March 31, 2025 • 53 mins
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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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Today on the Ever Onward podcast.
I'm very happy and pleasedWe'll have Congressman Russ
Fulcher.
He is a longtime friend, greatIdahoan businessman, politician,
leader.
We get into a lot of realdetailed things about him and
his life here and hiscontributions he's made to the
state and now what he's doing inWashington DC.
(00:20):
A lot of changes there.
Russ is in his fourth term asour congressman and has done an
amazing job.
I'm very thankful he came on tospend some time with us today,
congressman Russ Fulcher.
Congressman, just great to seeyou, man, it's great to see you.
(00:45):
It is really great to see you,man, it's great to see you.
It is really great to see you.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
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 goodconversation.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Well, I want to start with a lot of these things.
We just get rolling on.
But when you came in you'relike hey, I used to farm this
land where the building is.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
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 youwere a farm kid, because you
could run tractors, you couldrun combines.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
So for everyone that's listening because I do
you are a good friend and I'mgoing to get into it.
I respect the heck out of youfor a lot of reasons, but you
grew up right here in Meridianon a dairy farm, so you're truly
a farm kid, Two miles to thesouth of where we're sitting
right now doing this recording.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
My mother's still out there.
She's 95 on the original familyplace South Eagle Road in Amity
.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Yeah, and dairy farm worked your tail off.
What a great way to grow up.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
We used to.
I took it for granted.
I really did, I took it forgranted.
We used to have dairy farmsright here locally in Meridian.
It was just a differentenvironment 10,000 people when I
was born Now we're about 150, Ithink and just a different
lifestyle and I didn'tappreciate it.
I wish I would have known justhow much value there was in
growing up on a dairy farm andjust the work ethic and lives
(02:06):
about life.
You know life and death andanimals and all that stuff.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
But at the end of the day, it was a great way to grow
up.
We're pretty lucky.
Like, heritage is a big wordFor whatever reason.
It comes up a lot with thepeople I talk out on this
podcast.
But what does Idaho heritagemean to a guy like you?
You get to go back andrepresent us, by the way, thank
you, thank you.
It's just an honor having youthere representing us, knowing a
(02:38):
guy that's back there fightingfor us.
But what does Idaho heritagemean for you in your fight and
your soul?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Well, first of all, we are the envy of many states.
Yeah, and I get that firsthandall the time.
I mean, I work with members ofCongress, house and Senate from
all over the country and it isfrequently a point of
conversation where they areapproaching me man, I wish that
(03:05):
we had the environment that youdid, and the reason that you're
experiencing growth is, and howyou handle certain things from
your tax policy, from youreducation system.
So I get these comments all thetime from other members of
Congress across the countrybecause we've got our problems
here.
We all know that.
But, comparatively speaking,this is a good place to be and,
(03:28):
as a function of that, we'regrowing like crazy.
I don't know if you knew this,but I've actually got the
largest congressional districtin the nation by population.
Right now, we're over a millionpeople in my congressional
district.
We narrowly missed anothermember in 2020.
With the census and with thegrowth since then, it's just
gotten bigger.
(03:48):
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 wonderfulplace called Idaho, where you
learn a value system that is, Ibelieve, consistent with the
(04:10):
heritage of our nation Divinelyinspired foundational Christian
values, and those are the thingsthat people want.
You know, we've got neighboringstates that have so many
conflicts, and so what do theydo?
A lot of the good people theymove to Idaho to, whether they
(04:30):
realize it firsthand or not.
They're coming here for becauseof our heritage.
They're coming here because ofour value system.
They're coming here becausethey like families and they like
a safe place where you can goout in the evening pretty much
anywhere and not have to worryabout being accosted.
So it means it's a lot ofdifferent factors, but the
(04:52):
bottom line is I am blessed tobe from Idaho and I'm also
blessed to represent the peopleof this great state.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
I love it For those who who I mean, I know because I
was able to spend a lot of timewith you.
But you also have a tremendousbackground that allowed you to
have a perspective of Idaho frommultiple views.
Business, I mean, I don't thinkpeople so grow up a farm kid,
work your tail off, plow groundright here where we're sitting
(05:24):
today and where our building is.
You have that then.
Then you then you work atmicron international business,
at one of one of idaho's greatcompanies and one of america's
great companies, and and thenyou spend time in the state
legislature.
You understand how governmentworks.
Um, tremendous experience thatallows you to go represent us.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
A lot of that being at the right place, right time.
You know, I'd like to say it'sbecause I was an all-star.
The bottom line is I wasn't.
I don't feel that way, but whenI was just going into college,
micron was a startup, yeah, andI needed a place where I could
work at night and fund mycollege education, go to school
(06:05):
during the day, and that's whatI did.
And this little startup neverheard of Micron, didn't know
what a semiconductor was.
To save my soul, they gave me agreat start, basically the first
15 years of their of time.
I was there about zero in salesto.
(06:26):
We got into billions by the 15years and they gave me an
education that you can't getanywhere else, tommy, and it was
a young kid.
We were learning as we went andstruggling, unlike today,
struggling to keep the doorsopen.
This was a differentenvironment.
The Parkinson's were thereRandall Chance, juan Benitez,
(06:49):
those original guys, dougPittman and we were just trying
to figure it out as we go.
Right, as you know, it's onething to start a business, it's
another thing to mature abusiness, and so I remember my
first experience there businessand so, uh, I remember my first
experience there.
Um, we.
We had problems with Japanesepredatory pricing for
(07:10):
semiconductors in the U?
S couldn't get any businesshere.
Uh, ward Parkinson gave me aone way ticket to Europe and, uh
, since, come back with businessand um and never been.
Never been out of the state,much less out of the country.
Right, but that's how we didthings.
We just did it.
And you know, I went there,started going to trade shows,
(07:32):
making contacts and makingnetworks.
Next thing, you know, we land afew customers and Apple.
I got to tell you an Apple storyreally quick.
I got to tell you an Applestory really quick.
Apple was viewed in theindustry as this crazy company
out of the Bay Area that nobodywould want to do business with
because they were crazy.
They had this guy named Jobsand he was going to put
(07:55):
computers in every house inAmerica.
Right, well, he was nuts.
And then you had this companyin Boise, idaho, in the desert.
They were manufacturing one ofthe most complex devices on the
planet.
They were nuts.
Right, it was a perfect fit.
For that window of time, theonly place that Apple could
really get computer componentsor semiconductors was Micron,
(08:18):
because nobody else would dobusiness with them.
On that front, and just to thereverse, the only people we
could sell to was Apple, becausenobody else would buy from us
and we were both so poor, therewas just no resources.
We did a deal where we becausewe didn't have any money, but
they needed parts and theydidn't have any money.
(08:40):
So we traded stuff.
We traded remember the lisacomputer I think was the name,
it was a precursor to the mac,yeah and uh.
So we took lisa computers inpayment and we were using those
for um, our test equipment andwhatnot.
And it grew into a big problemlater on because there were tax
(09:00):
issues, right, because there wasa transaction, but it wasn't
like a billable amount.
Anyway, but it was a few peoplecan remember when Apple didn't
have any money or Micron didn'thave any money.
And so I look back on thoseyears and I go, oh, my goodness,
what a history.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
I think didn't you tell me one time you had an
actual negotiation story that Ithink you used to tell?
That's unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Well, there was a number of them, but part of that
issue was, you may recall, theJapanese suppliers were
predatory pricing and they hadtaken out pretty much all of the
memory makers in the USFairchild National Semiconductor
, intel, which used to make DRAM, but they don't anymore, moss
(09:48):
Tech these are names you may ormay not have heard of, but they
were big at one time andeverybody was thinking that the
Japanese suppliers were better,were cheaper and they were
definitely cheaper.
But we figured out that wait aminute, you tear those things
apart and you can tell basicallywhat their costs were by the
(10:08):
size of the dye and the layers,and so we were looking at that
compared to ours.
There's no way they can makethese for less than we can.
So I'll just fast forward thatstory.
But the Parkinson's basicallygot assistance through Senator
McClure's office in WashingtonDC to have the Department of
(10:31):
Commerce go after the Japanesesuppliers over tariffs.
And in that window of time Iwas airdropped into Senator
McClure's office as an internand that's kind of what over
time led to the interest thatturned out where I am right now.
But it was during that windowof time and I got a lot of
(10:54):
education over that time becausewhen finally the US Department
of Commerce recognized they sawall the data, they said, okay,
these suppliers are beingsubsidized by their own
government, and they were.
They levied a tariff and thatchanged the electronic landscape
and back then in the 80s,anything you bought electronic
(11:18):
was basically coming out ofJapan.
But if you look at it nowthey're really not, because that
has shifted away, because oncethose subsidies didn't work
anymore, it was a house of cards, and so that changed the whole
economic landscape.
Had no idea at the time becausewe were just fighting for
survival.
But that was a different era.
And I look back at theleadership of the company at the
(11:40):
point and and uh, we are truly,truly blessed to have them in
our, in our economic space inidaho.
But if it weren't for theinitiative and it was the
parkinson twins, it was juanvenidas, it was randall chan
those guys, uh, would not giveup.
And uh, and that persistencepaid off warren's still around
(12:03):
doing great stuff.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
He's on the uh cI board to raise some money to
help out with their growth.
What a great guy.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Legendary.
He's a genius in his own field.
Just one of those gifts thatIdaho historically had.
That uh left a mark that veryfew people will ever leave.
That's awesome.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
I want to.
I want to.
I think the first time I'm soyou were with, so, after you
were with bottles for a bit as aas a broker doing real estate,
yeah, and I think it's the firstfew times I met you.
Yeah, Mark's, Mark's anincredible guy too.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Yes, here's another one of these guys.
He just knows what he's doing.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
And one of just the best humans on the planet.
He just is.
But so I'd met you before, butthen, when I got into politics,
for my short toe, dip and outand never to go back, by the way
, russ Well if you ever want to.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
I know of a congressional seat that you
might be interested in.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
No, not going to happen again.
But I want to tell this storybecause it means a lot to me.
It's a different world, it'sjust different and I had no
experience and really wasn'tthat good at it.
But when I met you, when you,you had run against um Butch
2014.
