Congressman Russ Fulcher, a fourth-generation Idahoan, grew up on a dairy farm in Meridian, Idaho. He graduated from Meridian High School, earned both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in business from Boise State University, and obtained additional certifications in electronic engineering.
Government mandates, inadequate cost containment, high drug prices, and lack of price transparency are increasing premiums and deductibles, making insurance unaffordable. Ten years of the Affordable Care Act resulted in skyrocketing health insurance premiums and unsustainable spending.
In Idaho, annual premium costs have gone from $1,915 in the few years before Obamacare to $5,267 in years following the implementation of Obamacare. The average Idahoan might pay $12,000 for a simple shoulder surgery at one hospital and $22,000 for the same surgery at a different hospital.
Fortunately, Idaho has set the standard for showing how healthcare can be successful for patients and families.
To continue improving American’s health care, I support implementing “patient-centric alternatives” to lower costs, while giving Idahoans more choice. These include Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), Direct Primary Care, Charity Care, Medi-Share, Medical Memberships, Association Health Plans, the ability to buy insurance across state lines, expanded use of disease management and wellness programs, integrated technology, and lessened administrative rules.
In Congress, I have supported specific measures to move our country away from the Obama-era path towards socialized medicine, and instead to a system that puts medical decisions in the hands of patients, families, and their doctors-- not bureaucrats in Washington or health insurance conglomerates.
The federal government controls 63% of Idaho’s natural resources. This results in complications for outdoor groups accessing our lands and eliminates high-wage job opportunities in our rural communities. The federal government’s inability to afford proper land management also contributes to extreme wildfires that endanger our health and property. Our natural resources are a source of wealth; they need to be managed wisely, protected better, and ensured for access by Idahoans.
Serving in Congress, I have made it a priority to tackle issues that are crucial to access and management of Idaho’s vast natural resources. From modernizing NEPA -- which will allow us to swiftly address areas that have been poorly managed and in danger of catastrophic wildfires -- to strengthening water security in the West, it is important that Idahoans have a voice in Congress advocating for solutions to these problems.
I realize the importance of bringing together Idaho’s stakeholders to help craft a plan for wise local management. Otherwise, we continue to rely on federal PILT payments, rural school funding, and other federal solutions that are often under-funded, neglectful to our land, result in increased catastrophic fires, and prevent high-paying job opportunities in our rural communities.
Debt and Deficits
The national debt currently exceeds $27 trillion, and is increasing at least $100 million every hour.
As the government becomes more comfortable throwing around dollar amounts in the millions, billions, and trillions, it’s very important to really grasp the VAST difference between these amounts.
Since it’s easier to imagine an amount of time, rather than a large pile of money, here’s a handy breakdown of just how large $27 trillion is.
One Hundred Seconds = 1.6 minutes
One Thousand Seconds = 16.6 minutes
One Million Seconds = 12 Days
One Billion Seconds = 31 Years
One Trillion Seconds = 31,688 years
Twenty Seven Trillion Seconds = 855,576 years
One light year is six trillion miles. Meaning our national debt equates to about 4.5 light years if it were in miles.
This is not sustainable and it is unfair to our children and grandchildren who will have to face the consequences of our out-of-control spending. The deficit is caused by a spending problem, not a problem of taxing too little. Government programs and agencies deserve constant evaluation of how dollars are spent, if they’re being spent efficiently, and if clearly-defined goals are being met. The federal government must be a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars, and eliminate any federal programs found wasteful, redundant, unsuccessful, or unnecessary.
Economy
The Trump Administration’s actions to pass historic tax cuts, reduce burdensome regulations, and prioritize domestic manufacturing and energy production unleashed astounding economic growth for our country.
To build on this success and make a swift recovery from the offsets caused by COVID-19, I urge the Biden Administration to make tax cuts permanent for individuals and small businesses (as they are for corporations), expand tax credits to incentivize business and job creation, and implement further tax cuts on individuals and small businesses.
In addition to additional education and training programs that focus on growth industries,, there will be an increase in high-paying jobs in Idaho by removing excessive federal rules and permits that create obstacles to starting and running a business.
Through my 24 years of work in the technology industry, I visited 47 countries and found a similarity between these vastly diverse places-- countries protect their borders. Protecting the sovereignty of our nation is one of the few constitutionally-granted responsibilities of Congress, and the security of our border had been neglected for far too long.
In early 2020, I visited the southern border and learned first-hand of the shocking need to secure our southern border. For insight into this trip and some of the practices I learned of, watch video clips here and here. Not long after this trip, I had the opportunity to testify in the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security on the findings of my trip and the importance of allocating financial resources to secure our southern border (watch the video below).
