Sen. Lee, Rep. Buck Question Big Tech CEOs on Actions Against Parler

Apr 1, 2021

WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) on Wednesday sent a letter to the CEOs of Google, Apple, and Amazon questioning a series of actions their companies took against Parler. The letter reads in part: “As detailed in the timeline below, the timing of steps taken against the Parler social network by your companies and that the actions seem to lack any of the procedural fairness typically afforded in the case of an alleged breach of contract create the appearance of close coordination.

The Trade Pact Waiting to Happen

Mar 29, 2021

Of all the things shared by the United States and Britain, perhaps the most important is the common law—a system of law that isn’t imposed from above but arises from the people in the form of cases and precedents. Engrained in common law is the concept of “partnership.” Partnerships allow individuals to cooperate by sharing knowledge and resources for mutual benefit. They are also voluntary, allowing each member to freely associate, and require each to value the welfare of his counterpart as much as his own.

ICYMI: Sen. Lee Visits Mexico Border, Calls for End to Crisis

Mar 29, 2021

Last week, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) joined a congressional delegation trip with 17 of his colleagues to help shed light on the humanitarian crisis caused by the recent surges in illegal immigration along the U.S.-Mexico border. The senators toured immigration processing facilities along the border, attended a roundtable with local leaders, and heard firsthand accounts of the journeys of migrant men, women, and children.

Sen. Lee Cosponsors the Smarter Sentencing Act

Mar 26, 2021

WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) cosponsored the “Smarter Sentencing Act,” bipartisan legislation designed to bring judicial discretion and flexibility to non-violent drug charge sentencing. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin (D- Ill.) and cosponsored by 11 of their colleagues. Since 1980, the number of inmates in federal prison has increased by 653%. About 50% of those federal inmates are serving sentences for drug-related offenses, increasing the taxpayer burden by more than 2,000%. In short, federal incarceration has become one of our nation’s biggest expenditures, dwarfing the amount spent on law enforcement.

Sen. Lee, Colleagues Urge HHS to Expand Ethical Sources of Fetal Tissue

Mar 26, 2021

WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) on Friday led 15 of his colleagues in sending a letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) requesting that the agency evaluate its ability to expand the existing organ donation network to include preterm and stillborn infant donors, so as to provide an ethical alternative to aborted fetal tissue. Under no circumstance should scientific research and experimentation use cells or tissues derived from abortion. The letter reads in part: “Respecting the dignity of human life from conception to natural death is critically important and this action would be a significant step toward protecting human life at all stages. If a consistent, high-quality, and ethically uncontroversial source of human fetal tissue exists, medical research would undoubtedly expand, advancing our nation’s understanding of human development and leading to potentially life-saving discoveries.”

Sens. Lee, Crapo, and Risch Introduce MORE PILT Act

Mar 25, 2021

WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) on Thursday introduced the Making Obligations Right by Enlarging Payments in Lieu of Taxes Act, or MORE PILT Act. Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) joined as original cosponsors of the bill. States, counties, and local governments are not able to collect property taxes on public land in their jurisdictions. The Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program was established in 1977 to provide funding to offset the absence of property tax revenue. Unfortunately, PILT payments have historically been a small fraction of what local governments would otherwise generate through property taxes, leaving rural communities in Western states deprived of crucial funds.

Sen. Lee Reintroduces Poverty Measurement Improvement Act

Mar 25, 2021

WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) today introduced the Poverty Measurement Improvement Act, a bill that would improve the accuracy of poverty measurement in the United States by requiring the Census Bureau to supplement its existing poverty data with additional data from other federal agencies. “To help the vulnerable in our social safety net programs, we must make sure that our limited resources are being used as effectively as possible, and going towards those who are most in need,” Sen. Lee said. “This bill will help us ensure that we have the data to do just that.”

Stopping Border Surges Act

Mar 24, 2021

I have read the accounts—so have many of you. A young mother from Honduras. Two young sisters from Guatemala. A six-year old child from El Salvador. They are all told by the local cartel that—for a price—a better life awaits them in America. They are told, as evidenced by those chanting “Biden!” at the border, that this new president has opened the borders, and amnesty is imminent. So “get in while you can.”

Sen. Lee, Colleagues Introduce U.S.-U.K. Free Trade Resolution

Mar 24, 2021

WASHINGTON – Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) today introduced a resolution recognizing the mutual history and special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom, and expressing the Sense of the Senate that the United States President should lay the groundwork for a mutually advantageous future trade agreement between the U.S. and the U.K.

Sen. Lee, Colleagues Introduce Stopping Border Surges Act

Mar 23, 2021

WASHINGTON – Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Monday introduced the Stopping Border Surges Act, a bill to address loopholes in our immigration system which encourage vulnerable immigrant populations to take dangerous, illegal paths of entry into the United States. “Loopholes in our immigration system perversely compel women and children to entrust their savings, futures, and lives to cartels and coyotes – endangering the safety of vulnerable immigrants, and undermining the integrity of our system,” said Sen. Lee. “This bill would help stop these dangerous opportunities for abuse.”