(13:29):
And when you ran against Butch,those results were, I mean, you
was really close race Um andthen, um you, you threw your hat
in again and when I got in therace, um you, we.
I remember meeting with you andevery single meeting we had it
felt like a friendship, it feltlike a fellow Idahoan.
(13:52):
I mean, I know this soundscorny, but in politics it's not,
because that doesn't exist, butI always just felt you were who
you were.
You were this Idaho guy,business guy that loved the
state, that was in this for theright 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 (14:12):
And I'll tell you what that's a two way street
Cause.
Uh, if God gave me a gift andI'm not saying he did, but if
God gave me a gift, it's Ibelieve I've got the ability to
read people and that served mewell in business, it served me
well in politics, and you're thereal deal.
And I could tell when we metAlthough we had met in passing
(14:33):
until we had some of thosediscussions, really I didn't get
to know you, but you were goingto be successful, no matter
what you did, and whether it wasin the political realm or the
business realm or in the medicalfield, 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 avery brief time, we were, I
(14:55):
guess, technically competitorsin that field.
Look, when you find somebodythat's going to be successful,
they're going to have a, they'regoing to have an imprint on on
the economy, on the state, onthe leadership, then you, you
want to encourage that person,you want to to you.
You, you want to leverage themto the extent you can to be
(15:17):
successful.
And that's how I felt.
And so, even though we were, inthat, technically opposing each
other for a short period oftime.
I was trying to be mindful.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
It always felt and I grew really close to you then
because we were on the campaigntrail for a while.
I don't know if you rememberthis, but then you had your
thing with your eye.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
I did Detached retina .
Speaker 1 (15:37):
You had a detached retina.
And then I remember one exchangewe had at a gas station and you
probably don't even remember it, but it's just.
It's a really raw experience togo through these political
things and I remember seeing itat a gas station and I remember
just this interaction with youand kind of giving you a bro hug
and saying, hey, man, thanksfor being such a good friend,
and it meant the world to me.
(15:57):
Now, ultimately, you got outwhen Raul got in and then you
went on to be successful yourfourth term now I can't even
believe that in and then youwent on to be successful your
fourth fourth term.
Now I can't even believe thatfourth term in congress.
Already we're getting older,but I I just wanted to.
It's just an example to me howyou can be, you know, in a race
against each other, for a shortperiod of time knew each other
but also develop a friendshipand of trust that's just lasted
(16:21):
ever since then and I just, Ijust really appreciate that's
certainly the case here, and,and, and I appreciate you and
and and.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
uh, you know things happen for a reason.
And at that window of time, Ididn't, I didn't really know, um
, obviously, what I do now, butI think things happen for a
reason.
I think that it's not anaccident that we met, it's not
an accident that we were inthose circumstances at the same
time, because it did build thatrapport and I look back on it
(16:47):
and, as you know, I do have afaith base and I think that that
was part of, maybe, god's wayof steering me where I'm
supposed to be for now and Ithink I'm where I'm supposed to
be for now.
Yeah, right, this is notforever.
I'm gonna do this forever.
You know, uh, this is a crazyworld, but, um, I do think that
that, uh, I'm where I'm supposedto be for now.
(17:08):
Frankly, I think you are whereyou are supposed to be right now
.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
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 samethings I just said.
I think you are genuine and youare a leader and you care about
this place and you've done sowell for us in Idaho.
You've also, I want to talkabout your health struggle, if
(17:33):
you're okay talking a little bitabout that, because I ran into
you in a Walmart and I knewyou'd been going through it.
But but you, you really wentthrough it and I'm glad you're
doing so well.
But but you, okay, talking aboutthat and the one the experience
, what you learned from it andwhat people might appreciate.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
I started getting um, uh, fatigued late in the day
and uh, and that's not me.
I typically don't have anyenergy problems, but come four
or five o'clock during the day Iwas physically running out of
gas.
And then shortly after that Istarted to have some urinary
blockage issues, and that's aproblem.
(18:14):
And so I started gettingchecked out.
Initially there wasn't anyindication of what turned out to
be, but after furtherexploration and some medical
expertise we found I've got, Ihad late stage renal cancer, my
(18:36):
renal system, and so we are veryfortunate to have some really
strong expertise in the medicalarena, and so we immediately
jumped into that with atwo-stage strategy.
It's the chemotherapy, with theacronym was TIP.
(18:59):
You may recall what that standsfor.
That's the, that's the chemicalbase for the uh, for for the
chemo, but it's a very harsh,very aggressive style chemo.
It's in, it's inpatient, fourdays 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.
(19:23):
You know, they put the port inyour chest.
It's not the through the veinand that type of thing.
And uh, uh, and this was at thetime where COVID was going on,
right, so everything kind of hitat once.
But, uh, but the, the physician, said you know what, if, if, if
this goes and you take thesetreatments, we think we can get
this solved.
And that's all I needed to hear.
And so, um, I did four, uhstages of the inpatient chemo
(19:46):
and that's four days at a time,with about 21 days in between,
and, uh, without question, Imean that that's a that tests
you, um, physically and mentally, but, um, I had the blessing,
physically and mentally, but Ihad the blessing.
I had a lot of blessings, butone was I could continue to do
(20:06):
my work and, even though Idisagree with it, that was the
window of time where NancyPelosi put in place, for the
very first time ever, proxyvoting.
So I could proxy vote, right, Idid travel back and forth some,
but later in the chemo stages,I just couldn't.
So we went through that.
The other blessing that cameout of that was I got to see the
medical system, something youunderstand very well, but I
(20:28):
didn't, and I still don't,really, but from the inside out,
right, and I and they were sogood with me they, when I say
they was St Luke's oncology,they kind of changed their
schedule so that I could come inon Friday, go Friday, saturday,
sunday, monday, be back in DCTuesday.
I mean they really did workwith me.
But I got to see that from theinside out I didn't know what
(20:51):
the difference between a regularnurse and a travel nurse was
and some of the coordinationproblems they have between
facilities didn't have anyunderstanding about that.
Got to know some of these peoplepersonally.
Frankly, just, you know, whenyou're in those circumstances
you're being monitored 24-7.
You get to have personalconversations.
I got some relationships out ofthat that will last a lifetime.
(21:13):
Yeah, great people you know,and this is something that's way
out of my wheelhouse.
But now you know right now we'redealing with okay, what do we
do with Medicaid?
Guess what.
I've got a network I can go topeople that I know and trust,
build a relationship, say, okay,what will this really do?
(21:34):
And so it's turned into ablessing and by God's grace, I
had surgeries after that.
Johns Hopkins did the surgeriesto kind of clean up what the
chemo didn't get.
And for coming up on four yearsnow I do a CT scan every six
months and by God's grace, it'scertainly not active and I don't
(21:59):
recommend it for a recreationalopportunity.
So if whatever, if you know,for whatever it's worth, but
I'll tell you what.
That was another one of thosethings 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'mjust blessed.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Yeah, and going through a change.
You can't go through thatwithout having one a bunch of
wisdom that comes from anexperience like that, and two
gratitude right.
It changes the way you look atthings and your time.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
And yeah, thanks for sharing that.
I got a whole new perspective.
I appreciate every day.
I used to complain aboutbirthdays.
I don't anymore.
I'm looking forward to the nextone.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
Well, thanks for sharing that.
I think it's good for peoplewhen we hear our leaders share
and be vulnerable and talk aboutthings they go through that are
hard, and how you're able tojust 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 aboutyourself and determination and
(22:57):
just mentally going through ittoo, start yesterday.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Let's get this thing done.
I got to say one other thingtoo, because this had a big
impact on me.
There was a Congressman fromMinnesota Jim Hagedorn was his
name going through the samething, very similar, at the same
time, and so that was a realbenefit, because here was
somebody else that you know, acolleague, if you will.
We were going through this atthe same time, but unfortunately
(23:30):
the COVID was going on at thattime and that that got him, and
so he didn't make it throughthis, and so we were talking
every day and, and here I cameout, 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 donewith you.
And I'm not saying he was donewith Jim.
(23:51):
I don't know what thecircumstances there were, but
all I know is it could have goneeither way and I was the one
who was blessed, and I'm the onewho's still here.
I went through something I'veshared on you can't.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
I went through I've shared on the podcast before but
I went through something verysimilar with my heart and the
first time I thought I would beokay and then the second time I
didn't.
I had an open heart and then ayear later had a heart attack
and I had it.
I had the chance to just thinkthis is it, and I think it
changed.
The first time I was.
I guess I was naive oroptimistic enough or whatever it
(24:24):
was.
I just didn't, I didn't think Iwas going to lose that battle.
Second time I thought I might.
Boy, it makes you look at therest of your days and appreciate
them different.
It makes you look at yourrelationships and great
gratitude.
Like it.
Just it sounds corny.
And great gratitude.
(24:45):
Like it, it just it soundscorny.
But but these, some of theselike 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'sjust the simple things.
Last night, I, I, uh.
I'll share just a little story.
I live on a farm now out herein CUNA, and I got home last
night and my wife was just soemotional.
(25:07):
I'm like, are you okay?
And she says I'm more than okayand she was just like sobbing.
And I'm like, are you okay?
And she said, well, mygrandkids, their grandkids, have
been there through the day andshe's like we got to go out, we
just had new twin baby goats.
(25:27):
They played with the goats andthey just fed the pigs and they
just they brought little chicksin the house and she, just, she
just was.
She's like, I just like imaginehow beautiful and simple and
amazing those interactions areand I'm just so, it was just
overwhelming gratitude what shewas was experiencing.
Then I started crying and I'mlike man, we're just sitting
there blubbering, a couple ofold people just blubbering about
how.
(25:47):
But it's the simple things,isn't it Russ?
Speaker 2 (25:49):
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 thatmore now because of going
through a real trying, becauseof going through a real trying
time and I think you do too,from what you're just explaining
and so absolutely every day isa new gift, every day is a new
(26:11):
blessing, and so, to the extentI try to apply that to what I do
and I know you do what can I dotoday to improve things?
How can I take this, take therole 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
(26:32):
function of going through thosetrials.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
Thanks for sharing that.
I do want to talk about yourjob right now and your
constituents and yourrepresentation of us.
A couple of things come to mind.
For me is Russ Well, first ofall, as our leader and our
representative, um the, theability you have to make a
difference for Idaho with ourdelegation.
