Ever Onward Podcast

Idaho’s Voice in Washington - Rep. Russ Fulcher | Ever Onward - Ep. 67

• Ahlquist. • Season 1 • Episode 67

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Congressman Russ Fulcher takes us on a remarkable journey from the dairy farms of Meridian to the power corridors of Washington DC, revealing the authentic spirit that has guided his path through business, personal trials, and political leadership.

Growing up just two miles south of where we recorded this conversation, Russ shares how farm life shaped his work ethic and values. "I didn't appreciate it then," he reflects, "I wish I would have known just how much value there was in growing up on a dairy farm." This foundation would serve him well as he joined Micron Technology during its startup days, working nights to fund his education while witnessing the growth of what would become one of Idaho's most significant business success stories.

The conversation takes a powerful turn as Russ opens up about his battle with late-stage renal cancer—a challenge that gave him unexpected insights into healthcare systems while deepening his faith perspective. "If you're breathing, God's not done with you," he shares, explaining how this trial transformed his outlook on life and service. His vulnerability in discussing this journey offers listeners a glimpse into the person behind the political title.

Now in his fourth congressional term, Fulcher provides an insider's view of Idaho's remarkably influential delegation. Despite being a relatively small state, Idaho's representatives hold strategic committee assignments that would be "the envy of the nation." This positioning allows them to effectively advocate for state interests while addressing what Fulcher describes as a fundamental conflict between free-market solutions and government control.

Perhaps most compelling is Fulcher's balanced perspective on government reform. While passionate about exposing waste and inefficiency, he emphasizes that there remains an important role for effective government services. "We have everything we need to cover critical services and provide an environment for people to prosper—we're just not using it well," he explains, offering hope that necessary reforms can be achieved without abandoning those truly in need.

Ready for an authentic conversation that transcends political talking points? Join us for this revealing discussion with a leader who understands both the heartland of America and the complex machinery of Washington. Subscribe now to hear more conversations with those making a difference in our communities and beyond.

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Speaker 1:

Today on the Ever Onward podcast. I'm very happy and pleased We'll have Congressman Russ Fulcher. He is a longtime friend, great Idahoan businessman, politician, leader. We get into a lot of real detailed things about him and his life here and his contributions he's made to the state and now what he's doing in Washington DC. A lot of changes there. Russ is in his fourth term as our congressman and has done an amazing job. I'm very thankful he came on to spend some time with us today, congressman Russ Fulcher. Congressman, just great to see you, man, it's great to see you. It is really great to see you, man, it's great to see you. It is really great to see you.

Speaker 2:

Well, I was trying to think of the last time that we connected, and every time we do, I learn something, and so I'm looking forward to having a good conversation.

Speaker 1:

Well, I want to start with a lot of these things. We just get rolling on. But when you came in you're like hey, I used to farm this land where the building is.

Speaker 2:

Right here where the building is. As a kid I was a farm kid right, and so you always have work, at least in those days when you were a farm kid, because you could run tractors, you could run combines.

Speaker 1:

So for everyone that's listening because I do you are a good friend and I'm going to get into it. I respect the heck out of you for a lot of reasons, but you grew up right here in Meridian on a dairy farm, so you're truly a farm kid, Two miles to the south of where we're sitting right now doing this recording.

Speaker 2:

My mother's still out there. She's 95 on the original family place South Eagle Road in Amity.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and dairy farm worked your tail off. What a great way to grow up.

Speaker 2:

We used to. I took it for granted. I really did, I took it for granted. We used to have dairy farms right here locally in Meridian. It was just a different environment 10,000 people when I was born Now we're about 150, I think and just a different lifestyle and I didn't appreciate it. I wish I would have known just how much value there was in growing up on a dairy farm and just the work ethic and lives about life. You know life and death and animals and all that stuff.

Speaker 1:

But at the end of the day, it was a great way to grow up. We're pretty lucky. Like, heritage is a big word For whatever reason. It comes up a lot with the people I talk out on this podcast. But what does Idaho heritage mean to a guy like you? You get to go back and represent us, by the way, thank you, thank you. It's just an honor having you there representing us, knowing a guy that's back there fighting for us. But what does Idaho heritage mean for you in your fight and your soul?

Speaker 2:

Well, first of all, we are the envy of many states. Yeah, and I get that firsthand all the time. I mean, I work with members of Congress, house and Senate from all over the country and it is frequently a point of conversation where they are approaching me man, I wish that we had the environment that you did, and the reason that you're experiencing growth is, and how you handle certain things from your tax policy, from your education system. So I get these comments all the time from other members of Congress across the country because we've got our problems here. We all know that. But, comparatively speaking, this is a good place to be and, as a function of that, we're growing like crazy. I don't know if you knew this, but I've actually got the largest congressional district in the nation by population. Right now, we're over a million people in my congressional district. We narrowly missed another member in 2020. With the census and with the growth since then, it's just gotten bigger.

