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August 23 - August 27, 2021
This week, Senator Romney traveled throughout Utah to talk with state and local leaders, as well as various industry representatives, about how the recently Senate-passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will benefit our state. The historic legislation, negotiated by Senator Romney, includes several Utah priorities—such as funding that will help Utah expand its infrastructure, mitigate drought conditions, fulfill critical water needs, and prepare for and respond to wildfires. It also includes funding to provide water to the nearly half of Navajo Nation in Utah who don’t have running water and expand broadband into rural Utah. The Senator also met with Summit County and Park City officials at the site of the Parleys Canyon Fire to discuss lessons learned during the response. Keep scrolling for more news.
The President must do whatever it takes to bring American citizens home from Afghanistan and safely evacuate our Afghan partners, despite arbitrary deadlines. Following President Biden's announcement that he will keep August 31 as the deadline for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, Senator Romney released this statement:
"We have been given every indication that evacuation efforts cannot be concluded by August 31. Americans are still stranded in the provinces outside of Kabul and it’s unacceptable that there is still no plan to get these individuals to safety. And it’s not just Americans that are stranded. Leaving vulnerable Afghans—many of whom risked their lives, and their families’ lives, in service to our country—to face the wrath of the Taliban would be an utter disgrace and moral failure. Evacuation efforts should end only when the job is done."
Full article by Dennis Romboy here.
Listen to the interview on KSL NewsRadio here.
Senator Romney toured the Utah Department of Transportation’s (UDOT) Traffic Operations Center and met with Executive Director Carlos Braceras to discuss how the funding provided in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will help Utah expand and improve its physical infrastructure. Included in the bill is the Senator's Smart Intersections Act, which will help UDOT build better intersections across the state–reducing wait times at red lights, improving traffic flow, and helping officials respond more efficiently to highway incidents.
Full article by Leia Larsen here.
Utah is experiencing an unprecedented drought, with some precipitation levels at record lows in the Weber-Ogden region. Senator Romney toured the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District to learn more about the challenges facing the region and discuss how the bipartisan infrastructure bill can help bolster Utah’s water infrastructure to address these critical needs.
The local response to the Parleys Canyon Fire—a 541-acre wildfire outside of Provo—was well-executed, saving countless homes and lives. Senator Romney met with the Summit County Sheriff and the Park City Fire Chief to discuss lessons learned during the response efforts and the important wildfire provisions that are included in the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
Between the historic drought and climate change, it’s critical that we continue to invest in Utah’s water resources. Senator Romney joined the Utah Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Brian Steed to discuss how to keep the Great Salt Lake at a healthy level and how the bipartisan infrastructure bill could help those efforts.
A bipartisan solution, like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, is the best option Utah has to address its critical infrastructure needs, including the investment in historic developments at the Point of the Mountain. Projects like these will be eligible for funding if the bipartisan infrastructure bill becomes law. Senator Romney met with Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson, State Representative Lowry Snow, and Point of the Mountain Development Commission Executive Director Alan Matheson to discuss how the bipartisan infrastructure legislation will help fulfill the bold visions of Utah's leaders for the state's rapid growth.
Listen to the interview on KVEL here.
Utah's economic growth does not come without challenges, especially concerning labor shortages in the manufacturing industry. Senator Romney participated in a roundtable discussion with members of the Utah Manufacturers Association to discuss the difficulties that the industry is facing, including staffing issues and how to protect against intellectual property theft from adversaries like China.
Utah’s strong economy makes our state a great place to start and run a business—and the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies is evidence of that. While visiting their Sandy office and meeting with employees, Senator Romney discussed how the bipartisan infrastructure bill will benefit Utah and what the U.S. must do to remain competitive with China.
China's quest to become the world's leading power is the greatest geopolitical threat facing the United States. For too long, the U.S. has ignored China's malicious actions toward free nations. Senator Romney met with Strider Technologies, a South Jordan software company, to learn about the work they're doing to mitigate supply chain vulnerabilities and prevent intellectual property theft from foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party.
Senator Romney met with several groups of local government and business leaders to discuss the many ways in which the bipartisan infrastructure bill will benefit communities across Utah, especially as our state works to accommodate the growth we're experiencing. In addition to the South Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Wasatch Front Regional Council, Senator Romney met with a large group of members from rural chambers of commerce—Heber Valley, Uintah Basin, Richfield, and more—which is pictured below.
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