The Senate has begun anew for 2011. I hope you had a great Holiday Season and Happy New Year. This week I welcomed our new Utah State Senator Mike Lee, vowed to fight controversial Judicial Nominees and argued for spending cuts. Below is the week in review.
Best Wishes,
Orrin Hatch
The Constitution is not ‘Proganda’-January 6, 2011
“Who would have thought that simply reading the Constitution out loud on the House floor — by the very House members who the day before took an oath to support and defend it — would be met with such cynicism. Many belittled it as “symbolism,” as if that were a bad thing. One Democratic congressman dismissed reading the Constitution as nothing but “propaganda.” He is — seriously — the previous chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on, yes, the Constitution.
I think this just confirms why America’s founders wrote the Constitution down in the first place. It appears that some in Congress would be just fine with the American people mistaking or forgetting the limits that the Constitution places on federal power.
Only a quarter of the people who say a detailed knowledge of the Constitution is necessary say that they have such knowledge. Reading it is the least we can do.” Read the whole op-ed here.
Obama Administration must cut spending if they want the debt ceiling raised- January 6, 2011
“The Administration must understand that if Congress considers a debt limit increase, it should occur after meaningful and significant spending cuts are enacted. That means the White House will have to exert its influence over Senate Democrats to follow House Republicans’ lead to dramatically bring down spending.” Read the full statement here.
Breaking ground for the new Cybersecurity Data Center in Utah- January 6, 2011
“The cyber threat to our country is real, and I am proud that our nation’s Intelligence Community will benefit from Utah’s commitment to national defense and the unique skills of many of our citizens.” Read more here.
Cloture ain’t broke, so don’t break it – (The rule to end debate and move to voting) Op-ed that was featured on January 6, 2011
“Congress is barely back in session, and the political irony meter is going through the roof. The same majority hailing the supposed productivity of the 111th Congress now claims that the Senate is so dysfunctional that its rules must be radically changed. Democrats cannot have it both ways, especially when their proposed “solution” will cause real harm. . .
This would not be the first tactic used by the majority to stifle opposition. By orders of magnitude more than his predecessors, according to the Congressional Research Service, Reid has blocked the minority from offering amendments on legislation, moved to end debate on bills the very day they were introduced and before any amendments were considered, and bypassed legislative committees in developing bills.”
Read the full article here.
Swearing in of U.S. Senator Mike Lee- January 5, 2011
“I want to congratulate Mike Lee and his wife, Sharon, and their family on this momentous occasion. Mike brings impressive credentials to the United States Senate. He is a bright, thoughtful attorney, a constitutional scholar and a principled conservative whom I count as a good friend. ” Read more here.
President Obama has Resubmitted controversial Judicial Nominees to the Senate- January 5, 2011
“Every President re-submits nominees whom the Senate could not previously consider. But President Obama has also chosen to re-submit his most extreme judicial nominees whose activist approach would control rather than follow the Constitution. I will vigorously oppose such activist judicial nominees and will actively engage in the debate over the kind of judges America needs on the federal bench.” Read more here.
Hatch on Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services 2009 National Health Spending Report- January 5, 2011
“No one should take solace in the fact that health spending grew at a lower rate in 2009. This report doesn’t reflect the crushing increases in health costs and premiums facing American families and employers due to the recently-enacted $2.6 trillion health spending law.” Read morehere.
P.S. If you have any concerns which my office can help with, please visit my website atwww.hatch.senate.gov.
