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Today’s Agenda

Today, Senator Lee will meet with representatives of the National Campaign to Stop Violence, the Utah Association of Conservation Districts, Tobacco-Free Kids, Red Wing, Salt Lake City, and CenturyLink.

From the Senator’s Desk

Courtesy of the Senate Republican Conference:

U.S. Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference and a member of the Senate Finance Committee, today said a new report by Ernst & Young is further evidence that President Barack Obama's small business tax hike would kill jobs and hurt the economy. The new study found that the president's proposed tax hike on nearly one million businesses would slash over 700,000 jobs, shrink the economy by 1.3 percent, reduce investment by 2.4 percent, and cut wages by nearly 2 percent.

“This report further confirms that President Obama's small business tax hike is a direct attack on the middle class," said Thune. "More than 700,000 Americans stand to lose their jobs if the president has his way and taxes are increased on nearly one million businesses nationwide. Many American families are struggling to make ends meet, yet the president's tax hike threatens to cut wages by nearly 2 percent.

“With over 23 million unemployed or underemployed, America cannot afford President Obama's election-year small business tax hike. Just two years ago, President Obama said allowing taxes to increase would have been "a blow to our economy" and 40 Senate Democrats agreed. Economic growth is worse today than it was in 2010. Raising taxes was a bad idea then, and it's a bad idea now.”

On Twitter

Here is my mobile office schedule for July.We invite all Utahns to take advantage of this great resource: ow.ly/bZXJ1 #utpol

— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) July 16, 2012

MT @joecienkowski: @SenMikeLee thank you, and God bless for standing for America against this LOST treaty. shows our Pres and Dems are lost

— Brian Phillips (@SenLeeComs) July 17, 2012

@KeriKSL That's actually our own photo! We found that the small cups make it easy to serve. Come by for some if you're ever in DC!

— Emily Bennion (@SenLeePressSec) July 17, 2012

Around the Water Cooler

‘7 Habits’ gave business guru Stephen R. Covey fame, fortune

Perhaps the most well-known Utahn of his generation, Stephen R. Covey catapulted himself to international fame and fortune with the 1989 publication of his book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People."

DeMint: Law of the Sea treaty now dead

The United Nations Law of the Sea Treaty now has 34 senators opposed to it and thus lacks the Senate votes needed for U.S. ratification, a key opponent of the treaty announced Monday.

Looking Ahead

Tomorrow, Senator Lee will meet with representatives of the Assistive Technology Program, Christians United for Israel, the Ute Indian Tribe, and National Teenage Republicans. He will also host a Jell-O bar for office visitors at 3:30 PM EDT (1:30 MDT).

Today’s Agenda

Today, Senator Lee will meet with representatives of Utah Metal Works. He will also attend a Judiciary hearing at 9:30 AM EDT (7:30 MDT) host a Jell-O bar for office visitors at 3:30 PM EDT (1:30 MDT).

From the Senator’s Desk

Courtesy of the Republican staff of the Joint Economic Committee:

Last week, the New York Times reported on a study conducted by the Mayo Clinic, which found that the number of women in their 40s obtaining mammograms declined “in the year after an expert panel’s recommendation that women delay regular breast cancer screenings until age 50.”  The “expert panel” in question is the US Preventive Services Task Force – referenced 21 different times in Obamacare, and granted the power by the law to set federal coverage standards for preventive coverage by insurers.

The Mayo study leads to the unsurprising conclusion that if a government board decides a treatment is not “approved,” people will receive less of that treatment.  Empowering a government board will decrease access to preventive care screenings, as insurance companies will likely follow the directives of a federally-backed panel.  So rather than keeping choices between patients and doctors, Washington has effectively short-circuited that process, because the rulings of a government board will lead insurance companies to stop covering preventive treatments.

Unfortunately, it’s not just access to mammograms that may be affected – prostate cancer screening may well be next.  Earlier this year, the US Preventive Services Task Force released its final recommendations regarding prostate cancer screening.  Even before the Task Force’s draft recommendations were issued last October, insurers were already re-evaluating whether or not to cover screening tests in light of the Task Force’s decision. 

Yet even as the recommendations from the Preventive Services Task Force have reduced the use of preventive care screenings, the Administration has been promoting “preventive services” elsewhere.  Over the past several months, HHS has been handing out grants from Obamacare’s prevention new “slush fund” to finance things like jungle gyms, bike paths, and crosswalks.  So when it comes to prevention funding from this Administration, the mantra appears to be “Mammograms, no; jungle gyms, yes!”

On Twitter

@SenateDems are obstructing a vote on President Obama's #tax plan that would raise taxes on almost 1 million small businesses. #tcot

— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) July 11, 2012

.@SenateDems, why are you filibustering the President's signature tax plan? GOP is ready to vote. Stop the #obstruction.

— Brian Phillips (@SenLeeComs) July 11, 2012

.@SenMikeLee questioning at #Judiciary hearing on oversight of impact on competition of #patents bit.ly/w3rCIo #antitrust

— Emily Bennion (@SenLeePressSec) July 11, 2012

Repealing #Obamacare got more votes from #Democrats than #Obama's own #budget. #ACA #tcot #tlot

— Joe Tauke (@SenLeeResearch) July 11, 2012

Around the Water Cooler

Another California city opts for bankruptcy

As recently as last month, no city in California had opted for bankruptcy since 2008, and no U.S. city of more than 200,000 people had ever chosen that route.

Report: Thousands fled Canada for health care in 2011

A Canadian study released Wednesday found that many provinces in our neighbor to the North have seen patients fleeing the country and opting for medical treatment in the United States.

Looking Ahead

Tomorrow, Senator Lee will meet with representatives of Orthodox Union and the National Youth Leaders Conference. He will also attend two Foreign Relations Committee hearings.