Speeches

“I look forward to voting to confirm Mr. Pruitt as EPA Administrator, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same.”

“Conservatives may not support everything this coalition does. And when we don’t, we should say so. But we are a part of it now. And within it, I believe conservatives can thrive – if we do what we do best.”

Madam President I rise today to give voice to some of my fellow Utahns who are suffering because of the health care law passed seven years ago this March. These are not stories from wealthy Utahns who have had to pay higher taxes. Nor are these stories from low-income Utahns who already had insurance through Medicaid. These are letters from the too often invisible victims of Obamacare: those middle class families who used to be able to afford health care when they needed it, but are now forced to pay for what often amounts to a second mortgage, for a

On January 20, change is coming to the White House. But until that day, it appears that President Obama will desperately cling to the status quo and continue to do what he has unfortunately done on so many occasions: abuse his executive powers to put in place unpopular policies without the cooperation of Congress and then pretend as if everyone supports him.

We are living in a golden age of television. One TV writer recently wrote that for “the first time I’ve beg[un] to feel like there may, in fact, be too much good TV.”[1] From Game of Thrones to House of Cards to many other programs across networks and platforms, the quantity and quality of programming content is greater than we have ever known.

Over the weekend, syndicated columnist George F. Will wrote about a disturbing ruling in a French court. The court ruled that a video called “Dear Future Mom” produced by the Global Down Syndrome Foundation must be banned from French television. What triggered the censorship? Inciting violence? Hate-speech? Discrimination? The opposite, as it turns out. I’ll let Mr. Will tell the story:

I rise today to lend my support – and to urge my colleagues to lend theirs – to Senate Joint Resolution 39, offered by my friend, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky. The purpose of this resolution is to reconsider the billion-dollar arms sale between the United States and Saudi Arabia that was negotiated by the two governments earlier this year.

Thank you Chairman Grassley. I know how important the issues we are here to discuss are to you, Mr. Chairman, and I’d like to thank you and your staff for your leadership on this hearing. The subject of today’s hearing is the unprecedented consolidation in the seed and agrochemical industry involving five of the so-called “Big Six” companies. Each of these deals raises complicated antitrust questions. Taken together, these deals propose to fundamentally reshape the agricultural industry. This hearing will help assess the competitive risks—and benefits—these transactions may present, both on their own and collectively.

The Utah Solutions Summit is one of the few days of the year when I know I’m going to learn something new and interesting. I know I’m going to meet extraordinary people with inspiring stories. And I know I’m going to engage in a positive and productive dialogue about real solutions to the challenges we’re facing here in Utah and across the country.

But over the past several decades, the economic value of diligence and drive has faded, as the legal obstacles to work have multiplied. As a result, economic success today increasingly depends on acquiring the right combination of credentials and licenses – bureaucratic status symbols that tend to require time and money that only the most privileged Americans can afford.