Fellow Utahns,
Two week ago, I joined 34 of my Senate colleagues in filing a friend of the court brief with the Supreme Court outlining the unconstitutionality of ObamaCare. We argued that, if the Court finds the insurance mandate unconstitutional, it cannot be severed from the rest of the statute and that the entire law must be struck down.
As the first Senator to publicly argue that the individual mandate is unconstitutional, I welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to consider the constitutionality of the President’s health law. I have long believed that the federal government cannot force Americans to purchase something they do not want. This partisan federal takeover of our health care system rests on an unconstitutional foundation and, as we argue in this brief to the Supreme Court, the entire law should fall.
Last year and again this year, I introduced the American Liberty Restoration Act (S. 19) which would repeal the unconstitutional individual insurance mandate being challenged in this lawsuit. Twenty-two Senators have so far co-sponsored the bill, which is endorsed by groups such as the National Federation of Independent Business and the National Retail Federation.
This law is unconstitutional and I will not stop fighting until it is repealed.
President Asks for Debt Ceiling to be raised another 1.2 Trillion
The White House just doesn’t get it. Their borrow-and-spend economic policies have failed and their only solution is to spend more taxpayer dollars.
I, for one, will not give the White House more money to spend on the nation’s overdrawn credit card. Utahns have been cutting back and doing more with less; it’s well past time this President does the same.
Hatch Warns Bernanke of Fed Treading too Far Into Fiscal Policy
This past week I sent a letter to U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke informing him that they should refrain from advising Congress on fiscal policy and suggesting ways to think about how to use taxpayer resources, as that is a responsibility of Congress.
The letter in part stated, “the Fed often blurred the distinction between monetary policy and fiscal policy during the financial crisis, and it is time to move back toward a clearer distinction between the two.”
To read the letter click here.
Hatch, Others Denounce Salazar’s Decision to Ban Uranium Mining in Northern Arizona
This part week, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s decided to withdraw approximately 1 million acres of federal land in northern Arizona from uranium mining.
I firmly believe that this announcement by the Interior Department shows how much this Administration just doesn’t get it. Mining this land poses no environmental threat and is expected to create thousands of jobs, but the Administration continues to pander to extremist environmentalists who oppose one of the cleanest sources of energy we have.
I wish I could say today’s announcement comes as a surprise but sadly it’s just another sign that the Obama Administration is one of the most anti-American energy presidencies in history.
To read the response from others in the Utah and Arizona Delegation click here.
Sincerely,
Senator Orrin Hatch
P.S. If you have any concerns which my office can help with, please visit my website athatch.senate.gov.
