Utah Democrats attack Hatch…Misstate facts!
Weekly Clips from October 27, 2011 to November 10, 2011
U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-UT., U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-UT.-3, U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-UT.-2, Jason Buck (candidate for Congress), Mia Love (candidate for Congress)
U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-UT.
Senate Republicans Unveil Common-Sense Transportation Infrastructure Proposal
US Senate Committee on Finance: Newsroom: Ranking Member’s News: November 2: Today, Senate Republicans, led by Finance Committee Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), unveiled legislation, the Long-Term Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2011, that would speed up transportation construction projects, and provide employers with relief from burdensome federal regulations, without taxing job creators or adding a dime to the nation’s debt. The provisions included in the bill draw from bipartisan recommendations, including those from the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. This legislation is an alternative to Senate Democrats’ latest tax and spend proposal that includes a risky so-called “infrastructure bank.”
“Built on several of the President’s Jobs Council’s proposals, this legislation is a better way of speeding transportation construction, while scrapping burdensome regulations that are hurting our nation’s job creators,” said Hatch. “It isn’t funded with job-killing tax hikes. It doesn’t add a dime to the debt. And unlike the Democrats’ stimulus proposal, it should garner bipartisan support.” More…
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Top Ten Reasons Why Medicaid Needs Reform
US Senate Committee on Finance: Newsroom: Ranking Member’s News: November 3: “Medicaid has turned into something it was never intended to be – an unsustainable entitlement for nearly one in four individuals, busting federal and state budgets and leaving future generations footing the bill,” said Hatch. “Our nation cannot afford Medicaid as it is today. It needs reform, and these examples leave little doubt about the need to fix this increasingly broken program. As we work to slash our nation’s over $15 trillion debt, Medicaid simply must be on the table.” More…
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Hatch Calls on Congress to Pass Common-Sense Transportation Infrastructure Bill
US Senate Committee on Finance: Newsroom: Ranking Member’s News: November 3: In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, called on Congress to pass S. 1786, the Long-Term Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2011 that includes bipartisan recommendations from the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. Hatch introduced the legislation as an alternative to Senate Democrats’ latest tax and spend proposal that includes a risky so-called “infrastructure bank.”
“The legislation that I propose accommodates fully paid-for infrastructure projects to be undertaken to help build roads, bridges, and a host of other projects without imposing permanent, job-killing, higher taxes during a national unemployment emergency,” said Hatch.
The Long-Term Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2011 would speed up transportation construction projects, and provide employers with relief from burdensome federal regulations, without taxing job creators or adding a dime to the nation’s debt. The provisions included in the bill draw from bipartisan recommendations, including those from the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. More…
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US Senate Committee on Finance: Newsroom: Ranking Member’s News: November 3: Mr. President, we do not need higher taxes that will fall on job creators to write checks for the President’s special preferences, like spending on high-speed rail that Americans do not want or need.
We do not need a risky, GSE-like, taxpayer-funded infrastructure bank populated by political appointees able to pick and choose whatever spending they’d like to define as an infrastructure project, while subjecting taxpayers to private risk taking.
Fortunately, there is a better way, and it is contained in my legislation titled the Long-Term Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2011. Briefly, here is what it does.
It eliminates dedicated funding for transportation enhancements and gives states the authority to decide whether to spend resources on add-ons such as bike paths.
It reforms the National Environmental Policy Act — or NEPA — by eliminating inefficient bureaucratic red tape and accelerating project delivery and contracting, just as called for by the President’s Jobs Council.
It supports job creation by placing a temporary time-out on job killing regulations that are estimated to have significant economic effects.
It includes provisions for waivers of inefficient environmental reviews, approvals, and licensing and permitting requirements for road, highway, and bridge rebuilding efforts in emergency situations.
It goes straight to the matter of job creation and it draws from bi-partisan recommendations, including recommendations from the President’s own bi-partisan Jobs Council.
And it allows fully paid-for infrastructure projects to be undertaken to help build roads, bridges, and a host of other projects without imposing permanent, job-killing, higher taxes during our national unemployment emergency.
Mr. President, I urge all of my colleagues to vote in support of my legislation and to vote against the tax and spend alternative offered by those on the other side of the aisle. More…
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Hatch Statement at Finance Committee Hearing Examining Unemployment Insurance
US Senate Committee on Finance: Newsroom: Ranking Member’s News: November 10: When I speak with Utah officials about their UI programs – which are, by most accounts, among the most efficient in the country – they continually express their desire to take on more responsibility in designing and implementing reforms and helping people get back to work. More than anything, state officials in Utah want to see fewer restrictions coming from the federal level and greater flexibility to innovate.
The evidence of state innovation is probably strongest in the area we’re discussing today — re-employment. I’m hoping that today’s panel will give us some insight into what states have been able to do in this area; which programs have worked and which one’s haven’t. Most of all, I’m hoping to get some clarity about what Congress can do to help states find success as they work to solve their own unemployment problems.
There are a number of UI-related issues that will have to be addressed between now and the end of the year. Once again, I am convinced that, if we want to see improvements in re-employment efforts and other areas of the UI system, the federal government’s role will need to be reduced. States need to be given more flexibility to develop their own approaches and to adopt and adapt successful programs from other states.
