Allied Burden Sharing Report Act of 2018

Jul 12, 2018

“NATO and other mutual defense agreements have a purpose,” Sen. Lee said, “but until we no longer bear the greatest brunt of the financial burden, we cannot and should not consider expanding these commitments. The information included in this report would be instrumental in informing Congress’ oversight of our own military and defense spending and would help educate lawmakers on the return on investment we receive in exchange for our involvement in global alliances.”

Sen. Lee Introduces the Protect Utah’s Rural Economy (PURE) Act

Jul 11, 2018

“Rural Americans want what all Americans want: a dignified decent-paying job, a family to love and support, and a healthy community whose future is determined by local residents – not their self-styled betters thousands of miles away,” Sen. Lee said. “That is why I am introducing the Protect Utah’s Rural Economy Act today, a bill that would protect Utah from future abuses under the Antiquities Act by prohibiting the president from establishing or expanding a national monument in Utah unless the proposed monument has been authorized by an act of Congress and the state legislature.”

This bill will protect rural Utahns from abuses of the Antiquities Act

Jul 11, 2018

Twice in the past 20 years, Washington politicians serving wealthy out-of-state special interests attacked Utah’s rural communities. President Donald Trump provided these communities some temporary relief in October, but if we want to permanently protect Utah’s rural economy from outside intervention, we need to act now.

Sens. Lee, Rubio, Cruz Introduce Transportation Empowerment Act

Jul 10, 2018

“The federal government’s Highway Trust Fund is broke, and another year of band aid funding is not going to fix it,” Sen. Lee said. “Different states have different values and needs. State and local governments are perfectly capable of reflecting those values and meeting those needs with unique, customized transportation policies without the interference of politicians, bureaucrats, and special interests in Washington. The Interstate Highway System was completed decades ago, drivers are buying less gas, and the federal government has wasted far too much money on non-highway projects. It is just an outdated system that is long overdue for reform.”

Sen. Lee Statement on President Trump's SCOTUS Pick

Jul 9, 2018

WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) gave the following statement Monday after President Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the United States Supreme Court.

Honoring the Founders Promise on Federal Lands

Jun 29, 2018

How did it come to pass that the federal government owns nearly half of the land in the West, compared to just 5 percent of the land in the East? Throughout the 19th century Lawmakers sought to facilitate expansion of the nation by acquiring land—and then transferring it to the people, so they could live out their lives as responsible citizens of the republic.

Time to Check Out of Checkoffs

Jun 29, 2018

Most people are familiar with the slogans: “Got milk?”, “Pork, the other white meat,” and “Beef, it’s what’s for dinner.” But what they might not be aware of is the cronyist underbelly of these slogans. The US Department of Agriculture checkoff programs behind these slogans collect compulsory fees from producers of milk, eggs, beef, and other agricultural products. The funds are then used to promote and do research on those particular commodities.

Honoring the Founders Promise on Federal Lands

Jun 29, 2018

It was 170 years ago that Brigham Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers came to the Salt Lake Valley in search of religious freedom… and, finally, a land of their own in which to practice it. It is easy to take for granted, or to forget. But so much of American history – and of human happiness – has depended on the ability of ordinary people to have a part of this earth they can call their own, “to dress it and keep it.”

Visualizing the Distribution of Social Capital across America

Jun 28, 2018

The Social Capital Project recently released a Social Capital Index covering every state and nearly every county in America. As we discussed in the accompanying report, states with high index values tend to be smaller than states with low values. Fully 56 percent of Americans live in the 40 percent of states with the lowest social capital values, while just 21 percent reside in the 40 percent of states with the highest values. In our report, population size had a negative correlation with both the state and county-level versions of our index (-0.34 and -0.15, respectively).

Congress Must Act to End Suffering at the Border

Jun 22, 2018

It is a searing image. A toddler in pink shoes, a pink jacket, and jean shorts staring up at her mother who is talking to a United States border patrol agent. She is afraid. She is in tears. She could be any of our daughters. This young girl quickly became a symbol for opposition to President Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy of prosecuting all illegal border crossings. A policy that, due to a 1997 federal court decision, also necessitates separating parents from children when families are arrested for crossing the border illegally.