Hey! Welcome to another ‘Highs and Lows’ from Washington, D.C.

It's been a great week. If you've followed what's happening here, I did my maiden speech on the Senate floor, which is kind of a big cultural thing here in the Senate. Most of us wait several months before we really share what's on our mind. What was really cool to me is we involved a lot of Utahns in developing the speech. Many of you, in fact, sent feedback that I used not just for the speech, but to help me understand my role in representing you in the Senate. I was really happy with that experience, so that’s my high.

The low—in the speech, I included a number of areas where I don't think leaders in Washington have been honest with the American people. For example, entitlement reform. We’re not being honest when we say programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid don’t need reform. And we won’t fix our deficit or save these programs from imminent insolvency until we are.

With that, the email that we used for folks to send me their reflections and thoughts is still live. If you’d like to send in something, email me at experience@curtis.senate.gov, or just go to my website and use the link there to send information. I love to hear from you.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Five months into his Senate term, Senator Curtis delivered his first address on the Senate floor—honoring the Senate’s tradition of new members waiting a “respectful amount of time” to listen and learn before offering their maiden speech.

The Senator approached the address by heeding advice from his great-grandmother, “Listen first, speak when it matters, and let your actions carry the weight.” To “listen first,” Curtis prepared for the speech by visiting four sites of significance to Utah and American history: Ensign Peak, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Arlington National Cemetery, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

During the speech, the Senator illustrated the American values and principles enshrined in these locations. He then outlined his policy priorities of expanding domestic production of affordable, reliable, and clean energy; empowering local communities in Utah in the face of federal overreach; addressing the threat of China to our national and economic security; and lowering the national debt and reforming entitlement programs.





Full story by Bob Evans here.

Simple and affordable safety mechanisms can prevent tragic accidents caused by poorly designed or maintained gates. We’ve seen the devastating impact of these preventable incidents, such as the tragic death of seven-year-old Alex Quanbeck, who was crushed by a falling gate, and Esther Nakajjigo, who was killed at Arches National Park.

Senators Curtis and Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the Alex Gate Safety Act, bipartisan legislation to create and enforce a consumer product safety standard for large and potentially hazardous gates often installed in residential, commercial, and recreational settings. By establishing uniform safety standards and launching a national education campaign, the bill aims to prevent further harm and raise awareness among manufacturers, installers, consumers, and local authorities.



Full story by Standard-Examiner here.



Over the past few months, Senator Curtis has held several meetings with water conservancy district leaders across Utah. One thing is clear from those exchanges: Utah’s rapid population growth is placing significant pressure on our community water resources.

Senators Curtis and Kelly (D-AZ) introduced the Restoring WIFIA Eligibility Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation aimed at strengthening water quality and storage infrastructure across the Western United States. This bill would make it easier for local governments and utilities to invest in critical water infrastructure projects—helping ensure we can meet the growing needs of our communities.



Full story by Amy Joi O’Donoghue here.



The federal government must be responsible stewards of taxpayer money. That includes ensuring programs like unemployment insurance only serve those who need them the most. Yet IRS data show that thousands of millionaires are gaming the system to receive unemployment benefits. Senators Curtis and Ernst (R-IA) introduced the Ending Unemployment Payments to Jobless Millionaires Act, which would make anyone earning $1 million or more from any source of income ineligible for unemployment benefits.



The United States must hold accountable those responsible for the erosion of freedoms and the persecution of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong. Senators Curtis, Sullivan (R-AK), and Merkley (D-OR) introduced the Hong Kong Judicial Sanctions Act, which would hold officials of Hong Kong’s judiciary accountable for human rights violations and support Hong Kongers facing persecution from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its accomplices in Hong Kong.

Senator Curtis joined Breaking Battlegrounds podcast to reflect on the importance of listening in his maiden Senate floor speech, highlight Utah’s leadership in energy innovation, and discuss his bipartisan forest management bill.

Senator Curtis enjoyed meeting with some of Utah’s credit union leaders, who work hard to strengthen our communities across the state.

One Utah family realized just weeks before an international trip that their infant son didn’t have a passport. Unsure where to turn, they reached out to Senator Curtis’s office and within days they had what they needed. With their permission, we’re sharing their story as an example of how our office can help families resolve urgent federal issues.



If you can't get an answer from a federal agency in a timely fashion, or if you feel you have been treated unfairly, our office may be able to help resolve a problem or get you the information you need. While we cannot guarantee you a favorable outcome, we will do our best to help you receive a fair and timely response to your problem.

Senator John Curtis’ calls for ‘wildly honest’ conversations in maiden Senate floor speech (ABC 4)

John Curtis weaves pioneer legacy, clean energy and fighting debt into first Senate floor speech (Deseret News)

John Curtis says Dems, GOP not having 'honest' conversations with American voters (KSL)

John Curtis Asks OpenAI CEO Sam Altman How Small Businesses Can Benefit From Using ChatGPT (Forbes)

Why off-roading access matters to these Utah senators (Deseret News)

Senators Curtis and Hickenlooper on Why the IRA Will Survive (Heatmap News)

Gate fatalities spur new federal legislation sponsored by Sen. Curtis (KSL)

curtis.senate.gov