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WASHINGTON – On Thursday, the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 with several adopted amendments supported by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT). “I am committed to working for my fellow Utahns who bravely serve in the armed forces and ensuring their voices are heard in Congress,” Sen. Lee said. “These amendments are win-wins for the state of Utah, the members of our nation’s armed forces, and the American taxpayers.”

Congress recently passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. I am proud to announce several important amendments to the final bill that are sure to benefit Utah and the nation. My Allied Burden Sharing Report amendment, adopted into the NDAA, will require the Department of Defense (DoD) to submit a report on the contributions made by our allies to our common defense. It will allow Congress to perform its oversight over U.S. defense agreements with our allies to know whether they are paying their share of the costs associated with our mutual defense strategy.

Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) wrote to Attorney General William Barr and Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe on Tuesday, demanding information on whether and how the Trump administration has halted mass surveillance programs authorized by now-expired Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) provisions under the USA FREEDOM Act. The senators also demanded information on whether the administration is conducting surveillance that bypasses their statutory authorities, under any illegal claim of inherent surveillance powers.

Madam president, I come to the floor today wanting to discuss a case called June Medical Services v. Russo. This was a decision announced by the Supreme Court yesterday. This is a decision that hasn’t gotten enough attention as many cases that have come before the Supreme Court. It is, nonetheless, a significant decision. It is a decision that I believe is deeply flawed and betrays many of the legal and constitutional principles that the Supreme Court reports to apply and is supposed to be bound by as it decides cases and controversies properly brought before its jurisdiction.