Speaker 2:

But back on the heritage thing. Family's been here since well, my mom's side since 1889 and my dad's side since 1915. I grew up in this wonderful place called Idaho, where you learn a value system that is, I believe, consistent with the heritage of our nation Divinely inspired foundational Christian values, and those are the things that people want. You know, we've got neighboring states that have so many conflicts, and so what do they do? A lot of the good people they move to Idaho to, whether they realize it firsthand or not. They're coming here for because of our heritage. They're coming here because of our value system. They're coming here because they like families and they like a safe place where you can go out in the evening pretty much anywhere and not have to worry about being accosted. So it means it's a lot of different factors, but the bottom line is I am blessed to be from Idaho and I'm also blessed to represent the people of this great state.

Speaker 1:

I love it For those who who I mean, I know because I was able to spend a lot of time with you. But you also have a tremendous background that allowed you to have a perspective of Idaho from multiple views. Business, I mean, I don't think people so grow up a farm kid, work your tail off, plow ground right here where we're sitting today and where our building is. You have that then. Then you then you work at micron international business, at one of one of idaho's great companies and one of america's great companies, and and then you spend time in the state legislature. You understand how government works. Um, tremendous experience that allows you to go represent us.

Speaker 2:

A lot of that being at the right place, right time. You know, I'd like to say it's because I was an all-star. The bottom line is I wasn't. I don't feel that way, but when I was just going into college, micron was a startup, yeah, and I needed a place where I could work at night and fund my college education, go to school during the day, and that's what I did. And this little startup never heard of Micron, didn't know what a semiconductor was.

Speaker 2:

To save my soul, they gave me a great start, basically the first 15 years of their of time. I was there about zero in sales to. We got into billions by the 15 years and they gave me an education that you can't get anywhere else, tommy, and it was a young kid. We were learning as we went and struggling, unlike today, struggling to keep the doors open. This was a different environment. The Parkinson's were there Randall Chance, juan Benitez, those original guys, doug Pittman and we were just trying to figure it out as we go. Right, as you know, it's one thing to start a business, it's another thing to mature a business, and so I remember my first experience there business and so, uh, I remember my first experience there. Um, we. We had problems with Japanese predatory pricing for semiconductors in the U? S couldn't get any business here. Uh, ward Parkinson gave me a one way ticket to Europe and, uh, since, come back with business and um and never been. Never been out of the state, much less out of the country. Right, but that's how we did things. We just did it. And you know, I went there, started going to trade shows, making contacts and making networks. Next thing, you know, we land a few customers and Apple.

Speaker 2:

I got to tell you an Apple story really quick. I got to tell you an Apple story really quick. Apple was viewed in the industry as this crazy company out of the Bay Area that nobody would want to do business with because they were crazy. They had this guy named Jobs and he was going to put computers in every house in America. Right, well, he was nuts. And then you had this company in Boise, idaho, in the desert. They were manufacturing one of the most complex devices on the planet. They were nuts. Right, it was a perfect fit.

Speaker 2:

For that window of time, the only place that Apple could really get computer components or semiconductors was Micron, because nobody else would do business with them. On that front, and just to the reverse, the only people we could sell to was Apple, because nobody else would buy from us and we were both so poor, there was just no resources. We did a deal where we because we didn't have any money, but they needed parts and they didn't have any money. So we traded stuff. We traded remember the lisa computer I think was the name, it was a precursor to the mac, yeah and uh. So we took lisa computers in payment and we were using those for um, our test equipment and whatnot. And it grew into a big problem later on because there were tax issues, right, because there was a transaction, but it wasn't like a billable amount. Anyway, but it was a few people can remember when Apple didn't have any money or Micron didn't have any money. And so I look back on those years and I go, oh, my goodness, what a history.

Speaker 1:

I think didn't you tell me one time you had an actual negotiation story that I think you used to tell? That's unbelievable.

Speaker 2:

Well, there was a number of them, but part of that issue was, you may recall, the Japanese suppliers were predatory pricing and they had taken out pretty much all of the memory makers in the US Fairchild National Semiconductor, intel, which used to make DRAM, but they don't anymore, moss Tech these are names you may or may not have heard of, but they were big at one time and everybody was thinking that the Japanese suppliers were better, were cheaper and they were definitely cheaper. But we figured out that wait a minute, you tear those things apart and you can tell basically what their costs were by the size of the dye and the layers, and so we were looking at that compared to ours. There's no way they can make these for less than we can. So I'll just fast forward that story.

Speaker 2:

But the Parkinson's basically got assistance through Senator McClure's office in Washington DC to have the Department of Commerce go after the Japanese suppliers over tariffs. And in that window of time I was airdropped into Senator McClure's office as an intern and that's kind of what over time led to the interest that turned out where I am right now. But it was during that window of time and I got a lot of education over that time because when finally the US Department of Commerce recognized they saw all the data, they said, okay, these suppliers are being subsidized by their own government, and they were. They levied a tariff and that changed the electronic landscape and back then in the 80s, anything you bought electronic was basically coming out of Japan. But if you look at it now they're really not, because that has shifted away, because once those subsidies didn't work anymore, it was a house of cards, and so that changed the whole economic landscape.

