This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Obama years left the world a "much darker and a much more dangerous place," Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, told members of the state Legislature on Thursday.
But under a new administration, he and other federal lawmakers are committed to strengthening the military, implementing tax reform and replacing the Affordable Care Act, Stewart said.
"We can reduce the cost of health care and protect Americans in a way that doesn't rip the heart out of the best health system in the world," Stewart said.
He acknowledged that not everyone is pleased with the results of the November election and urged members of his party to be gracious and to communicate with their opponents.
"Even if we just agree to disagree," Stewart said, "we owe it to each other to have that conversation."
Stewart and Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, during visits Thursday to the Utah Legislature were asked about recent actions by President Donald Trump, including the travel ban on seven majority-Muslim nations, and their commitment to checks and balances between the legislative and executive branches.
Chaffetz said while he supports the careful vetting of persons entering the United States, he is concerned about any action that could impose restrictions on religion or extend religious discrimination.
"I think Mormons should understand being picked on as a religious minority," said Chaffetz, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
While meeting with members of the Utah House Democratic Caucus, Chaffetz was asked whether the House Oversight Committee he leads would approach Trump with the same investigative zeal that it applied to the Obama Administration and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
"I'm wondering if you have the political courage to be an equal-opportunity investigator," Poulson said.
Chaffetz said that while his committee investigated at length the 2012 Benghazi attack that killed four Americans, he said there is no indication that anyone within the U.S. government has withheld information or misrepresented the recent U.S. special operations raid in Yemen in which several civilians and a Navy SEAL were killed.
"I don't see our leaders coming back out and lying about it," Chaffetz said. "That was the difference in Benghazi."
Stewart said he was frequently critical of what he perceived as breaches of constitutional authority by President Obama, and he said he would raise the same objections if Trump began acting inappropriately.
"Our country, our Constitution, this thing that we see now is so unique in the world," Stewart said. "It has to be protected."
Stewart said that President Trump sometimes says things he doesn't mean. While some temporary immigration bans make sense, he said, the president should avoid creating the impression his policy is targeting Islam as a religion.
Likewise, he took issue with recent comments by Trump that seemed to compare the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin — a "KGB thug" Stewart said — with the United States.
"I assume he doesn't actually believe there is a moral equivalency between Vladimir Putin and the United States. But he says some things that agitate emotions from time to time," Stewart said.
He added, "I think we all could learn from that. Let's not try to agitate. Let's try to reach out. Let's try to calm down."
Chaffetz told the House GOP caucus that President Donald Trump has brought a refreshing sea change by taking personal interest in Utah issues.
When he talked with Trump for 30 minutes to ask him to repeal the new Bears Ears National Monument, Chaffetz said, Trump was well-informed enough that "he brought up Grand Staircase" — and the possibility of shrinking that monument, too.
Chaffetz said Ryan Zinke, the nominee for Interior secretary, hopes to visit San Juan County shortly after his confirmation to talk with people there about Bears Ears. Chaffetz said he hopes repeal would come shortly afterward.
That would allow for negotiations to continue on the Public Lands Initiative, Chaffetz said, which unsuccessfully sought a legislative solution to the competing interests around the Bears Ears area and other huge swaths of Utah public lands.
"I don't think the Democrats and the environmentalists had a true reason to come to the table," Chaffetz said. "We're trying to do this the right way."
Chaffetz is also co-sponsoring an effort to abolish the U.S. Department of Education. He said he would like to maintain federal education funding that flows to the states, but without the paperwork and mandates from Washington.
"I want the dollars but I don't want the bureaucracy," Chaffetz said. "I want the locals to make that decision."
He joked to Democratic lawmakers that his bill would satisfy their desire to see newly-confirmed Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos removed from her post.
"If you want to fire her and everybody that works for her, then support my bill," Chaffetz said. "You want to get rid of her and I'm giving you a way to do that."
Twitter@bjaminwood