FAQs
I receive many questions from constituents on a lot of topics. Some of these questions occur often enough that I have created this page to respond to those that are most frequently asked. Please use the jump menu or scroll down the page to see if your question is answered.
Ask me, write to me, call me, FAX me, e-mail me. I am happy to respond on any issue that is important to you. You are welcome to stop by one of my Idaho offices as well. You can also visit the issues page on this site where I have posted my positions on key issues. You can also view the What You Are Writing About section, which features the top five issues of concern from Idahoans and my response on each; it is generally updated weekly.
You can also use various social media websites to learn more about my work in the U.S. Senate. Sign up to be a supporter on my Facebook page, where news releases, video and audio are posted regularly. You can watch videos of my efforts in committee and on the Senate floor on my YouTube channel. And you can subscribe to my audio feed through iTunes.
I also periodically publish an electronic newsletter to keep you up to date on the latest that is happening in Washington. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.
To receive a photograph of the President and/or First Lady, please make your request in writing to the address below and provide a complete return mailing address.
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500
The White House has limited the number of photos per household per year to a maximum of three.
Yes, I am happy to send birthday greetings to Idahoans. Please send the name of the honoree or recipient, address and birthdate (or date of other occassion) via my form here. Please allow two to four weeks for processing. Personal Greetings can also be requested for major life events, which include the following:
- Birth of a child (sent after birth of the baby)
- Adoption of a child (sent after adoption of the child)
- Milestone birthdays (70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100 and every year thereafter)
- Veterans birthday (70 years and older)
- Weddings (sent after wedding date)
- Civil Unions (sent after ceremony date)
- Wedding anniversaries (50, 55, 60, 65, 70 and every year thereafter)
- Retirement: For civilians with 30 or more years, military with 20 or more years, and flag officers.
- Girl Scout Gold Award
- Eagle Scout Award
- Anniversaries of religious leaders (25 years and every five years thereafter)
- Anniversaries of churches (25, 50, 75 and every five years thereafter)
- Anniversaries of schools (100 and every 25 years thereafter)
- Family reunions (25 and every five years thereafter)
- Serious illness
- Condolence
Presidential Greetings can also be requested for the same life events as listed above. Such requests must be submitted five weeks prior to the date of the event unless it is noted that the greeting will be sent after the event. The White House has set some restrictions on the requests:
- Each household is only allowed one greeting request per year.
- Requests for events which occurred before January 20, 2009, will not be honored.
- In lieu of a greeting, you may request a photo for any of the events on the greetings list. You may only request one greeting or one photo per event. Please see additional information in the FAQ above regarding photo requests to the White House.
My office is happy to assist with orders for U.S. flags. If you wish, you can request that the flag be flown over the U.S. Capitol. You can specify a special occasion or commemoration or simply request the flag be flown. To order a U.S. flag that has been flown over the U.S. Capitol, please fill out the forms on my Flag Requests page and follow the directions for mailing the form and payment.
Unfortunately, only U.S. flags are available through my office. If you want to purchase an Idaho flag, the Idaho Governor's office generally maintains a list of companies that provide state flags. Please call the Governor's office at (208) 334-2100.
Unfortunately, yes, and it is likely to remain so. The delays began in late 2001 when concerns were raised about hazardous biological agents being sent to congressional offices. As such, all mail sent to Capitol Hill addresses is now screened for harmful substances before it is delivered to Senate and House offices. That results in a delay of about a week. In addition, all packages sent through overnight delivery services like FedEx, UPS, USPS, Airborne, and others are delayed 1-2 weeks for screening as well.
Another note to remember: The screening process includes irradiation, which will melt tapes, CDs, videos, DVDs, and other items. It can also be damaging to photos and color prints, causing them to stick together or lose their definition. It can also make envelopes stick to letters and invitations.