Speaker 2:

Had no idea at the time because we were just fighting for survival. But that was a different era. And I look back at the leadership of the company at the point and and uh, we are truly, truly blessed to have them in our, in our economic space in idaho. But if it weren't for the initiative and it was the parkinson twins, it was juan venidas, it was randall chan those guys, uh, would not give up. And uh, and that persistence paid off warren's still around doing great stuff.

Speaker 1:

He's on the uh cI board to raise some money to help out with their growth. What a great guy.

Speaker 2:

Legendary. He's a genius in his own field. Just one of those gifts that Idaho historically had. That uh left a mark that very few people will ever leave. That's awesome.

Speaker 1:

I want to. I want to. I think the first time I'm so you were with, so, after you were with bottles for a bit as a as a broker doing real estate, yeah, and I think it's the first few times I met you. Yeah, Mark's, Mark's an incredible guy too.

Speaker 2:

Yes, here's another one of these guys. He just knows what he's doing.

Speaker 1:

And one of just the best humans on the planet. He just is. But so I'd met you before, but then, when I got into politics, for my short toe, dip and out and never to go back, by the way, russ Well if you ever want to.

Speaker 2:

I know of a congressional seat that you might be interested in.

Speaker 1:

No, not going to happen again. But I want to tell this story because it means a lot to me. It's a different world, it's just different and I had no experience and really wasn't that good at it. But when I met you, when you, you had run against um Butch 2014. And when you ran against Butch, those results were, I mean, you was really close race Um and then, um you, you threw your hat in again and when I got in the race, um you, we. I remember meeting with you and every single meeting we had it felt like a friendship, it felt like a fellow Idahoan. I mean, I know this sounds corny, but in politics it's not, because that doesn't exist, but I always just felt you were who you were. You were this Idaho guy, business guy that loved the state, that was in this for the right reason, and I always I don't know, trust is a big word, but it just like I, just you were, I just liked you a lot.

Speaker 2:

And I'll tell you what that's a two way street Cause.

Speaker 2:

Uh, if God gave me a gift and I'm not saying he did, but if God gave me a gift, it's I believe I've got the ability to read people and that served me well in business, it served me well in politics, and you're the real deal.

Speaker 2:

And I could tell when we met Although we had met in passing until we had some of those discussions, really I didn't get to know you, but you were going to be successful, no matter what you did, and whether it was in the political realm or the business realm or in the medical field, and of course, that's exactly what it turned out. Right, it's exactly who you are, but I could see that is, and so I even knew that, even for a very brief time, we were, I guess, technically competitors in that field. Look, when you find somebody that's going to be successful, they're going to have a, they're going to have an imprint on on the economy, on the state, on the leadership, then you, you want to encourage that person, you want to to you. You, you want to leverage them to the extent you can to be successful. And that's how I felt. And so, even though we were, in that, technically opposing each other for a short period of time. I was trying to be mindful.

Speaker 1:

It always felt and I grew really close to you then because we were on the campaign trail for a while. I don't know if you remember this, but then you had your thing with your eye.

Speaker 2:

I did Detached retina.

Speaker 1:

You had a detached retina.

Speaker 1:

And then I remember one exchange we had at a gas station and you probably don't even remember it, but it's just. It's a really raw experience to go through these political things and I remember seeing it at a gas station and I remember just this interaction with you and kind of giving you a bro hug and saying, hey, man, thanks for being such a good friend, and it meant the world to me. Now, ultimately, you got out when Raul got in and then you went on to be successful your fourth term now I can't even believe that in and then you went on to be successful your fourth fourth term. Now I can't even believe that fourth term in congress. Already we're getting older, but I I just wanted to. It's just an example to me how you can be, you know, in a race against each other, for a short period of time knew each other but also develop a friendship and of trust that's just lasted ever since then and I just, I just really appreciate that's certainly the case here, and, and, and I appreciate you and and and.

Speaker 2:

uh, you know things happen for a reason.

Speaker 2:

And at that window of time, I didn't, I didn't really know, um, obviously, what I do now, but I think things happen for a reason. I think that it's not an accident that we met, it's not an accident that we were in those circumstances at the same time, because it did build that rapport and I look back on it and, as you know, I do have a faith base and I think that that was part of, maybe, god's way of steering me where I'm supposed to be for now and I think I'm where I'm supposed to be for now. Yeah, right, this is not forever. I'm gonna do this forever. You know, uh, this is a crazy world, but, um, I do think that that, uh, I'm where I'm supposed to be for now. Frankly, I think you are where you are supposed to be right now.

Speaker 1:

I think things work out. I agree with that. Um, I want to. I want to shift a little bit, because I think anyone that truly knows you says the same things I just said. I think you are genuine and you are a leader and you care about this place and you've done so well for us in Idaho. You've also, I want to talk about your health struggle, if you're okay talking a little bit about that, because I ran into you in a Walmart and I knew you'd been going through it. But but you, you really went through it and I'm glad you're doing so well.