(26:56):
I wanted you to give a talkabout just a little bit about
our, our, our delegation.
I, I I've got the enormousprivilege honor whatever you
want to call it when I moved toCUNA.
Jim's my ranching and farmingpartner now and I've gone from
knowing him to loving him.
He's one of my favorite humanson the planet Earth.
I don't say that lightly.
(27:16):
He's an example to me.
But you got him.
You got Mike.
That's been there and they'renow in these leadership
positions that are the envy ofthe country as far as what
they're able to do and control.
And we got Mike.
That's been there for a longtime but he's now.
He's got his tenure, and thenwe have you, that delegation,
representing Idaho.
(27:37):
It just means something backthere.
So for a relatively small statewith a relatively teeny
population compared to these bigstates, especially these giant
states that dominate so manyother things.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
Talk about our delegation and the
representation of Idaho in thecountry right now, feet, and you
had the, let's say, king for aday capacity to take four people
and strategically place them incommittee assignments in the US
(28:09):
House and the US Senate.
I don't think you could placethem more strategically
impactful in a positive way forthe state of Idaho than the four
that's there right now.
Amen, within my, within mypolitical lifetime, maybe my
lifetime lifetime I don't knowwho ever had that Jim Risch,
chairman foreign relationsSenate.
Mike Crapo, chairman finebanking finance in the house,
(28:32):
mike Simpson, seniorappropriations.
And myself, senior.
Now, believe it or not, afterfour terms energy commerce,
natural terms, energy commerce,natural resource.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
Congratulations by the way, thank you.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
But you know what we do work together.
Well, we communicate.
Chances are when it comesthrough certain energy commerce
stuff.
I'm going to get the heads upfirst.
Here's what's coming Bankingstuff, foreign relations stuff,
which is impactful because itimpacts so much of where some of
(29:04):
the appropriations go and howwe can be impacted by outside
adversarial forces.
Same thing with Simpson, and youknow 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 themajor ones, I can probably count
on my digits where we, when Isay major, I mean truly, truly
(29:25):
impactful, nationally, statewide.
Yeah, we line up almost thesame all the way across the
board.
But these are all people that Ithink are very strategically
placed.
We work together, and we worktogether with the governor's
office.
We've got to do that too.
There's only four of us, andyou take California, for example
(29:48):
, I don't know 40, so Texas, 30.
So, and so we have to be firingon all cylinders, and we do,
and so I think, I think we'reblessed in that regard and
they've been very good partnersto work with.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
Yeah, as you're talking, I'm thinking the envy
of the nation we are and it is alegacy of leadership.
You think about, financially,regulation-wise, the policies
that we have as a state and youwere part of that for 10 years
right at the state legislatureand you think of now the
governors, the leaderships we'vehad over long periods of time
to get us in the financial shapewe're in.
(30:26):
You look at even every policythat affects our people again,
not perfect, but envy of thenation.
And then you layer on top ofthat this congressional
delegation that has a greatworking relationship with a
state that represents our people, and I don't think it was ever
intended that everyone agrees oneverything.
But what I love about you guysis if you call you or read what
(30:49):
the great communications yousend out to your constituents.
You have your reasons andyou're deeply rooted in who you
are and you're genuine in theway you look at things and
that's what people want, wantcritical thinking, represent the
people, make great decisionsand then explain them why you're
making them, and I love thatabout it.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
Russ.
I would make a parallel becauseI think there's some
similarities with business there.
When you do business, you buildtrust with who you're
partnering with.
You build trust and you've gotto build that trust and that
confidence to have your partners, whoever it might be banking
components, the developmentcomponents with state and local
(31:32):
government.
You have to get somecredibility, you've got to get
some trust and to do that you'vegot to show up for work, you've
got to be competent, you've gotto do what you say, you know
what.
Same thing on the political side, and I and I think we as a
delegation are afforded someleeway because the people of
Idaho has said you know what,okay, he has demonstrated that
(31:57):
he's thinking through things andif he does something that
doesn't necessarily on thesurface line what I think it
ought to be, he's probably got areason.
And so we get a little grace asa function of that.
And hopefully it's because webuilt some of that trust and I
certainly feel that way, had alittle event last night with
some great friends were able tocome and that was just a
(32:19):
reminder.
We spent the whole evening justtalking about some of these
things, some of the issues goingon, and it's a real honor.
But I think you've done thesame thing in business is what
I'm trying to say, and it'sbuild some credibility, build
some trust.
Do what you say, you're goingto be fine.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
Yeah, I just love that.
Well, talk a little bit aboutsome of the things going on.
I think we are.
I mean, never has been therethe amount of information in a
news cycle right now with what'sgoing on in DC and around the
world.
If you look at internationalchallenges, conflicts,
resolutions, you look at howtariffs are affecting buildings
(32:58):
I'm building tomorrow and youlook at what they mean to us.
You look at the economy.
I mean we as a business herewe're trying to, we want
predictability, we want to kindof know what the next six months
or a few years look like.
And it just seems right nowyou've got to have your eye on
the ball at all times.
(33:19):
So many different balls In thesame time.
There's so many wonderfulthings happening that never
thought would happen in ourlifetime.
So it's kind of this mixbetween okay, what does all this
mean for a business to myfamily, as I kind of am
understanding it, there's juststill so much uncertainty.
What would you say as a guythat's back there with kind of
(33:39):
what's going on, and what shouldwe look for in the coming year,
years, as this kind of settles?
Because I think it's going tosettle a little bit I do too.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
So to give you, I think, a quality response, I've
got to set the stage, at leastfrom my vantage point.
In this country we are at war,and from my vantage point this
is a war with a progressive leftwho would like to see the
social and economic fabric ofthis country change.
(34:08):
And this is not a criticism,this is an observation, because
there's a although I disagreewith it.
There's an argument to be madethat we would be better off as a
society if we adopted a WesternEuropean or a South American
style socialist system and weput more control in the hands of
government, governmentdepartments to do more things.
(34:29):
And so about half the people inthe US House and Senate adopt
that view.
And that's the fight.
Can I?
Speaker 1 (34:39):
ask you a question on that.
Yeah, I want to hear this wholething.
How do you, if you look atthose policies even around us,
pick a city, pick a state pick?
I mean, I've got one of my sonsis in California, so I spent a
lot of time there recently.
(35:00):
I don't know how, Russ, I don'tknow how I mean, I walked down
the Third Street Promenade inSanta Monica.
That just five, six years agowas what it was.
I don't know how on God's greenearth you can see.
It's tangible, it is notdebatable.
(35:24):
Just what's right in front ofyou in socialist, leftist-led
communities and say that is goodfor America.
Speaker 2 (35:37):
I can't explain it either, but for those of us who
take the view we do, it is soobvious, right.
And for those who don't, Iguess it's possible they just
hate the country.
It's possible that they're soblinded by this so-called
idealistic world that theirelite category should be in
(35:59):
control.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
So I was with a group of them yesterday and when I
say of them, of people that buyinto that, that are from, and
I'm not listen.
I love these people and I thinkwhat I'm going to tell you is,
I think you can have aconversation with someone and
say I frankly, don't agreeprobably at all with what you
think, but I want to understandwhat you think.
(36:21):
Yeah, and I'm going to betotally respectful while I ask
you this question.
And I was with a room of threeof them yesterday and I said to
them it makes me sad, what islike I'm going to listen for
because we had plenty of time Isaid tell me the way out of this
for you and tell me what theanswer is.
(36:43):
And I literally listened andasked more questions in over 30
minutes.
There there, there aren'tsolutions.
Yeah, there, there.
There, there was this idea thatgovernment can fix everything,
that government can redistributewealth, that government can be
the answer to the trickle-downregulation of how we're going to
(37:06):
regulate people, to equality,and by doing so we are going to
wipe out all of the ills ofsociety.
And now they've created anenvironment that they're looking
.
They had no answers.
So, anyway, I interrupted you.
Speaker 2 (37:20):
No.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
But that's the fight going on right.
That's the war.
But you would think it would beless of a battle after so many
years of looking and now going.
It's not working, but I thinkthat's what the American people
kind of are waking up to?
Speaker 2 (37:34):
I think so too, and that's where ultimately this is
going.
But you make a really goodpoint up to.
I think so too, and that'swhere ultimately this is going.
But you make a really goodpoint.
The progressive left and, bythe way, they don't even want to
be called Democrats anymore inDC.
They want socialistprogressives or different types,
but they're not Democrats.
Speaker 1 (37:54):
They're not Democrats .
My family were all Kennecottcopper miners my dad, my
grandpas, my great grandpas andthey were Democrats.
They were true blue dogDemocrats.
So were the people on my dad'sside and if you look at what
they believed in our country andyou think of even the role of
(38:15):
what labor unions meant backthen, you think of even the role
of what labor unions meant backthen.
But if you looked at theirprinciples of their community
and caring for each other, it isnot what the progressive left
is.
It's not.
So I understand why they don'twant to call them that because
they're not Democrats.
That's true, and Democratsbecome this evil word, but
they're not Democrats.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
Yeah, Well, but I think you really touched on it.
The answer, as you and I wouldsee this, is the solutions come
through the private sector.
The solutions come throughempowerment of the individual,
the solutions come through thefree market and to them that
(38:56):
argument, the solution is moregovernment and the reason things
are going bad in California isbecause they don't have enough
government right Now.
That may be anoversimplification, but I think
that's kind of where that is,but that's the baseline.
And so when I talk to peopleand I met with some legislators
yesterday and they've got somechallenges and everything and in
(39:18):
this case it's Republicansfighting with Republicans and
just trying to encourage themLook, guys, I know they got
issues, Okay, and I know you'vegot issues and it's okay to
disagree on this, but you haveto refocus where the enemy
really is, and it's not in thisroom.
Okay, we can legitimately havedisagreements over tax policy or
(39:38):
healthcare care, transportation, whatever it might be, but
generally we all believe wherethe answer is and that's the
market system and what we justsaid we have to keep the focus
on.
It's those who want to changethat structure entirely, and
that's what I'm fighting with.
But I truly think if we were tohave this conversation in 20
(40:00):
years and we might, but let'sjust say we had this
conversation in 20 years I thinkwe would look back.
