Today’s Agenda

Senator Lee will attend a briefing on our relationship with
Pakistan, and nomination hearings in the ENR and Judiciary Committees.  He has several media interviews, including
ABC’s Topline. 

From the Senator’s
Desk

“The concept that regardless of how passionately we might
feel about the need for certain government intervention, we can’t ever allow
government to be operating completely unfettered.  We have liberty in place whenever government
is controlled by the people, and whenever there are certain things that are
beyond the reach of the government.

“Now, Senator Paul has helped identify some key areas of concern
that have been implicated by the Patriot Act. And he has suggested that we ought
to, at a minimum have, a robust debate and discussion over some amendments that
might be proposed to the Patriot Act before we proceed.

“Three months ago we had a discussion, and there were a few
of us who voted against the patriot act. 
We voted against it because we love America, because we believe in
constitutionally limited government, because we want to make it better, we want
to make this something that can, at the same time, protect Americans but without
needlessly trampling on privacy interests, including many of those privacy
interests protected by the fourth amendment.” 
Floor Statement on the
reauthorization of the Patriot Act, 5/25/2011

Recent Votes

The Senate voted on 4 budget resolutions yesterday.  Senator Lee voted for the resolutions
authored by Rep. Ryan, Senator Toomey, and Senator Paul, and opposed the budget
submitted by the President.

#2ndOpinion

President Obama says not raising the debt limit would cause
a catastrophe.  Unfortunately, his
fearmongering and political posturing ignores the truth thatbhis administration
has great discretion to manage how the government pays what it owes.  Senator Lee and others have sent a letter to
the President calling on him to start making plans now in the event the debt
ceiling is not lifted.

Around the Water
Cooler

Land
Use: Democrats in Washington want to protect federal land grabs

Privacy
and Security: Trib favors NO vote on Patriot Act

Fiscal
Responsibility: Senators say Obama should “develop a contingency plan in
case Congress fails to increase the debt limit by the August deadline”

A Look Ahead

Senator Lee will be meeting with constituent groups across
Utah next week during the Memorial Day Recess Work Period.