Speaker 1:

But but you, okay, talking about that and the one the experience, what you learned from it and what people might appreciate.

Speaker 2:

I started getting um, uh, fatigued late in the day and uh, and that's not me. I typically don't have any energy problems, but come four or five o'clock during the day I was physically running out of gas. And then shortly after that I started to have some urinary blockage issues, and that's a problem. And so I started getting checked out. Initially there wasn't any indication of what turned out to be, but after further exploration and some medical expertise we found I've got, I had late stage renal cancer, my renal system, and so we are very fortunate to have some really strong expertise in the medical arena, and so we immediately jumped into that with a two-stage strategy.

Speaker 2:

It's the chemotherapy, with the acronym was TIP. You may recall what that stands for. That's the, that's the chemical base for the uh, for for the chemo, but it's a very harsh, very aggressive style chemo. It's in, it's inpatient, four days at a time. I know the eyes in phosphomide, but I can't think of the other two right now, but anyway, it's. It's. You know, they put the port in your chest. It's not the through the vein and that type of thing. And uh, uh, and this was at the time where COVID was going on, right, so everything kind of hit at once. But, uh, but the, the physician, said you know what, if, if, if this goes and you take these treatments, we think we can get this solved. And that's all I needed to hear.

Speaker 2:

And so, um, I did four, uh stages of the inpatient chemo and that's four days at a time, with about 21 days in between, and, uh, without question, I mean that that's a that tests you, um, physically and mentally, but, um, I had the blessing, physically and mentally, but I had the blessing. I had a lot of blessings, but one was I could continue to do my work and, even though I disagree with it, that was the window of time where Nancy Pelosi put in place, for the very first time ever, proxy voting. So I could proxy vote, right, I did travel back and forth some, but later in the chemo stages, I just couldn't. So we went through that. The other blessing that came out of that was I got to see the medical system, something you understand very well, but I didn't, and I still don't, really, but from the inside out, right, and I and they were so good with me they, when I say they was St Luke's oncology, they kind of changed their schedule so that I could come in on Friday, go Friday, saturday, sunday, monday, be back in DC Tuesday. I mean they really did work with me. But I got to see that from the inside out I didn't know what the difference between a regular nurse and a travel nurse was and some of the coordination problems they have between facilities didn't have any understanding about that.

Speaker 2:

Got to know some of these people personally. Frankly, just, you know, when you're in those circumstances you're being monitored 24-7. You get to have personal conversations. I got some relationships out of that that will last a lifetime. Yeah, great people you know, and this is something that's way out of my wheelhouse.

Speaker 2:

But now you know right now we're dealing with okay, what do we do with Medicaid? Guess what. I've got a network I can go to people that I know and trust, build a relationship, say, okay, what will this really do? And so it's turned into a blessing and by God's grace, I had surgeries after that. Johns Hopkins did the surgeries to kind of clean up what the chemo didn't get. And for coming up on four years now I do a CT scan every six months and by God's grace, it's certainly not active and I don't recommend it for a recreational opportunity. So if whatever, if you know, for whatever it's worth, but I'll tell you what. That was another one of those things that I think is part of God's plan, and it was harsh, but in hindsight I think that was for a reason too, and I'm just blessed.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and going through a change. You can't go through that without having one a bunch of wisdom that comes from an experience like that, and two gratitude right. It changes the way you look at things and your time.

Speaker 2:

And yeah, thanks for sharing that. I got a whole new perspective. I appreciate every day. I used to complain about birthdays. I don't anymore. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Speaker 1:

Well, thanks for sharing that. I think it's good for people when we hear our leaders share and be vulnerable and talk about things they go through that are hard, and how you're able to just grind through it. I love what you said too. Once you knew the path forward, it's like okay, let's get this thing done. And what it teaches you about yourself and determination and just mentally going through it too, start yesterday.

Speaker 2:

Let's get this thing done. I got to say one other thing too, because this had a big impact on me. There was a Congressman from Minnesota Jim Hagedorn was his name going through the same thing, very similar, at the same time, and so that was a real benefit, because here was somebody else that you know, a colleague, if you will. We were going through this at the same time, but unfortunately the COVID was going on at that time and that that got him, and so he didn't make it through this, and so we were talking every day and, and here I came out, you know perfectly fine, he didn't make it. But there there's another, another message to me that came out of that, which is look, god's got a plan for you, and if you're breathing, he's not done with you.

Speaker 2:

And I'm not saying he was done with Jim. I don't know what the circumstances there were, but all I know is it could have gone either way and I was the one who was blessed, and I'm the one who's still here. I went through something I've shared on you can't.

Speaker 1:

I went through I've shared on the podcast before but I went through something very similar with my heart and the first time I thought I would be okay and then the second time I didn't. I had an open heart and then a year later had a heart attack and I had it. I had the chance to just think this is it, and I think it changed. The first time I was. I guess I was naive or optimistic enough or whatever it was. I just didn't, I didn't think I was going to lose that battle. Second time I thought I might.

