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Mission & Goals
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Policies in Focus

My key priorities

Understanding the views of those I represent is an important part of my job as Idaho's Senator. I hope you will let me know your opinion on these priorities, or any other issues important to you.

Agriculture

“Federal agriculture policy should serve Idaho's number one industry, not get in its way.”

briefings and reports:

Ag Action Plan

editorials:

Whiskey and Water in the American West-01/13/06

Harvard to Havana: An Ag Journey-02/24/05

Farmers get a Farmer-12/03/04

Preparing our Agricultural Future-10/28/04

Environmental Smoke and Mirrors-09/30/04

Mad Cow: No Disaster Here-01/14/04

As a rancher, I understand the importance of agriculture to our country and the perils that farmers and ranchers face every day. That is why, as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I have advocated programs that help us maintain a stable food supply through a strong agriculture policy.

As part of the effort to reduce the federal role in agriculture, I have supported proposals -- such as the 1996 Freedom to Farm Bill -- that move agriculture toward the free market. Idaho farmers are better off without the complications of federal micromanagement. However, while I believe we should continue to decrease the federal role in farming, we should look for opportunities to increase the federal government's activities aimed at opening up closed foreign markets to American agriculture. Worldwide free trade is the biggest challenge for Idaho's farmers, and it is their best opportunity.

Budget

“The best way to prevent runaway growth of government is to require balanced budgets.”

briefings and reports:

The Appropriations Process

Idaho Initiatives

editorials:

Earnest Earmarks -02/01/06

Restoring Sanity to the Gulf Coast -09/30/05

Counteracting Katrina -09/08/05

A Billion Here, a Billion There -06/02/05

A Controlled, Responsible Budget -02/02/05

Restoring our Balance -01/27/05

A Budget For the Times -03/15/04

I have always believed that State and local communities better understand the needs of local citizens than distant federal bureaucrats with little or no practical, "real-world" experience. It took more than sixty years for the government to become as large as it is now, and it will take a sustained effort to trim the excesses and return to smaller, limited government. Ultimately, the best answer is to shrink the size of the federal government while shrinking taxes needed to support it -- in other words, leaving financial resources in local communities, rather than taking the money and returning it as a "gift" with a lot of federal strings attached.

I believe the most effective control over increased spending — the best way to prevent runaway growth of government at the cost of jobs and economic growth — is a continued commitment to a balanced budget. When we have to balance the budget and the government has to live within its means, programs will have to compete with each other on their merits and priorities will have to be set. That's why I have consistently worked for passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution. The most beneficial thing Congress has done in recent years was act, successfully, on a renewed commitment to balancing the budget. The current war on terrorism and its economic impact has caused a temporary budget deficit. We must do whatever is necessary to protect our citizens and win that war. Then we must get back on course with balanced budgets. A constitutional amendment is the only way to make that necessary commitment a permanent one.

Defense

“National security is the primary responsibility of all who serve in the United States Congress.”

briefings and reports:

Securing Freedom

editorials:

On This Veterans Day - November 11 -11/04/05

United We Stand, Divided We Fall -10/20/05

A Landlocked Navy -08/25/05

Memorial Day 2005: Honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice -05/26/05

Honoring Those Who Served in Vietnam -04/29/05

Veterans of the Future -11/04/04

Draft not on Tap -10/14/04

Idaho in the Vanguard -07/23/04

Putting "Memorial" Back in Memorial Day -05/21/04

Even Presidents Have Freedom of Speech -03/05/04

The unprovoked attacks of September 11, 2001 on our nation ushered in a terrible new era of security concerns for the United States and the world. Idaho's men and women in uniform are doing their part for our national defense in the war against terrorism, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that they, and all our Armed Forces, are the best trained and best equipped fighting force in the world.

Illegal Drugs

“We need to create an absolute social intolerance toward illegal drug use.”

editorials:

Shoring up the Border -03/31/05

Encouraging More Safe Places -03/19/04

Drug abuse and drug-related crimes are taking American lives, turning our cities into open battlegrounds, and generating enormous social and spiritual costs. The problem of illegal drugs is essentially one of supply and demand, and the federal role in efforts to reduce drug use must therefore address both. I believe the drug war must be viewed as no less than a national priority, requiring energetic and relentless prosecution of dealers and drug kingpins, negotiation to re-order foreign economies that depend on drug trade, and the strengthening of our drug interdiction efforts.

