Free Republic

Eight years ago, Sen. Orrin Hatch argued in a Senate Finance Committee then controlled by Democrats that Congress does not have the constitutional power to order people to buy things. The committee was discussing the incipient Obamacare bill. It's most outrageous element: The so-called "individual mandate," which would force Americans to purchase health insurance. Hatch did not believe the Constitution's Commerce Clause -- which gives Congress the power to "regulate Commerce with foreign nations, and among the states" -- could be stretched to give the federal government the power to compel individuals to do this. "Rather than regulate what people...

Conservatives have always advocated the idea of keeping the safety net intact, while reforming the big three entitlement programs: Medicare; Medicaid; and, Social Security. Reform is different from cutting programs. The left constantly accuses the right of advocating deep cuts to entitlement programs that benefit low income Americans. The correct position for conservatives is to advocate strong reform to attack waste, fraud and abuse without cutting essential services that people rely upon – especially the elderly. One plan that falls into the category of a “cut” and not a “reform” is a current plan to cut home health benefits provided...

Alternate headline: “Orrin Hatch must retire.” And there’s a fair chance that he will! He’s 83 and said in March that he’d be more inclined to step down if he could get a “really outstanding person” to run for his seat. When asked if he had anyone in mind, he said “Mitt Romney would be perfect.” That lit the fuse on RomneyWatch 2018, leading to reports that Romney was thinking about it and had even spoken to Mitch McConnell about running. But then in May the speculation seemed to fizzle: Hatch himself claimed that Romney told him he wouldn’t...

SALT LAKE CITY — Former independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin would beat Sen. Orrin Hatch in a head-to-head matchup for the U.S. Senate, a new poll shows. The Centrist Project, which is recruiting candidates to run for Senate and state legislatures in 2018, commissioned the survey to gauge Utahns' opinions on several issues and the viability of an independent candidate in the upcoming Senate race. The poll by JMC Analytics found 33 percent of residents would vote for McMullin, 29 percent for Hatch and 11 percent for an unnamed Democrat if the election were held today. Another 10 percent favored...

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) says he would consider retiring if Mitt Romney ran to replace him. Hatch told National Journal in a Wednesday interview that he hasn't made a decision yet on whether he will run for reelection in 2018. "I know I made a comment that I'll likely run for reelection. I haven't made that final determination," he said. "There are a bunch of reasons to do it, a bunch of reasons not to do it."

In an interview with National Journal, the Republican senator who has been in office since 1976 said he "might very well consider" not campaigning for another term if an "outstanding person" were to run for his position. . . . Asked if he had any people in mind, Hatch replied: "Well, Mitt Romney would be perfect." He added that he has reached out to Romney about the idea.

John Huber will continue to serve as the U.S. attorney for Utah, at least for the time being. Huber was given a reprieve by the U.S. Justice Department and will stay on as an interim U.S. attorney for the state for the next four months. Huber was one of 46 U.S. attorneys who were asked by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions last Friday to resign. ... Huber joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office since 2002 and was appointed to become Utah’s U.S. Attorney in February 2015 with the support of Sen. Orrin Hatch. Huber was confirmed by the Senate in June...

SALT LAKE CITY — Former presidential hopeful Evan McMullin stated Friday he may run for public office again and is considering the possibility of challenging either Rep. Jason Chaffetz or Senator Orrin Hatch. McMullin made the comments Friday during an AMA (Ask Me Anything) thread on Reddit in the “EnoughTrumpSpam subreddit. One user asked McMullin if he is considering running against Jason Chaffetz in 2018, and McMullin responded from a verified Reddit account to say he is considering such a move but must consider the desires of Utah constituents.

Any news story involving Romney running for any office is postworthy by definition for a veteran Romney trollblogger like me. But let’s be real: A freshman senator at age … 71, which is what he’d be on election day 2018? As good as he looks and as healthy as he seems, it’s rare — maybe even unprecedented — for a senator to be popularly elected to a first full term in his 70s. This list notes 12 who were 75 or older when they were first seated, but nine were appointed to fill vacancies and two more were chosen...

(KUTV) “Utah's six electoral college votes matter and Republicans are finally ready to unite.” Congressman Rob Bishop worked today to unite his party. After weeks of on again, off again support for Trump -- many of Utah’s elected officials say their nominee is not as bad as they thought “Donald Trump is no choir boy,” said Utah Senior Senator Orrin Hatch, but he knows Hillary Clinton and believes she cannot be President. “We are not voting for the pope,” reminded another at a rally at Utah’s State Capitol. “We are voting for a President.” Utah republicans who were bashing Trump...

