Sen. Lee reacts to the possibility of a Trump administration position

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Sen. Mike Lee, who is on the short list for U.S. attorney general, said he does not plan to give up his Senate seat.

Lee has engaged in frequent conversations with Trump's transition team, he said in an interview with the Deseret News, and plans to help 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 promoted, and it will be an exciting time. We have a lot. Work to do.”

As chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, Lee is already helping select 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 is eager to approve Trump's judicial picks.

Whether he ends up serving in the legislature or the executive branch, Lee believes Tuesday's election results give Republicans a historic opportunity to transform the federal government.

These changes, likely supported by the Republican trifecta in Washington, would seek to significantly alter the administrative landscape, including eliminating entire executive agencies.

“We have a somewhat rare and valuable opportunity that we need to take full advantage of,” Lee said.

On Tuesday, American voters returned former President Donald Trump to the White House, winning all seven swing states, giving Trump a majority in the Electoral College and most likely the popular vote. Voters also tipped the Senate to Republicans, and Republicans could still win a majority in the House.

Trump's political comeback, regaining control of the Senate, could pave the way for Lee's favorite piece of legislation, the Renas Act, which requires congressional approval for bureaucratic decisions affecting the budget. This could lead to the elimination of entire bureaucratic departments, such as the Department of Education, Lee said.

“I think some of them need to go or at least combine with something else,” Lee said.

The federal government never intended to make decisions for individual school districts; And other agencies that operate outside the constitutionally defined boundaries of federalism should also be reduced or eliminated, according to Lee.

On Wednesday, Lee asked To his more than 300,000 followers on X, “Which federal agency do you want to dismantle first?” On Thursday, Lee posted“There's always time to deconstruct and restructure things within what's allowed in the Constitution,” said Elon Musk, the owner of X, the world's richest man and a Trump supporter. responded“Sure.”

The most exciting outcome of the 2024 presidential election, in Lee's view, is the rise of figures like Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to positions of influence in the administration.

“Presidential and congressional policy is very important to those who see the importance of having a federal government that is good at what the federal government needs to do, and that the federal government is uniquely empowered, authorized and able to do,” said Lee.

But an energetic executive, while necessary, is not enough to bring about lasting change in a country; “Those things only last as long as the president is in office,” Lee said. Lee said the president needs to “back up” legislative reforms made permanent by Congress.

Along with passing the REINS Act, Lee hopes to get a chance to address rising costs in Utah and across the country in 2025 by passing his HOUSES Act, which would allow municipalities to purchase federally managed land within city limits for the purpose of developing affordable housing.