Romney Highlights Progress on Infrastructure, China Strategy, and Utah Priorities in 2021 Year in Review Report

Statement

As 2021 comes to a close, U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) released a report detailing the policy and constituent services highlights from the past year. Major legislative highlights included passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the enactment of a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games, and passage of Romney's China strategy amendment in this year's defense bill. The Romney team also assisted with more than 1,800 constituent casework claims, responded to more than 720,000 pieces of constituent mail, and met with hundreds of constituents and businesses throughout the state. Keep reading for a brief recap of 2021's highlights:

"In Washington, Democrats took control of Congress and the White House. Despite their efforts to push bad policies that would add to our debt and raise taxes, most Senate action this year focused on bipartisan efforts to address some of our long-term challenges. As Democrats pushed a massive multi-trillion dollar package of spending and tax hikes--euphemistically called "Build Back Better"--I started working with a small, bipartisan group of my Senate colleagues on a bipartisan infrastructure bill. While often conflated, these are two drastically different bills.

"While Democrats' BBB legislation called for increased benefits to illegal immigrants, huge tax breaks to blue state millionaires, federal government provided pre-k, and components of the Green New Deal, our bipartisan infrastructure bill provided an historic investment in roads, highways, bridges, power grids, and broadband throughout the country. Importantly, the bipartisan bill will help Utah mitigate wildfires and drought, and accommodate challenges brought on by our state's rapid growth. The bill also secures funding I fought for to bring running water to Utah Navajos.

"This year, Congress ramped up efforts to bring awareness to the rising threat China poses to the global order. I'm pleased that my amendment requiring a grand strategy to address the new era of competition with China was included in this year's defense bill, which is now law. To shine a light on the grave human rights abuses being carried out by the Chinese Communist Party--including the genocide of the Uyghur people--I called for the U.S. to enact a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. The Administration recently announced the diplomatic boycott as official U.S. policy, and several other free nations, including Great Britain, Canada, Japan, and Australia, have followed suit.

"I also kept up the fight for other Utah priorities, including securing funding for rural programs, bolstering the role of Hill Air Force Base in our national security, and working to return more local control to our state's public lands. I met with Utahns from around our state to learn more about challenges they were facing and what my team and I might be able to do to help. Additionally, our outreach and constituent services team provided help to thousands of Utahns seeking federal assistance on COVID relief resources and passport renewals, and sprang into action to help evacuate Utahns and vulnerable Afghan partners out of Afghanistan amid the botched withdrawal.

"Just as important as the aforementioned progress, Republicans were also successful in stopping bad policy that would result in higher taxes, more spending and debt, a federal takeover of our election system, the elimination of the filibuster, and the deterioration of some of our country's core values. Please know that I will continue to fight for Utah values and priorities in the new year. I wish you and your family the very best for a healthy, safe 2022."

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