Speaker 1 (40:06):
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 (40:12):
But I think we will be saying at that point 2025 was
a generationally historic yearand, by the way, I'm not a
disciple of any human being,including the president but what
I am saying is is we are goingthrough a transitional time
(40:35):
where there is a bureaucraticintervention going on that is
desperately needed.
This is seven years in Congressfor me and I can tell you the
bureaucracies there have becomeso big, so huge, so powerful, so
inefficient, so fraudulent,that they have a parallel system
of governance where they put inplace policies via regulation,
via rule, that never go throughany kind of legislative channel
(40:58):
that we have to deal with.
Think EPA, think IRS stuff,think Bureau of Land Management
policies, regulations thatgovern what you can do with land
, that govern what kind of caryou can buy, right With tailpipe
regulations.
This never went throughCongress.
Okay, and with the you knowpeople like me we come and go.
(41:21):
I'll be in office for a fewyears, then I'll be gone.
Same thing with most of mycolleagues.
But the bureaucratic headsthey're there 10, 20, 30, 40
years.
That's the swamp, that's thedeep state.
Speaker 1 (41:34):
And that's.
Can you dive a little bitdeeper to that?
Because I think the word swamp,I think it's come up a lot and
I think say what you want aboutwhat's going on back there.
I think the exposure of whatthe word meant is now people
that may not have understoodwhat it was understand it.
I'm going to tell you one otherquick story, because I think I
(41:55):
had an aha moment just beforethe election.
I was up in McCall and I had afriend here who's very powerful
from DC, and it was just beforethe election and I was sitting
there with him and his wife andI said what do you think is
going to happen?
And he said it doesn't reallymatter.
And I said what do you mean?
It doesn't matter?
And he said the swamp is whatcontrols all this.
(42:19):
And we had a three-hour dinnerand at the end of it I I like
didn't even want to drive home.
I was so depressed because I'mthinking to myself I believe
this guy, yeah, that there'struth in it, that there's so
much money and control by thisthing that it will never be
changed.
(42:40):
It's interesting to see how theelection went and now the
uncovering of so many practices.
I think what the swamp meant tome 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, andthat's why Doge is so important.
Speaker 2 (43:01):
That's why the Department of Government
Efficiency?
By the way, that wasn't startedby Donald Trump.
That was started by BarackObama.
Speaker 1 (43:06):
I saw some of those videos recently.
Speaker 2 (43:08):
And so this is not a Republican thing and it's not
unusual to have a third-partyindependent kind of head that up
, like elon musk in this case.
Uh, fdr had uh harry shipshipment or shippy, something
like that.
Uh, woodrow wilson had ed houseand they were the elon musk of
(43:29):
their day.
Right, those are both democrats, by the way come in and do this
kind of thing, and so that'swhy that's so important, because
things are getting exposed andyou know, I got a report on, you
know, social Security, forexample, and what is being
uncovered.
Then we got a couple of bookendsand you got low billions on one
(43:51):
end of the bookend.
You got high billions, liketriple digit billions on the
other, somewhere in.
You know, between $75 billionand $500 billion is the amount
we pay each year to dead people.
Okay, and this has never beenexposed or caught or any kind of
audit, any kind of oversight.
(44:12):
And, tommy, the other thingI've learned is, although
Congress has the constitutionalpower of oversight, the tools we
have to do it are soinappropriate, so inadequate.
That's why it's so important tohave this doge, get in there
and start digging through someof this stuff.
Speaker 1 (44:31):
So there's a couple things that I so.
I mean I spent a lot of time.
I give a talk to Mission 43every year, four hours, and I
was with them two weeks ago andwhen we went in our room one of
the things that everyone talkedabout is a lot of their private
jobs are being cut because ofthis.
I think the Doge thing iswonderful.
It's also creating a lot offear and anxiety and real
(44:55):
results that you're probablyhearing at your office every day
anxiety and real results thatyou're probably hearing at your
office every day.
But I will say this as ataxpayer who's been audited
three times by my federalgovernment.
I just do because of the way, Imean, I've been through it.
It is infuriating to me to hearsome of these things like
nothing Cause when they came anddid an audit of me and
(45:17):
literally looked for bird shitin the cuckoo clock on every
single thing I had for my littleexperience every time I went
through, and then I hear thatsome of these departments have
never passed an audit.
They don't know.
There's all this money missingeverywhere.
I'm thinking to myself nothingmakes a working guy more
(45:39):
frustrated.
That provides jobs, that all mypeople pay taxes that we're in
America.
We believe this dream and mygovernment is doing this.
So I think they'reunderestimating.
I do Because you know you lookat the mainstream media and you
look at all this stuff.
I think, for people that paytaxes and you know this country
was built on the backs of smallbusiness period there's big
(46:02):
business, but it's smallbusiness people, that's that's.
You look at the tax base, youlook where it comes from and I
think they're underestimatingRuss and you give me your
opinion.
I think people are going to begoing.
Wait a minute, you, you, youwant me to follow all these
rules.
You want me to do all thethings I do for my families that
I care for.
You consider these people thatwork for you.
(46:24):
This is family, it's personal.
You look at the taxes we paypayroll taxes, property taxes,
income taxes and you're tellingme these things are true.
Yeah, I think they greatly.
I think they areunderestimating the people in
this country that are smallbusiness owners that are going
to go BS.
Yeah, get this fixed.
Speaker 2 (46:43):
Yeah, and you're right.
And so each committee forexample, energy and Commerce is
one of my committees Eachcommittee is assigned X amount
of dollars.
We agreed that we are going totry to, within our jurisdiction,
reduce from the budget for thenext year.
Okay, I think the amount thatmy Energy and Commerce Committee
(47:03):
is targeting to reduce is $880billion.
We're going to be able to dothat because of some of these
things that are being found, andmy office, everybody on that
committee, are being barragedwith people because, you know,
don't touch my stuff, don't dothis, don't do that, and so we
can.
To support your point, we didtwo polls nationwide just within
(47:29):
the last 10 days and theattitude is exactly what you
said 85 plus percent of peopleacross this country love the
fact that things are beingdissected.
Finally, and some of thesethings are being identified, and
they are angry and, frankly, Iam too.
It's embarrassing to be acongressman and not know that we
(47:51):
might have, just you know, 100plus billion to dead people.
How did I not know that Then,on the other hand, being there,
well, the Musk group had to hackinto the system to get it,
because, even with an executiveorder, they weren't afforded
this information.
My point, bottom line is we'regoing through a bureaucratic
(48:11):
intervention.
The swamp is being looked at,the swamp is being audited like
they've never done before andit's just like any parasite that
is being threatened of losingtheir host.
They are fighting back and theyare lashing out.
Security is an issue for all ofus.
The mainstream media, of course, is aligned with them, all
those things but this processneeds to happen.
(48:32):
It's ugly, it's embarrassing,but the end result is going to
be a good thing for.
Speaker 1 (48:35):
America.
I think the American peoplewant to.
I do.
We're almost out of time, but Igot to ask you one question
because I am worried aboutsomething 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'rejust like no, shut this down.
Figure it out, please help us.
But there is a role forgovernment.
(48:58):
There is a role for governmentand government dollars spend
efficiently and put in the rightplaces, and we should have
safety nets.
We should have ways to takecare of people that can't take
care of themselves we.
So what reassurance can yougive us here in the state or in
the country?
For because we tend in our life,not just government, you know,
(49:20):
as things correct, oftentimesthat pendulum swings pretty hard
and I think that there are alot of people worried about well
, what about some of theseprograms, whether they be state
or federal programs that now aregetting looked at, that that
that are at, that are valuable,and that's the definition of
(49:41):
valuable and how much and toolittle, or whatever.
But I worry about people livingon the edge, I worry about
people that are working there.
Think about that Alice.
Population in Idahoasset-limited,
income-constrained employed, theworking poor, where you've got
inflation that's killed them,you've got housing prices that
(50:03):
are killing them and now you'vegot things that are going to get
looked at.
I mean, a lot of people live onthat thin edge.
How do we not swing it too hardand what would be your advice
for?
Speaker 2 (50:17):
First of all, I'm incredibly encouraged because,
first of all, we have, as anation, the resources.
We have everything we need tocover critical services and
provide an environment forpeople to prosper.
We've got it, we're just notusing it well.
(50:37):
Yeah, that's a great answer andthis exposure is helping us get
smarter, even throughembarrassing incidents, to use
it better.
You know, medicaid comes up alot because that's going to go
through my committee and peopleare super concerned about that.
First and foremost, there areso many things going on with
(50:59):
eligibility that are never beingchecked.
Just address that that's goingto go a long way.
There is an argument to be madefor those who are working age,
that are able-bodied.
Shouldn't there at least havethe discussion of a work
requirement for those types ofthings If they're not working at
(51:22):
all?
That goes a long, long way tothis.
We don't have to cut it.
We don't have to.
Anybody who's truly disabledand fits that base category,
they're not going to be impacted, I don't think.
But it also opens us up to doalso within our parameters get
rid of the doggone mandates forelectronic vehicles.
Don't pay off these studentloans for crying out loud.
(51:43):
There's a hundred and somebillion.
And if I can just close theloop with this.
Even some of my Democratprogressive left friends will
never say it, but they'rerelieved with some of this stuff
going on too, because theydon't have to defend some of the
stupid stuff anymore.
Okay, that was.
Speaker 1 (52:04):
They were driven to, to support so so so plenty of
money.
Let's use it right.
Speaker 2 (52:09):
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 foranother hour.
Speaker 1 (52:21):
I love and appreciate you.
I want to end there.
Thank you for your friendshipover a long period of time.
Thank you for your leadershipThoughtful.
I love any time I talk to youbecause I feel like that's my
representative, that's the onelooking out for Idaho and for my
family, for my kids.
My grandkids Appreciate yourservice and your friendship,
(52:43):
buddy.
Speaker 2 (52:44):
I just have to reciprocate and say you know,
there's a handful, there's arelatively few number of
critical resources who take thetime, the effort, the risk and
they have the expertise and thedrive to turn the wheels of this
economic engine in this state,in this country.
You're one of them and don'tever underestimate your impact,
(53:06):
and you've certainly had thatwith me.
Speaker 1 (53:07):
I appreciate you, buddy, thank you, thank you,
thanks everybody.
