Press Releases
Lee and Thune Introduce Bill to Strengthen National Guard Resources and Readiness
Apr 28, 2021
WASHINGTON – Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and John Thune (R-SD) today introduced the Guarding Readiness Resources Act, a bill to ensure that National Guard units receive the reimbursement required by law for the use of federal equipment to support state missions.
Current federal law allows for the use of helicopters, trucks, and other federal equipment on state missions, but requires that states reimburse the National Guard for the costs associated with their use. However, state reimbursements are automatically diverted to the U.S. Treasury under the Miscellaneous Receipts Act (MRA), which mandates that any funds from a non-congressional source be sent to the Treasury. Without reimbursements, National Guard units are left with significant shortfalls in federal accounts used for operations and maintenance, under the level of the original congressional appropriation.
Sen. Lee, Rep. Smith Lead Letter to CDC on Face Mask Guidance for Kids
Apr 22, 2021
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) today led 30 of their colleagues in sending a bicameral letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requesting information on how the agency determined its guidance for children aged two years and older to wear face masks to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The Members of Congress wrote in part:
Sen. Lee and Republican Coalition Issue Joint Statement on Earmark Ban Victory
Apr 21, 2021
WASHINGTON – Following a vote by Senate Republicans to keep the ban on earmarks, Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT), Steve Daines (R-MT), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), James Risch (R-ID), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Rand Paul (R-KY), Rob Portman (R-OH), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Braun (R-IN), and Joni Ernst (R-IA) issued the following joint statement:
“We’re encouraged our GOP colleagues upheld the ban on earmarks. Still, we will remain vigilant against any efforts to bring back earmarks – including efforts that ignore conference rules – so that in the Senate, the American people are respected and their tax dollars remain free from this widely abused and wasteful spending practice.”
Sen. Lee Introduces State Grazing Management Authority Act
Apr 20, 2021
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) has introduced the State Grazing Management Authority Act, a bill to allow states to manage grazing programs on federal allotments.
In public lands states, the agricultural community – particularly livestock producers – face unique problems in legally accessing and using the federal public lands within their domain. While many states have been able to streamline their grazing processes and work on the state and local level to make their lands more productive, grazers in public lands states are instead forced to navigate layers of bureaucracy and regulation from federal agencies like the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service (FS), which are far removed and often unresponsive to their needs.