Speaker 1:

Boy, it makes you look at the rest of your days and appreciate them different. It makes you look at your relationships and great gratitude. Like it. Just it sounds corny. And great gratitude. Like it, it just it sounds corny. But but these, some of these like sayings we say is is just one day, live with gratitude, look arrows out at others and how can you make a difference? It I think it does change you. Um, I, uh. It's the simple things, it's just the simple things. Last night, I, I, uh. I'll share just a little story. I live on a farm now out here in CUNA, and I got home last night and my wife was just so emotional. I'm like, are you okay? And she says I'm more than okay and she was just like sobbing. And I'm like, are you okay? And she said, well, my grandkids, their grandkids, have been there through the day and she's like we got to go out, we just had new twin baby goats.

Speaker 1:

They played with the goats and they just fed the pigs and they just they brought little chicks in the house and she, just, she just was. She's like, I just like imagine how beautiful and simple and amazing those interactions are and I'm just so, it was just overwhelming gratitude what she was was experiencing. Then I started crying and I'm like man, we're just sitting there blubbering, a couple of old people just blubbering about how. But it's the simple things, isn't it Russ?

Speaker 2:

I mean, as you get through this, even though we touched on earlier about the, you know the, the relationship we've had, I appreciate that more now because of going through a real trying, because of going through a real trying time and I think you do too, from what you're just explaining and so absolutely every day is a new gift, every day is a new blessing, and so, to the extent I try to apply that to what I do and I know you do what can I do today to improve things? How can I take this, take the role that God's blessed me with, and try to help somebody else? And that's truly a motivation, and I think it comes as a function of going through those trials.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for sharing that. I do want to talk about your job right now and your constituents and your representation of us. A couple of things come to mind. For me is Russ Well, first of all, as our leader and our representative, um the, the ability you have to make a difference for Idaho with our delegation.

Speaker 1:

I wanted you to give a talk about just a little bit about our, our, our delegation. I, I I've got the enormous privilege honor whatever you want to call it when I moved to CUNA. Jim's my ranching and farming partner now and I've gone from knowing him to loving him. He's one of my favorite humans on the planet Earth. I don't say that lightly. He's an example to me. But you got him. You got Mike. That's been there and they're now in these leadership positions that are the envy of the country as far as what they're able to do and control. And we got Mike. That's been there for a long time but he's now. He's got his tenure, and then we have you, that delegation, representing Idaho. It just means something back there. So for a relatively small state with a relatively teeny population compared to these big states, especially these giant states that dominate so many other things.

Speaker 2:

Talk about our delegation and the representation of Idaho in the country right now, feet, and you had the, let's say, king for a day capacity to take four people and strategically place them in committee assignments in the US House and the US Senate. I don't think you could place them more strategically impactful in a positive way for the state of Idaho than the four that's there right now. Amen, within my, within my political lifetime, maybe my lifetime lifetime I don't know who ever had that Jim Risch, chairman foreign relations Senate. Mike Crapo, chairman fine banking finance in the house, mike Simpson, senior appropriations. And myself, senior. Now, believe it or not, after four terms energy commerce, natural terms, energy commerce, natural resource.

Speaker 1:

Congratulations by the way, thank you.

Speaker 2:

But you know what we do work together. Well, we communicate. Chances are when it comes through certain energy commerce stuff. I'm going to get the heads up first. Here's what's coming Banking stuff, foreign relations stuff, which is impactful because it impacts so much of where some of the appropriations go and how we can be impacted by outside adversarial forces.

Speaker 2:

Same thing with Simpson, and you know we don't always agree on the issues. You know, surprise, surprise, right, most of the time we do, and I can tell you that on the major ones, I can probably count on my digits where we, when I say major, I mean truly, truly impactful, nationally, statewide. Yeah, we line up almost the same all the way across the board. But these are all people that I think are very strategically placed. We work together, and we work together with the governor's office. We've got to do that too. There's only four of us, and you take California, for example, I don't know 40, so Texas, 30. So, and so we have to be firing on all cylinders, and we do, and so I think, I think we're blessed in that regard and they've been very good partners to work with.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, as you're talking, I'm thinking the envy of the nation we are and it is a legacy of leadership.

Speaker 1:

You think about, financially, regulation-wise, the policies that we have as a state and you were part of that for 10 years right at the state legislature and you think of now the governors, the leaderships we've had over long periods of time to get us in the financial shape we're in. You look at even every policy that affects our people again, not perfect, but envy of the nation. And then you layer on top of that this congressional delegation that has a great working relationship with a state that represents our people, and I don't think it was ever intended that everyone agrees on everything. But what I love about you guys is if you call you or read what the great communications you send out to your constituents. You have your reasons and you're deeply rooted in who you are and you're genuine in the way you look at things and that's what people want, want critical thinking, represent the people, make great decisions and then explain them why you're making them, and I love that about it.

Speaker 2:

Russ. I would make a parallel because I think there's some similarities with business there. When you do business, you build trust with who you're partnering with. You build trust and you've got to build that trust and that confidence to have your partners, whoever it might be banking components, the development components with state and local government. You have to get some credibility, you've got to get some trust and to do that you've got to show up for work, you've got to be competent, you've got to do what you say, you know what.

