Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) joined KSL’s Inside Sources with Boyd Matheson to discuss the Biden Administration’s mishandling of the crisis at our southern border, the expiration of Title 42 authorities, and need to complete the border wall.
In advance of the expiration of Title 42 authorities Senator Romney led a group of 14 of his colleagues in sending a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas criticizing the Administration’s failure to secure the border despite receiving congressionally-appropriated funds to continue construction of the border wall.
Senators Romney, Braun (R-IN), and Marshall (R-KS) placed their support behind bipartisan railway safety legislation led by Senator Vance (R-OH). Senators Hawley (R-MO) and Rubio (R-FL) are original cosponsors. The Railway Safety Act is scheduled for a committee markup this Wednesday, May 10.
Senator Romney joined his colleagues in reintroducing the College Transparency Act (CTA), legislation which ensures that students and families have better information as they consider higher education opportunities. The CTA would modernize the college reporting system for postsecondary data by providing accurate reporting on student outcomes such as enrollment, completion, and post-college earnings across colleges and majors, while ensuring the privacy of individual students is securely protected.
Senator Romney applauded an announcement from the Department of Transportation that Utah Transit Authority would be awarded $60 million for its Light Rail Vehicle Replacement Project as part of the FTA’s Rail Vehicle Replacement program. The FTA program—established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—was designed to help transit agencies replace aging rail rolling stock, which would improve the reliability, safety, and accessibility of our country’s rail transit systems.
Senator Romney toured Utah businesses and met with local leaders to discuss Utah’s water challenges. Romney started the day at OxEon Energy in North Salt Lake, where he toured the firm’s facility and met with employees. He then visit Bonnell Aluminum in Clearfield for a meeting with their executive board about the company’s efforts to shore up our supply chains, followed by a discussion with its workers. Romney ended the day at the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District for a roundtable discussion with local leaders about the Jordan River Watershed and the Great Salt Lake.
Senator Romney joined Senators Menendez (D-NJ), Jim Risch (R-ID), and Van Hollen (D-MD), in unveiling the Taiwan Tax Agreement Act of 2023, bipartisan legislation to authorize the Biden Administration to negotiate and conclude a tax agreement with Taiwan. Similar to a tax treaty, this agreement would play a key role in facilitating investment between the United States and Taiwan, including in key strategic industries such as semiconductors, by making it easier for businesses in the U.S. and Taiwan to avoid double taxation while protecting against tax evasion.
At a Budget Committee hearing to discuss the recent House-passed bill that raises the debt limit and reduces spending, Senator Romney criticized the politicization of our country’s fiscal situation. He urged his colleagues to put posturing aside and come together to save the U.S. from defaulting on its debt, rein in federal spending, and address the main drivers of the debt—our entitlement programs.
Senator Romney joined Senators Menendez (D-NJ), Risch (R-ID), and Duckworth (D-IL) in applauding the Committee’s passage of their Providing Appropriate Recognition and Treatment Needed to Enhance Relations (PARTNER) with ASEAN Act, bipartisan legislation to strengthen relations between the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Senator Romney joined a group of colleagues, led by Senator Barasso (R-WY), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in introducing legislation to protect multiple use policy on federal lands. This legislation blocks the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed Public Lands Rule.
Senator Romney welcomed more than 70 Utah veterans to Washington, D.C., for their Honor Flight, meeting at the World War II Memorial. The Utah Honor Flight group included veterans from World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars, the Cold War, and Desert Storm.
Senator Romney led a hearing to consider the State Department’s FY 2024 Budget Request for East Asia and the Pacific. The 2022 NDAA included legislation from Romney requiring the Administration to create a grand China strategy. During today’s hearing, he urged witnesses to follow through on creating a strategy that is more comprehensive than principles that have been publicly outlined by officials, as well as bipartisan and lasting in nature.