Today on the Ever Onward podcast.
I'm very happy and pleasedWe'll have Congressman Russ
Fulcher.
He is a longtime friend, greatIdahoan businessman, politician,
leader.
We get into a lot of realdetailed things about him and
his life here and hiscontributions he's made to the
state and now what he's doing inWashington DC.
(00:20):
A lot of changes there.
Russ is in his fourth term asour congressman and has done an
amazing job.
I'm very thankful he came on tospend some time with us today,
congressman Russ Fulcher.
Congressman, just great to seeyou, man, it's great to see you.
(00:45):
It is really great to see you,man, it's great to see you.
It is really great to see you.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
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 goodconversation.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Well, I want to start with a lot of these things.
We just get rolling on.
But when you came in you'relike hey, I used to farm this
land where the building is.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
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 youwere a farm kid, because you
could run tractors, you couldrun combines.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
So for everyone that's listening because I do
you are a good friend and I'mgoing to get into it.
I respect the heck out of youfor a lot of reasons, but you
grew up right here in Meridianon a dairy farm, so you're truly
a farm kid, Two miles to thesouth of where we're sitting
right now doing this recording.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
My mother's still out there.
She's 95 on the original familyplace South Eagle Road in Amity
.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Yeah, and dairy farm worked your tail off.
What a great way to grow up.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
We used to.
I took it for granted.
I really did, I took it forgranted.
We used to have dairy farmsright here locally in Meridian.
It was just a differentenvironment 10,000 people when I
was born Now we're about 150, Ithink and just a different
lifestyle and I didn'tappreciate it.
I wish I would have known justhow much value there was in
growing up on a dairy farm andjust the work ethic and lives
(02:06):
about life.
You know life and death andanimals and all that stuff.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
But at the end of the day, it was a great way to grow
up.
We're pretty lucky.
Like, heritage is a big wordFor whatever reason.
It comes up a lot with thepeople I talk out on this
podcast.
But what does Idaho heritagemean to a guy like you?
You get to go back andrepresent us, by the way, thank
you, thank you.
It's just an honor having youthere representing us, knowing a
(02:38):
guy that's back there fightingfor us.
But what does Idaho heritagemean for you in your fight and
your soul?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Well, first of all, we are the envy of many states.
Yeah, and I get that firsthandall the time.
I mean, I work with members ofCongress, house and Senate from
all over the country and it isfrequently a point of
conversation where they areapproaching me man, I wish that
(03:05):
we had the environment that youdid, and the reason that you're
experiencing growth is, and howyou handle certain things from
your tax policy, from youreducation system.
So I get these comments all thetime from other members of
Congress across the countrybecause we've got our problems
here.
We all know that.
But, comparatively speaking,this is a good place to be and,
(03:28):
as a function of that, we'regrowing like crazy.
I don't know if you knew this,but I've actually got the
largest congressional districtin the nation by population.
Right now, we're over a millionpeople in my congressional
district.
We narrowly missed anothermember in 2020.
With the census and with thegrowth since then, it's just
gotten bigger.
(03:48):
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 wonderfulplace called Idaho, where you
learn a value system that is, Ibelieve, consistent with the
(04:10):
heritage of our nation Divinelyinspired foundational Christian
values, and those are the thingsthat people want.
You know, we've got neighboringstates that have so many
conflicts, and so what do theydo?
A lot of the good people theymove to Idaho to, whether they
(04:30):
realize it firsthand or not.
They're coming here for becauseof our heritage.
They're coming here because ofour value system.
They're coming here becausethey like families and they like
a safe place where you can goout in the evening pretty much
anywhere and not have to worryabout being accosted.
So it means it's a lot ofdifferent factors, but the
(04:52):
bottom line is I am blessed tobe from Idaho and I'm also
blessed to represent the peopleof this great state.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
I love it For those who who I mean, I know because I
was able to spend a lot of timewith you.
But you also have a tremendousbackground that allowed you to
have a perspective of Idaho frommultiple views.
Business, I mean, I don't thinkpeople so grow up a farm kid,
work your tail off, plow groundright here where we're sitting
(05:24):
today and where our building is.
You have that then.
Then you then you work atmicron international business,
at one of one of idaho's greatcompanies and one of america's
great companies, and and thenyou spend time in the state
legislature.
You understand how governmentworks.
Um, tremendous experience thatallows you to go represent us.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
A lot of that being at the right place, right time.
You know, I'd like to say it'sbecause I was an all-star.
The bottom line is I wasn't.
I don't feel that way, but whenI was just going into college,
micron was a startup, yeah, andI needed a place where I could
work at night and fund mycollege education, go to school
(06:05):
during the day, and that's whatI did.
And this little startup neverheard of Micron, didn't know
what a semiconductor was.
To save my soul, they gave me agreat start, basically the first
15 years of their of time.
I was there about zero in salesto.
(06:26):
We got into billions by the 15years and they gave me an
education that you can't getanywhere else, tommy, and it was
a young kid.
We were learning as we went andstruggling, unlike today,
struggling to keep the doorsopen.
This was a differentenvironment.
The Parkinson's were thereRandall Chance, juan Benitez,
(06:49):
those original guys, dougPittman and we were just trying
to figure it out as we go.
Right, as you know, it's onething to start a business, it's
another thing to mature abusiness, and so I remember my
first experience there businessand so, uh, I remember my first
experience there.
Um, we.
We had problems with Japanesepredatory pricing for
(07:10):
semiconductors in the U?
S couldn't get any businesshere.
Uh, ward Parkinson gave me aone way ticket to Europe and, uh
, since, come back with businessand um and never been.
Never been out of the state,much less out of the country.
Right, but that's how we didthings.
We just did it.
And you know, I went there,started going to trade shows,
(07:32):
making contacts and makingnetworks.
Next thing, you know, we land afew customers and Apple.
I got to tell you an Apple storyreally quick.
I got to tell you an Applestory really quick.
Apple was viewed in theindustry as this crazy company
out of the Bay Area that nobodywould want to do business with
because they were crazy.
They had this guy named Jobsand he was going to put
(07:55):
computers in every house inAmerica.
Right, well, he was nuts.
And then you had this companyin Boise, idaho, in the desert.
They were manufacturing one ofthe most complex devices on the
planet.
They were nuts.
Right, it was a perfect fit.
For that window of time, theonly place that Apple could
really get computer componentsor semiconductors was Micron,
(08:18):
because nobody else would dobusiness with them.
On that front, and just to thereverse, the only people we
could sell to was Apple, becausenobody else would buy from us
and we were both so poor, therewas just no resources.
We did a deal where we becausewe didn't have any money, but
they needed parts and theydidn't have any money.
(08:40):
So we traded stuff.
We traded remember the lisacomputer I think was the name,
it was a precursor to the mac,yeah and uh.
So we took lisa computers inpayment and we were using those
for um, our test equipment andwhatnot.
And it grew into a big problemlater on because there were tax
(09:00):
issues, right, because there wasa transaction, but it wasn't
like a billable amount.
Anyway, but it was a few peoplecan remember when Apple didn't
have any money or Micron didn'thave any money.
And so I look back on thoseyears and I go, oh, my goodness,
what a history.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
I think didn't you tell me one time you had an
actual negotiation story that Ithink you used to tell?
That's unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Well, there was a number of them, but part of that
issue was, you may recall, theJapanese suppliers were
predatory pricing and they hadtaken out pretty much all of the
memory makers in the USFairchild National Semiconductor
, intel, which used to make DRAM, but they don't anymore, moss
(09:48):
Tech these are names you may ormay not have heard of, but they
were big at one time andeverybody was thinking that the
Japanese suppliers were better,were cheaper and they were
definitely cheaper.
But we figured out that wait aminute, you tear those things
apart and you can tell basicallywhat their costs were by the
(10:08):
size of the dye and the layers,and so we were looking at that
compared to ours.
There's no way they can makethese for less than we can.
So I'll just fast forward thatstory.
But the Parkinson's basicallygot assistance through Senator
McClure's office in WashingtonDC to have the Department of
(10:31):
Commerce go after the Japanesesuppliers over tariffs.
And in that window of time Iwas airdropped into Senator
McClure's office as an internand that's kind of what over
time led to the interest thatturned out where I am right now.
But it was during that windowof time and I got a lot of
(10:54):
education over that time becausewhen finally the US Department
of Commerce recognized they sawall the data, they said, okay,
these suppliers are beingsubsidized by their own
government, and they were.
They levied a tariff and thatchanged the electronic landscape
and back then in the 80s,anything you bought electronic
(11:18):
was basically coming out ofJapan.
But if you look at it nowthey're really not, because that
has shifted away, because oncethose subsidies didn't work
anymore, it was a house of cards, and so that changed the whole
economic landscape.
Had no idea at the time becausewe were just fighting for
survival.
But that was a different era.
And I look back at theleadership of the company at the
(11:40):
point and and uh, we are truly,truly blessed to have them in
our, in our economic space inidaho.
But if it weren't for theinitiative and it was the
parkinson twins, it was juanvenidas, it was randall chan
those guys, uh, would not giveup.
And uh, and that persistencepaid off warren's still around
(12:03):
doing great stuff.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
He's on the uh cI board to raise some money to
help out with their growth.
What a great guy.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Legendary.
He's a genius in his own field.
Just one of those gifts thatIdaho historically had.
That uh left a mark that veryfew people will ever leave.
That's awesome.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
I want to.
I want to.
I think the first time I'm soyou were with, so, after you
were with bottles for a bit as aas a broker doing real estate,
yeah, and I think it's the firstfew times I met you.
Yeah, Mark's, Mark's anincredible guy too.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Yes, here's another one of these guys.
He just knows what he's doing.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
And one of just the best humans on the planet.
He just is.
But so I'd met you before, butthen, when I got into politics,
for my short toe, dip and outand never to go back, by the way
, russ Well if you ever want to.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
I know of a congressional seat that you
might be interested in.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
No, not going to happen again.
But I want to tell this storybecause it means a lot to me.
It's a different world, it'sjust different and I had no
experience and really wasn'tthat good at it.
But when I met you, when you,you had run against um Butch
2014.
(13:29):
And when you ran against Butch,those results were, I mean, you
was really close race Um andthen, um you, you threw your hat
in again and when I got in therace, um you, we.
