A Day In The Life

An average day for a U.S. Senator can start early and go very late, and it can be filled with anything. Under the Constitution, U.S. Senators are required to vote on matters before the U.S. Senate, but over the years, the responsibilities and opportunities have expanded greatly. On any day, I may have responsibilities to speak on the Senate floor, meet with Idahoans and others who have made appointments, attend committee hearings and briefings. My staff followed me around on a Tuesday and took a few photos to give you an idea of what goes on. To view the photos, please click here.

8:23 a.m. The day began with a couple of phone calls to local Idaho radio stations, one in Blackfoot and the other in Boise.  I do about a dozen one-on-one radio calls each week, speaking directly to the news anchors or morning hosts of radio stations in Idaho.  Some of the programs take listener calls, and it's always great to talk with Idahoans who are concerned about what is going on in Congress.  On this day, we talked about about the President’s Fiscal Year 2008 Budget, which had been delivered to Congress just a few weeks before.

8:30 a.m. Following the first call to the Blackfoot station, I headed off to a morning speaking engagement with the National Association of Mortgage Brokers.  I made the second call to the Boise station on the way to the speech.  Several folks from Idaho attended, and I enjoyed speaking to speak to NAMB's annual Legislative and Regulatory Conference.  I spoke for about 15 minutes, and then took questions from the audience for another 15-20 minutes.  With my assignments on the Senate Finance and Senate Banking Committees, consumer finance and housing issues are important.

9:00 a.m. Because of the speaking engagement, I missed attending the weekly Idaho Constituent Coffee, which is hosted each Tuesday by Senator Larry Craig. Whenever possible, I enjoy attending this weekly event because it gives me an opportunity to visit with Idahoans who are in Washington, DC, who may not be planning on coming into my office. I also had to miss one of my regularly-scheduled radio calls to a station in Coeur d'Alene.  Hopefully, we will be able to work out another time during the week for me to call KVNI's morning show.

10:00 a.m. Following the speaking event, I was on my way back up to Capitol Hill to attend a Finance Committee hearing.  This one was on competitive education issues--how we can identify our country's needs, and what partnerships and resources are available to assist. One of my staff members was already at the hearing when I arrived, and quickly brought me up to speed on what was going on.  It would be impossible for me to accomplish everything that comes before me without the assistance of talented and experienced staff who know Idaho and its needs.  I can always count on them providing me with excellent information.

10:00 a.m. During the hearing, I took a quick minute to meet briefly with Mark Hofflund, the Executive Director of the Idaho Shakespeare Festival.  Mark has been in my office several times before.  He invited me to attend a performance in Boise this summer; I hope that we can work that out with my schedule. We also took a photo at our meeting.  A number of Idahoans often ask to take a quick photo with me, and I am happy to oblige.

11:00 a.m. Each Tuesday that the Senate is in session, I hold a teleconference with several Idaho reporters.  I usually try to do this in a studio so that the audio quality is good for the radio reporters to use, but sometimes I end up having to do it from a room off the Senate floor because of debate and Senate business going on at the same time.  This week I was able to make it to the studio.  The questions always cover a wide range of subjects:  this week we covered the Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Resolution and the Bonneville Power Administration's consumer rates.  To listen to the most recent teleconference, please visit the Multimedia Page on this website.

11:45 a.m. After a couple more radio interviews (with Idaho Falls and Twin Falls radio stations), I had a meeting with the Idaho mortgage banker representatives and then was off to the weekly Republican Policy Committee Luncheon. 

12:30 p.m.These luncheons provide a good opportunity for me to visit with fellow Senators and learn more about various issues.  Frequently we have invited guests to give us additional briefings on some subjects.  Occasionally Vice President Cheney or other Administration officials will join us.

2:15 p.m. Following the luncheon, it was back to my office in the Dirksen Senate Office Building.  The afternoon is filled with meetings with Idahoans who are in the nation's capital.  Because of the large volume of requests, most meetings are only 15 minutes long.  I am always impressed at how quickly Idahoans get to the heart of their concerns during these meetings.  I frequently wish that I had more time to spend with them, discussing their concerns.  Again, it is important to me that my staff has a little more time to be able to do that. We have also been working on other ways to increase the amount of time that I can spend in such meetings, adding videoconference technologies and other technological opportunities that enhance the ability to talk with Idahoans. On this day, I met with representatives from the Idaho WineGrape Growers and Wine Producers, Ada County Housing Authority, Idaho Primary Care, Idaho Society of Radiologic Technologies, National Association of Postmasters (Idaho members), as well as some local Idaho businessmen and women.

Throughout the day, I can expect that at any time a meeting or hearing will be interrupted by a call to vote in the Senate.  Debate and discussion are ongoing, and votes are held open for about 15 minutes.  Since it takes about 7 minutes to walk from my office to the Senate chambers, I sometimes take my meeting along with me as I head over to the U.S. Capitol.  I appreciate the flexibility of Idahoans who end up trekking through the Senate buildings when a vote call comes for me.

5:30 p.m. While we are now at the end of the usual business day, I still had a special reception to attend this evening--the National Hispanic Leadership Summit where several Idahoans were expecting me.  It was fun to meet with them and visit about the issues that they have focused on.  Although at this reception, like many others, finger food is served, I rarely have time to eat very much.  That will have to wait until I head back to my small apartment after the reception.

The day usually ends about 7 p.m., but sometimes the Senate still have debate and vote going on.  If that is the case, I will go back to my office to work on paperwork and review materials for upcoming hearings and meetings.  If there are no more votes, I still gather up those materials for review when I get to my apartment. 

I hope this gives you more insight into what happens on an "average" day in the life of a U.S. Senator.  It is an honor to represent Idahoans each day, and I strive to maintain an open-door policy, to meet with as many people as I can and to do my best to live up to the responsibilities that have been given to me by the people of my home state.