Press Releases
IRS Changes Course after Sen. Lee and Rep. Owens Send Letter on Religious Liberty
Jul 8, 2021
WASHINGTON – After a June letter to the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sent by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT) and colleagues, the IRS reversed course on a determination removing tax-exempt status of a religious values group. The letter called out the IRS determination that “the sanctity of life, biblical marriage, and biblical justice” were associated with political party platforms.
Sen. Lee Expresses Concerns about Possible Revocation of FTC 2015 Statement of Section 5 Enforcement Principles
Jun 24, 2021
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) today issued the following statement in response to an announcement that the Federal Trade Commission will meet to consider rescinding its 2015 Statement of Enforcement Principles Regarding Unfair Methods of Competition Under Section 5 of the FTC Act:
Sen. Lee Speaks on Ending Federal Mask Mandate
Jun 23, 2021
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) today delivered remarks on the Senate floor in support of Sen. Rick’s Scott’s (R-FL) Stop Mandating Additional Requirements for Travel (SMART) Act, and to ask for its passage by unanimous consent. Though Democrats blocked its passage, the SMART Act would prohibit the federal government from requiring Americans to wear masks on public transportation.
Sen. Lee Delivers Remarks on U.S.-U.K. Free Trade Resolution
Jun 16, 2021
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) yesterday delivered remarks on the Senate floor on his resolution declaring the importance of the U.S.-U.K. “special relationship,” and the prime opportunity of reaching a free trade agreement between the two nations.
Sen. Lee said in part:
“The U.K. has been one of our staunchest and most loyal allies. We have stood beside each other through two world wars and the Cold War. In the 21st century, the U.S. and the U.K. have become even stronger friends and partners, both in the fight against global terrorism and for freedom, peace, and prosperity.
Sen. Lee Reintroduces Native Species Protection Act
Jun 15, 2021
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) reintroduced the Native Species Protection Act Tuesday, a bill that would allow states to manage species that exist entirely within their border.
“There are real benefits to protecting endangered species from extinction, but the federal law intended to establish such protections – the Endangered Species Act – is in serious need of reform,” Sen. Lee said. “The Native Species Protection Act is a commonsense reform that would limit the damage caused by federal mismanagement of protected species and their habitats, while empowering state and local officials to pursue sensible conservation plans with their communities.”
Sens. Lee, Grassley Introduce TEAM Act to Reform Antitrust Law
Jun 14, 2021
WASHINGTON – Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) today introduced the Tougher Enforcement Against Monopolies, or TEAM Act, to reform our nation’s antitrust laws.
“America is facing a panoply of competition concerns not just in Big Tech, but across our entire economy,” said Sen Lee. “We need a holistic approach that deals with all of these concerns, and that benefits all consumers, in every industry – without massively increasing regulation and imposing a command-and-control grip over the economy. The TEAM Act strikes the right balance in protecting competition and consumer welfare while limiting government intervention in our free market economy.”
Sens. Lee, King, and Paul Introduce PRIME Act
Jun 11, 2021
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) is happy to join Sens. Angus King (I-ME) and Rand Paul (R-KY) in introducing the Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption (PRIME) Act. In addition to reviving the ability of local custom slaughterhouses to compete with large regional packers, this commonsense legislation moves to revive the ability of individual states to govern the commerce within their own borders.
Sen. Lee Introduces Bills to Repeal, Reform PVSA
Jun 10, 2021
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) has introduced three bills to repeal and reform the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886 (PVSA), an outdated, protectionist law that harms American jobs and American tourism.
“The PVSA is bad news,” said Sen. Lee. “This arcane law benefits Canada, Mexico, and other countries who receive increased maritime traffic, at the expense of American workers in our coastal cities, towns, and ports. Reducing demand for jobs and travel opportunities here in the U.S. is the opposite of ‘America First.’ And in the context of ocean liners, this ‘protectionist’ law is literally protecting no one, as there hasn’t been a cruise ship built domestically in over half a century. The PVSA is bad economics and bad law, and it’s far past time that Congress reconsider it.”
Sen. Lee, Colleagues Question IRS Data Leak
Jun 9, 2021
WASHINGTON – Following ProPublica’s publication of a “vast trove” of taxpayer information provided to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that appears to be confidential information and protected under federal law from disclosure, Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT), Mike Braun (R-IN), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Ron Johnson (R-WI) have sent letters to the Acting Treasury Inspector General and the Inspector General for Tax Administration to request a prompt investigation into how this IRS information was lost and to hold accountable any individuals who broke federal law by inappropriately sharing confidential tax information.
Sen. Lee Issues Statement on January 6 Commission
May 28, 2021
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee today issued the following statement on his vote opposing legislation to create a commission investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol:
“The events of January 6th were tragic, and there are many legitimate questions that remain to be answered. However, the commission the Democrats attempted to establish today contained broad investigative mandates even to areas outside the events of January 6th, combined with broad subpoena power and a flawed structure – constituting a recipe for a political witch-hunt. I support efforts, including the multiple investigations underway and the oversight from Senate Committees, to uncover these unanswered questions, but establishing a Kangaroo Commission to politicize the events of that day will neither help us deliver justice nor get to the bottom of the truth.”