To the extent that Congress can play a role in this area, I believe it should be getting the federal government out of the states’ way. I am quite certain that, in the coming days, we’ll hear very few state officials clamoring for more strings to be attached to their UI programs. More…
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Hatch Submits Utahn’s Ideas For Cutting Spending To The Deficit Reduction Committee
October 28: News Room: Press Releases: U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT): U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today submitted many of the ideas he received from Utahns for cutting spending to the Deficit Reduction Committee. The Deficit Reduction Committee was created by Congress in early August to come up with a solution to slash $1.5 trillion of our record-high $14.9 trillion national debt.
The recommendations Hatch submitted are the result of numerous meetings and conversations Hatch has had with Utahns across the state who share his commitment to cutting government spending. Additionally, the recommendations incorporate many of the ideas Hatch received from more than 7,500 emails and phone calls from Utahns after Hatch solicited their ideas at the end of the September.
In the letter sent to the two co-chairs of the Deficit Reduction Committee outlining the recommendations, Hatch wrote that “[o]ver the years, the State of Utah has become a model for other regions of the country.” Hatch added that despite the strength of Utah’s economy and the recognition the state has received for its strong fiscal management, “most Utahns are concerned about the direction our country is headed. The national unemployment rate continues to hover over nine percent, which, not surprisingly, leaves the majority of Americans feeling uncertain about the strength of our economic recovery and believing that the U.S. is not on the right track. In this regard, Utahns are no different than the rest of the country. More…
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Governor Herbert, Utah Congressional Delegation React To Announcement On Hill Air Force Base
November 2: News Room: Press Releases: U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT): Utah Governor Gary Herbert and Utah’s entire congressional delegation, including Utah Senators Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee, and Congressmen Rob Bishop, Jim Matheson and Jason Chaffetz, today expressed deep concerns with the Air Force’s decision to eliminate jobs at Hill Air Force Base. The Governor and Utah’s delegation sent a letter today to Air Force Secretary Michael Donley detailing their disappointment with the decision. Currently, there are approximately 24,000 employees that work at Hill Air Force Base in various roles.
In the letter, the elected officials write that, the Air Force’s decisions jeopardizes “the future modernization of Hill AFB facilities and infrastructure.” They also note that “the Air Force either can’t, or won’t, provide us with the needed answers as the analytical process seems to have been circumvented.”
HATCH : “The Air Force’s decision ignores the basic fact that the men and women at Hill Air Force Base are among the hardest-working and most efficient workers in our armed forces. It’s simply the wrong decision as anyone who’s visited Hill well knows. I firmly believe that the command at Hill and the Ogden Air Logistics Center would be able to work with the Air Force to meet the service’s – and Utahns’ – goal of saving taxpayer dollars and maintaining the strongest military in the world. I’m going to continue to press the Air Force on maintaining the current logistics center infrastructure and do everything I can to ensure the 24,000 jobs at Hill remain in northern Utah.” More…
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Hatch Honors Congressional Gold Medal Recipients From Utah
November 2: News Room: Press Releases: U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT): “The honor given to these valiant soldiers is long overdue,” Hatch said. “The 100 th Infantry Battalion, 442 nd Regimental Combat Team and Military Intelligence Service of the United States Army showed courage not only enlisting to serve a country who had put their families – and even some of them – in internment camps, but also in every battle they fought. They held fast to their motto, ‘Go For Broke,’ in every aspect of their service and are the most decorated military units in American history. These brave men not only helped the United States win the war, but just as important, helped defeat prejudices back home. I am forever grateful of the sacrifices these brave warriors made back then, and stand with them today to honor these true American heroes.” More…
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November 3: News Room: Press Releases: U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT): U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today testified before the House Natural Resources Committee’s National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands subcommittee in support of the Northern Arizona Mining Continuity Act of 2011. This legislation will stop the U.S. Department of the Interior from banning mining in a vast area of Arizona, and killing jobs in the uranium mining industry. The Subcommittee is chaired by Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah).
Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said last week that he has decided to ban mining in this area in Arizona along the Utah border.
In his remarks before the Subcommittee, Hatch said that the Secretary’s decision “will lead to a loss of future jobs and economic activity in this depressed region of the country.” Hatch added that “[t]he proposed withdrawal of this area from mining would be the Interior Department’s latest move to stifle jobs in rural America. It is an unfortunate and dangerous trend that the Obama Administration continues to aggressively shut down domestic energy production. More…
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Hatch Calls On Congress To Pass Common-Sense Transportation Infrastructure Bill
November 3: News Room: Press Releases: U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT): In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, called on Congress to pass S.1786, the Long-Term Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2011 that includes bipartisan recommendations from the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. Hatch introduced the legislation as an alternative to Senate Democrats’ latest tax and spend proposal that includes a risky so-called “infrastructure bank.”
“The legislation that I propose accommodates fully paid-for infrastructure projects to be undertaken to help build roads, bridges, and a host of other projects without imposing permanent, job-killing, higher taxes during a national unemployment emergency,” said Hatch. The Long-Term Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2011 would speed up transportation construction projects, and provide employers with relief from burdensome federal regulations, without taxing job creators or adding a dime to the nation’s debt. The provisions included in the bill draw from bipartisan recommendations, including those from the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. More…
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Bipartisan Group Of 28 Senators Urge Appropriators To Make Second Amendment Protections Permanent
November 4: News Room: Press Releases: U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT): A bipartisan group of 28 Senators have written to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to urge that they keep House-passed Second Amendment Protections in place in the Fiscal Year 2012 Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS), and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. In the letter led by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the Senators stressed that the protections made permanent in the House-passed CJS bill enjoy broad support in the Senate, and should also be made permanent in the Senate version of the yearly funding bill.
