HOME | ABOUT | MEDIA | SERVICES | ISSUES

DEFENDING YOUR RIGHT TO PRIVACY

Senator Lummis grills Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on an invasive IRS reporting proposal. Click here or on image above to view.

This past month, I received thousands of calls, letters, and emails from people, banks and businesses around Wyoming concerning a new proposed IRS reporting requirement. This proposal would force banks to report every transaction their customers make over $600 to the IRS.

People in Wyoming are angry about this gross government overreach, and I am too. Here in the Cowboy State, we expect privacy. It’s not because we’re trying to hide anything. It’s because this information is, frankly, none of the government’s business.

Wyoming bank customers are not subjects of the federal government, and treating them as such is unconscionable. Banks do not work for the IRS, yet this proposal would increase the size of the IRS and force banks to snoop and snitch on their customers. This is both wrong and shortsighted. Community banks and credit unions, which are important institutions throughout Wyoming, would be forced to betray the trust of their customers in order to do the bidding of the federal government. That’s simply unacceptable.

The IRS is already one of the largest and least accountable bureaucracies in Washington. Time and time again, they’ve shown that they cannot be trusted with our private information. Why would we open ourselves up to more scrutiny by this unaccountable agency? They’ve abused their power in the past, and they have not convinced me that they won’t abuse this power in the future.

I had the opportunity to ask Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen about this proposal. Her answers gave me no confidence that she cares about the concerns of the people in Wyoming. She said it was important that the IRS had more information about people to ensure that no one is gaming the system. The Biden administration believes that people in Wyoming, regular American citizens, are tax cheats. I believe they couldn’t be more wrong.

I won’t stop fighting this proposal. The people of Wyoming deserve better from their government, though sadly this is the kind of overreach we’ve come to expect from the Biden Administration. I encourage you to call and email the White House to make your voice heard (click here to contact). Don’t let up until this proposal is dead in its tracks.

<>
Happy Trails,

WORKING IN WASHINGTON

I gave a speech on the Senate floor urging my colleagues to oppose the nomination of Tracy Stone-Manning, a supporter of radical environmental groups, to be the director of the Bureau of Land Management.

Click here or on the image above to view speech

Legislative Actions:

I cosponsored Senator Rick Scott's (R-FL) Preventing Unconstitutional Vaccine Mandates for Interstate Commerce Act. This bill would prohibit the Department of Transportation and other federal agencies from issuing rules that would restrict interstate travel for non-vaccinated travelers.
I cosponsored Senator Mike Lee's (R-UT) Prohibiting Forced COVID-19 Vaccination Act. This bill would clarify that federal agencies do not have the power to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations.

Votes:

H.R. 5305 - The Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act or the Continuing Resolution. This bill would fund the federal government at current spending levels through December 3 2021. I opposed this measure over my continued concerns over the federal government's reckless spending.
- Opposed
An amendment to H.R. 5305 mandating that Members of Congress not receive pay after October 1 of any fiscal in year in which Congress has not approved a budget resolution and passed regular appropriations bills. If we can't do our jobs and pass a budget, Members of Congress should not get paid!)
- Supported
Confirmation of Tracy Stone-Manning to be the director of the Bureau of Land Management.
- Opposed

Committee Hearings:
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Development

Hearing on CARES Act Oversight of the Treasury and Federal Reserve

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

Hearing on protecting consumer privacy and a hearing on consumer protection, product safety and data security

WORKING IN WYOMING

Media:

I wrote an op-ed about my thoughts on Big Tech and the importance of data privacy. Read more here.
I joined Will Silverstein on KLWY to discuss Tracy Stone-Manning and the BLM's move back to Washington, D.C.

I joined Glenn Woods on Wake Up Wyoming to discuss the Democrats' reckless tax and spending plan.

In State Focus:

My heart breaks at the news of the passing of Casper Police Officer Danny Dundas. He was a beloved member of the Casper community. He committed his life to protecting his community. We often forget the emotional toll that takes on our first responders. His passing leaves a huge hole. My prayers are with his family, the Casper Police Department, and the city of Casper as they mourn his loss.

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255).

<>
News around Wyoming:

Wyoming loggers fear extinction as federal forest policy evolves
Laramie Boomerang
The Pearson family is as much of a fixture in this corner of Crook County as Devils Tower.

Wade Pearson's ancestor, John Pearson, was among the region's earliest white settlers when he arrived in the late-19th Century, and the family ranch has stood for five generations.
<>

BLM to round up half of Wyoming's wild horses

Casper Star Tribune

The Bureau of Land Management will round up most wild horses in five herd management areas in southwestern Wyoming, beginning as soon as Oct. 7, the agency said Friday.

It expects to remove roughly 4,300 of the estimated 5,105 wild horses living in the Great Divide Basin, Adobe Town, Salt Wells Creek, White Mountain and Little Colorado herd management areas, home to most of Wyoming's approximately 7,700 wild horses.
<>

WYOMING SHOUT OUT

Wyoming Survivor

Converse County rancher Brad Reese is participating in this season of Survivor on ABC. He is the owner of Rockin’ 7 Ranch in Shawnee, Wyoming and he loves “hunting, fishing, and helping others to pursue their passion and achieve their dreams.” He’s also a private pilot.

I’m cheering for him along with many of my friends around Wyoming! Go get ‘em Brad!