I remember meeting with you andevery single meeting we had it
felt like a friendship, it feltlike a fellow Idahoan.
(13:52):
I mean, I know this soundscorny, but in politics it's not,
because that doesn't exist, butI always just felt you were who
you were.
You were this Idaho guy,business guy that loved the
state, that was in this for theright 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 (14:12):
And I'll tell you what that's a two way street
Cause.
Uh, if God gave me a gift andI'm not saying he did, but if
God gave me a gift, it's Ibelieve I've got the ability to
read people and that served mewell in business, it served me
well in politics, and you're thereal deal.
And I could tell when we metAlthough we had met in passing
(14:33):
until we had some of thosediscussions, really I didn't get
to know you, but you were goingto be successful, no matter
what you did, and whether it wasin the political realm or the
business realm or in the medicalfield, 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 avery brief time, we were, I
(14:55):
guess, technically competitorsin that field.
Look, when you find somebodythat's going to be successful,
they're going to have a, they'regoing to have an imprint on on
the economy, on the state, onthe leadership, then you, you
want to encourage that person,you want to to you.
You, you want to leverage themto the extent you can to be
(15:17):
successful.
And that's how I felt.
And so, even though we were, inthat, technically opposing each
other for a short period oftime.
I was trying to be mindful.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
It always felt and I grew really close to you then
because we were on the campaigntrail for a while.
I don't know if you rememberthis, but then you had your
thing with your eye.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
I did Detached retina .
Speaker 1 (15:37):
You had a detached retina.
And then I remember one exchangewe had at a gas station and you
probably don't even remember it, but it's just.
It's a really raw experience togo through these political
things and I remember seeing itat a gas station and I remember
just this interaction with youand kind of giving you a bro hug
and saying, hey, man, thanksfor being such a good friend,
and it meant the world to me.
(15:57):
Now, ultimately, you got outwhen Raul got in and then you
went on to be successful yourfourth term now I can't even
believe that in and then youwent on to be successful your
fourth fourth term.
Now I can't even believe thatfourth term in congress.
Already we're getting older,but I I just wanted to.
It's just an example to me howyou can be, you know, in a race
against each other, for a shortperiod of time knew each other
but also develop a friendshipand of trust that's just lasted
(16:21):
ever since then and I just, Ijust really appreciate that's
certainly the case here, and,and, and I appreciate you and
and and.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
uh, you know things happen for a reason.
And at that window of time, Ididn't, I didn't really know, um
, obviously, what I do now, butI think things happen for a
reason.
I think that it's not anaccident that we met, it's not
an accident that we were inthose circumstances at the same
time, because it did build thatrapport and I look back on it
(16:47):
and, as you know, I do have afaith base and I think that that
was part of, maybe, god's wayof steering me where I'm
supposed to be for now and Ithink I'm where I'm supposed to
be for now.
Yeah, right, this is notforever.
I'm gonna do this forever.
You know, uh, this is a crazyworld, but, um, I do think that
that, uh, I'm where I'm supposedto be for now.
(17:08):
Frankly, I think you are whereyou are supposed to be right now
.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
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 samethings I just said.
I think you are genuine and youare a leader and you care about
this place and you've done sowell for us in Idaho.
You've also, I want to talkabout your health struggle, if
(17:33):
you're okay talking a little bitabout that, because I ran into
you in a Walmart and I knewyou'd been going through it.
But but you, you really wentthrough it and I'm glad you're
doing so well.
But but you, okay, talking aboutthat and the one the experience
, what you learned from it andwhat people might appreciate.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
I started getting um, uh, fatigued late in the day
and uh, and that's not me.
I typically don't have anyenergy problems, but come four
or five o'clock during the day Iwas physically running out of
gas.
And then shortly after that Istarted to have some urinary
blockage issues, and that's aproblem.
(18:14):
And so I started gettingchecked out.
Initially there wasn't anyindication of what turned out to
be, but after furtherexploration and some medical
expertise we found I've got, Ihad late stage renal cancer, my
(18:36):
renal system, and so we are veryfortunate to have some really
strong expertise in the medicalarena, and so we immediately
jumped into that with atwo-stage strategy.
It's the chemotherapy, with theacronym was TIP.
(18:59):
You may recall what that standsfor.
That's the, that's the chemicalbase for the uh, for for the
chemo, but it's a very harsh,very aggressive style chemo.
It's in, it's inpatient, fourdays 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.
(19:23):
You know, they put the port inyour chest.
It's not the through the veinand that type of thing.
And uh, uh, and this was at thetime where COVID was going on,
right, so everything kind of hitat once.
But, uh, but the, the physician, said you know what, if, if, if
this goes and you take thesetreatments, we think we can get
this solved.
And that's all I needed to hear.
And so, um, I did four, uhstages of the inpatient chemo
(19:46):
and that's four days at a time,with about 21 days in between,
and, uh, without question, Imean that that's a that tests
you, um, physically and mentally, but, um, I had the blessing,
physically and mentally, but Ihad the blessing.
I had a lot of blessings, butone was I could continue to do
(20:06):
my work and, even though Idisagree with it, that was the
window of time where NancyPelosi put in place, for the
very first time ever, proxyvoting.
So I could proxy vote, right, Idid travel back and forth some,
but later in the chemo stages,I just couldn't.
So we went through that.
The other blessing that cameout of that was I got to see the
medical system, something youunderstand very well, but I
(20:28):
didn't, and I still don't,really, but from the inside out,
right, and I and they were sogood with me they, when I say
they was St Luke's oncology,they kind of changed their
schedule so that I could come inon Friday, go Friday, saturday,
sunday, monday, be back in DCTuesday.
I mean they really did workwith me.
But I got to see that from theinside out I didn't know what
(20:51):
the difference between a regularnurse and a travel nurse was
and some of the coordinationproblems they have between
facilities didn't have anyunderstanding about that.
Got to know some of these peoplepersonally.
Frankly, just, you know, whenyou're in those circumstances
you're being monitored 24-7.
You get to have personalconversations.
I got some relationships out ofthat that will last a lifetime.
(21:13):
Yeah, great people you know,and this is something that's way
out of my wheelhouse.
But now you know right now we'redealing with okay, what do we
do with Medicaid?
Guess what.
I've got a network I can go topeople that I know and trust,
build a relationship, say, okay,what will this really do?
(21:34):
And so it's turned into ablessing and by God's grace, I
had surgeries after that.
Johns Hopkins did the surgeriesto kind of clean up what the
chemo didn't get.
And for coming up on four yearsnow I do a CT scan every six
months and by God's grace, it'scertainly not active and I don't
(21:59):
recommend it for a recreationalopportunity.
So if whatever, if you know,for whatever it's worth, but
I'll tell you what.
That was another one of thosethings 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'mjust blessed.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Yeah, and going through a change.
You can't go through thatwithout having one a bunch of
wisdom that comes from anexperience like that, and two
gratitude right.
It changes the way you look atthings and your time.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
And yeah, thanks for sharing that.
I got a whole new perspective.
I appreciate every day.
I used to complain aboutbirthdays.
I don't anymore.
I'm looking forward to the nextone.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
Well, thanks for sharing that.
I think it's good for peoplewhen we hear our leaders share
and be vulnerable and talk aboutthings they go through that are
hard, and how you're able tojust 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 aboutyourself and determination and
(22:57):
just mentally going through ittoo, start yesterday.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Let's get this thing done.
I got to say one other thingtoo, because this had a big
impact on me.
There was a Congressman fromMinnesota Jim Hagedorn was his
name going through the samething, very similar, at the same
time, and so that was a realbenefit, because here was
somebody else that you know, acolleague, if you will.
We were going through this atthe same time, but unfortunately
(23:30):
the COVID was going on at thattime and that that got him, and
so he didn't make it throughthis, and so we were talking
every day and, and here I cameout, 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 donewith you.
And I'm not saying he was donewith Jim.
(23:51):
I don't know what thecircumstances there were, but
all I know is it could have goneeither way and I was the one
who was blessed, and I'm the onewho's still here.
I went through something I'veshared on you can't.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
I went through I've shared on the podcast before but
I went through something verysimilar with my heart and the
first time I thought I would beokay and then the second time I
didn't.
I had an open heart and then ayear later had a heart attack
and I had it.
I had the chance to just thinkthis is it, and I think it
changed.
The first time I was.
I guess I was naive oroptimistic enough or whatever it
(24:24):
was.
I just didn't, I didn't think Iwas going to lose that battle.
Second time I thought I might.
Boy, it makes you look at therest of your days and appreciate
them different.
It makes you look at yourrelationships and great
gratitude.
Like it.
Just it sounds corny.
And great gratitude.
(24:45):
Like it, it just it soundscorny.
But but these, some of theselike 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'sjust the simple things.
Last night, I, I, uh.
I'll share just a little story.
I live on a farm now out herein CUNA, and I got home last
night and my wife was just soemotional.
(25:07):
I'm like, are you okay?
And she says I'm more than okayand she was just like sobbing.
And I'm like, are you okay?
And she said, well, mygrandkids, their grandkids, have
been there through the day andshe's like we got to go out, we
just had new twin baby goats.
(25:27):
They played with the goats andthey just fed the pigs and they
just they brought little chicksin the house and she, just, she
just was.
She's like, I just like imaginehow beautiful and simple and
amazing those interactions areand I'm just so, it was just
overwhelming gratitude what shewas was experiencing.
Then I started crying and I'mlike man, we're just sitting
there blubbering, a couple ofold people just blubbering about
how.
(25:47):
But it's the simple things,isn't it Russ?
Speaker 2 (25:49):
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 thatmore now because of going
through a real trying, becauseof going through a real trying
time and I think you do too,from what you're just explaining
and so absolutely every day isa new gift, every day is a new
(26:11):
blessing, and so, to the extentI try to apply that to what I do
and I know you do what can I dotoday to improve things?
How can I take this, take therole 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
(26:32):
function of going through thosetrials.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
Thanks for sharing that.
I do want to talk about yourjob right now and your
constituents and yourrepresentation of us.
A couple of things come to mind.
For me is Russ Well, first ofall, as our leader and our
representative, um the, theability you have to make a
difference for Idaho with ourdelegation.
