Congressman Chris Stewart urges Utah lawmakers to partner on federal priorities, stresses local consent on land issues

Congressman Chris Stewart addressed the Utah House of Representatives on Jan. 28, 2015, praising state leadership, outlining federal priorities and asking for cooperation from state lawmakers. He described his experience in Congress and highlighted appropriations and intelligence committee roles he said position him to deliver benefits to Utah.

Stewart opened by noting the difficulty of serving in Congress and shared a personal flying anecdote to illustrate the unpredictability of the job. He cited a figure of "396" bills that he said Republicans had passed in the prior Congress but that had not advanced in the Senate, and he credited recent changes in Washington with providing new opportunities to advance legislation. He highlighted what he described as reductions in discretionary spending and the annual deficit, and said reforms in areas including EPA policy and the appropriations process were priorities.

"We have had 1 or 2 successes in the last 2 years," Stewart said, and framed appropriations work as a vehicle for achieving results for Utah. He added that being appointed to the House Intelligence Committee was "a real honor" and emphasized national-security concerns while urging the House to work with federal officials on shared goals.

In a question-and-answer exchange, Representative Briscoe asked whether Stewart's roles give him influence over a proposed expansion of a U.S. Air Force testing range in Tooele and neighboring counties. Stewart said his committee assignments increase his influence but emphasized deference to local authority: he said he would not support acreage expansions "that you don't support us in" and committed not to back projects that ignore affected residents.

When Representative King asked whether he believed torture is an effective intelligence-gathering tool, Stewart urged care in defining "torture," distinguishing extreme historical abuses from other measures and noting that some former intelligence officials have testified they received information under measures they described as legal at the time. He said protecting the American people is the federal government's primary responsibility but that policy must avoid devaluing the nation's core principles.

Representative Christofferson asked what Congress is doing to protect freedom of worship; Stewart said he has co-sponsored or supported several measures to defend religious freedom and praised a recent statement by the LDS Church as advancing the conversation.

Stewart closed by reiterating a broader political argument about the balance of power between Washington and state and local governments and asked state lawmakers to work with him on shared priorities. He yielded back his time after roughly a half-hour on the floor.

The visit concluded without formal action by the Utah House; Stewart spoke, took questions and left the chamber.