Press Releases

November 17, 2017
The USA Liberty Act
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act was signed into law in 1978 to curtail the relatively unbridled surveillance power the executive had possessed since President Franklin Roosevelt. The intent of the act was to limit the government’s ability to spy on Americans abroad and all people at home.
November 17, 2017
A Good Start for Utah Families
Things are looking up for Utah families. This Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee released a revised version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This version included two key changes that make the bill much better for Utah families. First, the revised bill expanded the Child Tax Credit from $1,000 under current law to $2,000. This increase solved a potentially huge problem for working Utah families in tax reform. The original tax bill only increased the CTC to $1,650. It also eliminating the personal exemption, a tax provision that benefits many working families. This could have meant a tax hike
November 14, 2017
Heller, Scott Amendment to Double the Child Tax Credit Included in Senate’s Updated Tax Relief Bill
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Senate Finance Committee’s newly released Tax Cuts and Jobs Act includes an amendment filed by U.S. Senators Dean Heller (R-NV) and Tim Scott (R-SC) that would increase the child tax credit to $2,000. The current child tax credit is $1,000, and the previous version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act increased the child tax credit to $1,650.
November 9, 2017
Sens. Lee, Rubio Release Statement on Senate Tax Plan
Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) released the following statement today in response to the Senate Finance Committee unveiling their tax reform proposal: “We appreciate all of the work our colleagues have done to draft the Senate tax bill, and the progress for tax reform that it represents. While we are glad to see an increase to the child tax credit, like the House bill, it is simply not enough for working families.
November 8, 2017
Sens. Lee, Paul, King, Crapo, Merkley Request Defunding of Civil Asset Forfeiture Expansion
Today, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) joined with Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Angus King (I-VT), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Tom Udall (D-NM) in sending a letter to the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), requesting they defund the Department of Justice’s reinstated expansion of civil asset forfeiture practices.
November 8, 2017
The Class Divide in Marriage

The American Enterprise Institute recently published a new report by Brad Wilcox and Wendy Wang that highlights the class divide in American marriage. As the authors explain, prior to the 1970s family life looked similar across socioeconomic levels, but today there are stark divides across class when it comes to marriage, divorce, and unwed childbearing.

November 8, 2017
Sens. Lee, Leahy Support USA Liberty Act
WASHINGTON – Today, the House Judiciary committee reported the USA Liberty Act to the House floor with 27-8 support. The bill is sponsored by House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), and by Crime Subcommittee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Ranking Member Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), and the legislation reauthorizes and reforms Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Amendment Act. Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) partnered with these House colleagues last year to pass the USA FREEDOM act, which ended NSA bulk metadata collection and contained significant reforms
November 7, 2017
Sen. Lee Demands Transparency from CBO on Health Care and Taxes
“I feel like I’m trapped in a game of Calvinball,” Sen. Lee said. “Just a few months ago the CBO had us playing by one set of rules for debating health care policy and now we are being told those rules have been completely changed for tax policy. This is simply unacceptable and it is why Congress must pass the CBO Show Your Work Act of 2017.”
November 2, 2017
Sens. Lee and Rubio Respond to House Tax Plan
WASHINGTON – Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) issued the following statement Thursday in response to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act released by House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX): “We appreciate the hard work and countless hours our colleagues in the House have put into crafting this legislation. As we’ve long said, tax reform should be about making the code more pro-growth and pro-family. The House bill is an important step in the process.”
October 31, 2017
The Numbers Behind the Opioid Crisis
In 2016, roughly 64,000 people died from drug overdoses, and opioids accounted for nearly two-thirds of those deaths. It is difficult to comprehend the full scope and magnitude of the opioids crisis, its causes, and its consequences—for families, communities, and workplaces. But better understanding the challenges it poses is a necessary first step to informed public policy. This report gathers an unprecedented amount of data on the opioids crisis.