The Senators wrote that “Congress has taken many actions to preserve Second Amendment rights and prevent undue encroachment on those rights on the part of the Executive Branch.” The Senators also noted that “[m]ost of these protections have been in place for a number of years – some going back as far as three decades – and none of them have been the source of any significant controversy.”
In addition to Hatch, those who signed the letter included Sens. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Max Baucus (D-MT), John Barrasso (R-WY), Mark Begich (D-AK), John Boozman (R-MS), Richard Burr (R-NC), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Jim DeMint (R-SC), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Dean Heller (R-NV), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Mike Johanns (R-NE), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Mike Lee (R-UT), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Rob Portman (R-OH), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Jon Tester (D-MT), John Thune (R-SD), David Vitter (R-LA), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).
The full text of the letter is below, and can also be viewed HERE:
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Hatch Signs Bipartisan Letter Criticizing Fannie, Freddie Bonuses
November 4: News Room: Press Releases: U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT): In the letter, the Senators wrote that “[a]t a time when these entities have received nearly $141 billion in taxpayer-provided bailout funding, such excessive compensation seems wildly imprudent.” The bipartisan group of Senators also wrote that the “idea that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which rely on taxpayer funding to stay afloat, must offer excessive bonuses to its executives to attract effective management strains credulity.” More…
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Hatch Praises Senate Passage Of Three Utah Lands Bills
November 4: News Room: Press Releases: U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT): “This legislation will assist the growing communities in Utah and turn more federal lands over to the communities closest to them,” Hatch said. “The fact that these communities in Utah need to accrue more control over the surrounding lands and utilities belonging to currently controlled by the government is a testament to Utah’s economic growth. I appreciate the Senate passing these needed pieces of legislation.” More…
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Top Ten Reasons Why Medicaid Needs Reform
November 7: News Room: Press Releases: U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT): “Medicaid has turned into something it was never intended to be – an unsustainable entitlement for nearly one in four individuals, busting federal and state budgets and leaving future generations footing the bill,” said Hatch. “Our nation cannot afford Medicaid as it is today. It needs reform, and these examples leave little doubt about the need to fix this increasingly broken program. As we work to slash our nation’s over $15 trillion debt, Medicaid simply must be on the table.”
You can own a Rolls-Royce and still qualify for Medicaid today.
(Source: The Code of Federal Regulations: 20 CFR 416.1218.) More…
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Hatch Statement On Department Of Interior’s “Crown Jewel” Recommendations
November 10: News Room: Press Releases: U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT): “Determining and designating Wilderness is the job of Congress and I take this responsibility seriously,” Hatch said, “I am in constant contact with the communities across the state who have a stake in wilderness designations. This is a process that is very difficult and it doesn’t help to have unsolicited input coming from the administration. Any change in the designation of Utah lands should be made through a collaborative process with those closest to the lands. I don’t believe the administration wants to hear that most Utahns aren’t interested in any more restrictive land-use designations. Utahns deserve better than this.” More…
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Protecting Our Constitutional Right To Keep And Bear Arms Requires Constant Vigilance
November 4: News: Hatch for Utah: On another front, Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas and I, along with 43 other senators, recently wrote President Obama and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, to oppose ratification of the United Nations’ Arms Trade Treaty that could jeopardize our national sovereignty and restrict the rights of American gun owners.
Utahns and other Americans won’t tolerate this White House or Congress surrendering our national sovereignty to U.N. bureaucrats so they can dictate to us our liberties and freedoms. As your elected representative, I won’t tolerate it either.
While getting anything through Congress and this White House can be an uphill battle, I and other defenders of gun rights have had some notable successes in protecting the constitutional rights of our nation’s 93 million gun owners. For example, in 2009 we were able to overturn a ban that prevented passengers from bringing unloaded guns on Amtrak trains. Another victory that year was our Senate vote that lifted the ban on people carrying firearms in our national parks. There was also the United State Supreme Court decision in June 2008 to strike down a 32-year law banning handgun ownership in Washington, D.C.
Despite these hard-fought victories, the war is not won. There will be many more battles. Protecting our freedom has and always will require constant vigilance. When it comes to the Second Amendment, the defense can never afford to rest.
Be assured, this defender won’t. More…
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Protecting Charities, Churches And Others’ Charitable Donations
November 6: News: Hatch for Utah: Catholic Charities donated $154 million, and hundreds of other organizations rushed in with volunteers, money and other resources to help people and businesses in the region get back on their feet. One of them was The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Elder Oaks noted in his testimony that the LDS Church donated more than $13 million in cash and 3,000 tons of emergency supplies. Thousands of Latter-day Saint volunteers gave more than 42,000 days of service.
The effectiveness of these private charities in providing relief to those in need stands in stark contrast to the mediocre response to the same crisis by government agencies. Churches and other charities have proven track records when it comes to caring for those in need. Does it really make sense to limit the current tax deduction to these organizations and give the money instead to the federal government, which is fraught with waste and mismanagement?