Speaker 2:

Same thing on the political side, and I and I think we as a delegation are afforded some leeway because the people of Idaho has said you know what, okay, he has demonstrated that he's thinking through things and if he does something that doesn't necessarily on the surface line what I think it ought to be, he's probably got a reason. And so we get a little grace as a function of that. And hopefully it's because we built some of that trust and I certainly feel that way, had a little event last night with some great friends were able to come and that was just a reminder. We spent the whole evening just talking about some of these things, some of the issues going on, and it's a real honor. But I think you've done the same thing in business is what I'm trying to say, and it's build some credibility, build some trust. Do what you say, you're going to be fine.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I just love that. Well, talk a little bit about some of the things going on. I think we are. I mean, never has been there the amount of information in a news cycle right now with what's going on in DC and around the world. If you look at international challenges, conflicts, resolutions, you look at how tariffs are affecting buildings I'm building tomorrow and you look at what they mean to us. You look at the economy.

Speaker 1:

I mean we as a business here we're trying to, we want predictability, we want to kind of know what the next six months or a few years look like. And it just seems right now you've got to have your eye on the ball at all times. So many different balls In the same time. There's so many wonderful things happening that never thought would happen in our lifetime. So it's kind of this mix between okay, what does all this mean for a business to my family, as I kind of am understanding it, there's just still so much uncertainty. What would you say as a guy that's back there with kind of what's going on, and what should we look for in the coming year, years, as this kind of settles? Because I think it's going to settle a little bit I do too.

Speaker 2:

So to give you, I think, a quality response, I've got to set the stage, at least from my vantage point. In this country we are at war, and from my vantage point this is a war with a progressive left who would like to see the social and economic fabric of this country change. And this is not a criticism, this is an observation, because there's a although I disagree with it. There's an argument to be made that we would be better off as a society if we adopted a Western European or a South American style socialist system and we put more control in the hands of government, government departments to do more things. And so about half the people in the US House and Senate adopt that view. And that's the fight. Can I?

Speaker 1:

ask you a question on that. Yeah, I want to hear this whole thing. How do you, if you look at those policies even around us, pick a city, pick a state pick? I mean, I've got one of my sons is in California, so I spent a lot of time there recently. I don't know how, Russ, I don't know how I mean, I walked down the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. That just five, six years ago was what it was. I don't know how on God's green earth you can see. It's tangible, it is not debatable. Just what's right in front of you in socialist, leftist-led communities and say that is good for America.

Speaker 2:

I can't explain it either, but for those of us who take the view we do, it is so obvious, right. And for those who don't, I guess it's possible they just hate the country. It's possible that they're so blinded by this so-called idealistic world that their elite category should be in control.

Speaker 1:

So I was with a group of them yesterday and when I say of them, of people that buy into that, that are from, and I'm not listen. I love these people and I think what I'm going to tell you is, I think you can have a conversation with someone and say I frankly, don't agree probably at all with what you think, but I want to understand what you think. Yeah, and I'm going to be totally respectful while I ask you this question. And I was with a room of three of them yesterday and I said to them it makes me sad, what is like I'm going to listen for because we had plenty of time I said tell me the way out of this for you and tell me what the answer is. And I literally listened and asked more questions in over 30 minutes.

Speaker 1:

There there, there aren't solutions. Yeah, there, there. There, there was this idea that government can fix everything, that government can redistribute wealth, that government can be the answer to the trickle-down regulation of how we're going to regulate people, to equality, and by doing so we are going to wipe out all of the ills of society. And now they've created an environment that they're looking. They had no answers. So, anyway, I interrupted you.

Speaker 2:

No.

Speaker 1:

But that's the fight going on right. That's the war. But you would think it would be less of a battle after so many years of looking and now going. It's not working, but I think that's what the American people kind of are waking up to?

Speaker 2:

I think so too, and that's where ultimately this is going. But you make a really good point up to. I think so too, and that's where ultimately this is going. But you make a really good point. The progressive left and, by the way, they don't even want to be called Democrats anymore in DC. They want socialist progressives or different types, but they're not Democrats.

Speaker 1:

They're not Democrats. My family were all Kennecott copper miners my dad, my grandpas, my great grandpas and they were Democrats. They were true blue dog Democrats. So were the people on my dad's side and if you look at what they believed in our country and you think of even the role of what labor unions meant back then, you think of even the role of what labor unions meant back then. But if you looked at their principles of their community and caring for each other, it is not what the progressive left is. It's not. So I understand why they don't want to call them that because they're not Democrats. That's true, and Democrats become this evil word, but they're not Democrats.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, Well, but I think you really touched on it. The answer, as you and I would see this, is the solutions come through the private sector. The solutions come through empowerment of the individual, the solutions come through the free market and to them that argument, the solution is more government and the reason things are going bad in California is because they don't have enough government right Now. That may be an oversimplification, but I think that's kind of where that is, but that's the baseline. And so when I talk to people and I met with some legislators yesterday and they've got some challenges and everything and in this case it's Republicans fighting with Republicans and just trying to encourage them Look, guys, I know they got issues, Okay, and I know you've got issues and it's okay to disagree on this, but you have to refocus where the enemy really is, and it's not in this room.

