Guest opinion: Time to get serious about the debt by Peter Olsen The 2024 election season has come to an end. Now it is time for the next Congress and President-elect Trump to get to work. As the United States faces record-high debt, the need for fiscal discipline has never been more urgent. Between 2009 and 2022, policymakers borrowed more than $18 trillion to fund the ongoing activities of the federal government. To put that in historical terms, thatâs more debt than we accumulated in our first 233 years as a nation. While some of this borrowing was crucial to addressing the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, an astonishing $11 trillion was used on policies unrelated to those emergencies. Now that interest rates have climbed, the cost of servicing this debt is straining the economy, limiting policy flexibility, and placing our nation on a weak fiscal foundation. As the national debt grows, the next Congress and president must make tackling the debt a top priority. Currently, Americaâs publicly held debt totals roughly $28 trillion â the equivalent of 98% of our annual economic output or Gross Domestic Product (GDP). If steps are not taken to mitigate the increase in debt, the rate could equal 122% in the next decade. In just three years, debt held by the public will exceed the record 106% of GDP reached after WWII. Among developed nations, only Japan, Italy, and Greece have higher debt-to-GDP ratios. (Read More) News Releases Senator Romney releases legislative accomplishments report The Office of U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) released a report detailing the policy and constituent service accomplishments of Romneyâs Senate term. Major legislative highlights include enactment of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, securing a passport agency for Salt Lake City, establishing the Wildfire Mitigation and Management Commission, prohibiting the sale of e-cigarettes to anyone under the age of 21, and enacting measures to counter China. The Romney team also assisted with more than 10,000 constituent casework claims, responded to nearly 1 million pieces of constituent mail, and met with thousands of Utahns. (Read More) Curtis bill to control salinity in Colorado River passes House The U.S. House of Representatives passed Rep. John Curtisâ bill, the Colorado River Salinity Control Fix Act. The bill addresses a longstanding imbalance in the Lower Basin Fund, which funds salinity control projects. The legislation incorporates work from the seven Colorado River Basin states, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. (Read More) House passes Curtis bill to ensure critical mineral needs in healthcare are prioritized The U.S House of Representatives voted to pass the Recognizing the Importance of Critical Minerals in Healthcare Act of 2023, introduced by Representative John Curtis (R-Utah). The bill will amend the Energy Act of 2020 to require the Secretary of the Interior to include the Secretary of Health and Human Services in consultations regarding designations of critical minerals, elements, substances and materials. This will ensure minerals important in the health care sector are considered for designations regarding critical minerals. (Read More) House passes Maloy bill allowing court to be held in Moab and Monticello The House passed Reps. Celeste Maloy (UT-02) and John Curtisâ (UT-03) bill â H.R. 8666 â to authorize additional federal case locations in Moab and Monticello, Utah. The Central Division of Utahâs existing places of holding court include Ogden, Salt Lake City, Provo, and St. George. Residents of Southern Utah are regularly excused from federal jury duty due to burdensome travel requirements. H.R. 8666 will amend Title 28 of the United States Code to authorize holding court for the Central Division of Utah in Moab and Monticello. (Read More) House passes Maloy bill to return parcels of federally owned land in Utah to the state On Tuesday, the House passed Congresswoman Celeste Maloyâs (UT-02) bill,The Utah State Parks Adjustment Act. This bill would return the titles for several parcels of federally owned land in and around three Utah State Parks to the State of Utah, consolidating ownership and improving land management. (Read More) | 