I am confident that the money “saved” by limiting the charitable deduction would neither reduce the deficit nor help the truly needy. Instead, it will go to fund more government bloat and government jobs.
Government was never intended to be the solution for every problem in this country. Yet today, government tries to do too much and succeeds at very little—at exorbitant expense to taxpayers.
The tax deduction does not exist to reward some donors more than others. It exists for the charity. The charitable deduction encourages members of society to direct enough resources to charities so they can carry forward the good works our society so desperately needs them to perform.
Government does not need another taxpayer handout. But Americans in need do need a hand up. The president and Congress should step aside and let our nation’s charities carry on with the relief they are uniquely qualified to deliver.
We curtail the charitable tax deduction at our peril. More…
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Salt Lake Tribune: October 28: Thanks to Stephen Trimble for calling out Sen. Orrin Hatch, Rep. Rob Bishop, and Gov. Gary Herbert on their misguided support for unconstitutional delusions about state ownership of federal public land and environmental policy rollbacks that put people’s health at risk (“Turns out you still can’t trust anyone over 30,” Opinion, Oct. 22).
I urge caution, though, at any implicit endorsement of their faulty premise that environmental protections cost — rather than save — money. Inadequate regulations of all kinds of pollutants cost lives and treasure.
Does anyone — Republican or Democrat — want to contract lung cancer from asbestos or pay the health care costs associated with it? Or have rivers on fire because of toxic effluents, or pay to clean them up? Or have a child with irreversible brain damage caused by lead exposure? Environmental protection is good for business and people, too.
Utahns would do well to remind Hatch, Bishop, Herbert and Sen. Mike Lee that clean air and water are important to us all. As valid partisan issues, clean air and water are straw men.
Kirsten J. Allen
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Utah Dems go after Hatch, misstate facts
Salt Lake Tribune: Political Cornflakes: November 2: The Utah Democratic Party says that if the U.S. House wants to subpoena President Barack Obama over Solyndra, then the House should also investigate Sen. Orrin Hatch’s support for Raser Technologies.
Critics have charged that Hatch — a vocal critic of the Obama administration’s stimulus loan to now-bankrupt Solyndra — is hypocritical in that he also supported government funds for a green energy company, Utah’s Raser Technologies. Hatch backed seven earmarks for the now-defunct company, though none of them were funded.
But the Utah Democrats might want to check their facts before throwing out some big claims on Hatch’s involvement.
“Senator Hatch has shown a great amount of hypocrisy by criticizing the president, when the senator himself was involved in the loss of $33 million dollars of taxpayer’s money to Raser Technologies, a Provo energy company that’s gone bust,” Utah Democratic Chairman Jim Dabakis said in a news release.
Only Hatch, as far as I know, was not involved in that $33 million grant to the company; that money came from a Treasury Department program that is solely under the control of the Obama administration.
Also, the Utah Democrats charge that “it has now been discovered” that Hatch sent in seven earmark requests despite his initial denials of trying to funnel any money to Raser.
As I pointed out in my story on that subject, Hatch’s office was actually the one that came forward to correct the record on the earmarks. Though I’d love to claim I dug up the senator’s earmarks requests, it was Hatch’s spokesman, Matt Harakal, that called them to my attention and offered up a mea culpa.
Judge the Democrats complaint as you’d like, but it’s only fair to know the facts when you do.
– Thomas Burr
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Medicare premiums up — but not as much as expected
Daily Herald: October 31: A spokeswoman for Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah said the brunt of the health law’s Medicare cuts are still to come. “More importantly,” added Antonia Ferrier, “lower Medicare premiums are being driven by lower than average Medicare spending due to the slow economy” — not the health care law. Hatch is the ranking Republican on the Senate panel overseeing Medicare. More…
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Matheson won’t challenge Hatch for Senate
Daily Herald: October 29: Sen. Orrin Hatch has staved off another serious contender for his seat in the U.S. Senate.
After holding off Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, from giving him an interparty battle, Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, announced Friday afternoon that he will not be challenging the six-term senator either.
“After consulting with my family, I have made the decision that I will not run in next year’s Senate election,” Matheson said in a released statement. “I am still considering my options, and whatever race I choose I will run an aggressive campaign.”
Matheson is considered a potential candidate to run against Gov. Gary Herbert in next year’s elections. He also may run again for his current House seat or possibly the new fourth House seat that Utah gained in the latest rounds of reapportionment.
Hatch’s war chest may very well be his strongest weapon in holding off potential contenders. While Matheson has just more than half a million dollars of cash raised for his next election, Hatch is sitting on a cool $4 million for his 2012 re-election bid, and that number will continue to grow.
Liljenquist is expected to make a final decision on whether to run against Hatch by the end of the year. More…
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State legislators discuss immigration with federal delegation
Daily Herald: November 5: Utah’s comprehensive immigration law was one of the main topics when state lawmakers traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with Utah’s federal delegation earlier this week.
In meetings with Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, six state legislators discussed the problems Utah is encountering with illegal immigrants within the state’s borders, while Utah’s D.C. officials told them no progress will be made on the matter until after the 2012 elections.
“We have come to better terms on the issue, I believe,” said Utah House Speaker Becky Lockhart, R-Provo. “It was expressed that Congress is unable to address the issue right now, and we understand that.”
