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SALT LAKE CITY — One of Utah’s top lawmakers will have a hand in reopening the American economy.
Sen. Mike Lee has been named to the Congressional Economic Task Force by President Donald Trump, the Republican senator's office announced Thursday.
The bipartisan and bicameral group of federal legislators will provide counsel to the president on the reopening of the American economy following closures due to the spread of COVID-19.
“It is an honor to be chosen by President Trump to serve on the Congressional Economic Task Force,” Lee said in a news release. “Utah has a plan and is leading the way in solutions to this economic crisis, and I look forward to sharing those ideas with the president. We had a booming economy before this crisis, and with the right safeguards in place, we will have a booming recovery too.”
Lee is one of 74 Republicans from the House and Senate named to the task force, or every member of his party in the legislative branch except one: Sen. Mitt Romney. Twenty-two Democrats are also on the task force.
None of the Democrats named to the committee voted to impeach Trump in recent senate hearings. Romney was the only Republican who voted to convict Trump on a charge of abuse of power during February’s impeachment trial.
But the party is hopeful the bipartisan committee is at least a sign that Trump will seek buy-in from Washington in his attempts to reopen the economy after the pandemic left a significant mark on businesses large and small alike, according to Politico, who also reported an hour-long phone call Thursday morning between Trump and members of the House of Representatives also named to the committee.
“We all talked about working together,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said. “It was a very good call ... it was very productive.”
