Opportunities to transform land use policies to benefit Idaho farmers and ranchers are not just on the horizon—they are within reach. With Republican control of both chambers of Congress and President Trump back in the White House, we are well-positioned to reverse overreaching policies that have held back American ranchers from doing what we do best—feeding America and the world.
Work to reverse restrictive federal land use policies to benefit Idaho farmers and ranchers.
Occurrences
Risch emphasized the need to roll back federal land restrictions that impact Idaho’s farmers and ranchers and promised continued efforts to change these policies.
Evidence
U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) introduced the Resiliency for Ranching and Natural Conservation Health (RANCH) Act. This legislation promotes resilient and healthy rangelands and effective grazing management across the West.
U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) introduced legislation to make it easier for ranchers to make range improvements on federal land. The Ranching Without Red Tape Act streamlines the permitting process and ensures a timelier response from federal agencies for America’s ranchers.
U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo (both R-Idaho) joined Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) in reintroducing the Water Rights Protection Act, legislation to protect privately owned waters from being seized by the federal government.
Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) introduced the Supporting Farm Operations Act of 2024, which would revert the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) to the December 2023 rate through the end of the 2025 growing season.
Senator Risch authored an editorial emphasizing his commitment to reducing federal regulations that burden Idaho's farmers and ranchers, highlighting the introduction of the RANCH Act as a step towards this goal.
U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo celebrated the Senate's unanimous passage of their legislation to reauthorize the U.S. Forest Service's Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Program (SRS) through Fiscal Year 2026. Risch stated, 'Idaho counties rely on SRS funding for schools, road maintenance, and other essential services. Until we can bring historic timber revenue back to these areas, this program must be reauthorized.'
Senator Risch introduced the Northwest Energy Security Act to protect the four lower Snake River dams, emphasizing their importance for reliable, clean hydropower and supporting critical transportation, agriculture, and irrigation in the region.
Senator Risch introduced the Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act of 2025 to ensure timely access to fire retardant and protect Idaho's communities, forests, and way of life from wildfires.
Senator Risch supported the passage of a budget reconciliation bill that included provisions to protect Idaho's public lands from being sold to the highest bidder and to modernize and extend Farm Bill safety net programs to support Idaho farmers and ranchers.
Assessments
Risch made repeated same-term federal legislative efforts aimed at easing or reversing federal land-use and related regulatory burdens on Idaho farmers and ranchers, including introducing or supporting the RANCH Act, Ranching Without Red Tape Act, Water Rights Protection Act, Snake River dam protection legislation, wildfire/forest measures, and farm-operation relief. However, the evidence mostly shows introductions, sponsorships, Senate passage, statements, or broader budget support rather than a clearly enacted reversal of restrictive federal land-use policy delivering the full promised outcome. Because he materially worked toward the promise but the record does not establish full delivery, partial credit is appropriate.
Senator Risch took significant legislative actions aimed at reversing restrictive federal land use policies to benefit Idaho farmers and ranchers. He introduced or supported several pieces of relevant legislation (e.g., the RANCH Act, Ranching Without Red Tape Act, Water Rights Protection Act) and supported policies to assist farmers and protect public lands. However, evidence provided shows only partial delivery: while substantial legislative attempts were made, there is no conclusive information that these efforts achieved a full reversal of restrictive policies at the federal level. Many bills were introduced or supported but may not have passed or resulted in complete policy change.
Senator Risch has made several legislative attempts to reverse restrictive federal land use policies, as evidenced by his sponsorship and introduction of multiple bills (e.g., RANCH Act, Ranching Without Red Tape Act, Water Rights Protection Act). These legislative efforts were aimed at benefiting Idaho farmers and ranchers, but there is no evidence provided that these bills were enacted into law or that federal land use policies were successfully reversed. This demonstrates significant effort but only partial delivery on the campaign promise.