They’re coming for your home. Right now. I suggest you save it. I can guide you, but you must do exactly as I say. Except, this isn’t The Matrix. You’re no actor, like Keanu Reeves, playing a distraught programmer-hacker named “Neo.” Nor am I an actor, like Laurence Fishburne, playing your guide “Morpheus.” This is real life, baby. Your home or apartment—and the neighborhood in which you live—is under siege. “Agents”—sans black glasses and black business suits—who work for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have written a new regulation called “Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing” (AFFH) that...

SALT LAKE CITY — If Donald Trump becomes the Republican Party's nominee, Utahns would vote for a Democrat for president in November for the first time in more than 50 years, according to a new Deseret News/KSL poll. ... While Clinton was only slightly ahead of Trump — 38 percent to 36 percent — Sanders, a self-declared Democratic socialist, holds a substantial lead — 48 percent to 37 percent over the billionaire businessman and reality TV star among likely Utah voters. Read More

SALT LAKE CITY — If Donald Trump becomes the Republican Party's nominee, Utahns would vote for a Democrat for president in November for the first time in more than 50 years, according to a new Deseret News/KSL poll. "I believe Donald Trump could lose Utah. If you lose Utah as a Republican, there is no hope," said former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, a top campaign adviser to the GOP's 2012 nominee, Mitt Romney. he poll found that may well be true. Utah voters said they would reject Trump, the GOP frontrunner, whether former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or Vermont...

Despite President Obama citing the bipartisan congressional support his Supreme Court pick received in the past, Senate Republicans vowed to remain firm on not moving nominee Merrick Garland forward. Garland, a Harvard Law grad and the chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since 1997, stood by Obama's side in the Rose Garden today as the president detailed the judge's list of accomplishments. During the confirmation process to the D.C. Circuit, Obama noted, "he earned overwhelming bipartisan praise from senators and legal experts alike." "Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, who was then chairman...

After graduating with honors from Harvard University and Harvard Law School, D.C. Circuit Judge Merrick Garland clerked for Judge Henry Friendly on the Second Circuit and then for Justice William Brennan. Garland has spent most of his career in public service, much like Justice Samuel Alito. Both served as Assistant United States Attorneys and as high-level aides to Attorneys General. If nominated and confirmed to the Court, Garland would be the third sitting justice with prosecutorial experience (joining Justices Alito and Sotomayor). But while Alito remained in government, Garland's career also included several years in private practice at Arnold &...

Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, one of the top Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Monday morning that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been mentioned as a possible nominee to the Supreme Court. "I even heard the name Hillary Clinton today, and that would be an interesting person in the mix," Hatch said on NBC's "Today Show." The senator said he would not pre-judge whether any potential nominee would be an appropriate candidate to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens, but he had general praise for the secretary of state. "I happen to like Hillary Clinton, I think she's...

The Senate voted 49-40 Monday evening to confirm John B. King Jr., President Barack Obama’s nominee, as secretary of education. A total of 11 senators did not vote on King’s confirmation, while those who voted against him cited his loyalty to the system and support for Common Core education standards. King, 41, has been the acting secretary of the Department of Education since January, after Arne Duncan stepped down from the Cabinet post at the end of last year. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., secretary of education under President George H.W. Bush, spoke in support of King on the Senate floor....

Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch endorsed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for president, the senator's staff confirmed to the Washington Examiner. Hatch is one of the highest ranking Republicans in Congress, and he is third in the line of the succession to the U.S. presidency as president pro tempore of the United States Senate. The six-term senator had previously endorsed Jeb Bush and sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2000. Hatch's endorsement could be interpreted as a sign of the party's governing class rallying to Rubio.

Speaker Paul Ryan invited the Little Sisters of the Poor to join him as his guests for the State of the Union. But that’s not the only way in which they’re getting a helping hand from Congress. The office of Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) issued a press release with a link to a bipartisan amicus brief signed by 207 members of Congress in support of the Little Sisters of the Poor. The amicus brief was sent to the Supreme Court in support of the Catholic group and other non-profit organizations in the upcoming case of Zubik vs. Burwell. Such groups...

WASHINGTON -- Donald Trump continues to lead in national polls among the many GOP contenders for president, but members of Utah's all-Republican congressional delegation said they believe voters will make a different choice. "It's a problem because he's both an asset and a tremendous liability," Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said of the possibility the billionaire businessman and reality TV star could become the Republican nominee in 2016. Trump is attracting huge crowds, "telling people what they want to hear, and they're all mad at everybody here" in Washington, Hatch said. "But you still have to be responsible, no matter what...