State lawmakers were told that there was no appetite in the nation’s capital to address immigration on a comprehensive level and that any reform to the issue would have to be handled on a piecemeal basis. Chaffetz and Lee both have bills dealing with immigration moving through the legislative process, but both bills deal with only one issue in immigration reform, visas. They do not attempt to take on how to deal with illegal immigrants already living in the country. More…
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Senate gridlock: Both parties block jobs bills
POLITICO: November 4: The GOP infrastructure proposal, introduced by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), would extend funding for roads, highways and other infrastructure projects for two years. It also would give states broader discretion on how to spend transportation money, curb what Republicans call “job-killing” environmental regulations, and hand Congress greater oversight authority over agency rules.
Hatch, however, spent most of his time on the Senate floor bashing the Democratic bill, arguing that the new infrastructure bank would expand the federal bureaucracy and possibly subject taxpayers to future government bailouts.
“It is not about creating jobs. And it is not about engineering a more efficient and fair tax code. No, this is the same tune, different song — a bill for more spending, financed with new taxes,” Hatch said. “It remains baffling to me that this is all that the other side has to offer.” More…
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Markup starts long road for highway bill
POLITICO: November 9: The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is set to mark up a two-year highway and transit bill Wednesday morning, and it should be a breeze. What happens after the markup is the big question.
As with so many issues in Congress, it comes down to money.
“We’re facing some problems, and the question is how to pay for it,” Finance Committee ranking member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) told POLITICO. More…
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Hatch’s path to reelection gets easier
The Hill: November 4: Just months ago Hatch faced the probability of a tough primary challenge from Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and the possibility of a rough general election against Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah).
But Matheson announced last week that he will not run for the Senate, delivering a blow to Democratic recruitment efforts, as he was likely the only member of the party in the heavily Republican state who could’ve beaten Hatch.
And Chaffetz decided to forgo a primary challenge, leaving conservatives without a top-tier candidate.
While Hatch is still likely to face a Republican foe in state Sen. Dan Liljenquist, he has positioned himself well, campaigning hard across the state, sitting on $4 million in the bank.
“It’ll be more difficult for Sen. Liljenquist to challenge Sen. Hatch than if a congressman had challenged him — he doesn’t have the same name recognition as Rep. Chaffetz,” said state Sen. Stuart Reid, who plans to back Liljenquist over Hatch in the race. “Hands down, Sen. Hatch is the best campaigner this state’s ever known, so it’s no surprise to me that he’s effectively organizing his campaign and is hitting every mark he needs to to run an effective campaign.”
Hatch campaign manager Dave Hansen said he feels “very good about where we are in the campaign,” but added that Utah’s unusual party nomination process means the campaign will take nothing for granted. More…
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U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-UT.-3
Chaffetz Sponsored Immigration Bill Passes House Judiciary Committee
October 28: Press Releases: Media: U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz: “I am committed to fixing legal immigration,” said Chaffetz. “I am pleased to see this bill pass the Judiciary Committee with bipartisan support. By removing per country limits, American companies will be able to access the best talent. This legislation is pro-growth, pro-jobs, and pro-family. I encourage my colleagues in the House to pass this bipartisan legislation.” More…
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Chaffetz Opposes Arizona Tolls on I-15
October 28: Press Releases: Media: U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz: “I’d prefer to see that part of the Arizona Strip transferred to Utah before requiring Utahns to pay tolls to the state of Arizona to drive on I-15. If this segment of I-15 does not benefit Arizona’s economy, then Arizona’s economy would not be negatively impacted by having this portion of the Strip transferred to Utah.” More…
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Deseret News – Chaffetz: “Remove Cap on Employment Visas”
November 2: Press Releases: Media: U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz: One of the first commitments I made to voters in 2008 was to address immigration. At that time, I argued that we would never adequately address our illegal immigration problem until we fix legal immigration. With that in mind, I introduced HR3012, The Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act, which recently passed the House Judiciary Committee without a single member on either side of the aisle objecting.
Under the status quo, the total number of employment-based immigrant visas made available to natives of any single foreign country in a year cannot exceed 7 percent of the total number of such visas made available in that year.
While per-country limits make some limited sense in the area of family immigration, they make no sense in the context of employment-based immigration. American companies treat all highly skilled immigrants equally regardless of where they come from. Our immigration policy should do the same.
HR3012 creates a fair and equitable, “first-come, first-served” system. Under this system, U.S. companies will be able to focus on what they do best — hiring smart people to create products, services and jobs for Americans.
Per-country caps are the antithesis of the free market. Companies recruit employees based on their talent, not their country of origin. Hiring and keeping the best people, whether from America or from around the world is the primary objective of American companies. This bill will help employers meet that objective.
The per-country limits have created an untenable situation in which the majority of major U.S. technology companies’ foreign workers are waiting many years for green cards while already working in the U.S. The uncertainty of such waits results in job shops, knowledge transfer, and off-shoring of American jobs.
The long wait for green cards creates a situation in which many of the most talented workers decide to forgo the U.S. economy, opting instead to build the economies of nations with whom we compete. These are well-compensated workers who might otherwise be happy to stay in America, invest in local communities and even start new companies that ultimately generate new American jobs. More…
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Rep. Chaffetz Announces Social Security Reform Proposals
November 8: Press Releases: Media: U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz: Today, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) announced his proposals for Social Security reform. With these proposals, Social Security achieves permanent annual balance by 2051, achieves actuarial balance for the next 75 years, and avoids tax increases and trust fund insolvency. Future retirees, including today’s very young workers, will have increased certainty regarding their retirement.
