RELEASE
May 31, 2017
Sen. Lee Applauds Pres. Trump’s Withdrawal from Paris Climate Agreement
WASHINGTON - Today, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) applauded the decision of the Trump administration to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement and protect the economic and energy sovereignty of the United States. "The American people did not vote for President Trump so that American taxpayers could send billions of dollars overseas to establish a global crony capitalist slush fund. Pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement is absolutely the right decision for the United States economy.”
Sen. Lee continued, “This agreement was negotiated intentionally by the Obama administration to circumvent the Senate’s power to advise and consent on international treaties because they understood it was too unpopular and damaging to U.S interests to ratify. The decision to withdraw will afford Americans greater economic opportunity and cheaper, more flexible energy choices in the future. I look forward to working with President Trump, my Congressional colleagues, states, and local governments to follow-up this decision with additional energy policy reforms that benefit the American people like repealing harmful regulations and reducing federal barriers to energy production.
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Sens. Call for Codification of Life Protection Order
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) joined with 18 colleagues in sending a letter to State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) requesting that language be included in the FY2018 Appropriations bill to protect human life in U.S. global health assistance and prohibit funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). President Trump and Secretary Tillerson have already taken important steps to address these issues, but Congress must now act to support and codify such standards.
“Your long standing commitment to pro-life policies during your chairmanship of the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs has been greatly appreciated, and we urge you to include language codifying the important pro-life actions that President Trump has taken on foreign assistance as you draft the FY18 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill,” the letter reads.
The letter was signed by Senators Mike Lee (R-UT), John Kennedy (R-LA), Rand Paul (R-KY), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Roger Wicker (R-MS), John Cornyn (R-TX), Mike Crapo (R-ID), John Thune (R-SD), Joni K. Ernst (R-IA), Tom Cotton (R-AR), John Barrasso (R-WY), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Luther Strange (R-AL), Tim Scott (R-SC), and Jim Inhofe (R-OK).
The full text of the letter can be found here.
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Senators from Both Parties Call on DOJ to Reform Civil Asset Forfeiture Policies
WASHINGTON – Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT), Tom Udall (D-NM), Rand Paul (R-KY), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Angus King (I-VT) sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday asking that the Justice Department reform its civil asset forfeiture practices.
The letter reads in part, “you need not wait for Supreme Court censure before reforming these practices, and, in any event, the Department of Justice should err on the side of protecting constitutional rights. We encourage the Department of Justice to revise its civil asset forfeiture practices to reflect our nation’s commitment to the rule of law and due process.”
The full letter can be read here.
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