Today’s Agenda

Senator Lee will attend the Senate Prayer Breakfast this
morning and meets with members from the dietary supplements industry in
Utah.  He’ll discuss job creation in the
bio-tech industry at the Joint Economic Committee and have lunch with Governor
Herbert and the Utah Delegation. Senator Lee will also stop by the weekly event
for Utah constituents, with
plenty of green Jell-O on hand.

In the afternoon, Senator Lee will lead a discussion on the
Senate floor regarding the need
for a balanced budget amendment. 

From the Senator’s
Desk

“Unquestionably the “best worst” solution, indeed the only
one that has a real chance of permanently changing the way Washington spends
money, is the Hatch-Lee Balanced Budget Amendment.  It is the very nature of a constitutional
amendment that makes the proposal a highly effective limitation on Congress’s
insatiable appetite to spend.  Unlike
other statutory reforms that have failed because they needed only a simple
majority to dismantle, an amendment to the Constitution would require
overwhelming support from Congress and the American people to return to the
country to the status quo.

“I will continue to encourage my colleagues to oppose an
increase in the debt limit unless and until we pass the Hatch-Lee Balanced
Budget Amendment.  For anyone serious
about preserving the long-term prosperity of our country, it should be an easy
stand to take. “  (From Oppose
the Debt Limit Until We Pass the Hatch-Lee BBA)

#2ndOpinion

Democrats in the House who continue to push for a “clean”
vote on the debt limit, as President Obama supports, will have the opportunity
to vote for that position next week. 
Meanwhile, the GOP, and a growing number of our friends across the
aisle, realizes we should not increase the national debt without significant
reforms to fix the problem.  The question
is, how long will Democrats hold our economy hostage by refusing to address the
root causes of the problem before we make it worse?

Around the Water
Cooler

Netanyahu:
“Israel on the 1967 lines would be only 9 miles wide.  So much for defensible borders.”

Rapid
Response: Does the new WH position violate the Hatch Act?

BBA:
“It’s a bit odd that the left is riled up about the common-sense notion that
the nation must live within its means.”

A Look Ahead

Tomorrow, the Senator 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.  For next week, Senator
Lee will be meeting with constituent groups across Utah during the Memorial Day
Recess Work Week.