The Trump Administration made huge strides in securing our border and making positive, common-sense reforms to our immigration system. Among these, I particularly support the 400 new miles of border wall constructed, closing loopholes in the asylum process, giving state and local governments more input on refugee resettlement, and initiatives to end federal funding to sanctuary cities. While President Trump accomplished much more than past Administrations in the field of immigration reform and border security, there is still much work to continue.
As a Christian, I believe it is important to acknowledge the human side of this issue. There are stories of immigrants being treated terribly by employers and those who leave everything behind because of legitimate persecution in their home state, just to suffer from coyotes and cartels who exploit and have marketized the promise of passage to the United States. I have empathy for anybody who wants to work hard to provide for their family. There’s nothing more honorable. But as a citizen and a nation of laws, we cannot reward illegal behavior.
Idaho’s farmers, ranchers, anglers, and the countless jobs that make up Idaho’s agribusiness sector are at the top of my mind in Washington, D.C. As the single largest contributor to Idaho’s economy, making upwards of 20% of our yearly GDP, agriculture is the backbone of our state.
Idaho is home to over 24,500 family farms that produce over 144 commodities, including potatoes, beef cattle, hay, wheat, milk, barley, and sugar beets. This makes Idaho the top producer of many consumer products. For example, the Idaho Potato which averages 32% of the country's production of potatoes in the U.S.
Idaho’s agriculture sector is constantly changing while also becoming more efficient-- and the regulations over this sector should do the same. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of outdated federal regulations in dire need of common sense reforms. Congress needs to update the Endangered Species Act (ESA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Waters of the United States (WOTUS), and additional rules and regulations coming out of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The ESA was last updated in 1988 and can inhibit common sense federal land management, less grazing, and can lead to catastrophic wildfires. Additionally, the pre Trump Administration WOTUS rule sought to bring federal overreach into local and state management of irrigation canals and waterways. Lastly, we must recognize and find common ground on EPA's regulation of pesticides and other petrochemicals.
Overall, I can assure you I will do everything in my capacity to advocate for Idaho state and local stakeholders to address our local issues-- rather than rigid, out of touch federal regulators. Idaho farmers and ranchers are foundational to our state’s economy, lifestyle, and values. I am proud of their contributions to families in the Gem State and around the world.
I am strongly and consistently pro-life -- both at the beginning and at the end of life. Life begins at conception, and every unborn child has the inherent right to life. The unborn are the least capable of defending themselves, and in the most desperate need of protection. I have voted against every bill that does not uphold the right to life for the unborn and my first speech on the House floor emphasized my pro-life values and the need to protect the unborn.
My concern for life doesn’t end with the child. It includes ensuring women receive general gynecological care and proper maternal care during and after pregnancy. And, it includes strong geriatric care for the elderly in our society. Finally, we must not tolerate women being coerced into having an abortion.
In the Idaho legislature, I was a fervent supporter of pro-life legislation and received the “Friend for Life” award from Idaho Chooses Life and the “Legacy of Life” award from Stanton Healthcare -- a pro-life women’s health clinic. As I continue my work to protect the unborn in Congress, I have earned the 100% voting score from the National Right to Life and an A+ rating on Susan B. Anthony List's “National Pro-Life Scorecard.”
I have always been a staunch defender of the 2nd Amendment and I stand against efforts to erode any American’s constitutional right to bear arms. I will continue to support legislation that advances 2nd Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.
All of our children deserve to learn in a safe environment-- absent of the threat of gun violence. I support the efforts of President Trump’s STOP School Violence Act, which directly addresses the issues of school gun violence by including access to grants for additional security in Idaho schools and funding for mental health programs. I support efforts that will protect Idaho’s most vulnerable, and believe we can accomplish this goal without impeding on the rights of Idahoans to protect themselves.
Privacy
Along with protecting the 2nd Amendment, I defend the fundamental right to privacy that every American enjoys. As our world continues to transition essential services and everyday tasks online, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, this right to privacy does not change. I believe it is possible to keep our country safe, without infringing on the privacy of innocent Americans. Any government surveillance of Americans must be conducted with proper authority and oversight. This oversight role is reserved for Congress, and not a part of my public service that I take lightly.
Our government’s ability to collect data from American citizens is wide-ranging and extends into the everyday lives of American citizens. These powers require constant vetting and oversight. In Congress, I joined bipartisan efforts to oppose mass collection of citizen’s data without warrants, and voted to reform the FISA process.
While it is entirely appropriate for the federal government to surveil credible national security threats, recent efforts by some in Congress seek to expand the data collection powers of agencies like the Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services for partisan means. These efforts include requiring DOE to collect information from families on “gun storage practices,” then tying this data to federal funds. I oppose these efforts, and will keep your privacy rights, as well as your constitutional gun rights, at the forefront of any legislative discussion.
