(Idaho State) The following statement was issued this afternoon by Idaho Senator Jim Risch regarding the freedom of Idahoans:
The will of the people is clear: we want more freedom, not less. The federal government ought to keep up.
Idahoans, not the federal government, are best suited to direct the needs of our state, and, more importantly, determine the course of our lives.
For far too long, liberal activists and D.C. bureaucrats have attempted to impose one-size-fits-all-mandates that are completely out of touch with Idaho. The last four years of Democrat leadership have been defined by heavy-handed federal actions and a Green New Deal that prioritized radical ideology over the voices of Idahoans. Thankfully, our nation is correcting its course, starting with terminating Lava Ridge.
One would be hard-pressed to find someone in Idaho who is unfamiliar with the disastrous Lava Ridge wind project pushed by Biden’s Department of Interior. Idahoans took every possible action to demonstrate how universally opposed this project was in our state. Despite legislation, letters, meetings, protests, Congressional hearings and more, President Biden and his band of bureaucrats refused to listen. Ignoring the will of the American people was an inexcusable hallmark of the Biden administration. It won’t be under President Trump.
Before he even took the oath of office, President Trump and I were in lockstep.
I met with President Trump in early January and explained the Biden administration’s blatant disregard for local input and opinion. We discussed how Lava Ridge would destroy public lands, defile the Minidoka National Historic Site, and provide no benefit to Idahoans. He agreed to work with me to draft an executive order to stop Lava Ridge, and the President signed it on day one.
I thank the members of Idaho’s Congressional Delegation, Idaho Constitutional Officers, the Idaho Legislature, and every Idahoan who fought to make this victory a reality.
The first two weeks of President Trump’s second term have shown us that we are entering a new era. The revolution of commonsense has begun.
However, the battle to undo the unprecedented intervention in our lives is not over.
Overreaching federal regulations have held our nation back. After years of unelected bureaucrats trying to strangle our freedoms, we must be vigilant in unwinding the red tape tying up everything from the cars we buy to how we run our businesses. We must get the federal government out of the way and restore the freedoms guaranteed to Americans by the Constitution.
I am already working with President Trump to restore a government that works for the people. As a member of the Senate Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus, our goal is to cut unconstitutional federal rules and make sure any that remain are more efficient, transparent, and responsive to Americans’ needs. We need to restore accountability and trust to leave a better nation for our children and grandchildren.
With President Trump working alongside a Republican control of the Senate and House of Representatives, there is more opportunity than ever to get it done. As your Senator, I will continue fighting for the rights of Idahoans to keep the federal government out of our lives.
The great American comeback is here.
