Hello, Utah! I’m coming to you from the U.S. Capitol, and it’s been an awesome week.

My high this week was hosting cities from across the Beehive State while they were in D.C. I met with so many mayors and city council members in my office—I love them all! The real work in this country happens at the city level.

The low? We’re once again considering another stopgap spending bill or a government shutdown. I’ve got two bad choices in front of me. This was so predictable. And it always happens, even if we pretend it won’t.

Now, we’re on the cusp of a shutdown, and the only way out of it is a stinky CR. We’ve got to figure out how to do our budgeting process better.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

The United States shouldn’t tolerate pressure from China to undermine the Taiwanese people. Instead, it should stand by its democratic allies and friends around the world facing pressure and coercion from authoritarian regimes. Senators Curtis and Merkley (D-OR) introduced the Taiwan Representative Office Act, bipartisan legislation to rename Taiwan’s de facto embassy in the United States from the “Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office” to the Taiwan Representative Office. This legislation underscores the United States’ commitment to Taiwan’s democracy and enhances clarity in the U.S.-Taiwan relationship.



Full story by Jimmy Quinn here.



Public lands are central to Utah’s way of life—supporting families, ranchers, recreation, energy production, and conservation. Senators Curtis and Lee (R-UT), along with Representative Kennedy (R-UT), introduced the Natural Asset Company Prohibition Act, legislation that aims to protect Utah’s public lands from takeover by Wall Street activists and foreign investors. The bill would prohibit Natural Asset Companies and similar entities from entering into agreements that affect land, water, or natural resources within Utah’s borders.



Full story by Eva Terry here.

Fentanyl is the most dangerous drug threat facing our communities—accounting for nearly 50% of drug overdose deaths in Utah in 2023. Today, the Senate passed the HALT Fentanyl Act—a bipartisan bill that provides law enforcement with the tools they need to combat fentanyl and strengthens penalties for drug traffickers. Senator Curtis supported this legislation to save lives and help secure our communities.

There have been increasing demands for passports in Utah, and for too long there was no in-person option for passport services available in the state. Last year, the State Department announced that Salt Lake City would receive its very own passport agency—providing Utahns with improved services. Senator Curtis sat down with State Department Consular Affairs officials to discuss plans for the new agency.

Reminder—be sure to renew your passport at least six months prior to its expiration date!





As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Curtis is positioned to help advance America’s interests abroad and holds oversight over the State Department. The senator sat down with several U.S. ambassador nominees, including George Glass, a Heber, Utah, resident nominated to be Ambassador to Japan; Ronald Johnson, nominated to be Ambassador to Mexico; and Peter Hoekstra, nominated to be Ambassador to Canada.

The budgeting process in Congress incentivizes the brinkmanship of shutdown showdowns, endless continuing resolutions, and bloated omnibus bills rushed through in the dead of night. It’s a recipe for dysfunction, disaster, and even more debt.

During an interview with KUTV this morning, Senator Curtis expressed his frustrations with Congress’s broken budgeting system and provided Utahns with other updates on what’s happening in Washington.

This week, several mayors, city council members, and other officials from Utah were in Washington, D.C., to promote priorities for their cities and towns. Senator Curtis, a former mayor himself, knows that no one understands the unique challenges of public service quite like a mayor. To kick off the week, Curtis provided local leaders with a tour of the U.S. Capitol.



Throughout the rest of the week, Senator Curtis sat down with individual city and town officials to discuss how to collaborate on specific solutions for local communities:

Meetings with Cottonwood Heights, St. George, Millcreek, and Draper.


Meetings with Spanish Fork, Moab, Holladay, and Sandy.


Meetings with Salt Lake City and the National League of Cities.

Senator Curtis met with St. Joseph Catholic High School students from Ogden, Utah during their trip to Washington, D.C.

U.S. senators introduce bill to rename Taiwan's de facto embassy in Washington (Focus Taiwan)

Sen. John Curtis pressures Latin American countries to cut Hezbollah ties in bipartisan bill (Deseret News)

Trump demands ships "very fast, very soon" as China dominates (Axios)

Senate Democrats to provide votes for Trump-backed resolution to avoid government shutdown (Deseret News)

Bill tries to balance hydropower with curbs on invasive fish (E&E)

New Utah Sen. John Curtis enjoys mostly favorable ratings after first few months on the job (Deseret News)

curtis.senate.gov