Risch discusses COVID-19, election, legislative priorities, protests for racial equality

SANDPOINT — At a meeting with the Bonner County Daily Bee on Thursday, Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, discussed COVID-19, the upcoming election and his legislative priorities.

In much of Idaho, including Bonner and surrounding counties, COVID-19 cases have continued to rise in the past few weeks. The only solution he sees, Risch said, is creating a vaccine.

“I'm convinced that the only way we're going to get out of this is to have a vaccine that's available,” he said. “That's the bad news. I guess the good news is there's five companies that are working on it here in the US, all five of them are in final stages.”

Risch said that although the vaccinations have become politicized by President Donald Trump’s discussion of it, it is not a political issue.

“[The president and the FDA] can stop these companies from putting it out,” he said. “But they can't force these companies to put it out.”

Risch compared the current COVID-19 pandemic to polio, which he lived through as a child.

“It cycled every year, went away in the wintertime. But it's started back in the spring into the summer, it would close down the public pools and everything else,” he said. “We don't wear masks or anything like that. But people would self-isolate because of it … this vaccine was developed it, we all stood in line, we all got a shot. And that was the end of the problem.”

Risch also responded to criticisms made by his opponent, Democrat and former state House representative Paulette Jordan.

Jordan has continually criticized Risch for being “out of touch” with normal Idahoans, citing his years spent in Washington D.C. (Risch has responded to this saying he spends almost every weekend at home in Idaho) and his status as a multi-millionaire and one of the richest senators in D.C.

“When she says I'm out of touch, I think Idahoans would have figured that out a long time ago and thrown me out,” he said.

He added that he grew up poor, and has worked from a young age.

“I was born poor. I grew up poor. I know what that means,” he said. “What I want for America is I want every kid born in this country to have the exact same opportunity that I had.”

Jordan has also criticized Risch for not working more across the aisle. However, Risch, who has been outspoken on his conservative views, said bipartisan work is not a problem for him.

Two of the major bills he is working on, Risch countered, are bipartisan bills. One is a bill to strengthen trade to help the U.S. compete with China, and the other is a COVID-19 business relief bill.

“If you're going to get something across the finish line, you've got a deal across the aisle,” he said. “So I've really never had any problem with that.”

If re-elected, Risch said foreign relations are a major priority for several reasons. One is that in Idaho, industries like farming are heavily affected by trade, he said.

Risch has been involved in negotiations for the Columbia River treaty, he said.

“It expires here in another year or so. And that's a huge deal for Idaho when it comes to Columbia River water,” he said.

Risch, who is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also noted China as a top priority, and legislation he introduced to compete with China.

He pointed specifically to concerns over China stealing the intellectual property of technology companies in the U.S.

“China's got to do things differently than they're doing them,” he said. “This bill is designed to try to get them there.”

When asked about the ongoing housing crisis citizens are facing, particularly in Bonner County, he said the local planning and zoning commissions are the best groups to make these decisions, but one thing is inevitable — the growth is going to continue.

“They need to have a vision for what they want the area to look like in the future with the idea that you're not going to keep people out of here,” he said. “You can't stop it. But you can plan for it.”

Risch was also asked about his views on Black Lives Matter and racial inequality. Idaho has a history of harboring racist groups such as the Aryan Nation, and recent history of Neo-Nazi marches in Coeur d’Alene — a reputation the city has worked to try and shed — as late as 2004.

More recent nationwide protests over Black Lives Matter, the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others have sparked renewed discussion locally and in D.C. the past several months.

The senator said he supports the right to protest, but does not tolerate “looting and rioting.”

He said that while racist individuals should be “shunned,” he does not believe the country is racist.

“I think it's a very, very small minority,” he said. “And I think that the rest of us really have got to show the tolerance that we have.”

He further pointed to his family as an example, noting that he has grandchildren who are people of color.

“I guess I have difficulty with the racism issue because it makes no difference to me,” he said. “I've got a bunch of grandkids and some are of color and some aren’t. They're all the same to me.”

Risch also said he supports the police, and lauded law enforcement for doing their jobs despite the risks.

“You can't take something that one person did, or a handful of people did, and paint the 800,000 as wrong,” he said. “They need to root out people that shouldn't be doing that job that are racist that have no business in there. I support that. 100%. But this defunding the police is absolute nonsense.”