Op-Eds

Obama’s monument declarations propel his job-killing agenda

The Hill - If our Democratic and media friends are still trying to puzzle through how Donald Trump won the presidency, they will find no better clue than last week’s national monument designations in Utah and Nevada. It is the perfect snapshot of the twisted priorities that lost the votes of alienated American workers throughout the country. Hillary Clinton was a flawed candidate, but beyond her lackluster campaign, her private email scandal or even any alleged Russian hacking, the biggest mills... Read more

Chaffetz: PLI gives tribes more of what they want in Bears Ears Tags: Federal Lands

(Salt Lake Tribune) For Utah tribes hoping to preserve, access, and manage their lands and sacred sites, the Public Lands Initiative (PLI) offers the best hope for a positive outcome. PLI, which Rep. Rob Bishop and I are introducing in the House and Sen. Mike Lee will run in the Senate, is a legislative solution Utah tribal members helped develop. The PLI provides broader protections for Native American lands and against a National Park Service (NPS) that has been unfriendly to tribal interests.... Read more

If you work for our government, you must pay your taxes: Tax cheats shouldn't be working for We the People Tags: Taxes

Fox News - Whether we like it or not, the law requires that we pay taxes. Unfortunately, a significant number of federal workers have failed to do so and are responsible for $1 billion in unpaid taxes. Those charged with the stewardship of our federal resources and programs should not be among the most delinquent taxpayers. Civil service and contract positions in the federal government are highly sought after. There is a reason federal government jobs turn over at half the rate of private sector... Read more

Why sunshine still matters

(Daily Herald) - In the quest to root out waste, fraud and abuse, government is a target-rich environment. Thanks to open records laws, audits, inspectors general and Congressional oversight, Americans are privy to a great deal of information about their government that is unavailable in most other countries on the planet. Yet too frequently, when government malpractice is uncovered and released, it is greeted with a collective yawn. I’m deeply troubled by a developing narrative that suggests s... Read more