Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Sen. Mike Lee is not seeking a Trump administration post but plans to support Trump's agenda in Congress.
- Lee aims to pass significant legislation, including the REINS Act, and potentially dismantle federal agencies.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Sen. Mike Lee, who reportedly has been placed on short lists for U.S. attorney general, said he isn't looking to give up his position in the Senate.
Lee has been engaged in frequent conversations with Trump's transition team, he said in an interview with the Deseret News, and plans to aid the Trump administration by approving the president's cabinet appointments.
"I have the job I want," Lee said. "And I look forward to working in the next Congress and with President Trump and his team to implement his agenda and the reform agenda that Republicans have offered and campaigned on, and it's going to be an exciting time. We've got a lot of work to do."
As the chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, Lee is already helping to elect a Senate majority leader next week who will work closely with Trump. As the likely incoming chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Lee hopes to pass landmark public lands legislation with Trump's support. And as a member of the Judiciary Committee, he looks forward to approving Trump's court picks.
Regardless of whether he ultimately serves in the legislative or executive branch, Lee believes the outcome of Tuesday's election gave Republicans a historic chance to transform the federal government.
These changes, potentially powered through by a Republican trifecta in Washington, would seek to significantly alter the administrative state, including by removing entire executive agencies.
"We've got a somewhat rare and valuable opportunity, one that I think we need to take full advantage of," Lee said.
On Tuesday, American voters returned the White House to former President Donald Trump with wins in all seven swing states, securing Trump a majority in the Electoral College and likely the popular vote. Voters also flipped the Senate to Republicans and may yet deliver Republicans a majority in the House.
Trump's political comeback, combined with regained Senate control, could clear the way for Lee's favorite piece of legislation, the REINS Act, which requires legislative approval for bureaucratic decisions that impact the budget. It could also lead to the elimination of entire bureaucratic departments, like the Department of Education, Lee said.
"I think some of them maybe need to go or at least need to be consolidated with something else," Lee said.
The federal government was never intended to make decisions for individual school districts; and other agencies acting outside of constitutionally defined limits of federalism should also be reduced or done away with, according to Lee.
On Wednesday, Lee asked his more than 300,000 followers on X, "Which federal agency do you want to see dismantled first?" On Thursday, Lee posted, "It's time to dismantle and restructure things in a pretty fundamental way, always within what's permitted under the Constitution," to which Elon Musk, the owner of X, the richest man in the world, and an avid Trump supporter responded, "Absolutely."
One of the most exciting consequences of the 2024 presidential election, from Lee's point of view, is the elevation of individuals like Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to positions of influence within the administration.
Tasking individuals like this, "who see the importance of having a federal government that's good at the things that the federal government needs to do, and that the federal government is uniquely empowered, authorized and able to do," with restructuring the mechanisms that enforce presidential and congressional policy "is very important," Lee said.
But an energized executive, while necessary, is not sufficient to make lasting change to the country; "those things last only as long as as the term of the president at issue," Lee said. What is needed is for the president to "back up" legislative reforms made permanent by Congress, Lee said.
In addition to passing the REINS Act, Lee hopes 2025 brings an opportunity to address rising costs in Utah and around the country by passing his HOUSES Act, which would allow municipalities to purchase federally managed land touching city limits for the purpose of developing affordable homes.