(26:56):
I wanted you to give a talkabout just a little bit about
our, our, our delegation.
I, I I've got the enormousprivilege honor whatever you
want to call it when I moved toCUNA.
Jim's my ranching and farmingpartner now and I've gone from
knowing him to loving him.
He's one of my favorite humanson the planet Earth.
I don't say that lightly.
(27:16):
He's an example to me.
But you got him.
You got Mike.
That's been there and they'renow in these leadership
positions that are the envy ofthe country as far as what
they're able to do and control.
And we got Mike.
That's been there for a longtime but he's now.
He's got his tenure, and thenwe have you, that delegation,
representing Idaho.
(27:37):
It just means something backthere.
So for a relatively small statewith a relatively teeny
population compared to these bigstates, especially these giant
states that dominate so manyother things.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
Talk about our delegation and the
representation of Idaho in thecountry right now, feet, and you
had the, let's say, king for aday capacity to take four people
and strategically place them incommittee assignments in the US
(28:09):
House and the US Senate.
I don't think you could placethem more strategically
impactful in a positive way forthe state of Idaho than the four
that's there right now.
Amen, within my, within mypolitical lifetime, maybe my
lifetime lifetime I don't knowwho ever had that Jim Risch,
chairman foreign relationsSenate.
Mike Crapo, chairman finebanking finance in the house,
(28:32):
mike Simpson, seniorappropriations.
And myself, senior.
Now, believe it or not, afterfour terms energy commerce,
natural terms, energy commerce,natural resource.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
Congratulations by the way, thank you.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
But you know what we do work together.
Well, we communicate.
Chances are when it comesthrough certain energy commerce
stuff.
I'm going to get the heads upfirst.
Here's what's coming Bankingstuff, foreign relations stuff,
which is impactful because itimpacts so much of where some of
(29:04):
the appropriations go and howwe can be impacted by outside
adversarial forces.
Same thing with Simpson, and youknow 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 themajor ones, I can probably count
on my digits where we, when Isay major, I mean truly, truly
(29:25):
impactful, nationally, statewide.
Yeah, we line up almost thesame all the way across the
board.
But these are all people that Ithink are very strategically
placed.
We work together, and we worktogether with the governor's
office.
We've got to do that too.
There's only four of us, andyou take California, for example
(29:48):
, I don't know 40, so Texas, 30.
So, and so we have to be firingon all cylinders, and we do,
and so I think, I think we'reblessed in that regard and
they've been very good partnersto work with.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
Yeah, as you're talking, I'm thinking the envy
of the nation we are and it is alegacy of leadership.
You think about, financially,regulation-wise, the policies
that we have as a state and youwere part of that for 10 years
right at the state legislatureand you think of now the
governors, the leaderships we'vehad over long periods of time
to get us in the financial shapewe're in.
(30:26):
You look at even every policythat affects our people again,
not perfect, but envy of thenation.
And then you layer on top ofthat this congressional
delegation that has a greatworking relationship with a
state that represents our people, and I don't think it was ever
intended that everyone agrees oneverything.
But what I love about you guysis if you call you or read what
(30:49):
the great communications yousend out to your constituents.
You have your reasons andyou're deeply rooted in who you
are and you're genuine in theway you look at things and
that's what people want, wantcritical thinking, represent the
people, make great decisionsand then explain them why you're
making them, and I love thatabout it.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
Russ.
I would make a parallel becauseI think there's some
similarities with business there.
When you do business, you buildtrust with who you're
partnering with.
You build trust and you've gotto build that trust and that
confidence to have your partners, whoever it might be banking
components, the developmentcomponents with state and local
(31:32):
government.
You have to get somecredibility, you've got to get
some trust and to do that you'vegot to show up for work, you've
got to be competent, you've gotto do what you say, you know
what.
Same thing on the political side, and I and I think we as a
delegation are afforded someleeway because the people of
Idaho has said you know what,okay, he has demonstrated that
(31:57):
he's thinking through things andif he does something that
doesn't necessarily on thesurface line what I think it
ought to be, he's probably got areason.
And so we get a little grace asa function of that.
And hopefully it's because webuilt some of that trust and I
certainly feel that way, had alittle event last night with
some great friends were able tocome and that was just a
(32:19):
reminder.
We spent the whole evening justtalking about some of these
things, some of the issues goingon, and it's a real honor.
But I think you've done thesame thing in business is what
I'm trying to say, and it'sbuild some credibility, build
some trust.
Do what you say, you're goingto be fine.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
Yeah, I just love that.
Well, talk a little bit aboutsome of the things going on.
I think we are.
I mean, never has been therethe amount of information in a
news cycle right now with what'sgoing on in DC and around the
world.
If you look at internationalchallenges, conflicts,
resolutions, you look at howtariffs are affecting buildings
(32:58):
I'm building tomorrow and youlook at what they mean to us.
You look at the economy.
I mean we as a business herewe're trying to, we want
predictability, we want to kindof know what the next six months
or a few years look like.
And it just seems right nowyou've got to have your eye on
the ball at all times.
(33:19):
So many different balls In thesame time.
There's so many wonderfulthings happening that never
thought would happen in ourlifetime.
So it's kind of this mixbetween okay, what does all this
mean for a business to myfamily, as I kind of am
understanding it, there's juststill so much uncertainty.
What would you say as a guythat's back there with kind of
(33:39):
what's going on, and what shouldwe look for in the coming year,
years, as this kind of settles?
Because I think it's going tosettle a little bit I do too.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
So to give you, I think, a quality response, I've
got to set the stage, at leastfrom my vantage point.
In this country we are at war,and from my vantage point this
is a war with a progressive leftwho would like to see the
social and economic fabric ofthis country change.
(34:08):
And this is not a criticism,this is an observation, because
there's a although I disagreewith it.
There's an argument to be madethat we would be better off as a
society if we adopted a WesternEuropean or a South American
style socialist system and weput more control in the hands of
government, governmentdepartments to do more things.
(34:29):
And so about half the people inthe US House and Senate adopt
that view.
And that's the fight.
Can I?
Speaker 1 (34:39):
ask you a question on that.
Yeah, I want to hear this wholething.
How do you, if you look atthose policies even around us,
pick a city, pick a state pick?
I mean, I've got one of my sonsis in California, so I spent a
lot of time there recently.
(35:00):
I don't know how, Russ, I don'tknow how I mean, I walked down
the Third Street Promenade inSanta Monica.
That just five, six years agowas what it was.
I don't know how on God's greenearth you can see.
It's tangible, it is notdebatable.
(35:24):
Just what's right in front ofyou in socialist, leftist-led
communities and say that is goodfor America.
Speaker 2 (35:37):
I can't explain it either, but for those of us who
take the view we do, it is soobvious, right.
And for those who don't, Iguess it's possible they just
hate the country.
It's possible that they're soblinded by this so-called
idealistic world that theirelite category should be in
(35:59):
control.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
So I was with a group of them yesterday and when I
say of them, of people that buyinto that, that are from, and
I'm not listen.
I love these people and I thinkwhat I'm going to tell you is,
I think you can have aconversation with someone and
say I frankly, don't agreeprobably at all with what you
think, but I want to understandwhat you think.
(36:21):
Yeah, and I'm going to betotally respectful while I ask
you this question.
And I was with a room of threeof them yesterday and I said to
them it makes me sad, what islike I'm going to listen for
because we had plenty of time Isaid tell me the way out of this
for you and tell me what theanswer is.
(36:43):
And I literally listened andasked more questions in over 30
minutes.
There there, there aren'tsolutions.
Yeah, there, there.
There, there was this idea thatgovernment can fix everything,
that government can redistributewealth, that government can be
the answer to the trickle-downregulation of how we're going to
(37:06):
regulate people, to equality,and by doing so we are going to
wipe out all of the ills ofsociety.
And now they've created anenvironment that they're looking
.
They had no answers.
So, anyway, I interrupted you.
Speaker 2 (37:20):
No.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
But that's the fight going on right.
That's the war.
But you would think it would beless of a battle after so many
years of looking and now going.
It's not working, but I thinkthat's what the American people
kind of are waking up to?
Speaker 2 (37:34):
I think so too, and that's where ultimately this is
going.
But you make a really goodpoint up to.
I think so too, and that'swhere ultimately this is going.
But you make a really goodpoint.
The progressive left and, bythe way, they don't even want to
be called Democrats anymore inDC.
They want socialistprogressives or different types,
but they're not Democrats.
Speaker 1 (37:54):
They're not Democrats .
My family were all Kennecottcopper miners my dad, my
grandpas, my great grandpas andthey were Democrats.
They were true blue dogDemocrats.
So were the people on my dad'sside and if you look at what
they believed in our country andyou think of even the role of
(38:15):
what labor unions meant backthen, you think of even the role
of what labor unions meant backthen.
But if you looked at theirprinciples of their community
and caring for each other, it isnot what the progressive left
is.
It's not.
So I understand why they don'twant to call them that because
they're not Democrats.
That's true, and Democratsbecome this evil word, but
they're not Democrats.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
Yeah, Well, but I think you really touched on it.
The answer, as you and I wouldsee this, is the solutions come
through the private sector.
The solutions come throughempowerment of the individual,
the solutions come through thefree market and to them that
(38:56):
argument, the solution is moregovernment and the reason things
are going bad in California isbecause they don't have enough
government right Now.
That may be anoversimplification, but I think
that's kind of where that is,but that's the baseline.
And so when I talk to peopleand I met with some legislators
yesterday and they've got somechallenges and everything and in
(39:18):
this case it's Republicansfighting with Republicans and
just trying to encourage themLook, guys, I know they got
issues, Okay, and I know you'vegot issues and it's okay to
disagree on this, but you haveto refocus where the enemy
really is, and it's not in thisroom.
Okay, we can legitimately havedisagreements over tax policy or
(39:38):
healthcare care, transportation, whatever it might be, but
generally we all believe wherethe answer is and that's the
market system and what we justsaid we have to keep the focus
on.
It's those who want to changethat structure entirely, and
that's what I'm fighting with.
But I truly think if we were tohave this conversation in 20
(40:00):
years and we might, but let'sjust say we had this
conversation in 20 years I thinkwe would look back.
