Russia%e2%80%99s+war+crimes+in+Ukraine+are+abominable.

April 4 – April 8, 2022

During what has been a busy week in Washington, including the Senate confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Senator Romney led a bipartisan group of his colleagues in negotiating a COVID-19 preparedness bill that repurposes unused pandemic relief funds and wouldn’t cost the American taxpayer a single additional dollar. Ultimately, this bipartisan COVID bill was hampered by Senate Democrat leadership who refused to allow for any type of amendment process. Meanwhile, more atrocities from Russia’s attacks on the people of Ukraine are being revealed, showing horrifying evidence of war crimes. Keep scrolling for more news.

Senator Romney and a bipartisan group of his colleagues reached an agreement on a deal to provide $10 billion in funding for urgent COVID needs by repurposing unspent COVID funds, primarily from Democrats’ partisan American Rescue Plan.

This agreement provides needed domestic COVID health response tools, including therapeutics development—potentially eliminating the need for future vaccine and mask mandates. Congruent with what Senator Romney and his Republican colleagues have insisted, this bill repurposes existing funds from previous COVID legislation, which means it wouldn’t cost the American people a single dollar.

Unfortunately, Leader Schumer refused to allow for amendment votes on the bipartisan bill—blocking its passage and preventing much-needed COVID funding from getting out the door.

Full story here.

Russia is terrorizing Ukrainian civilians by committing abominable war crimes and has no place serving on an international body that’s supposed to protect and advance human rights.

The United Nations General Assembly yesterday voted to strip Russia from the UN Human Rights Council. This follows a bipartisan effort by Senator Romney and his colleagues requesting that UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield introduce a resolution at the UN to do so.

Senator Romney released the following statement about his vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court:

“After reviewing Judge Jackson’s record and testimony, I have concluded that she is a well-qualified jurist and a person of honor. While I do not expect to agree with every decision she may make on the Court, I believe that she more than meets the standard of excellence and integrity. I congratulate Judge Jackson on her confirmation and look forward to her continued service to our nation.”

China’s malevolent and predatory behavior is a growing threat to American interests—like freedom, democracy, and human rights—around the world. We must keep a united front with our allies and partners in working towards a comprehensive strategy to deter China from its aggressive path.

Senator Romney served as Ranking Member at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee nominations hearing for ambassadorships to Australia, South Korea, the Philippines, and Norway. During his opening remarks, Romney stressed the importance of America’s involvement in the world to protect our security and promote our interests.

As Utah has experienced rapid growth over the last decade, housing prices have skyrocketed. This has caused housing affordability challenges for communities across our state. We must make finding and affording houses more accessible for everyone. However, with two-thirds of our state owned by the federal government, the ability of many communities to expand is prohibited by federal land ownership.

Senator Romney joined Senator Lee in introducing the HOUSES Act, legislation to increase the amount of federal land that can be used for housing development—ranging from single family homes to low-income housing and apartments—to help address Utah’s housing shortages.

From our stunning national parks to our unparalleled ski resorts, Utah continues to attract tourists from around the world. Senator Romney met with members of the Utah Tourism Industry Association to discuss how we can better support Utah's hallmark hospitality and tourism industry—which remains a significant part of our growing economy.

The Ogden community, including Weber State University and Hill Air Force Base, have made great strides in developing the region's aerospace and security abilities. Senator Romney met with WSU President Brad Mortensen for an update on these efforts.

Senator Romney spent time with Mountain Heights Academy students from across Utah to discuss leadership and the latest in Congress.