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Biden is Bad for Small Businesses

President Biden’s tenure has been defined by many failures but few have had more of a damaging impact on our nation’s small businesses than his reckless spending and big government regulatory agenda.

We recently learned inflation surged again last month, elevating the total increase in prices under President Biden to 18.6%. While the president’s failed policies are mainly to blame, his personnel choices have also contributed to our economic woes.

One of President Biden’s most damaging nominations was picking Julie Su to be Secretary of Labor. Su has served as Acting Secretary since she was nominated by President Biden on February 28, 2023, for one reason - even in the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate, her radical beliefs have prevented her from earning the votes required to be confirmed.

Julie Su has done nothing but deliver one price hike after another for family-run businesses in Wyoming that are already struggling under the burden of record-high operating costs due to inflation and sky-high interest rates.

This week, I led six of my Senate colleagues in sending a letter to President Biden demanding he withdraw Julie Su’s nomination to be Secretary of Labor.

The letter cites how Su, who has been serving as Acting Secretary for more than a year without Senate confirmation, has enacted policies that have inflicted such significant financial hardship on farmers, ranchers and small businesses throughout Wyoming that many are in danger of closing forever.

We need a Secretary of Labor who understands the value small businesses bring to communities and embraces innovation instead of one-size-fits all big government mandates.

Julie Su has hurt Wyoming, and it is time for her to go.

Happy Trails,

SENATOR LUMMIS' WEEK IN PICTURES

The best part of my week – Wyoming Wednesday.

I got to spend some time with Judge Joe Bluemel, who has served as a District Judge in the Third Judicial District in Lincoln and Uinta counties since 2015, and his family.

Senator John Barrasso and I met with Wyoming Office of Tourism Executive Director Diane Shober, Blair Hotels Travel Development Vice President of Leisure Quintin Blair, Little America Regional General Manager Tony O'Brien, Sheridan County Travel & Tourism Executive Director Shawn Parker, Uinta County Herald Publisher Mark Tesoro and other advocates for tourism in Wyoming to discuss how we can build upon the Cowboy State’s already stellar reputation as a global destination for tourism.

WORKING IN WASHINGTON

Legislative Actions:

I sent a letter alongside Congressman Dan Newhouse (R-WA) to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Tracy Stone-Manning requesting a comment period extension on the agency’s Greater Sage-Grouse Rangewide Planning Draft Resource Management Plan Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft RMPA/EIS) released last week.
- The BLM’s proposals will have wide-reaching impacts on farmers, ranchers and landowners throughout Wyoming whose livelihoods depend on responsible management of our federal lands.
- Our stakeholders deserve adequate time to voice their concerns and suggest commonsense changes to D.C. bureaucrats’ policies, which is why we are requesting at least a 180-day extension to ensure their voices are heard.

Committee Hearing:

During a U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation hearing titled, “Spectrum and National Security,” I highlighted the huge problem Wyoming is facing with Rip and Replace. Congress required broadband and cellular providers to remove Chinese equipment but only provided 40% of the money required for these upgrades. Now, Wyoming is facing a crisis that threatens to leave communities throughout the state without reliable broadband services. Your zip code should not determine if you have internet access. It is imperative we remove the Chinese technology and replace it with trusted products that are safe and secure. Click here to watch the hearing.

WORKING IN WYOMING

Working for Wyoming:

It may seem like Groundhog Day in Washington as Congress debates another bloated spending package released at the last minute. While I am always skeptical of these last-minute spending jams, I am particularly frustrated with this one because we have not been given adequate time to read the 1,012-page bill.

While we do not know the details hidden deep within the pages of the bill, I do know that the eye-popping $1.2 trillion price tag is too much. America is already drowning under the tremendous burden that is the more than $34 trillion national debt. Instead of kicking the can down the road on the ever-growing debt, every action taken by Congress needs to be focused on balancing the budget and paying down the debt.

I joined U.S. Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) in cosponsoring a resolution recognizing the national debt as a threat to national security. Currently, $0.44 of every $1 people in Wyoming pay in taxes goes to paying off the debt. We are rapidly approaching a reality where a majority of every dollar paid in taxes is paying off yesterday's debt instead of solving today's problems.

The national debt needs to be treated like the crisis it is.

Media:

I joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business to discuss the Biden administration’s sweeping electric vehicle (EV) mandate that will require nearly 67% of vehicles to be EVs by 2032. People in Wyoming should not be forced to pay for expensive EVs that are ill-equipped for the cold weather and long drives they traverse on a daily basis. Click here to watch the full interview.

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES FOR WYOMING

Senator John Barrasso, Governor Mark Gordon and I are looking forward to hosting the second annual Wyoming Funding Summit in April. The summit presents a rare opportunity for towns, counties and organizations across Wyoming to hear directly from state and federal funding agencies about how to identify, apply and secure grant funding.

This event would not be possible without our partners.

We are so grateful that the University of Wyoming is once again partnering with us for this event alongside the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Wyoming Association of Municipalities and Wyoming Business Council.

If you are interested in joining us for this summit, click here.

WYOMING SHOUT OUT

75 years is a long time and for some, a lifetime. For Bettie Marie Daniels, 75 years marks the amount of time she has been a Girl Scout. She first joined the organization in 1939 and has been involved ever since. Beyond selling thousands of cookies, Daniels has made an incredible impact on the thousands of lives she has touched.

To recognize her decades of dedication to the organization, Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming recently hosted a community celebration for Daniels at the Etoquinnow Girl Scout House in Cody. The celebration featured a fashion show of the Girl Scout uniforms through the decades and a surprise appearance by her children.

Bettie Marie led by example for decades, and I am proud that she was fittingly honored by the Girl Scouts.

Photo courtesy of Cowboy State Daily.

OFFICE LOCATIONS

Cody

1285 Sheridan Avenue, Suite 215
Cody, WY 82414
Phone: 307-527-9444

Cheyenne

Federal Center
2120 Capitol Avenue, Suite 2007
Cheyenne, WY 82001
Phone: 307-772-2477

Casper

Dick Cheney Federal Bldg.
100 East B Street, Suite 3201
PO Box 33201
Casper, WY 82601
Phone: 307-261-6572

Sundance

120 North 4th Street (769)
P.O. Box 769
Sundance, WY 82729
Phone: 307-283-3461

Star Valley

80 1st Street
Suite 105
P.O. Box 1630
Afton, WY 83110
Phone: 307-248-1736

Washington, DC

Russell Senate Office Building
Room SR 127A
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-3424