Press Releases
Sen. Lee Outlines Corona Response Priorities
Mar 19, 2020
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement Thursday as he continued to work with Senate colleagues on an economic response to the Coronavirus.
“If there is any state that is best prepared for the one-two punch of a global pandemic and a generational earthquake, it is Utah. We will rise to this occasion. We will beat this virus. And we will rebuild from the damage from the earthquake that hit us Wednesday.”
“All of us can do our own part to help our community through these times. For some, that means staying at home, practicing responsible social distancing. For others it means being on the front lines providing medical care and tests to those affected by the virus. And for some it means cleaning up, assessing, and rebuilding our infrastructure as we recover from the earthquake.”
“Here in Washington I am working with my colleagues to make sure the federal government’s response helps all Utahns who need it. That means fighting for broad-based action to help all Americans through the social and economic disruptions this emergency is creating.
“Americans are all in this epidemic together. So the federal response – from loan guarantees to tax reforms to regulatory relief to direct aid to families – should be as inclusive as possible, rather than carved out only for select special interests.”
Sen. Lee Supports Amendment To Protect Small Businesses And Workers During Coronavirus Emergency
Mar 18, 2020
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) have introduced an amendment to the House coronavirus legislation to eliminate job-killing paid leave mandates and instead expand eligibility for unemployment insurance to those who aren’t able to earn a paycheck due to coronavirus.
Sens. Lee and Romney Offer Resources For Utahns Affected By Travel Restrictions Due To Coronavirus
Mar 12, 2020
WASHINGTON – Sens. Mike Lee and Mitt Romney released the following statement regarding travel restrictions to the United States:
“Tonight, the Administration announced it is restricting travel to the U.S. of foreign nationals who have recently been in certain European countries, listed here. While these restrictions do not apply to U.S. citizens, the Administration has indicated U.S. citizens may be subject to screening in order to return and will be directed to a limited number of airports where screening can take place.
Lee-Leahy Introduce Bipartisan FISA Reform Bill
Mar 9, 2020
WASHINGTON – Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced the “USA FREEDOM Extension and Amici Curiae Reform Act” Monday, a bill that provides federal law enforcement the tools they need to protect Americans from foreign powers while also better protecting the civil liberties of all Americans.
“Our Founding Fathers knew well the danger of a government with the power to snoop through the private communications of law-abiding Americans. They included the Fourth Amendment in the Bill of Rights to limit the government’s ability to spy on its citizens,” Sen. Lee said. “This bill brings much needed common sense reforms to our federal government’s foreign surveillance programs so that Americans’ civil liberties are not violated again.”
Conservative Lawmakers Sign Brief Supporting Religious Liberty
Feb 11, 2020
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) and over two dozen other lawmakers signed an amicus brief Monday, supporting Our Lady of Guadalupe School and St. James Catholic School in their religious liberty cases before the Supreme Court. From the brief:
“The teaching of religious principles and customs is at the very core of faith for many, if not most, religions. Yet in the two opinions under review, the Ninth Circuit barely addressed the importance of this aspect of religion. Quite to the contrary, the court minimized the significance of ‘teaching from a book’—a striking position given that most of the world’s major religions consider the teachings found in holy books to be the very essence of their faith.”
Sen. Lee Introduces Protecting Life in Foreign Assistance Act
Feb 10, 2020
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the Protecting Life in Foreign Assistance Act Monday, a bill that would codify President Trump’s 2017 executive order prohibiting the availability of foreign aid to organizations that provide or promote abortions.
“The administration’s ban on funding overseas organizations that promote abortion has already saved and will continue to save countless lives across the globe,” Sen. Lee said. “The Protecting Life in Foreign Assistance Act would save countless more lives by making this ban on abortion promotion permanent.”
Sen. Lee Votes to Acquit President Trump
Feb 5, 2020
“At the end of the day, this government does in fact stand accountable to the people. This government is of, by, and, for the people. We cannot remove the 45th President of the United States for doing something that the law and the Constitution allows him to do, without doing undue violence to that system of government to which every single one of us has sworn an oath. We’ve sworn to protect and defend that system of government. And that means standing up for the American people, and those who they have elected to do a job recognized by the Constitution. I will be voting to defend the president’s actions. I will be voting against undoing the vote taken by the American people some three and a half years ago. I will be voting for the principle of freedom. For the very principles that our constitution was designed to protect. I urge all of my colleagues to reject these deeply, factually and legally, flawed articles of impeachment… to vote not guilty.”
Sen. Lee Statement on Not Needing More Witnesses
Jan 31, 2020
“We have heard from 13 witnesses via video during this trial. We have heard hours of argument. We have received hundreds of pages of legal briefs and thousands of pages of supporting documents. We know what happened: President Trump directed his staff to ask President Zelensky to issue a statement announcing an investigation into ‘Burisma and the 2016 elections.’ President Zelensky declined. Ukraine received its aid anyway, and President Zelensky met with President Trump. That’s it. That’s what happened. No new witness would change or contradict these facts. That is why I voted to move on without hearing from additional witnesses. Like any other trial court, the Senate – here sitting as a court of impeachment – has both the authority and the obligation to decline to hold a full trial where the material facts of the case are not in dispute.”
Sen. Lee Statement on Signing of USMCA
Jan 29, 2020
“The USMCA is a huge win for all of Utah, especially the more than 120,000 Utahns whose jobs depend on trade with Mexico and Canada. Utah dairy farmers, manufacturers, and the agriculture community will all benefit from continued free and fair trade with our immediate neighbors to the north and south. This update to our trade policy moves the U.S., Mexico, and Canada further into the 21st century, setting mutually beneficial standards regarding the treatment of digital services and e-commerce.”
Sen. Lee Statement on President’s Middle East Peace Plan
Jan 28, 2020
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement Tuesday after reviewing President Trump’s Vision for Peace, Prosperity, and a Brighter Future for Israel and the Palestinian People:
“President Trump’s Middle East peace proposal provides a bold new direction towards a better future in the Middle East. This diplomatic effort lays out a clear blueprint to achieve strong relations between Israel and its neighbors and to bring an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