I am concerned with America’s ability to counter cyber attacks on the power grid and other critical infrastructure. These sectors are critical to the function of our daily lives and safety: communications, dams, energy, emergency services, food and agriculture, financial services, healthcare, water, transportation, nuclear reactors, among others.
For example, China, Iran, and North Korea have targeted critical infrastructure, as well as captured wartime contingency plans and secrets on weapon systems. In 2015, China collected personal data on 21.5 million federal employees and their families from the federal Office of Personnel Management. Stealing this information not only allows these adversaries to fend off U.S. counterattacks more effectively, but also to blackmail millions of Americans for sensitive (and competitive) information.
Electricity and other power plants are particularly vulnerable because they often use legacy operating systems. Their security is no match for today’s more sophisticated computer-based attacks. Imagine the disruption from a widespread power failure on the Eastern seaboard of the United States?
The United States has no peer competitor in the world when it comes to military power. But in the area of cybersecurity, we have peer competitors that seek to harm us by disrupting our critical infrastructure, damaging our economy, and harming U.S. citizens. With decades of experience in the technology sector, I believe the U.S. needs a more coherent cybersecurity defense posture. We must do more to protect our country from foreign cyber attacks.
Defense
The U.S. Constitution grants the federal government with the responsibility to protect and defend the people and territory of the United States. A robust defense to protect the sovereignty of the United States is critical to ensure our liberties, freedoms, commerce, and way of life are preserved. I oppose nation-building and excessively long engagements that lack a definition and strategy to win. The job of the military is to fight and win wars to defend our homeland and interests only. These military operations must be approved and supported by a proper act of Congress and led by the U.S. military.
I will do all I can to ensure our military remains well-trained, fully equipped, and ready to defend our country. I understand this requires a steady funding stream for training, spare parts, and maintenance of equipment to ensure readiness should a crisis occur or should we need to deploy for a longer period of time to protect our interests.
Foreign Policy
Foreign policy is also an area where the U.S. Constitution bestows a responsibility onto the federal government. Diplomacy, trade, economic relations, and various foreign support programs can be utilized to advance American interests and deter conflict. However, any action or program must be approved and supported by a proper act of the Congress, and led by American government entities. I believe the United States must act within its own interests and that this must be the guidepost of any actions taken abroad.
I am dedicated to helping our veterans. This is not a partisan situation. A country that commits its people to war must be prepared to take care of them once they come home. Idaho has more than 120,000 veterans -- about 10.4% of our adult population. We must ensure that they - and veterans across the country - receive the necessary physical and mental care, on-time and in-full benefits, and quick answers to their questions and concerns.
I am in frequent contact with Idaho veterans to gauge the impact of different policies being considered by Congress and the Administration. I rely on this feedback to best represent Idaho’s First District, and I encourage all veterans and their families to reach out to our office with questions, comments, or concerns.
Our national debt exceeds $22 trillion -- more than $60,000 for every man, woman, and child in the United States. Our growing national debt is one of our Nation’s greatest threats. As you may know, in February of 2019, the national debt passed $22 trillion. Every hour our debt increases by $100 million. This is not sustainable; it is unfair to our children and grandchildren. As the debt continues to increase—mostly due to mandatory spending—I believe we need to rethink government’s role. The deficit is caused by a spending problem, not a problem of taxing too little. As your Congressional Representative, my goal is to shrink the size of the federal estate and localize our government to the states and counties.
One of my top priorities in Congress is to control federal spending and reduce borrowing. I will use my legislative and business experience to build coalitions in Congress to lower federal debt so that we don’t saddle our children and grandchildren with this financial burden. Also, I will eliminate redundant and wasteful federal programs, agencies, and departments to reduce the costly burdens they place on Idahoans.
I have long defended the fundamental right to privacy that every American enjoys. As our world continues to transition essential services and everyday tasks online, this right to privacy does not change. I believe it is possible to keep our country safe, without infringing on the privacy of innocent Americans. Any government surveillance of Americans must be conducted with proper authority and oversight. This oversight role is reserved for Congress, and not a part of my public service that I take lightly.
Our government’s ability to collect data from American citizens is wide-ranging, extending into the everyday lives of American citizens. These powers require constant vetting and oversight. In my first term in Congress, I have joined bipartisan efforts to oppose mass collection of citizen data without warrants and voted to reform the FISA process.
While it is entirely appropriate for the federal government to surveil credible national security threats, recent efforts by some in Congress seek to expand the data collection powers of agencies like the Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services for partisan means. These efforts include requiring DOE to collect information from families on “gun storage practices,” then tying this data to federal funds. I oppose these efforts and will keep your privacy rights at the forefront of any legislative discussion.