We are not going to solve the drug problem by merely throwing money at the drug supply question. We must also address the demand side, creating an absolute social intolerance of illegal drug use in our homes, schools, and workplaces. This is a battle for the minds of the American people, and responsibility must ultimately rest with the user, the family, and the friends who allow dangerous drug habits to continue.

Education

“Our objective should be to provide the very best basic education we can to strengthen Idaho's most important resource - our children.”

briefings and reports:

Education Resources

Financial Aid for Students

editorials:

50 Years Later: Where We Stand with Education -05/07/04

I have long believed that the responsibility for educating our youth should be based with parents, teachers, and local school officials. I think Idaho parents and local school boards -- not Washington bureaucrats -- ought to decide what our children should be taught and how our education dollars should be spent. Accordingly, I have supported legislation that would return education funding to the States. While there may be a role for the federal government to play in education, it must be kept minimal. I believe this is necessary to ensure a positive and engaging educational experience for the young people of America.

While college is not for everyone, those who choose to attend should have reasonable access to financial aid, whether that be through grants, scholarships, or loans. I have supported measures in the past that opened the door to more aid for students by eliminating the consideration of family assets such as home, farm, and small business equity in calculating the level of need. This has helped students from middle income families who are not in a position to liquidate such assets to provide for their children's college education.

I support enabling employers to more easily assist their employees' pursuit of higher education by making permanent the Section 127 exclusion from gross income of educational assistance provided to employees. I support incentives that allow tax deductions for parents who are sending their children to school. Students, also, should be able to keep more of the money that they and their families earn.

Energy

“The United States must get back in the business of producing energy.”

briefings and reports:

Energy Resources

editorials:

Energy: Burning Questions - November 10, 2005

Energy to Burn - June 16, 2005

Warm Houses, Scorched Wallets - October 8, 2004

Energy, and Time: They're A-Wastin' - April 2, 2004

Energy touches all our lives in the simplest of ways. When you turn on the lights in the evening, start up your computer, or drive your car down the street, you use an energy source. Although it may sound obvious, energy powers our economy. The supply and the price of energy can effect everything, from the price of goods and services to jobs created by employers. For every business and every industry, energy effects the cost of production, and those costs ripple outward to affect employers, workers and consumers.

That is why we must continue to work to guarantee stable, reliable sources of energy in the United States. It is an issue of national security, it is critical to the health of our economy, and I believe it can be done in a way that meets our energy needs, while fostering responsible stewardship of the environment.

Environment

“I believe it is possible to strike a balance between conservation and the development of our natural resources.”

briefings and reports:

Western Agenda

Climate Change

editorials:

Whiskey and Water in the American West -01/13/06

Loving Our Lands -09/15/05

Sharing the Great Outdoors -08/18/05

Preaching Breaching -08/11/2005

Smokey Says "Only you can prevent forest fires." -07/09/04

There is no doubt that some natural areas have qualities that should be preserved for future generations. However, I think it is possible -- and necessary -- to strike a balance between conservation and the development of our natural resources. Future generations will also need jobs, and our resource policies must allow for responsible development to support the industries that make up Idaho's economic base, ensure their international competitiveness, and serve our national defense and energy policies. To achieve this goal, we must look at the science and we must talk to the people who work and enjoy the public lands and resources every day. Working together, we can find reasonable solutions that balance the need for natural resources and environmental protection.

Forest Health

“We have the tools for making our forests healthy - if we are allowed to use them.”

briefings and reports:

Western Agenda

editorials:

Healthy Forests, Healthy Kids -03/03/05

Smokey Says "Only you can prevent forest fires." -07/09/04

Our forests are in poor shape generally, and failure to treat dead and dying trees now exponentially increases the risk of catastrophic wildfire and significantly slows the regeneration process in the future. Although some people have argued that salvaging dead and dying timber from burned areas is harmful to the environment, I believe that if it's done properly, salvage logging provides numerous benefits, including the restoration of watersheds, and the prevention of the spread of insect infestations and disease. Sick forests can be made healthy through good management and selective harvesting. Accordingly, I support forest health legislation that uses sound science and common sense to strike a balance between a call for action and maintaining the public's right to comment and challenge proposed actions in this area.

