To advance his key priorities, Senator Romney this week called on his colleagues to take the impending insolvency of federal entitlement programs like Social Security seriously; secured several of his national security measures in the Senate’s annual defense authorization bill; and introduced pieces of legislation to better monitor the spread of infectious diseases and support Utah’s river ecosystems.
The time we spend with our families on the Fourth of July underscores the freedom we enjoy in this country—made possible by the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform. As we celebrate that freedom, we’re also reminded of those who came before us. Their vision for our country, accompanied by their hard work to make it come to pass, laid the foundation for what our country is today: a continued City upon a Hill.
Senator Romney introduced legislation to bolster our domestic critical minerals capabilities by reducing our dependence on geopolitical adversaries. He also joined the Utah Congressional delegation on legislation to reduce barriers for Utahns to fly into Washington, D.C., called out Bernie Sanders for using his role as Chairman of the Health and Labor Committee for useless political posturing, and supported Utah’s action against a Biden Administration rule that would harm our state’s energy security.
The United States’ reliance on communist China for materials critical to our industrial base poses a great threat to our national security and economic stability. This week, Senator Romney worked to advance legislation to bolster our critical mineral supply chains and led a hearing where he questioned witnesses on our competition with China.
Utah has a significant demand for passport services, yet there is no passport agency closer than eight hours away for most Utahns. This has resulted in an inexcusable passport processing backlog and caused immense stress for Utah families. This week, Senator Romney continued to urge the Biden Administration to address these challenges by standing up a passport agency in Salt Lake City and modernizing the passport renewal process.
As Congress worked to pass legislation that avoided a default on our debt, Senator Romney expressed his support for the bipartisan compromise negotiated by Speaker McCarthy and the White House—highlighting how the bill avoids what could have been an economic disaster while putting government spending on a more sustainable path.
Senator Romney joined his colleagues in recognizing the immense sacrifices of our law enforcement; called on the U.S. to refocus its policy approach toward Russia; and met with stakeholders from across Utah to discuss issues like banking, tourism, and public transit. He also worked with his Utah Congressional Delegation colleagues in introducing legislation to better support our state’s national defense capabilities.
Last night, Title 42—which allowed the Department of Homeland Security to expel illegal immigrants who have no lawful basis for staying in the country—expired. Senator Romney led several of his Republican colleagues in urging the Biden Administration to complete the border wall, which would help get the national security and humanitarian crisis at the southern border under control—something the Administration has failed to do to date.
The national debt continues to grow at an alarming rate, which poses significant risks to our country’s economic stability and national security, and could jeopardize our ability to make due on programs like Medicare and Social Security. Solving the debt crisis has long been a priority of Senator Romney, and this week he called on his colleagues to move past partisanship and toward compromise.
As Ranking Member of the Homeland Security’s Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight Subcommittee, Senator Romney holds a key role in addressing the United States’ capacity to respond to 21st century threats. This week, Senator Romney held a Subcommittee hearing on emergency preparedness and interagency coordination in the 10 years since the Boston Marathon bombing.
This week, Senator Romney grilled members of the Biden Administration on their negligence to address the humanity crisis at our southern border, overt pro-labor union bias, and history of gross mismanagement of taxpayer dollars. He also met with key stakeholders from Utah to discuss efforts to address our state’s education, water, economic, and defense industry needs.
Senator Romney met with several groups of local government leaders from across Utah to discuss ways to strengthen communities amid our state’s unique challenges, including its rapid growth and drought conditions. On the national front, the Senator called out Washington Democrats’ hypocrisy on their support for unions at all costs, urged the White House and Congressional leaders to put politics aside to save Social Security, and helped pass a formal to challenge the Biden Administration’s blatant federal power grab of our nation’s waters.