the Yucca Mountain waste repository, ensuring the safe disposal of waste from DOE and Commercial sites
  • Stabilized and expanded the mission of the Idaho National Lab to designate it as the lead nuclear laboratory, which employs 8,452 people at the site, and accounts for 19,860 INL operations-related jobs in Idaho
  • Obtained authorization for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant in Idaho
  • Co-authored and passed the Senate Energy Bill of 2007, which includes increased production of domestic energy resources
  • Developed and authorized the national nuclear energy university program, to train nuclear scientists at BSU, U of I, and ISU
  • Secured over $2,225,450,000 for the Idaho National Lab since 2002
  • Has opposed every tax increase proposed while he's been in Congress, and has been named a "Taxpayers Friend" by the National Taxpayers Union, received the "Friend of the Taxpayer" award from the Americans For Tax Reform, and received the "Guardian of Small Business" award from the National Federation of Independent Businesses
  • Championed the Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution
  • Secured over $222,491,000 for Mountain Home Air Force Base and Gowen Field since 2002