Speaker 2:

Okay, we can legitimately have disagreements over tax policy or healthcare care, transportation, whatever it might be, but generally we all believe where the answer is and that's the market system and what we just said we have to keep the focus on. It's those who want to change that structure entirely, and that's what I'm fighting with. But I truly think if we were to have this conversation in 20 years and we might, but let's just say we had this conversation in 20 years I think we would look back.

Speaker 1:

I'm just doing the math to see how old I'd be. You'll be here. I hope to hell I'm still young. I hope I am too.

Speaker 2:

But I think we will be saying at that point 2025 was a generationally historic year and, by the way, I'm not a disciple of any human being, including the president but what I am saying is is we are going through a transitional time where there is a bureaucratic intervention going on that is desperately needed. This is seven years in Congress for me and I can tell you the bureaucracies there have become so big, so huge, so powerful, so inefficient, so fraudulent, that they have a parallel system of governance where they put in place policies via regulation, via rule, that never go through any kind of legislative channel that we have to deal with. Think EPA, think IRS stuff, think Bureau of Land Management policies, regulations that govern what you can do with land, that govern what kind of car you can buy, right With tailpipe regulations. This never went through Congress.

Speaker 2:

Okay, and with the you know people like me we come and go. I'll be in office for a few years, then I'll be gone. Same thing with most of my colleagues. But the bureaucratic heads they're there 10, 20, 30, 40 years. That's the swamp, that's the deep state.

Speaker 1:

And that's. Can you dive a little bit deeper to that? Because I think the word swamp, I think it's come up a lot and I think say what you want about what's going on back there. I think the exposure of what the word meant is now people that may not have understood what it was understand it. I'm going to tell you one other quick story, because I think I had an aha moment just before the election.

Speaker 1:

I was up in McCall and I had a friend here who's very powerful from DC, and it was just before the election and I was sitting there with him and his wife and I said what do you think is going to happen? And he said it doesn't really matter. And I said what do you mean? It doesn't matter? And he said the swamp is what controls all this. And we had a three-hour dinner and at the end of it I I like didn't even want to drive home. I was so depressed because I'm thinking to myself I believe this guy, yeah, that there's truth in it, that there's so much money and control by this thing that it will never be changed. It's interesting to see how the election went and now the uncovering of so many practices. I think what the swamp meant to me in October and what it means to me in March. I get it. I think a lot more than I did, is that that is very well said, is that an uncovering, and that's why Doge is so important.

Speaker 2:

That's why the Department of Government Efficiency? By the way, that wasn't started by Donald Trump. That was started by Barack Obama.

Speaker 1:

I saw some of those videos recently.

Speaker 2:

And so this is not a Republican thing and it's not unusual to have a third-party independent kind of head that up, like elon musk in this case. Uh, fdr had uh harry ship shipment or shippy, something like that. Uh, woodrow wilson had ed house and they were the elon musk of their day. Right, those are both democrats, by the way come in and do this kind of thing, and so that's why that's so important, because things are getting exposed and you know, I got a report on, you know, social Security, for example, and what is being uncovered.

Speaker 2:

Then we got a couple of bookends and you got low billions on one end of the bookend. You got high billions, like triple digit billions on the other, somewhere in. You know, between $75 billion and $500 billion is the amount we pay each year to dead people. Okay, and this has never been exposed or caught or any kind of audit, any kind of oversight. And, tommy, the other thing I've learned is, although Congress has the constitutional power of oversight, the tools we have to do it are so inappropriate, so inadequate. That's why it's so important to have this doge, get in there and start digging through some of this stuff.

Speaker 1:

So there's a couple things that I so. I mean I spent a lot of time. I give a talk to Mission 43 every year, four hours, and I was with them two weeks ago and when we went in our room one of the things that everyone talked about is a lot of their private jobs are being cut because of this. I think the Doge thing is wonderful. It's also creating a lot of fear and anxiety and real results that you're probably hearing at your office every day anxiety and real results that you're probably hearing at your office every day. But I will say this as a taxpayer who's been audited three times by my federal government. I just do because of the way, I mean, I've been through it.

Speaker 1:

It is infuriating to me to hear some of these things like nothing Cause when they came and did an audit of me and literally looked for bird shit in the cuckoo clock on every single thing I had for my little experience every time I went through, and then I hear that some of these departments have never passed an audit. They don't know. There's all this money missing everywhere. I'm thinking to myself nothing makes a working guy more frustrated. That provides jobs, that all my people pay taxes that we're in America. We believe this dream and my government is doing this. So I think they're underestimating.

