Mike Lee

It would be the largest tax increase in my lifetime, and it would substantially expand the Federal Government's footprint into our homes, our businesses, and across our economy.

Now let's be clear the major winners from the Democrat's plan are special interests and beltway bureaucrats.

Before the pandemic disrupted American's work lives and social connections, tax cuts and deregulation supported a thriving economy that delivered broad benefits to families and workers.

Unfortunately, we have come here today because the Biden Administration and Democrats in Congress want to squeeze the American people with higher taxes and more regulation.

For too long, the wealthy and big corporations have avoided paying their fair share.

They've proposed a 3.5 trillion dollar tax and spend blowout, one that would increase American's taxes by over 2 trillion dollars.

Unfortunately, we've come here today because the Biden Administration and Democrats in Congress want to squeeze the American people with higher taxes and more regulation.

States need a change so that they can more readily address the drought issues that they face--like those that Utah faces, in particular.

The impact of the drought on my home State of Utah has been quite severe--really severe, in fact.

Unfortunately, bureaucratic federal processes often stand in the way of safe, effective, responsible drought mitigation efforts.

Everywhere I go in my state, I hear of the need for increased water storage infrastructure.

Thank you, Ms. Haugen, for joining us this week. It's very helpful. We're grateful that you're willing to make yourself available.

As we rebuild after the pandemic, we must liberate our energy sector.

We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make transformative investments in our energy economy--investments that will protect our planet, help keep our communities healthy, and promote shared prosperity.

These reforms shouldn't be a partisan issue.

I think we need to make decisions also with respect to the United States contribution, again relative to the rest of the world including China and other much larger polluters, and much bigger problems.

Ultimately, the best energy future is one that allows the American people to innovate.

I think it's a fool's errand to try to radically transform the greatest economy in the world and have this in a way that picks winners and losers.

I see my time's expired. Thank you.

So let me get this straight. We've given more favorable NEPA regulatory treatment to oil and gas drilling on Federal lands, than we have to geothermal drilling on Federal land?

It makes no sense that it is disfavored relative to oil and gas.

We must liberate our energy sector. We must reduce regulatory barriers to developing nuclear, hydro, geothermal and other forms of energy.

That's unacceptable, it's why I've introduced the UNSHACKLE Act.

Our country needs to modernize the way we generate, transmit and distribute electricity.

The answer is not to spend billions of Federal taxpayer dollars to electrify every American home and business.