Jim Risch, for one, is glad the government shutdown that lasted a record 43 days, Oct. 1 to Nov. 12, is over.

The Idaho Republican congressman voted 16 times to reopen the government before the stalemate ended when enough Democrats crossed over. 

“Every time we were outvoted,” he said. “Finally, they just couldn’t take the heat anymore.” 

“I’m just glad it happened,” Risch said of the reopening of the government, during a recent interview with The Press on a visit to Coeur d’Alene. “We’ll get through this. We always do.” 

There have been five government shutdowns since 2013, and 17 before then. Most were just a few days. Risch said the concern is they are getting longer. The one from 2018 to 2019 went 34 days. 

He said it’s not a great working environment for legislators in Washington, D.C. 

“There is a lot of animosity back there on the other side,” Risch said. 

Asked if he thought the parties could work better together moving forward, Risch said, “not really. 

“This has probably opened up some wounds that weren’t there before,” he said. 

Risch commented on a number of things during a 25-minute interview: 

President Trump 

Risch said he has known every president since Ronald Reagan and has gotten to know Donald Trump well. He believes if his critics had a chance to sit down with Trump over dinner, they would come away with a new perspective.

While other presidents tend to be guarded, Trump speaks his mind, meets with the media frequently and welcomes argument and debate. He is warm and engaging, Risch said. 

“He’s entirely different than what you see in public,” Risch said. 

Immigration 

The 82-year-old said Homeland Security has its hands full. Many have continued fighting deportations of illegal immigrants and the anger remains as it goes on.

But to let millions into the U.S. during the Biden Administration, not knowing who they were, not knowing if they could take care of themselves, what they planned to do, was wrong. 

“Nobody wanted the backdoor open as it was,” Risch said.  

He said people are welcome to enter America through the legal process. 

Rising cost of health insurance 

He said the root of today’s health-care costs problem can be traced to the presidency of Barack Obama and the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. 

It was clear then to Republicans it was not affordable and required substantial government subsidies that were not sustainable. Now, Republicans are trying to do something to control costs.

“We did not make this mess,” Risch said. 

He said as the Republicans have majority in both the House and Senate, it needs to be addressed.

As part of ending the shutdown, Republicans agreed to vote in December on a legislative package regarding the Affordable Care Act tax credits set to expire at year’s end.

Risch said he would like to get a bipartisan committee together to lead the way. 

“How can we take the sting out of this?” he said. “It is a bad sting. There's is no question about it.” 

National security concern 

“The biggest national security I see is the money we’re spending,” he said. “We're going into debt now, about $1 trillion every 165 days. This can’t go on."

Risch said when he came into office, the country was $10 trillion in debt. Today, it's more than $31 trillion.

Risch said the government is taking in $5 trillion a year and spending $7 trillion.

“This just can’t go on," he said.

On reelection 

Risch was elected to the Senate in 2008. He previously served as Idaho state senator, lieutenant governor and governor. He is a senior-ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is co-chair of the Senate Semiconductor Caucus and the National Labs Caucus, and the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.   

He was reelected to a six-year term in 2020 and plans to run again in 2026. 

When people tell him he’s been in office a long time and should do something else, his response is simple: 

“This is not my fault. I told people what I would do, then I went in and did what I said I was going to do. And they vote for me again," he said.

Risch, a conservative, said Idaho is not getting more liberal. 

“Indeed, it’s just the opposite,” Risch said. 

He said if people want change, they can vote him out. 

"I’m going to continue delivering that conservative vote for people," Risch said. "And I hope they appreciate it."