Forests in Crisis Documentary, RealMedia 27:28

Health Care

“Accessible, affordable care is critical not only to the health of individual Idahoans but to the economic vitality of our communities.”

editorials:

On Pins and Needles Over Shots -10/21/04

Join me at the Boise Health Conference -02/06/04

We must ensure access to adequate, affordable health care in order to protect both the lives of Idahoans and the quality of life that attracts economic development to Idaho. That means a public-private mix in the delivery of health care services that addresses the special challenges of our many rural and frontier communities, as well as urban areas. I am enthusiastic about the promise of technology in achieving that goal and have worked to encourage the development of high-tech health care applications. I have also looked for practical solutions to the problems being faced by our health care providers in Idaho, including those resulting from flawed federal policies of the past. For instance, I have introduced legislation to ensure that Medicare reimburses Idaho providers equitably; to provide support for the construction or repair of rural hospitals, nursing homes, community health centers, and rural health clinics; and to improve the recruitment and training of health care professionals in rural States.

It is unacceptable for people to be denied access to high quality health care simply because of where they live, and I will continue to work for funding and policies that help support adequate, affordable care for all Idahoans.

Medicare Reform

“Our seniors depend on this program - we must pass comprehensive and responsible Medicare reform.”

editorials:

Money on the Table -11/17/05

The Time is Now -02/03/05

"New and Improved" Medicare Celebrates 39 Years -07/30/04

Join me at the Boise Health Conference -02/06/04

The Medicare program is of vital importance to our nation's seniors and has been providing them dependable, affordable and high quality health care for over thirty-five years. Despite this, I think we would all agree that the system has not kept pace with modern medicine or the quality of coverage available to those covered by private insurance. The practice of medicine has changed dramatically since the inception of the Medicare program. The many new technologies and drugs that are available to our seniors today weren't even an option thirty years ago. Because of this, there are many key challenges we face in order to modernize the program and keep it solvent at the same time. Our nation's most vulnerable people depend on this program, and comprehensive reforms must be implemented.

Second Amendment Rights

“I support the Second Amendment to the Constitution that protects the firearm rights of law-abiding citizens.”

editorials:

A Hunting Heritage -10/14/05

Protecting the Second Amendment -07/29/05

"When Guns are Outlawed..." -02/17/05

Let Sleeping Laws Die -09/10/04

For Responsibility, Law, and the Second Amendment -02/27/04

My views on gun control grew out of a deep personal conviction that one of the strongest safeguards of our republic is the Constitution's protection of the right to keep and bear arms. The Framers of the Constitution did not restrict Congress' power for convenience. It was, and still remains, a matter of rights that are basic to the preservation of our republic.

Gun control is based on the premise that guns increase crime, and therefore guns should be controlled. Yet that premise ignores the fact that millions of guns are and have been owned in America that have never been involved in any crime. Ironically, evidence from areas where guns are banned or strictly regulated indicates that generally only criminals have them. If we really want to fight crime, we need to focus on the criminals rather than their tools. That will do more to curb firearm violence than gun control ever could.

Social Security

“Federal policies should help to open up new opportunities for seniors, not force them into unnecessary or premature dependence.”

editorials:

Money on the Table -11/17/05

The Time is Now -02/03/05

I believe that Congress has a moral obligation to make sure those who have paid into the Social Security system will receive their benefits. Current beneficiaries and those about to retire will receive their promised benefits. In the short term, we must work for budget surpluses that will protect the Social Security trust funds for future use for Social Security benefits. In the long term, the best way to protect retirement security for today's younger workers will be to treat Social Security more like a genuine pension system and less like a tax-and-spend social insurance program. This will mean giving individuals more control over handling of their own Social Security accounts and some degree of ownership over their own accounts, with a safety net securely in place to protect workers, retirees, and their families.

Tax Reform

“The burden of taxes on Americans and their families must be lifted.”

editorials:

The Tax on Death -09/01/05

A Billion Here, a Billion There -06/02/05

Many of the financial troubles experienced by families today are caused by over-taxation and a tax code so huge and complicated that not even Internal Revenue Service employees always understand it. Our current tax system has become an instrument for social engineering, through loopholes, preferences, and the redistribution of income, rather than a system to raise revenue to fund the necessary functions of the federal government. Even after passage of the bipartisan Tax Relief Act of 2001, this remains the most heavily taxed generation in American history. The typical family pays more in taxes than it pays for food, clothing, and housing combined.

The simplest and most effective way to reinvest in and strengthen families is by allowing them to keep more of their own hard-earned money. I have supported pro-jobs, pro-growth tax relief proposals -- such as the flat tax -- which would help relieve the burden of taxation on Americans and their families. Americans want a fair, simple tax code with real rate reductions, and I have worked for these goals since coming to Congress.