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U.S. Sen. Mike Lee visits Utah House, urges spending discipline and stepwise immigration fixes
Summary
U.S. Sen. Mike Lee addressed the Utah House on Feb. 19, 2013, urging federal spending restraint, greater state authority over public lands and step‑by‑step immigration reform; he answered members’ questions on the debt, public‑lands management and endangered‑species listings.
U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R‑Utah) spoke to the Utah House of Representatives on Feb. 19, telling members he seeks to strengthen state authority, control federal spending and pursue immigration reform in manageable steps. Lee framed his remarks around returning power to states and reducing Washington’s fiscal burdens.
Lee recounted an anecdote about encountering spoiled pudding in a restaurant to make a larger point about bureaucratic indifference, and he said the federal debt ‘‘is 16,500,000,000,000.0 and climbing,’’ pressing for attention to spending rather than relying primarily on tax increases. He called for policies that ‘‘promote an environment where economic growth can occur’’ to increase revenue without new taxes.
The senator described four elements of comprehensive immigration reform he favors: border security, legal‑immigration fixes, stronger identity documents less prone to fraud and a potential pathway to legalization or citizenship. Lee said he supports taking immigration steps ‘‘a bite at a time’’ rather than moving on a single, very large package.
On public lands and federal management, Lee told members that Western states like Utah bear disproportionate costs because the federal government owns about two‑thirds of Utah’s land. He said Congress could consider moving some intrastate species to state control when an animal ‘‘doesn’t move interstate’’ and urged fuller funding of the federal Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program so counties are not left bearing the local costs of federal land ownership.
During a question‑and‑answer period, members asked about debt–reduction proposals (including the Simpson‑Bowles framework), immigration negotiations with Senate colleagues and options to reform the Endangered Species Act as it affects Utah. Lee said he has worked directly with colleagues across the aisle on immigration and that incremental steps can produce faster progress than a single omnibus bill.
Following the Q&A the House thanked Lee and returned to its agenda. The appearance occurred while the House sat as a Committee of the Whole and is recorded in the House proceedings for Feb. 19, 2013.
