Today’s Agenda
Today, Senator Lee is in Utah to meet with constituents. He will also be on Fox Business Network’s Cavuto at 6:00 PM EST (4:00 MST).
From the Senator’s Desk
Courtesy of the Republican Policy Committee:
The Orlando Sentinel reported last night that “President Barack Obama, set to unveil a new policy for boosting U.S. tourism, has chosen a fairy-tale setting for the Thursday announcement: Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, with its iconic Cinderella Castle as a backdrop. And if some Disney magic rubs off on his re-election bid, too, then so be it.” Given that this year marks the 25th anniversary of the famous Super Bowl advertisement, some may wonder if we will soon hear a version of these words:
Barack Obama, you just signed a 2700 page law that breaks your promise to cut premiums by $2500 per family, instead raising insurance premiums on the individual market by $2,100 per household. What are you going to do next? “I’m going to Disney World!”
The sad reality however is that many individuals can’t afford a vacation to Disney World – or anywhere else, for that matter – because Obamacare has failed to live up to candidate Obama’s promises for lower insurance premiums. Recall that candidate Obama repeatedly promised his health care plan would LOWER premiums by $2,500 per family, and do so within his first term. But the price of the average employer-sponsored plan ROSE by more than $2,200 per family since Obama was first elected in 2008, according to studies from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Therefore, according to candidate Obama’s own metric, President Obama owes American families nearly $5,000 per year – the difference between a $2,200 premium increase and a $2,500 promised premium reduction. That nearly $5,000 difference could fund a luxurious vacation for most American families – and the fact that consumers are instead spending that money on higher insurance premiums shows once again how Obamacare has failed to deliver.
On Twitter
Here are my thoughts on #SOPA #PIPA: ? ?? ? ??? ????: ow.ly/8ynx4 Please RT to ??????? ?????? ?????????? ?? ??? internet.
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) January 18, 2012
LEE: #PIPA “would threaten Internet security, stifle the free flow of online information and unduly burden 3rd parties” bit.ly/xW0Zhm
— Brian Phillips (@SenLeeComs) January 19, 2012
RELEASE: Lee Adds Major General (Ret) Condon as Senior Policy Advisor bit.ly/AzFGzh #utpol #military
— Emily Bennion (@SenLeePressSec) January 17, 2012
A likely date for Greek default, and how the bailouts made things worse: onforb.es/wuhAGc #AmericanFuture? #euro #eu #tcot #tlot #debt
— Joe Tauke (@SenLeeResearch) January 18, 2012
Around the Water Cooler
Obama rejects Canada-Texas oil pipeline — for now
Raising the stakes on a bitter election-year fight with Republicans, President Barack Obama on Wednesday rejected a Canadian company’s plan to build a U.S.-spanning, 1,700-mile pipeline to carry oil across six U.S. states to Texas refineries.
U.S. ambassador: Political situation in China “very, very delicate”
The Chinese people are increasingly frustrated with the Chinese Communist Party and the political situation in China is “very, very delicate,” U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke said on Wednesday.