“There is no excuse for allowing Social Security to become insolvent,” said Chaffetz. “The program is unsustainable in its current form. However, this problem is completely within our power to resolve –
without tax increases and while protecting retirees. This series of simple steps will make the program solvent and allow younger generations to more accurately anticipate their own retirement needs.” More…
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ICYMI: Social Security Admin. Says Chaffetz Proposal Would Lead to ‘Sustainable Solvency’
November 10: Press Releases: Media: U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz: “We estimate that enactment of the basic provisions in this proposal would maintain solvency of the OASDI [Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance] program throughout the long-range (75-year) projection period and would fulfill the requirements for sustainable solvency,” SSA said in a Nov. 9 letterto Chaffetz.
Chaffetz argued that reform is needed because there was already a $38 billion deficit in 2010, which will grow to nearly $100 billion if the program is not changed. He also argued that while some argue that the Social Security “trust fund” will help keep the program solvent, that trust fund is simply additional funding that the government must borrow, and the program is already spending more than it takes in.
“There is no excuse for allowing Social Security to become insolvent,” Chaffetz said. “The program is unsustainable in its current form. However, this problem is completely within our power to resolve — without tax increases and while protecting retirees. This series of simple steps will make the program solvent and allow younger generations to more accurately anticipate their own retirement needs.”
The Chaffetz plan would raise the retirement age at which people can receive Social Security benefits to 68 for those born in 1966. The age would then slowly increase until it reached 69 for people born in 1972. After that, the retirement age would increase one month every two years.
It would also change the way cost-of-living adjustments are calculated, in a way that SSA estimated would lead to a 0.3 percent decrease in these annual benefit increases. The bill would also reduce benefits for high-income earners, including by cutting benefits up to 50 percent for couples earning more than $360,000. More…
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Salt Lake Tribune: November 4: Rep. Jason Chaffetz wants to change the law about who may immigrate to the United States to allow more highly skilled workers (“Chaffetz immigration bill targeting highly skilled workers advances” (Tribune, Oct. 27). He proposed the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act because the businesses that fund his campaigns say they can’t get enough highly skilled Americans to work for them. This is hypocritical even by Chaffetz’ standards.
On the one hand, he supports the Legal Workforce Act because, according to his website, the act “would protect American jobs.” With the other hand, he proposes bringing in more highly skilled workers — with government-funded educations from India and China — to compete against our own highly skilled college grads who, unfortunately, have to borrow an average of $25,000 just to get the same degree. Yet he also supports cutting programs that provide grants and interest-free loans to American citizens trying to get a college degree.
Mark Smith
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Chaffetz takes a ‘thrill of a lifetime’ ride in an F-16
Salt Lake Tribune: November 5: “I lost my cookies once,” Chaffetz said after the 80-minute flight in the backseat of the jet piloted by Pat Wade, vice commander of the 419th Fighter Wing. The 3rd District congressman called it “the thrill of a lifetime.”
“I absolutely loved it.”
It was a coincidence that Chaffetz’s flight occurred as the northern Utah base is reeling from news that its Ogden Air Logistics Center is to be downgraded to a depot over the next year. It will lose 261 jobs in the Air Force reorganization, although the commander said he hopes that can be achieved through early retirements and attrition.
The Air Force has not announced any changes to the base’s fighter wings, such as the 419th.
Chaffetz said flying from Hill over the Utah Test and Training Range, along the Utah-Nevada border, will help him better make the case for Hill in Washington.
“I want to make sure I can talk first-hand about what the assets are here at Hill Air Force Base,” Chaffetz said. More…
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Living History: Whose land is it anyway?
Salt Lake Tribune: November 5: Last week, Congressman Jason Chaffetz proposed to “return to private ownership” 5 million acres of federal land in the West.
The word “return” caught my attention. Before the United States owned Utah’s land, it was the property of Mexico, which had inherited it from Spain, which had been deeded the area by the Pope in Rome, who (I’m sure this was an oversight) failed to consult the actual inhabitants with actual moccasins on the ground.
The Mormon pioneers arrived here as squatters, first on Mexican, then on American, soil. Land apportioned by Brigham Young and the LDS Church to the early pioneers was only reconciled to federal law in 1869, when Congress established a land office in Utah to sort things out.
Federal ownership of large portions of the state was later enshrined in the Utah Constitution, probably as a condition of statehood.
So the federal land that Chaffetz hopes to “return” to private ownership hasn’t been in private hands for centuries — unless he’s thinking of the original inhabitants who had, at best, a hazy notion of private property.
No one in Congress is seriously thinking about giving away anything these days. But I thought I would do an historical title search anyway, just to see if it was possible to unearth the original owners. More…
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Salt Lake Tribune: November 3: Re “Chaffetz pushes bill to sell ‘excess’ federal lands” (Tribune, Oct. ):
Rep. Jason Chaffetz wants to sell 132,931 acres of public lands in Utah for development and says we can raise up to $16 million to reduce our deficit. That is a whopping $120.36 an acre. At that price, we would all get in line!
