Day Lee Briefing -- 6/21/2011
Jun 21, 2011
Today’s Agenda
Senator Lee meets with members of the uranium mining industry from Southern Utah. He’ll attend a Foreign Relations Committee meeting to look at several high profile nominations, and holds his weekly tele-press conference for Utah press this evening.
From the Senator’s Desk
Each week, dozens of constituents call the office to register their opinions on a range of issues. Last week we received several calls from those who oppose raising the debt ceiling, as well as many who are concerned about a particular judicial nomination the Senate will be voting on this week. Other issues include U.S. involvement in Libya, with the majority being opposed, and entitlement reform.
Around the Water Cooler
Land Use: “Our country's energy future remains in limbo because Secretary Salazar has chosen to placate his anti-energy special interest cronies.”
Cut, Cap, Balance: “By signing the pledge, lawmakers essentially promise not to vote to raise the debt ceiling unless it comes with the three-tiered package of spending cuts, caps, and a balanced budget amendment.”
Afghanistan: “President Obama is putting the finishing touches on his proposal for beginning to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan, not two years after he surged 30,000 troops into the country in a bid to arrest the advances of the insurgency.”
A Look Ahead
Senator Lee will participate in a press conference tomorrow at 4:00 pm in the Cannon Caucus Room (Cannon House Office Building) announcing the “Cut, Cap, and Balance Pledge”. The pledge signifies members support a plan to cut the deficit, cap federal spending, and pass the Hatch-Lee Balanced Budget Amendment before voting to increase the nation’s debt limit. Senator Lee will give remarks along with Senators Hatch, DeMint, Rubio, among others, as well as members of several coalition groups.
Senator Lee Test Driving an Electric Truck from Utah Company Via Motors
Day Lee Briefing -- 6/20/2011
Jun 20, 2011
Today’s Agenda
Senator Lee meets with staff in preparation for this week’s committee hearings and possible votes. He will also test drive an electric truck made by Orem-based VIA motors.
From the Senator’s Desk
“Late on Friday, the Administration released its latest list of waivers granted from some of Obamacare’s onerous mandates. In the past month, another 62 plans covering 117,001 individuals received waivers, bringing to more than 3.2 million Americans who have received exemptions from some – but certainly not all – of the law’s mandates. Of those, over 1.58 million participants were in union-affiliated plans that received waivers – raising questions about why so many union members are being exempted from the law.” -- Memo from the Republican Policy Committee
The number of individuals who have received waivers from ObamaCare’s mandates is widely interpreted as the same number of those who will be pushed out of their current insurance plans and on to a government plan unless ObamaCare is repealed.
Recent Votes
On Senator McCain’s amendment to prohibit the use of Federal funds to construct ethanol blender pumps or ethanol storage facilities, Senator Lee voted YEA
Around the Water Cooler
Privacy: “The bill is exactly the kind of thing that Congress should be about, updating laws to make them conform at once to changing technologies and eternal standards of privacy and individual rights.”
Debt Limit: “If we can’t do something really significant about the debt ceiling, then we’ll probably end up with a very short- term proposal over a few months”.
The Week Ahead: “Deadlines will be looming over lawmakers’ heads this week as they continue debt limit talks as well as debate whether to continue supporting the mission in Libya.”
A Look Ahead
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit the Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday to discuss Afghanistan and Pakistan. Senator Lee will also oversee a Water and Power Subcommittee meeting that day. Tomorrow, he meets with members of the uranium mining industry from Southern Utah and has a Joint Economic Committee meeting on federal spending. His weekly tele-press conference with Utah press is also tomorrow.
Day Lee Briefing -- 6/16/2011
Jun 16, 2011
Today’s Agenda
Senator Lee sits down with the Associated Builders and Contractors of Utah tomorrow and attends Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committee Meetings. He also meets with the nominee for Solicitor General, Donald B. Verrilli.
From the Senator’s Desk
Senator Lee cosponsored the “Achieving Accountability Through Electronic Verification Act’’ which requires employers to us the E-Verify program to ensure all workers are in the country legally:
Upon enactment, all federal agencies and contractors would be required to use the program. The Secretary of Homeland Security (within 7 days of enactment and annually thereafter) would conduct an assessment and designate employers as “critical,” and these designated employers, or class of employers, will be required to use E-Verify within 30 days of being designated. All employers would be required to use E-Verify within one year of date of enactment.
Around the Water Cooler
Land Use: “I expressed to him the fact that we have a lot of Utahans who are concerned about the prairie dog issue.”
Wilderness: “[A] committee of lawmakers is unwilling at this point to endorse any county efforts to have Congress set aside wilderness protections.”
Jobs: “Obama Blames ATMs for High Unemployment”
A Look Ahead
Senator Lee will be on Fox & Friends tomorrow at 7:45 am, and attend the Utah State Organizing Convention on Saturday.
Senators Call on President to Shift Strategy in Afghanistan
Jun 15, 2011
U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mike Lee (R-UT) and Tom Udall (D-NM) and 24 other senators sent a letter to President Obama today calling for a shift in strategy in Afghanistan ahead of next month's announced deadline to begin an accelerated transition to Afghan security forces. In the letter, the senators urge the President to use the deadline as an opportunity to begin a “sizable and sustained” drawdown of troops that puts the U.S. on a path toward removing all regular combat troops from the country.
Day Lee Briefing -- 6/15/2011
Jun 15, 2011
Today’s Agenda
Senator Lee meets with Dan Ashe, the nominee for Administrator of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, to discuss a number of issues including the inclusion of the prairie dog on the endangered species list. He is also meeting with Utah Jr. High History Fair winners and hosts his weekly “Jell-O” constituent open house.
