Press Releases
Senator Lee Introduces the No CBDC Act
Sep 14, 2022
Senator Lee introduced legislation to prevent the Federal Reserve from reshaping the U.S. financial sector and spying on every consumer transaction. The Fed, with encouragement from the Biden Administration, has begun to develop a central bank digital currency (CBDC), a cryptocurrency, minted, issued, and controlled by them, that would alter the ability of financial institutions to function as lenders, while giving the federal government knowledge of every purchase that uses a CBDC. Financial institutions could no longer offer loans since they would bear no risk for a deposit – they would function merely as wallets, holders of a CBDC – and as such, could not extend deposits to prospective borrowers in the form of loans. Moreover, since the Federal Reserve would be the sole operator and overseer of a U.S. CBDC, the bank would have knowledge of every purchase using the cryptocurrency; if it maintains the technology needed to create the CBDC, it will know how it is used.
Lee Introduces Bill to Protect Communities from Drone Threats
Sep 7, 2022
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the Stopping Harmful Incidents to Enforce Lawful Drone Use (SHIELD-U) Act to equip state and local law enforcement with the authority needed to protect their citizens and communities from drone threats.
Lee Opposes Plan to Cancel Student Debt
Aug 24, 2022
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) opposes President Biden’s plan to cancel a portion of federal student debt. Lee offered the statement below following the plan’s announcement.
Lee Laments Democrat’s Rejection of PILT Amendment
Aug 6, 2022
In Utah, the federal government owns 66.48% of the total land. Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) are federal payments to local governments designed to offset losses in property taxes due to nontaxable federal lands within their boundaries. However, these payments are far lower than what local governments could expect to collect in property taxes. To regard PILT payments as tax equivalents in Utah cities, they would need to be 262 times larger.