What Sen. Mike Lee said about a government shutdown

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Utah Business

Sen. Mike Lee would have voted in favor of the failed House GOP funding bill to avoid a government shutdown, he told the Deseret News.

“I don’t think deep down anyone in Congress would choose a shutdown,” he said. “That is not a good thing for anyone.”

Lee did say that he respects those who voted against the resolution. But how did we get to the point of a shutdown?

“What’s happened is that the debt, and the interest on the debt, has finally caught up to us to the point where people in both houses of Congress are starting to be really worried and they’ve seen the cycle repeat itself so many times,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of people wanting it to be different. The question is just how much they’re willing to stand up to leadership and say ‘No.’”

The senator said he “wholeheartedly” supports the rule change secured by House Freedom Caucus members and the efforts of Sen. Ron Johnson to reinstitute the norm of voting on spending bills separately.

Lee believes Americans and Utahns want a Congress that's “in a position where each member can have adequate time to review and debate and discuss and confer with their constituents about spending levels and the contents of a spending bill.”

A new travel plan in Moab could close hundreds of miles of off-roading roads. Is it needed conservation, or government overreach?

On Friday, Deseret News journalists surveyed the Gemini Bridges and Labyrinth Canyon region in southern Utah in a flight hosted by the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and Ecoflight, a nonprofit that uses small aircraft to advocate for conservation.

The Bureau of Land Management is gearing up to release its new travel plan for the area. It's looking at four options — one of which could close hundreds of off-roading routes to the public in the coming days.

That would be a loss for off-roading enthusiasts and a win for environmental advocates. SUWA is in favor of the BLM option to keep 606 miles open, limit 84 miles and close 437 miles of road.

“... It’s not about restricting people’s access, it’s about managing and controlling land so that it’s here for others in the future,” John Weisheit, an environmental activist and co-founder of Living Rivers said.

BlueRibbon Coalition, a motorized recreation advocacy group, and Utah Rep. Phil Lyman are in favor of the option to keep the current plan in place.

Will the decision be needed conservation or government overreach?

Read more about the impact of the BLM's upcoming decision.

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It’s no fantasy — players with Utah ties are having big impact in NFL this season

With week three of the NFL season now underway, a few players with Utah ties have been thrust into the spotlight.

Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua and Packers quarterback Jordan Love are shaking up the league and have become popular waiver wire additions to fantasy football teams.

My colleague Brandon Judd took a deep dive into five of those players:

Read what he wrote about these players' impacts as well as other NFL standouts with Utah ties.

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