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Rural Utah Project

Visiting state lawmakers in Utah Thursday, Sen. Mitt Romney decried the lack of productivity in Washington D.C., while also defending President Joe Biden against claims he is not mentally fit for office, and weighing in on the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Here's what Romney said:

On the Border: "There was an opportunity for the first time in 30, 35 years, to actually get a reasonable border provision done. The Republicans decided not to proceed on that,” Romney said, adding he believes President Joe Biden “has a lot of power himself to solve part of the challenge.”

On Biden: “I’m 76. Believe it or not, when you get older, your memory is not as sharp as it used to be ... I’ve negotiated with President Biden. He’s an older guy, but I believe he is intellectually competent. That’s not the worry. The worry for me with President Biden is I disagree with him on the border and think he’s spending too much money.”

On Mayorkas: “I haven’t seen anything so far that suggests that he met the standard of a high crime or misdemeanor. Now that doesn’t mean he’s done a good job. I think our border is a mess. But I blame the president, and the people the president has appointed are people who are following the president’s policies.”

Cox calls DEI overhaul a ‘positive vision’ for struggling students in Utah

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox spoke for the first time on Thursday about his decision to sign legislation banning “discriminatory” DEI practices in public entities and expanding race-neutral student success resources at universities.

Cox, addressing reporters during his monthly televised PBS press conference, thanked state lawmakers for producing what he said was a constructive alternative to bills across the country that defunded campus diversity, equity and inclusion programs without leaving anything in their place.

“This is really a positive vision of how do we help our minority communities and all students who are struggling,” Cox said.

The bill, HB261, was one of the first high-profile measures to be addressed in the state Legislature this year, receiving a final vote in both chambers before the end of the second week. Cox signed the measure into law on Jan. 30 as part of the first group of bills to leave his desk.

Read more about why the governor signed the bill banning DEI.

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