Press Releases

Sens. Lee and Harris Introduce Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act

Feb 7, 2019

WASHINGTON – Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Kamala Harris (D-CA) introduced the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act Wednesday, a bill that would remove per-country caps for employment-based green cards. “Immigrants should not be penalized due to their country of origin,” Sen. Lee said. “Treating people fairly and equally is part of our founding creed and the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act reflects that belief. Immigration is often a contentious issue, but we should not delay progress in areas where there is bipartisan consensus just because we have differences in a other areas."

Senate Passes Resolution Renaming VA Outstation After Major Brent Taylor

Feb 5, 2019

WASHINGTON – The United States Senate agreed unanimously to rename the North Ogden Department of Veteran’s Affairs Outstation the Major Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation Tuesday. Major Brent Taylor was the Mayor of North Ogden when he made the ultimate sacrifice on November 3, 2018 while deployed in Afghanistan. Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT) has introduced companion legislation in the House. “In every aspect of his life, Major Taylor was a shining example of patriotism, sacrifice, and service,” Sen. Lee said on the floor of the United Senate while securing unanimous consent for the resolution’s passage. “It is only right that we honor his extraordinary life. And to that end, it would only be a fitting tribute to rename the Ogden veterans’ center as the ‘Major Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation.’ ”

Sen. Lee Celebrates 1000th Mobile Office Visit

Feb 1, 2019

SALT LAKE CITY – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) will join his staff at Taylorsville City Hall today, to celebrate the 1000th Mobile Office visit made available to the people of Utah. “I want my office to be open and available to all Utahns as often as possible,” Sen. Lee said. “The best way to achieve that is by going directly to them. Utahns deal with a range of federal issues – from Social Security to veterans benefits to navigating the bureaucracy of the federal government – and I want my staff to be there to help them get answers.”

Sen. Lee Reintroduces “CBO Show Your Work” Bill

Jan 31, 2019

WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) reintroduced the “CBO Show Your Work” Act Wednesday, legislation designed to improve the legislative process by making the Congressional Budget Office more transparent and accountable. “Congress does need a scorekeeper to provide budgetary estimates for the policy changes it considers,” Sen. Lee said. “But at a bare minimum, that scorekeeper should be forced to show how its models work. Currently the CBO doesn’t have to do that.”

Sen. Lee Introduces the Federal Courts Access Act

Jan 31, 2019

WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement after introducing the Federal Courts Access Act of 2019, Thursday. “For too long, trial lawyers have been able to manipulate the diversity jurisdiction rules to deny litigants their day in federal court,” Sen. Lee said. “By creating a minimal diversity requirement consistent with the vision of the very first Congress, this bill increases out-of-state litigants access to the federal courts for major controversies. By returning to first principles, we can increase both fairness and efficiency in the civil litigation system.”

Sen. Lee Honored to Meet First Step Act Beneficiary Matthew Charles

Jan 28, 2019

WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement after meeting Matthew Charles, the first prisoner released due to passage of the First Step Act: “It was truly an honor to meet Matthew Charles today,” Sen. Lee said. “Here is a man who served his debt to society, turned his life around, and is already contributing to his family and community. There is still more we can do to make sure our criminal justice system is as fair and humane as possible, and success stories like Mr. Charles will make further reform possible.”

Sen. Lee Statement on End of Government Shutdown

Jan 25, 2019

WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement after President Trump announced the end of the government shutdown: “It is of course a relief that the shutdown is over. But the shutdown was not created by the crisis on the border. It was created by the failure of Congress to do its job. The way we are doing things now is convenient for politicians, but not for the American people. Government funding and immigration policy shouldn’t be a secret negotiation, but an open debate on the floors of the House and Senate. That’s the only way the American people can be included in this process.”

Sen. Lee Statement on Ending Shutdown and Paying Federal Workers

Jan 24, 2019

WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement Thursday after voting against a White House plan to fund the federal government: “If this had been a vote to begin debate on a deal to end the shutdown, I would have happily voted yes,” Sen. Lee said. “But this was a vote to end debate on a bill that I believe is fundamentally flawed. In fact, after specifically asking for assurances that we would be allowed to offer amendments, no assurances were given. This bill as is simply does not do enough to reform our immigration system or address the crisis at our southern border.”

Sens. Lee, Grassley Reintroduce Balanced Budget Amendment

Jan 24, 2019

WASHINGTON – Today, Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) reintroduced an amendment to the United States Constitution that would require the federal government to balance its budget each year. This amendment would put a stop to the current “status quo” of Congress spending far more money than the federal government takes in and would place strict limitations on the federal government’s ability to increase taxes, raise the debt limit, and carry out other actions that threaten our long-term fiscal sustainability.

Sen. Lee Reintroduces Silencers Helping Us Save Hearing Act

Jan 24, 2019

WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), along with Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Cornyn (R-TX), Rand Paul (R-KY), James Risch (R-ID), and Mike Crapo (R-ID) reintroduced the Silencers Helping Us Save Hearing Act of 2019, a bill that would ensure the elimination of all federal regulations of suppressors.