Sen. Lee Praises President Trump’s Announcement on Israel-Morocco Relations
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement Thursday after President Trump announced Morocco has agreed to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel.
“Today the administration announced an agreement between Morocco and Israel that establishes full diplomatic relations between the two nations. This agreement, along with the Abraham Accords, demonstrates we are truly living in a historic time for Middle Eastern relations with the West. This agreement is yet another victory, under the leadership of President Trump, on the path toward a secure and peaceful Middle East. I commend the President and his team on this tremendous success.”
Sen. Lee Supports Belated FTC Action Against Facebook
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement Wednesday after the Federal Trade Commission announced it suing Facebook for illegally maintaining a social networking monopoly.
“I am glad to see that our antitrust enforcers are finally taking the threats posed by Big Tech seriously,” Sen. Lee said. “If Facebook faced greater competition, it might be more reticent to engage in the draconian censorship it has become fond of. At the same time, the FTC previously cleared both the Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions, and I hesitate to congratulate it now for trying to clean up its own mess. This is one more reason that antitrust enforcement should be consolidated at the Department of Justice, as I’ve proposed in the One Agency Act. I’ll be following this case closely, and look forward to continuing to exercise oversight in this area.”
You can read more about the One Agency Act here.
Sen. Lee Statement on UAE Arms Sales
“The signing of the Abraham Accords creates a rare and historic opportunity for diplomacy in the Middle East. The United Arab Emirates – by committing to and taking action to normalize relations with Israel – demonstrates an appetite in the region that seeks stability and peace, and presents a counterbalancing front against the Iranian regime. I believe the arms sale to the UAE under consideration will contribute to this movement in the region, and will allow the United States to continue reducing our military presence throughout the Middle East. Because of these shared strategic goals, I’ve decided to support the proposed arms sale and oppose the resolutions of disapproval considered by Congress today.”
Sen. Lee Thanks Sen. Hatch for His Service with Courthouse Renaming
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement Tuesday, after the House of Representatives passed legislation to name the federal courthouse in Salt Lake City in honor of former-Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT):
“Senator Hatch dedicated his life to serving Utah and his impact on the state of Utah cannot be overstated. As one of the longest serving chairmen of the Senate Judiciary Committee he left a lasting legacy on our nation’s federal judiciary so it is only appropriate that Utah’s federal courthouse be named in his honor.”
More children deserve a place to call home
Over 400,000 U.S. children were in the foster care system in 2019, and the number of children and youth in foster care is higher today than it has been in nearly a decade. Tragically, some government leaders and researchers fear that the current pandemic could lead to heightened child abuse and increase the number of children in need of foster care. This increased demand may introduce additional stress into a system already in need of reform.
It’s time to unify our antitrust enforcers
Today I am introducing the One Agency Act—a bill to put all federal antitrust enforcement under one roof. For over a century, enforcement of the antitrust laws has been divided between the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission – more than enough time to see that this arrangement does not work.
Big Tech companies falsely claim no bias against conservatives — they may be violating law
On August 30, 2019, Facebook notified Lila Rose, the president of the pro-life group Live Action, that an independent fact-checker had rated two of her group’s videos as “false.” Facebook said it would therefore suppress the videos and notify all users who shared the videos that they had shared “false news.”
Of Course We’re Not a Democracy
During the recent vice presidential debate, I pointed out on Twitter that our form of government in the United States is not a democracy, but a republic. The confused and vehement media criticism that ensued persuaded me that this point might be better served in an essay rather than a 140-character Tweet.
Insofar as “democracy” means “a political system in which government derives its powers from the consent of the governed,” then of course that accurately describes our system. But the word conjures far more than that. It is often used to describe rule by majority, the view that it is the prerogative of government to reflexively carry out the will of the majority of its citizens.
VP debate — The Harris agenda isn’t something Americans should be forced to follow
Never before has a vice presidential debate been so important.
If elected, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden would be the oldest person ever elected to a first term as president. And his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., already seems to be measuring the drapes. Just last month she referred to “a Harris administration” before correcting herself by adding “Biden-Harris administration.”
Supreme Court justice confirmations in election years are common — despite Dem complaints
“That’s their job,” Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg responded when asked in 2016 if the Senate had an obligation to act on President Barack Obama’s nomination of U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court.
“There’s nothing in the Constitution that says the president stops being president in his last year,” Ginsburg added.
Justice Ginsburg was right in 2016, and as we grieve her passing last week, we must acknowledge that she is still right today.