While the debate over cutting spending in Washington might seem thousands of miles away, if Congress isn’t able to reach a deal on reducing the deficit this year, automatically-triggered cuts would have a very real impact here in the Beehive State. Every Friday, we talk with Thomas Burr, Washington Correspondent for the Salt Lake Tribune and author of Political Cornflakes, a daily, online round-up of Utah politics.
With the debate over the controversial SkiLink proposal and proposed wilderness protections in the background, Mayor Ralph Becker took his push to protect the Wasatch Canyons to Washington this week, meeting with officials from a White House council and Utah’s congressional delegation. KCPW’s Jeff Robinson spoke with Becker about his meetings and what he hopes comes out this process.
This week, for the 30th-plus time, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, President Obama’s signature health care reform law of 2010. And while no one was surprised to see Utah’s Congressional Republicans support that repeal, the fact that they were joined by Blue Dog Democrat Jim Matheson is a different story. Every Friday, we talk with Thomas Burr, Washington Correspondent for the Salt Lake Tribune and author of Political Cornflakes, a daily, online round-up of Utah politics.
While the more than half a dozen wildfires burning across Utah certainly have an immediate impact on the nearest residents and the environmental landscape, they also could have a political impact this election year. Every Friday, we talk with Thomas Burr, Washington Correspondent for the Salt Lake Tribune and author of Political Cornflakes, a daily, online round-up of Utah politics.
Democratic Congressional candidate Jay Seegmiller served one term in the Utah House of Representatives after defeating the House Speaker back in 2008, but fell to his GOP opponent in 2010, tough year for Utah Dems. We talked with him about his job creation plans and strategy for winning Utah’s 2nd congressional district.
With the Republican primary election behind him and an overwhelming victory, longtime Utah Senator Orrin Hatch has survived a challenge from his right, which is more than can be said for some of his GOP colleagues in Congress. Does that mean we’ll hear a different tune from the Senator for the next few months when it comes to some of the most contentious issues in Washington?
Utah Governor Gary Herbert says the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act still must be repealed, following today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding most of the law. At his monthly news conference, he told reporters the law will increase the cost of health care and kill jobs. And he went a step further.
Republican voters in Utah weren’t hesitant Tuesday about who they want to send to Washington for the next six years. Last night, 78-year-old Senator Orrin Hatch overwhelmingly became the Republican nominee once again in the race for U.S. Senate. KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports on what Hatch has to say about the next phase of the campaign.
Former Republican State Senator Dan Liljenquist was counting on a strong showing in the GOP caucus meetings this spring to knock off six-term Senator Orrin Hatch this election year. But Hatch got his people out to support him, setting the challenger back a bit. Still, Liljenquist managed to secure enough votes to put Hatch in his first primary election since 1976.
Salt Lake City’s plans to restrict electronic billboards survived during this year’s legislative session. But changes will still be coming to the city’s anti-idling ordinance. Mayor Ralph Becker joined us in the studio to discuss the impact of this year’s session, along with City Creek and his efforts to fight against the SkiLink proposal being pushed through Congress.
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