From the Senator’s Desk
U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mike Lee (R-UT) and Tom Udall (D-NM) and 24 other senators sent a letter to President Obama today calling for a shift in strategy in Afghanistan ahead of next month's announced deadline to begin an accelerated transition to Afghan security forces. In the letter, the senators urge the President to use the deadline as an opportunity to begin a “sizable and sustained” drawdown of troops that puts the U.S. on a path toward removing all regular combat troops from the country.
From the letter:
“Mr. President, according to our own intelligence officials, al Qaeda no longer has a large presence in Afghanistan, and, as the strike against bin Laden demonstrated, we have the capacity to confront our terrorist enemies with a dramatically smaller footprint. The costs of prolonging the war far outweigh the benefits. It is time for the United States to shift course in Afghanistan.
We urge you to follow through on the pledge you made to the American people to begin the redeployment of U.S. forces from Afghanistan this summer, and to do so in a manner that is sizable and sustained, and includes combat troops as well as logistical and support forces.”
Recent Votes
Senator Lee voted FOR a motion to proceed to an amendment that would repeal the ethanol tax credit.
Around the Water Cooler
Jobs: “[Obama] joked about the wildly mistaken predictions he and others at the White House made a couple of years back about the job-creating potential of the stimulus.”
Accountability: “The White House is more or less conceding that it doesn't have a chance of winning a second term unless his major policies go on hiatus.”
Pakistan: “Their families don’t have any idea where they have been taken. Nobody knows what they have done.”
A Look Ahead
Senator Lee sits down with the Associated Builders and Contractors of Utah tomorrow and attends Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committee Meetings. He also meets with the nominee for Solicitor General, Donald B. Verrilli.
Day Lee Briefing -- 6/14/2011
Jun 14, 2011
Today’s Agenda
Senator Lee meets with the Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake & Sandy, the Utah Technology Council, and the nominees for ambassadorships from Jordan and Turkey.
From the Senator’s Desk
Last week Senator Lee received dozens of calls from constituents on a number of issues. The top issue was the vote on the Debit Interchange Fee Act, which Senator Lee supported. Other calls included the debt ceiling, entitlement reform, requests to reduce US presence in the Middle East, and support and opposition for certain judicial nominees.
Around the Water Cooler
Social Security: “Rather than ducking a tough problem, the three Senators recognize that delaying Social Security reforms will cause deeper cuts in benefits or greater tax increases down the road.”
Land Grab: “Utah has been ‘honored’ enough.”
A Look Ahead
The Senate debates ethanol subsidies today. On Thursday, the Foreign Relations Committee will discuss the continued US presence in Libya.
Yesterday's Appearance on Freedom Watch:
Bishop, Chaffetz, Hatch, Lee Introduce Bill to Protect Utah from Presidential Monument Designations
Jun 14, 2011
Congressman Rob Bishop (UT-01), Chairman of the House Natural Resources National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee, today introduced the Utah Lands Sovereignty Act, which would protect Utah from future national monument designations made by Presidential executive order. Congressman Jason Chaffetz (UT-03) co-sponsored the bill and Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced companion legislation in the Senate. In 1950, Congress passed a law that prohibited the future establishment of national monuments in Wyoming except as authorized by Congress. This legislation would provide Utah with the same level of protection.
Day Lee Briefing -- 6/13/2011
Jun 13, 2011
Today’s Agenda
Today, Senator Lee, ranking member on the Water and Power Subcommittee, will discuss legislative issues with Utah’s leaders in the water industry. He will also appear on Fox Business Channel’s Freedom Watch and discuss the budget and the country’s mounting debt.
From the Senator’s Desk
Last week, Senator Lee signed a letter to the Administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding his decision to not approve the State of Indiana’s Medicaid State Plan Amendment which limits funding to Medicaid recipients to perform abortions:
“We disagree with your narrow interpretation of Title XIX of the Social Security Act and believe this represents a significant departure from Medicaid’s longstanding practice of having the states — not the federal government — set reasonable standards for qualified providers. Unfortunately, your decision is simply the latest example of this Administration’s alarming pattern of usurping states’ authority to manage their Medicaid programs in ways that best meet the needs of their citizens.”
Around the Water Cooler
Libya: “[N]early 90 days after President Obama committed U.S. forces to aerial operations in Libya, the president has not sought congressional approval. That is unacceptable.”
ObamaCare: “This is a travesty of constitutional lawmaking”
Border Security: “But given the indiscriminate trampling by those who cross from the Mexican side, allowing patrols in these areas would seem to be better for the environment than the current set of rules.”
A Look Ahead
On Tuesday, Senator Lee meets with the Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake & Sandy, and the Utah Technology Council. The Senate is expected to vote on an amendment to end some ethanol subsidies, and the Foreign Relations Committee is expected to vote on 3 high profile nominees, Deputy Secretary of State, and the ambassadorships to China and Afghanistan.
This Week in Washington -- June10, 2011
Jun 10, 2011
Significant events of the last week include the revocation of the Obama Administration's Wild Lands Policy, continued deterioration of the American economy, a call for hearings on the Hatch-Lee Balanced Budget Amendment, and movement towards a resolution requiring President Obama to justify military action in Libya.
Day Lee Briefing -- 6/10/2011
Jun 10, 2011
Senator Lee recently cosponsored the following Concurrent Resolution in support of one of America’s closest allies, Israel:
“Declaring that it is the policy of the United States to support and facilitate Israel in maintaining defensible borders and that it is contrary to United States policy and na- tional security to have the borders of Israel return to the armistice lines that existed on June 4, 1967.”