A fire sale of our heritage is not the way to clear our deficit. These lands belong to all Americans and they should remain in public hands, except in extraordinary circumstances.
Leonard W. Burningham
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Daily Herald: November 3: The U.S. Interior Department officials recently said they are “strongly” opposed to Rep. Jason Chaffetz’s proposal to sell 3.3 million acres of surplus federal land, including 132,000 in Utah, to help pay off the national debt.
The congressman, however, is right. The federal government owns nearly 650 million acres of land, almost 30 percent of the land area of the United States, according to government statistics. So Chaffetz is talking about one-half of 1 percent of federal land. Obviously, the U.S. and Utah have plenty of acreage that could be sold without affecting the national heritage.
Environmentalists counter the $16 million in projected proceeds wouldn’t have a big effect on the debt. They’re right; it’s pathetically small. But it’s still a ploy to counter all deficit reduction. To the defenders of big government, either cuts are too small to matter or too big to contemplate.
Anyway, everything begins with small steps. This would be a good one.
An even better plan would be to cede federal land in Utah to the state, just as the feds have done most everywhere east of the Mississippi. We would make it produce to benefit the state and national economy, not to mention our school system.
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Chaffetz approves of his new district boundaries
Daily Herald: November 3: Congressman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, is one of the people who appear to be happy with Utah’s Legislature following the redistricting process.
The Legislature drew the two-term House member into his district — he was previously living in the district that Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, represented — and also expanded his new district to include more rural areas of Utah.
“I’m excited about it,” Chaffetz said at a gathering of the Utah County Republican Women on Monday. “The district has changed so much we will need to get out there and introduce ourselves.”
More than half of the people who will vote in the third congressional district in the 2012 elections will see Chaffetz’s name on the ballot for the first time. The district now includes a large portion of southeastern Salt Lake County and runs down south into southeastern Utah, including Lake Powell.
“I will personally need to investigate that area in some August date to be determined,” Chaffetz joked.
While Chaffetz seemed confident about his chances to win in his new district, he admitted that he understands the district does not belong to him and that it belonged to the people of Utah. Chaffetz argued that if a politician is concerned about how his district is drawn, maybe he shouldn’t be in politics.
“If you can’t make a case and justify what you have done and make a case for what you want to do, maybe you shouldn’t be in the House of Representatives,” he said. More…
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Chaffetz proposing major changes to Social Security
Daily Herald: November 9: “The program is unsustainable in its current form. However, this problem is completely within our power to resolve, without tax increases and while protecting retirees,” Chaffetz said.
Under Chaffetz’s plan, total Social Security benefits would continue to grow for the next 75 years, but his plan would make alterations to slow the rate of the growth.
The plan calls for a remake of how the retirement age is calculated. Under Chaffetz’s idea the retirement age would raise to 69 for those born in 1972. For those born after 1972, the retirement age would increase one month for every two years after 1972. Under the plan a person born in 1996 would then have the retirement age of 70.
The plan also calls for a recalculation of the cost-of-living allowance, a change in how benefits are figured for workers with lifetime earnings above the 50th percentile, an increase in the number of years of income from 35 to 40 that would be averaged in determining monthly benefits and an implementation of an annual test that reduces benefits for couples earning more than $360,000 in the most recent tax year.
Chaffetz summed up the plan by noting it saves Social Security. He notes that both sides of the aisle can get behind the plan; he said Republicans can support the plan because it doesn’t raise taxes and that Democrats can approve of the plan because it does not create private accounts. More…
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House Speaker John Boehner still searches for keys to his House
POLITICO: November 3: It’s not likely to get any easier, said Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who wondered how Boehner would prod the supercommittee to make a deficit-reduction deal that satisfies conservatives.
“The toughest days are ahead,” Chaffetz said. More…
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U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, R-UT.-2
Governor Herbert, Utah Congressional Delegation React to Announcement on Hill Air Force Base
November 2: News Room: Press Releases: U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson (R-UT2): MATHESON:“There is a process in place for how these workforce decisions are made. I have concerns that in this case, the Department of Defense’s own rules and regulations were not followed. That raises questions about how appropriate the job reductions are, given the importance of Hill’s mission and the excellence and efficiency shown by Hill’s employees in our national defense.” More…
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Matheson water bill headed to President’s desk
November 4: News Room: Press Releases: U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson (R-UT2): “This measure allows the Uintah County water district to repay money ahead of schedule. That benefits taxpayers and water users in the county,” said Matheson. “It will also help better manage and utilize water for the benefit of economic growth.” More…
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Matheson questions Dept. of Energy plan for Moab tailings cleanup
November 4: News Room: Press Releases: U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson (R-UT2): “Congress passed legislation requiring the cleanup to be completed by 2019. I do not understand why DOE issued a five-year contract instead of contracting for the full eight years. Even more concerning is the fact that the scope of work outlined in the contract does not appear to be even close to the level of cleanup required to finish the job on time. I remain committed to seeing that DOE completes this project on the schedule set out by Congress. The health and safety of Utahns as well as the 25 million downstream users of the Colorado River is at stake,” said Matheson. “Taxpayers will also realize savings from a more rapid completion.” More…
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Matheson statement regarding Interior Department announcement on Utah wilderness
November 10: News Room: Press Releases: U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson (R-UT2): “I am deeply disappointed that Interior Secretary Salazar continues to be tone deaf about public lands issues in Utah. As our success in Washington County shows, wilderness proposals must be the result of a grassroots, stakeholder-driven process, rather than a top-down decree. This is not the way to make progress on public lands decisions and it only ensures that we won’t see a successful outcome on the ground here,” said Matheson.
