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January 19, 2018
Earmarks Are Not The Solution
Remember earmarks, those infamous, special-interest spending provisions party leaders used to sprinkle over legislation like sugar to get representatives and senators to hold their noses and vote yes on bills they would otherwise oppose? You probably haven’t heard about earmarks lately, thank goodness. Republicans banned them when the Tea Party class came to Washington in 2010 opposed to the crony corruption. Who can forget pork-barrel embarrassments like the “Bridge to Nowhere,” the “Monuments to Me” projects that members got named after themselves, or the turtle tunnel in Florida (yes, it’s a tunnel for turtles)? Earmarks were everything Americans couldn’t stand
January 19, 2018
The Enhancing Educational Opportunities for all Students Act
A few weeks ago, parents across the country bundled their kids up and sent them back to school after the holiday break. For some this meant loading them onto a bus that would drop their child off at a nearby private school, walking their child down the street to the local public school, driving them a town over to a charter school, or herding them down into the basement to resume home schooling.
January 17, 2018
Sen. Lee Questions International Court Attack on State Sovereignty
“Given that the United States is the predominant funder of the Organization of American States it is of great concern that one of its international courts has issued an opinion recommending Costa Ricans to change their law,” Sen. Lee said. “The United States must do more to safeguard religious liberties around the world, prevent taxpayer dollars from funding ineffective international organizations, and most importantly uphold national sovereignty and the principles of subsidiarity.”
January 17, 2018
FISA 702 Reauthorization
Mr. President, Our Founding Fathers knew what it was like to live in a dangerous world. When America was founded it was threatened by foreign adversaries. Its military might was feeble compared to the great powers of that time. And yet, the Founders insisted on a Constitution that protected Americans’ civil liberties.
January 16, 2018
Sen. Lee Disappointed in FISA Vote
WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement after the Senate voted to invoke cloture on reauthorizing FISA surveillance provisions. “I am deeply disappointed by the vote tonight which empowered Senate leadership to forbid any amendments to our nation’s surveillance system. The new warrant provisions in this bill are filled with loopholes that any biased government agent can exploit, and tonight’s vote has made it much more likely that improperly obtained private conversations will be used for political gain.”
January 12, 2018
A Good Start Towards Draining Washington’s Housing Swamp
One of the primary goals of the Obama administration was to use the full force of the federal government to force red state, suburban, and rural areas to adopt policies designed to change them into urban blue state communities. On the environmental side this policy invasion took the form of punitive regulations against the mining industry and million-acre land grabs that undermined the grazing industry.
January 12, 2018
The Truth About FISA Reauthorization
This Friday, the House of Representatives passed the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017, a bill that proponents claim adds key privacy protections to our nation’s foreign surveillance system. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. For example, proponents of the House bill claim that their legislation includes a new provision that requires the federal government to obtain a warrant before searching their spying database for domestic targets. And it is true; there is a new provision that requires a warrant to search the federal government’s dragnet databases under in certain circumstances.
January 11, 2018
Sens. Lee, Leahy Release Joint Statement on Upcoming Debate on Section 702 Legislation
Today the House of Representatives passed the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017, by a vote of 256 to 167. The bill would reauthorize Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act. The House also rejected an amendment offered by Congressman Amash (R-Mich.) — by a vote of 233 to 183 — which would have provided an overhaul of Section 702 with reforms intended to protect Americans’ privacy rights. Statutory authorization for Section 702 will expire after January 19, 2018. Following is the joint statement today of Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the principal Republican and Democratic
January 10, 2018
Sen. Lee Statement on Passing of Bruce Cole
“Yesterday, our republic lost a devoted friend. Bruce Cole dedicated his life to forming responsible and patriotic American citizens. Dr. Cole was the longest-serving chairman of the National Endowment of the Humanities, who served in that role from 2001 to 2009. He was a distinguished scholar of Renaissance art and a recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal.
January 9, 2018
Sen. Lee Statement on Utah Retaining Apache Battalion
“I am delighted that the Army has publicly announced its stationing decision for the AH-64 Apache Attack-Reconnaissance Battalions, allowing Utah’s airmen to continue their mission for our nation and contributions to total Army end strength,” Senator Lee stated. “After fighting for performance-based decision making for four years on the Senate Armed Services Committee, it is appropriate that Utah’s guardsmen and women will continue fulfilling their commitments to our country through their contributions to readiness with the Apache.”