Sen. Orrin Hatch urges caution on federal spending, emphasizes Western priorities

Senator Orrin Hatch visited the Utah Senate and urged state senators to remain vigilant about federal spending while emphasizing the need to protect Western land and energy interests. "We are living in very trying times," Hatch said, and criticized parts of the federal response for being overly partisan and heavy on government spending.

Hatch defended prior bipartisan efforts such as CHIP and welfare reform, saying those frameworks were designed to give states flexibility. He said the stimulus package contained too much government spending and too little emphasis on tax relief and small-business incentives, adding that he would have preferred deeper corporate rate cuts and a permanent R&D tax credit. "We have to be able to cut something," he said, calling for fiscal discipline in Washington.

He also addressed energy and land issues, criticizing federal actions that he said had delayed leasing and disturbed long-standing resource management plans. Hatch warned that long-term debt and repeated federal interventions could place burdens on future generations. He praised Utah's own fiscal approach and encouraged senators to continue managing state resources prudently.

Hatch took several questions about CHIP, the stimulus, and national economic strategy and concluded by thanking senators for their service.