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Two new candidates join GOP field for 2nd District
Salt Lake Tribune: October 31: A former Air Force pilot and author and a businessman who made his fortune in the trucking industry are throwing their hats into the ring for Utah’s 2nd Congressional District.
They join a growing field of Republicans interested in the redrawn seat currently held by Democrat Jim Matheson.
Chris Stewart is president and CEO of The Shipley Group, which provides government consulting as well as anti-terrorism tactical training and some environmental consulting.
Stewart is the author of 14 books, including several volumes of a military techno-thriller series and more recently The Miracle of Freedom: Seven Tipping Points That Saved the World, which was featured on Glenn Beck’s television program.
He spent 14 years in the Air Force, setting a record for the fastest around-the-world flight in a B-1 bomber, completing the flight in 36 hours and 13 minutes. He separated from the Air Force in 1998.
Stewart said he is concerned about the debt the federal government has accumulated and says it is unsustainable and needs to change.
“I just couldn’t stand to watch it anymore. I’m doing this for the same reason I went into the military in the first place,” Stewart said. “I want to get into the fight.”
“I think I have a realistic understanding that no one individual is going to go back to Washington, especially in Congress, and make an impact,” he said, but he said he could help begin to make the change. “We have to elect good men and women who will go back there and fight for the principles they believe in.”
“I want to run for Congress because I’m worried about my grandchildren inheriting an America that’s quite different from the one I grew up in,” he said. “I grew up relatively poor and I made my way in life. In the America I grew up in, someone who worked hard and had a reasonable degree and a little bit of luck was able to succeed. In today’s world, with the current economy and unfriendly business attitude” that may not be possible.
Wallack, 64, said he would like to see government be more pro-business and would like to see credit available to small businesses. To do that, he said, the federal government needs to balance its budget.
“I’m just a businessman who sees what is going on in Washington and sees that we’re headed in the wrong direction,” he said.
The field for the 2nd District is already looking crowded. Former Air Force pilot and Pentagon official Chuck Williams and conservative activist Cherilyn Eagar have said they’ll run in the 2nd District.
State Rep. David Clark is exploring a possible bid and lives in the 2nd District. Former State Rep. Morgan Philpot said he is leaning toward a bid in the 2nd District, where he challenged Matheson last year, losing by five percentage points. And State Rep. Stephen Sandstrom is deciding whether to run in the 2nd District or in the 4th Congressional District, and is expected to make a decision in the next week or two. Also, airline pilot John Willoughby, son of former Salt Lake City Police Chief Bud Willoughby, and former NFL player Jason Buck have said they were considering getting in the race, though Buck also was looking at the 4th District.
Matheson has not said what office he will run for next year. More…
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Some Utah County GOPers want party secretary removed
Daily Herald: November 3: The rift within the party has inspired the leaders of the Utah County Democratic Party to invite Roberts to join their executive committee. In a written statement, county Democratic Party chairman Will Matheson says the argument is another example of how the Tea Party activists have taken control of the Republican Party.
“This is just one more incidence of the Republican Party shunning its members and even its party leaders who dare to use common sense instead of Tea Party ideology,” Matheson said. “The Utah County Democratic Party prides itself on being a moderate party, listening to all reasonable points of view and being truly representative of the people of Utah County’s ideals and values. We were pleased to see secretary Roberts standing up for the LDS Church and the Chamber of Commerce in supporting the Utah Compact and we would be pleased if he would accept our invitation to join the Utah County Democrat’s executive committee as a special adviser.” More…
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Utah joins top 10 governors’ races
POLITICO: David Catanese: October 31: 10. Utah (new)
Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson passed on the Senate race, but his Friday evening statement tellingly left the gubernatorial option on the table. His decision will hinge on redistricting and calculating whether running for his 2nd District seat again would be a heavier lift than a statewide race against GOP Gov. Gary Herbert, who ironically could sign into law the new map that earns him a plausible Democratic opponent. A summer poll showed a potential Matheson-Herbert race to be a dead heat. Matheson’s representative said there’s no timeline for a decision.
Who won October: Matheson
No recent public polling
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Matheson Decides Against Utah Senate Bid
Roll Call: October 28: Utah Rep. Jim Matheson will not take on Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) in 2012, scuttling Democrats’ only hope of putting the the seat in play.
“There has been a great deal of speculation during the past several months about whether I will consider entering the U.S. Senate race,” the six-term Congressman said in a statement late this evening. “After consulting my family, I have made the decision that I will not run in next year’s Senate election.”
Matheson said he had not yet made a decision about what office he will seek in 2012.
His options now are running for governor or running in the redrawn 2nd or 4th districts. Republicans are favored in both after the GOP-controlled Legislature drew the new map.
“I am still considering my options and whatever race I choose I will run an aggressive campaign,” Matheson said. “It is an honor and a privilege to serve Utahns in the U.S. Congress and my desire to give back to my state through public service is as strong as ever.”
Roll Call rates the Utah Senate race as Safe Republican.