Speaker 1 (40:06):
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 (40:12):
But I think we will be saying at that point 2025 was
a generationally historic yearand, by the way, I'm not a
disciple of any human being,including the president but what
I am saying is is we are goingthrough a transitional time
(40:35):
where there is a bureaucraticintervention going on that is
desperately needed.
This is seven years in Congressfor me and I can tell you the
bureaucracies there have becomeso big, so huge, so powerful, so
inefficient, so fraudulent,that they have a parallel system
of governance where they put inplace policies via regulation,
via rule, that never go throughany kind of legislative channel
(40:58):
that we have to deal with.
Think EPA, think IRS stuff,think Bureau of Land Management
policies, regulations thatgovern what you can do with land
, that govern what kind of caryou can buy, right With tailpipe
regulations.
This never went throughCongress.
Okay, and with the you knowpeople like me we come and go.
(41:21):
I'll be in office for a fewyears, then I'll be gone.
Same thing with most of mycolleagues.
But the bureaucratic headsthey're there 10, 20, 30, 40
years.
That's the swamp, that's thedeep state.
Speaker 1 (41:34):
And that's.
Can you dive a little bitdeeper to that?
Because I think the word swamp,I think it's come up a lot and
I think say what you want aboutwhat's going on back there.
I think the exposure of whatthe word meant is now people
that may not have understoodwhat it was understand it.
I'm going to tell you one otherquick story, because I think I
(41:55):
had an aha moment just beforethe election.
I was up in McCall and I had afriend here who's very powerful
from DC, and it was just beforethe election and I was sitting
there with him and his wife andI said what do you think is
going to happen?
And he said it doesn't reallymatter.
And I said what do you mean?
It doesn't matter?
And he said the swamp is whatcontrols all this.
(42:19):
And we had a three-hour dinnerand at the end of it I I like
didn't even want to drive home.
I was so depressed because I'mthinking to myself I believe
this guy, yeah, that there'struth in it, that there's so
much money and control by thisthing that it will never be
changed.
(42:40):
It's interesting to see how theelection went and now the
uncovering of so many practices.
I think what the swamp meant tome 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, andthat's why Doge is so important.
Speaker 2 (43:01):
That's why the Department of Government
Efficiency?
By the way, that wasn't startedby Donald Trump.
That was started by BarackObama.
Speaker 1 (43:06):
I saw some of those videos recently.
Speaker 2 (43:08):
And so this is not a Republican thing and it's not
unusual to have a third-partyindependent kind of head that up
, like elon musk in this case.
Uh, fdr had uh harry shipshipment or shippy, something
like that.
Uh, woodrow wilson had ed houseand they were the elon musk of
(43:29):
their day.
Right, those are both democrats, by the way come in and do this
kind of thing, and so that'swhy that's so important, because
things are getting exposed andyou know, I got a report on, you
know, social Security, forexample, and what is being
uncovered.
Then we got a couple of bookendsand you got low billions on one
(43:51):
end of the bookend.
You got high billions, liketriple digit billions on the
other, somewhere in.
You know, between $75 billionand $500 billion is the amount
we pay each year to dead people.
Okay, and this has never beenexposed or caught or any kind of
audit, any kind of oversight.
(44:12):
And, tommy, the other thingI've learned is, although
Congress has the constitutionalpower of oversight, the tools we
have to do it are soinappropriate, so inadequate.
That's why it's so important tohave this doge, get in there
and start digging through someof this stuff.
Speaker 1 (44:31):
So there's a couple things that I so.
I mean I spent a lot of time.
I give a talk to Mission 43every year, four hours, and I
was with them two weeks ago andwhen we went in our room one of
the things that everyone talkedabout is a lot of their private
jobs are being cut because ofthis.
I think the Doge thing iswonderful.
It's also creating a lot offear and anxiety and real
(44:55):
results that you're probablyhearing at your office every day
anxiety and real results thatyou're probably hearing at your
office every day.
But I will say this as ataxpayer who's been audited
three times by my federalgovernment.
I just do because of the way, Imean, I've been through it.
It is infuriating to me to hearsome of these things like
nothing Cause when they came anddid an audit of me and
(45:17):
literally looked for bird shitin the cuckoo clock on every
single thing I had for my littleexperience every time I went
through, and then I hear thatsome of these departments have
never passed an audit.
They don't know.
There's all this money missingeverywhere.
I'm thinking to myself nothingmakes a working guy more
(45:39):
frustrated.
That provides jobs, that all mypeople pay taxes that we're in
America.
We believe this dream and mygovernment is doing this.
So I think they'reunderestimating.
I do Because you know you lookat the mainstream media and you
look at all this stuff.
I think, for people that paytaxes and you know this country
was built on the backs of smallbusiness period there's big
(46:02):
business, but it's smallbusiness people, that's that's.
You look at the tax base, youlook where it comes from and I
think they're underestimatingRuss and you give me your
opinion.
I think people are going to begoing.
Wait a minute, you, you, youwant me to follow all these
rules.
You want me to do all thethings I do for my families that
I care for.
You consider these people thatwork for you.
(46:24):
This is family, it's personal.
You look at the taxes we paypayroll taxes, property taxes,
income taxes and you're tellingme these things are true.
Yeah, I think they greatly.
I think they areunderestimating the people in
this country that are smallbusiness owners that are going
to go BS.
Yeah, get this fixed.
Speaker 2 (46:43):
Yeah, and you're right.
And so each committee forexample, energy and Commerce is
one of my committees Eachcommittee is assigned X amount
of dollars.
We agreed that we are going totry to, within our jurisdiction,
reduce from the budget for thenext year.
Okay, I think the amount thatmy Energy and Commerce Committee
(47:03):
is targeting to reduce is $880billion.
We're going to be able to dothat because of some of these
things that are being found, andmy office, everybody on that
committee, are being barragedwith people because, you know,
don't touch my stuff, don't dothis, don't do that, and so we
can.
To support your point, we didtwo polls nationwide just within
(47:29):
the last 10 days and theattitude is exactly what you
said 85 plus percent of peopleacross this country love the
fact that things are beingdissected.
Finally, and some of thesethings are being identified, and
they are angry and, frankly, Iam too.
It's embarrassing to be acongressman and not know that we
(47:51):
might have, just you know, 100plus billion to dead people.
How did I not know that Then,on the other hand, being there,
well, the Musk group had to hackinto the system to get it,
because, even with an executiveorder, they weren't afforded
this information.
My point, bottom line is we'regoing through a bureaucratic
(48:11):
intervention.
The swamp is being looked at,the swamp is being audited like
they've never done before andit's just like any parasite that
is being threatened of losingtheir host.
They are fighting back and theyare lashing out.
Security is an issue for all ofus.
The mainstream media, of course, is aligned with them, all
those things but this processneeds to happen.
(48:32):
It's ugly, it's embarrassing,but the end result is going to
be a good thing for.
Speaker 1 (48:35):
America.
I think the American peoplewant to.
I do.
We're almost out of time, but Igot to ask you one question
because I am worried aboutsomething 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'rejust like no, shut this down.
Figure it out, please help us.
But there is a role forgovernment.
(48:58):
There is a role for governmentand government dollars spend
efficiently and put in the rightplaces, and we should have
safety nets.
We should have ways to takecare of people that can't take
care of themselves we.
So what reassurance can yougive us here in the state or in
the country?
For because we tend in our life,not just government, you know,
(49:20):
as things correct, oftentimesthat pendulum swings pretty hard
and I think that there are alot of people worried about well
, what about some of theseprograms, whether they be state
or federal programs that now aregetting looked at, that that
that are at, that are valuable,and that's the definition of
(49:41):
valuable and how much and toolittle, or whatever.
But I worry about people livingon the edge, I worry about
people that are working there.
Think about that Alice.
Population in Idahoasset-limited,
income-constrained employed, theworking poor, where you've got
inflation that's killed them,you've got housing prices that
(50:03):
are killing them and now you'vegot things that are going to get
looked at.
I mean, a lot of people live onthat thin edge.
How do we not swing it too hardand what would be your advice
for?
Speaker 2 (50:17):
First of all, I'm incredibly encouraged because,
first of all, we have, as anation, the resources.
We have everything we need tocover critical services and
provide an environment forpeople to prosper.
We've got it, we're just notusing it well.
(50:37):
Yeah, that's a great answer andthis exposure is helping us get
smarter, even throughembarrassing incidents, to use
it better.
You know, medicaid comes up alot because that's going to go
through my committee and peopleare super concerned about that.
First and foremost, there areso many things going on with
(50:59):
eligibility that are never beingchecked.
Just address that that's goingto go a long way.
There is an argument to be madefor those who are working age,
that are able-bodied.
Shouldn't there at least havethe discussion of a work
requirement for those types ofthings If they're not working at
(51:22):
all?
That goes a long, long way tothis.
We don't have to cut it.
We don't have to.
Anybody who's truly disabledand fits that base category,
they're not going to be impacted, I don't think.
But it also opens us up to doalso within our parameters get
rid of the doggone mandates forelectronic vehicles.
Don't pay off these studentloans for crying out loud.
(51:43):
There's a hundred and somebillion.
And if I can just close theloop with this.
Even some of my Democratprogressive left friends will
never say it, but they'rerelieved with some of this stuff
going on too, because theydon't have to defend some of the
stupid stuff anymore.
Okay, that was.
Speaker 1 (52:04):
They were driven to, to support so so so plenty of
money.
Let's use it right.
Speaker 2 (52:09):
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 foranother hour.
Speaker 1 (52:21):
I love and appreciate you.
I want to end there.
Thank you for your friendshipover a long period of time.
Thank you for your leadershipThoughtful.
I love any time I talk to youbecause I feel like that's my
representative, that's the onelooking out for Idaho and for my
family, for my kids.
My grandkids Appreciate yourservice and your friendship,
(52:43):
buddy.
Speaker 2 (52:44):
I just have to reciprocate and say you know,
there's a handful, there's arelatively few number of
critical resources who take thetime, the effort, the risk and
they have the expertise and thedrive to turn the wheels of this
economic engine in this state,in this country.
You're one of them and don'tever underestimate your impact,
(53:06):
and you've certainly had thatwith me.
Speaker 1 (53:07):
I appreciate you, buddy, thank you, thank you,
thanks everybody.
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