Speaker 1:

I do Because you know you look at the mainstream media and you look at all this stuff. I think, for people that pay taxes and you know this country was built on the backs of small business period there's big business, but it's small business people, that's that's. You look at the tax base, you look where it comes from and I think they're underestimating Russ and you give me your opinion. I think people are going to be going. Wait a minute, you, you, you want me to follow all these rules. You want me to do all the things I do for my families that I care for. You consider these people that work for you. This is family, it's personal. You look at the taxes we pay payroll taxes, property taxes, income taxes and you're telling me these things are true. Yeah, I think they greatly. I think they are underestimating the people in this country that are small business owners that are going to go BS. Yeah, get this fixed.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and you're right. And so each committee for example, energy and Commerce is one of my committees Each committee is assigned X amount of dollars. We agreed that we are going to try to, within our jurisdiction, reduce from the budget for the next year. Okay, I think the amount that my Energy and Commerce Committee is targeting to reduce is $880 billion. We're going to be able to do that because of some of these things that are being found, and my office, everybody on that committee, are being barraged with people because, you know, don't touch my stuff, don't do this, don't do that, and so we can.

Speaker 2:

To support your point, we did two polls nationwide just within the last 10 days and the attitude is exactly what you said 85 plus percent of people across this country love the fact that things are being dissected. Finally, and some of these things are being identified, and they are angry and, frankly, I am too. It's embarrassing to be a congressman and not know that we might have, just you know, 100 plus billion to dead people. How did I not know that Then, on the other hand, being there, well, the Musk group had to hack into the system to get it, because, even with an executive order, they weren't afforded this information.

Speaker 2:

My point, bottom line is we're going through a bureaucratic intervention. The swamp is being looked at, the swamp is being audited like they've never done before and it's just like any parasite that is being threatened of losing their host. They are fighting back and they are lashing out. Security is an issue for all of us. The mainstream media, of course, is aligned with them, all those things but this process needs to happen. It's ugly, it's embarrassing, but the end result is going to be a good thing for.

Speaker 1:

America. I think the American people want to. I do. We're almost out of time, but I got to ask you one question because I am worried about something and I don't know where you're going to go with this. I think it is so popular, wildly popular 85% you just quoted from the poll that you're just like no, shut this down. Figure it out, please help us.

Speaker 1:

But there is a role for government. There is a role for government and government dollars spend efficiently and put in the right places, and we should have safety nets. We should have ways to take care of people that can't take care of themselves we. So what reassurance can you give us here in the state or in the country?

Speaker 1:

For because we tend in our life, not just government, you know, as things correct, oftentimes that pendulum swings pretty hard and I think that there are a lot of people worried about well, what about some of these programs, whether they be state or federal programs that now are getting looked at, that that that are at, that are valuable, and that's the definition of valuable and how much and too little, or whatever. But I worry about people living on the edge, I worry about people that are working there. Think about that Alice. Population in Idaho asset-limited, income-constrained employed, the working poor, where you've got inflation that's killed them, you've got housing prices that are killing them and now you've got things that are going to get looked at. I mean, a lot of people live on that thin edge. How do we not swing it too hard and what would be your advice for?

Speaker 2:

First of all, I'm incredibly encouraged because, first of all, we have, as a nation, the resources. We have everything we need to cover critical services and provide an environment for people to prosper. We've got it, we're just not using it well. Yeah, that's a great answer and this exposure is helping us get smarter, even through embarrassing incidents, to use it better. You know, medicaid comes up a lot because that's going to go through my committee and people are super concerned about that. First and foremost, there are so many things going on with eligibility that are never being checked. Just address that that's going to go a long way.

Speaker 2:

There is an argument to be made for those who are working age, that are able-bodied. Shouldn't there at least have the discussion of a work requirement for those types of things If they're not working at all? That goes a long, long way to this. We don't have to cut it. We don't have to. Anybody who's truly disabled and fits that base category, they're not going to be impacted, I don't think. But it also opens us up to do also within our parameters get rid of the doggone mandates for electronic vehicles. Don't pay off these student loans for crying out loud. There's a hundred and some billion. And if I can just close the loop with this. Even some of my Democrat progressive left friends will never say it, but they're relieved with some of this stuff going on too, because they don't have to defend some of the stupid stuff anymore. Okay, that was.

Speaker 1:

They were driven to, to support so so so plenty of money. Let's use it right.

Speaker 2:

Let's do it if we, if we just fix some of the stupid stuff we're doing. That's going to take us a long, long way towards solving these things russ man I I love it. Hey, we could do this for another hour.

Speaker 1:

I love and appreciate you. I want to end there. Thank you for your friendship over a long period of time. Thank you for your leadership Thoughtful. I love any time I talk to you because I feel like that's my representative, that's the one looking out for Idaho and for my family, for my kids. My grandkids Appreciate your service and your friendship, buddy.

Speaker 2:

I just have to reciprocate and say you know, there's a handful, there's a relatively few number of critical resources who take the time, the effort, the risk and they have the expertise and the drive to turn the wheels of this economic engine in this state, in this country. You're one of them and don't ever underestimate your impact, and you've certainly had that with me.

Speaker 1:

I appreciate you, buddy, thank you, thank you, thanks everybody.