James Risch

Freedom from Unfair Gun Taxes Act

This bill prohibits a state or any political subdivision of a state from imposing or collecting an excise tax on the sale of a firearm, ammunition, or any part or component of a firearm or ammunition by a manufacture or dealer.

ATF Transparency Act

This bill modifies procedural requirements related to the transfer or making of firearms that are subject to regulation under the National Firearms Act (e.g., machine guns, short-barreled shotguns, and silencers).

The bill generally permits the transfer of a firearm if three business days have elapsed since the application to transfer the firearm was filed, and the application has not been denied. Additionally, the bill establishes an administrative relief process with respect to an application to transfer that is denied.

The bill permits the making of a firearm if three business days have elapsed since the application to make the firearm was filed, and the application has not been denied.

Finally, the bill requires reports on firearms-related background check inquiries that remain unresolved after 90 days and the percentage of firearms-related background check inquiries related to the transfer of a firearm that were administered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

This resolution recognizes the vital role of women-owned businesses to the economy.

End FEMA Benefits for Illegal Immigrants Act

This bill prohibits the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from carrying out the Shelter and Services Program (SSP) and rescinds unobligated funds transferred to FEMA for this purpose for FY2023-FY2024.

The SSP provides grants to public and nonprofit entities for temporarily providing shelter and other services (e.g., food, transportation) to noncitizen migrants released from Department of Homeland Security custody and awaiting immigration court proceedings, as well as for increasing grant recipients’ capacity to temporarily shelter such individuals (e.g., modifying existing facilities).

No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act

This bill makes a state or political subdivision of a state ineligible for any federal funds that the jurisdiction intends to use to benefit non-U.S. nationals (i.e., aliens under federal law) who are unlawfully present if the jurisdiction withholds information about citizenship or immigration status or does not cooperate with immigration detainers.

Specifically, such funds are denied to any jurisdiction that has a law, policy, or practice that prohibits or restricts any government entity from

• maintaining, sending, or receiving information regarding the citizenship or immigration status of any individual;

• exchanging information regarding an individual's citizenship or immigration status with a federal, state, or local government entity;

• complying with a valid immigration detainer from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); or

• notifying DHS about an individual's release from custody.

The funding restriction does not apply to a law, policy, or practice that only applies to an individual who comes forward as a victim of or a witness to a criminal offense.

DHS must annually provide to specified congressional committees a list of jurisdictions that have failed to comply with a DHS detainer or have failed to notify DHS of an individual’s release.

The funding restriction begins 60 days after the bill's enactment or on the first day of the fiscal year following the bill's enactment, whichever is earlier.

American Values Act

This bill expands restrictions on using U.S. foreign assistance to pay for or promote abortions, involuntary sterilizations, or other related activities.

Specifically, the bill expands existing prohibitions, including prohibitions against using foreign assistance to pay for abortions or involuntary sterilization for family planning, to apply to all assistance provided under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA). (Currently, these prohibitions apply to only certain parts of the FAA.)

Furthermore, assistance provided under the FAA may not be made available to (1) pay for lobbying for or against abortion, or (2) any organization that supports a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization. (These prohibitions have typically been in appropriations acts, but the bill would make the prohibitions a permanent part of the FAA.)

The bill also makes permanent a prohibition against using funds made available to the Peace Corps to pay for abortions except when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest or when the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term.

Protect Equality And Civics Education Act of 2025 or the PEACE Act of 2025

This bill prohibits the use of federal funding made available for the American History and Civics Education program to fund a curriculum, teaching, or counseling that promotes a divisive concept (e.g., race stereotyping or scapegoating) under the priorities noticed in the Department of Education's proposed rule titled Proposed Priorities-American History and Civics Education, published on April 19, 2021.

Northwest Energy Security Act

This bill requires Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) operations to be consistent with the preferred alternative in a 2020 environmental impact statement (EIS) decision that focuses on the operations, maintenance, and configuration of dams in the system rather than wild fish restoration. The system includes dams in the Columbia and Snake rivers in Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Idaho.

