Press Releases
Lee: Utah to Lose $32 Million in Budget Deal
Dec 16, 2013
Under the Mineral Leasing Act, the federal government leases federal land for the development of energy, minerals and other materials, and shares the revenue with the states in which the leases are held. The revenue is currently split evenly between the states and the federal government. Section 302 of the budget deal would only decrease what the states receive, leaving the federal portion intact. That would mean a total reduction of $415 million for the states, with roughly $32 million coming from Utah.
Lee Names Derek Brown as Deputy Chief of Staff/State Director
Dec 12, 2013
Today, Senator Mike Lee announced that current Utah State Representative Derek Brown has accepted the position of Deputy Chief of Staff and State Director for the senator’s office. Rep. Brown will resign his seat in the Utah Legislature effective January 2, 2014 and will assume his new role on January 3rd. Senator Lee’s Chief of Staff Boyd Matheson had been filling the State Director duties for the past year.
Lee Introduces Act to Protect Religious Liberty
Dec 12, 2013
Today, Senator Mike Lee and eleven original cosponsors introduced legislation to protect religious organizations from discrimination by the federal government for supporting traditional marriage. The “Marriage and Religious Freedom Act” bars the government from denying any person or group tax-exempt status for exercising their religious conscience rights. The bill is cosponsored by Senators Vitter, Rubio, Roberts, Hatch, Coburn, Blunt, Inhofe, Wicker, Risch, Cochran and Graham.
Lee Opposes House-Senate Budget Deal
Dec 11, 2013
I do not envy House Republicans in their task of negotiating a budget with a Senate majority and president hostile to the very idea of having one. But the deal they have struck is not one I can support.
Sen. Lee Hosts Poverty Roundtable
Dec 4, 2013
Today, Senator Mike Lee hosted a roundtable with Utah citizens, experts, government officials, and community activists on the growing crisis of immobility among the poor. The event is a continuation of Sen. Lee’s “Let’s Talk” series he began in August, taking him around the state to hear directly from Utahns about the critical issues facing the state and the country.
Hatch, Bishop, Lee Applaud Air Force Announcement on F-35
Dec 3, 2013
Today, U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee, and U.S. Representative Rob Bishop applauded the U.S. Air Force’s official announcement that Hill Air Force Base will be the first operational squadron of the F-35 stealth fighter starting in 2015.
Leahy & Lee Introduce Legislation To Protect Innovators Against Patent Lawsuit Abuse
Nov 18, 2013
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Committee member Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) joined together Monday to introduce legislation to protect businesses and innovators who are being improperly targeted by patent trolls.
Lee, Hatch Respond to Administration’s Last-Minute Delay of Nearly 100,000 Acres in Utah for Energy Leasing
Nov 15, 2013
WASHINGTON - Today, Utah Senators Mike Lee and Orrin Hatch responded to the announcement by the Bureau of Land Management that it will be deferring nearly 100,000 acres from the proposed oil and gas lease auction on Tuesday, November 19. The BLM announcement that it will reduce the land available at auction by nearly 70% comes just days before sale was scheduled; once again proving the administration's repeated promises of transparency and open communication are empty.
“At a time when the State of Utah, local counties, and Utah's federal delegation are participating in a large scale initiative to resolve many long-standing public land issues, this last-minute bait and switch only reinforces the widespread belief that, under this Administration, BLM is becoming a vehicle for policies created by radical environmentalists,” said Senator Lee. “This bureaucratic maneuvering does more than hurt the companies that were ready, willing, and able to participate in Tuesday's auction. It discourages companies from participating in future auctions, and perhaps ever investing in states that are dominated by federal land ownership. The cumulative impact of this and other similar actions serves to drive investment away from the families and communities that live near lands managed by the federal government. In order to thrive, these communities need a good faith partner in the BLM.”
“This misguided announcement by the Bureau of Land Management to defer the leasing of 100,000 acres for energy production because of pressure from environmental elites ironically comes on the heels of news last month that the United States produced more oil than it imported,” said Hatch. “The fact that our nation is a global leader in energy production seems lost on the President and his Administration who’s doing everything to stop that from happening. This hurts American jobs and American energy independence and must stop.”
“At a time when the State of Utah, local counties, and Utah's federal delegation are participating in a large scale initiative to resolve many long-standing public land issues, this last-minute bait and switch only reinforces the widespread belief that, under this Administration, BLM is becoming a vehicle for policies created by radical environmentalists,” said Senator Lee. “This bureaucratic maneuvering does more than hurt the companies that were ready, willing, and able to participate in Tuesday's auction. It discourages companies from participating in future auctions, and perhaps ever investing in states that are dominated by federal land ownership. The cumulative impact of this and other similar actions serves to drive investment away from the families and communities that live near lands managed by the federal government. In order to thrive, these communities need a good faith partner in the BLM.”
“This misguided announcement by the Bureau of Land Management to defer the leasing of 100,000 acres for energy production because of pressure from environmental elites ironically comes on the heels of news last month that the United States produced more oil than it imported,” said Hatch. “The fact that our nation is a global leader in energy production seems lost on the President and his Administration who’s doing everything to stop that from happening. This hurts American jobs and American energy independence and must stop.”
Lee, Graves, Rubio Introduce Major Highway Funding Reform Bill
Nov 14, 2013
Today, U.S. Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA-14) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the Transportation Empowerment Act, a bill to open up America’s transportation system to greater local control, better targeted projects, and a more efficient way to maintain and improve the nation’s infrastructure. The bill allows states to respond to the needs of their communities and develop systems that result in less traffic, shorter commutes, more affordable homes, and help families better manage the work-life balance.
Lee Outlines Conservative Anti-Poverty Agenda
Nov 13, 2013
Today, Senator Mike Lee outlined a conservative anti-poverty agenda to address the growing opportunity crisis in America. His speech, at a forum sponsored by the Heritage Foundation, detailed the causes of social immobility among the working and middle class and charted several reforms that clear a path to help individuals and families stuck in poverty.
