Press Releases

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced a budget resolution amendment that carves budgetary space for legislation increasing federal PILT payments to local governments. PILT stands for payments in lieu of taxes, and the program currently pays much less than local governments could collect if federal lands were assessed property tax. Senator Lee’s amendment opens the door for a bill to determine the size of the payment shortfall and bring PILT payments in line with what local governments are due. The amendment passed the Senate in the early hours of Tuesday by a 51-48 margin during the budget resolution vote-a-rama process.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Congressman Chris Jacobs (R-NY) led a bicameral letter with 28 members of Congress to President Biden calling for the administration to change course and end its unconstitutional eviction moratorium.

WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement today after voting against H.R. 3684, the $1.2-trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, as amended: “I am sorely disappointed that the Senate chose to pass this irresponsible and so-called ‘infrastructure’ bill. It drastically expands federal power; it increases spending without legitimate ‘pay-fors’; it exacerbates our already dangerous inflation; and it facilitates burdensome taxes and regulations that will hamper and harm our infrastructure. Ultimately, it will be the American people who will be forced to pay the exorbitant price. That is why I opposed this bill, and why I am deeply concerned with the $3,500,000,000,000 cost of the next spending plan before the Senate.”

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) has put forth an alternative to the “bipartisan infrastructure bill.” Lee’s amendment #2255 is a combination of the Transportation Empowerment Act, the UNSHACKLE Act, and the Davis-Bacon Repeal Act. The amendment would reduce the federal gas tax by more than eleven cents per gallon, return the national Highway Trust Fund to solvency, speed-up and simplify burdensome National Environmental Policy Act requirements, and remove Davis-Bacon wage rules. Each of these reforms will allow more federal infrastructure projects to be built more quickly and more affordably. Of the amendment Sen. Lee said, “We cannot pour money into a broken pitcher. Without these reforms, spending trillions of dollars on infrastructure will not only exacerbate inflation, it will not substantially improve our infrastructure standing. The ‘Pay Less, Build More’ Amendment is a way to cut taxes and burdensome regulation to improve our infrastructure standing while spending less.”