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Rep. Love, Sen. Lee Pledge to Uphold Conservative Agenda

U.S. Senator Mike Lee and Congresswoman Mia Love addressed state lawmakers at the Capitol on Wednesday.

Love, Utah’s newest member of Congress, used the brief appearance to report that she is following through on her campaign promises.

Speaking for the first time to her counterparts in state government, she told state senators she’s already voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act and to build the Keystone pipeline. She’s also taking on the Dodd-Frank financial laws and local control in education.

Love also says she’s been shocked by the power of the bureaucracy she’s seen in Washington.

“There’s a lot of undoing,” she said. “That’s pretty much what I’m doing, and I’m actually pretty happy about that. There’s-it’s layer and layer of regulation that I think we need to make sure that I’m doing what I can to remove the handcuffs.”

Love also told legislators her foremost goal is to remain accountable.

“Call me if you need me,” she said. “Thank you so much.”

Lee echoed Love’s comments, assuring senators he’s fighting regulatory overreach in Washington.

“It is a problem,” the Republican senator said. “And, again, the best way to deal with the problem is to put Congress back in charge of making the law” as opposed to allowing agencies to do that through administrative rules.

Utah’s senior senator, Republican Orrin Hatch, is scheduled to speak to state lawmakers on Thursday.        

Judy Fahys has reported in Utah for two decades, covering politics, government and business before taking on environmental issues. She loves covering Utah, where petroleum-pipeline spills, the nation’s radioactive legacy and other types of pollution provide endless fodder for stories. Previously, she worked for the Salt Lake Tribune in Utah, and reported on the nation’s capital for States News Service and the Scripps League newspaper chain. She is a longtime member of the Society of Environmental Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors. She also spent an academic year as a research fellow in the Knight Science Journalism program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In her spare time, she enjoys being out in the environment, especially hiking, gardening and watercolor painting.
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