Specifically, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Bonneville Power Administration, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must operate the FCRPS consistent with the Columbia River System Operations Environmental Impact Statement Record of Decision dated September 2020. Thus, Reclamation, the Bonneville Power Administration, and the Army Corps must follow the EIS rather than the 2023 Resilient Columbia Basin Initiative—and a supplemental EIS proposed in 2024—that focus on wild fish restoration in the Columbia Basin.

The EIS decision may be amended if each agency determines that (1) changes are necessary for public safety or electrical grid reliability, or (2) certain requirements in the decision are no longer necessary.

Further, the bill requires statutory authorization for any structural modification, action, study, or engineering plan that (1) restricts FCRPS hydroelectric dam generation; or (2) limits navigation on the Snake River in Washington, Oregon, or Idaho.

This bill requires federal agencies to submit zero-based budgets to the Office of Management and Budget and the congressional budget committees. Under the bill, a zero-based budget is a systematic budget analysis in which managers (1) examine current objectives, operations, and costs; (2) consider alternative ways of carrying out programs or activities; and (3) rank different programs or activities by order of importance.

The bill also requires federal agencies to submit recommendations to reduce spending by at least 2% from the previous year's levels. The Department of Defense and the National Nuclear Security Administration are exempt from this requirement.

No Retaining Every Gun In a System That Restricts Your Rights Act

This bill modifies the retention requirements for firearm transaction records of federal firearms licensees (FFLs) that go out of business.

Current law generally requires FFLs that go out of business to deliver their firearm transaction records to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

This bill removes the requirement for FFLs that go out of business to deliver their firearm transaction records to the ATF. Further, the bill requires the ATF to destroy all out-of-business records it has collected from FFLs.

Dismantle Iran’s Proxy Act of 2025

This bill requires the President to take actions against Ansarallah, the Iran-backed movement in Yemen also known as the Houthis.

Specifically, the bill requires the President to designate Ansarallah as a foreign terrorist organization. (Among other things, such a designation allows the Department of the Treasury to require U.S. financial institutions to block transactions involving the organization.)

The President must also (1) impose property blocking sanctions on Ansarallah and any foreign person who is an official, agent, or affiliate of the organization; (2) submit to Congress a determination as to whether three specified individuals are officials, agents, or affiliates of Ansarallah; and (3) submit to Congress a strategy to degrade the offensive capabilities of Ansarallah and to restore freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and nearby waterways.

Venezuela Advancing Liberty, Opportunity, and Rights Act of 2025 or the VALOR Act of 2025

This bill requires or authorizes various actions, including sanctions, targeting the current government of Venezuela and any nondemocratic successor government. The bill also authorizes certain types of assistance for the people of Venezuela and to support democracy-building efforts.

Under the bill, the President

• must impose property-blocking sanctions on the Venezuelan government and persons supporting the Venezuelan government;

• may deny U.S. nonhumanitarian foreign assistance, arms-related assistance, and debt forgiveness to any country that provides assistance to the Venezuelan government;

• may provide support to individuals and independent nongovernmental organizations to support democracy-building efforts in Venezuela;

• must develop a plan to provide assistance to Venezuela under a democratically elected government, which may include food, medicine, and emergency energy assistance to meet the basic needs of Venezuelans;

• must take steps to terminate sanctions under this bill once the President determines that a democratically elected government is in power (criteria for such a determination include a Venezuelan government that is the result of free and fair elections, is making progress in establishing an independent judiciary and respecting human rights, and has released all political prisoners).

The Department of the Treasury must oppose the seating of Venezuelan representatives at certain international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund.

Additionally, the bill prohibits U.S. persons (individuals or entities) from engaging in transactions involving Venezuela's debt or any digital currency issued by Venezuela.