Mike Lee Profile picture
Restore federalism and separation of powers by passing the REINS Act now!
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Jul 24 10 tweets 2 min read
🧵1/ At the current pace, it’ll be April 2026 before we confirm the 135 Trump nominees now pending in the Senate

We need a game-changer

Otherwise, we risk extending rule by the leftist Deep State™️, which has outsized influence when GOP political appointees aren’t confirmed Image 2/ Shockingly, it’s about to get worse, as my projection focuses solely on the 135 nominees currently pending & awaiting floor votes

It does *not* account for new additions as committees keep reporting out nominees (including the 124 still in committee & future submissions)
Jul 18 12 tweets 4 min read
🧵 1/ Marxism inspires people to wield government’s coercive power against their fellow citizens—inevitably causing immense harm—all while insisting that the harm is justified because “it’s for their own good” Image 2/ Once embraced, the “it’s for their own good” mantra can be misused to justify cruelty in almost any setting in which there is a pronounced power differential—including at work (mean boss), home (abusive spouse or parent), or school (tyrannical teacher) Image
Jul 18 7 tweets 2 min read
1/ USAID has become a vehicle for pushing anti-American, radical far-left ideologies—all on the taxpayer’s dime. The problems go far beyond waste, fraud, and abuse. They undermine our security, promote extremism, and harm the very people they aim to help.
2/ USAID undermines American interests by failing to counter our adversaries like China. Instead of binding countries to us through trade and investment, we’ve wasted billions on a global green agenda that forces poor nations to rely on China for energy. Result? Recipients like South Africa (a top aid receiver) align with China in BRICS, support Hamas, and oppose us at the UN.
Jul 14 12 tweets 4 min read
🚨🧵 1/ Alexis de Tocqueville warned us against the evils of socialism in *Democracy in America*—without using the word “socialism,” which had not yet entered common parlance Image 2/ Without using the word itself, Tocqueville described socialist systems as exercising “an immense and tutelary power, which takes upon itself alone to secure their gratifications and to watch over their fate”

“That power is absolute, minute, regular, provident, and mild” Image
Jul 10 11 tweets 2 min read
🧵 1/ I’ve been asked today why I think Jeffrey Epstein *might* have been a gov asset. Let’s unpack the case. His connections, wealth, & influence raise red flags. Was he just a financier? Or something more? 2/ Epstein’s plea deal in 2008 was unusually lenient. Sex-trafficking charges dropped, 13 months in a cushy jail with work release. Prosecutors hinted at “intelligence” ties. The U.S. attorney handling the case said he was told Epstein “belonged to intelligence.”

Coincidence?
Jul 8 13 tweets 2 min read
🧵 1. A judge has just issued a temporary restraining order “TRO” halting the implementation of an unambiguous statute—duly enacted by Congress and signed into law by the President—that defunds Planned Parenthood 2. Given the lack of ambiguity in the statutory text, one can surmise that the TRO was likely predicated on an assertion that the statute is unconstitutional
Jun 30 6 tweets 3 min read
1. Americans fought for freedom to govern themselves, not to be ruled by faceless bureaucrats. When unelected officials write federal laws, they bypass the Constitution and strip power from the people. Here’s why this matters. 2. The Constitution vests legislative power in Congress—elected representatives accountable to YOU. Bureaucrats in agencies like the EPA or ATF aren’t elected. They don’t answer to voters. Yet they churn out thousands of pages of rules with the force of law. That’s not how our government is supposed to work under the Constitution.
Jun 7 8 tweets 2 min read
🧵 1/ Until the 1930s, state and local governments outspent the federal government—combined. In 1900, states and localities handled most public services, from schools to roads. Federal spending was a measly 2.7% of GDP, while state and local was higher. Image 2/ This wasn’t just numbers—it was principle. States and localities were closer to the people, responsive to local needs—and indeed most needs. The federal government stepped in mainly for things like defense and trade. Limited scope, limited spending. That’s how the Founders designed it.
May 17 5 tweets 1 min read
🧵 1/ No state should dictate to political parties the process by which they nominate candidates

Ever

It ends badly for everyone—especially for conservatives 2/ Utah does this—through a law known as “SB54”

It has been disastrous for political parties—especially the Utah Republican Party
May 15 14 tweets 3 min read
🧵 Former FBI Director Jim Comey posted a cryptic message that—as far as I can tell—can be read only to mean “kill Trump”

I’m speechless

Literally speechless
1/ Image I first met Jim Comey 22 years ago when I was an assistant U.S. attorney in Salt Lake City
2/
May 5 16 tweets 5 min read
1/ The REINS Act is a potential game-changer for restoring constitutional balance

It would prevent major regulations (those imposing compliance costs of at least $100M) from taking effect without being passed by Congress—not just rubber stamped by unelected bureaucrats! Image
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2/ Under the Constitution, only the people’s elected lawmakers are authorized to make federal law

Congress & the Supreme Court have neglected that requirement for decades

The REINS Act would fix this problem, which costs Americans trillions of dollars a year
Apr 8 7 tweets 1 min read
President Trump:

Making clean coal great again! Image “My predecessor put America last. I’m putting America first.”
Mar 31 10 tweets 2 min read
🧵 1. Americans are drowning in red tape—100,000 pages of new federal rules in 2024 alone, all from unelected bureaucrats

The REINS Act would stop this by requiring Congress to vote on & pass “major rules” *before* they may take effect

We must take back our freedom in 2025! Image 2. What is the REINS Act?

It’s simple: any regulation with a $100M+ economic impact must get a thumbs-up from Congress and the President before it can take effect

No more lawmaking by faceless agencies and unelected bureaucrats—power returns to the people’s elected lawmakers
Feb 24 9 tweets 4 min read
17. Republicans in Congress therefore need to take a stand—holding hostage something Democrats care about by attaching the REINS Act to that thing Image 18. To that end, Republicans should attach the REINS Act to any bill to increase the debt ceiling, forcing true compromise in an area where it’s badly needed—here, restoring separation of powers through the REINS Act Image
Feb 24 25 tweets 10 min read
🧵 1. There was a time when the federal government didn’t play such an outsized role in our daily lives

We had a limited-purpose government in place at the national level

That began to change when, on April 12, 1937, the Supreme Court lawlessly “amended” the Constitution Image 2. On April 12, 1937, the Supreme Court dramatically expanded federal authority under the (previously narrow) Commerce Clause—severely undermining federalism—in response to FDR’s extortionate threat to pack the Supreme Court Image
Feb 21 5 tweets 6 min read
🧵 1. The Fourth Turning in 2025: Trump’s Vision as America’s Next Great Shift

In 1997, historians William Strauss and Neil Howe published *The Fourth Turning*, a provocative work arguing that history unfolds in cycles—roughly 80-to-100-year “saecula”—each divided into four generational “turnings”: High, Awakening, Unraveling, and Crisis. These phases repeat in a predictable rhythm, shaped by generational archetypes and societal moods.

The Fourth Turning, the final stage, is a winter of upheaval during which older institutions collapse and a new order rises. In 2025, with Donald Trump newly re-elected and backed by a Republican-controlled Congress, the United States may be entering this transformative phase. 

If we trace prior turnings to the American Revolution (1776), the Civil War (1861), and the constitutional culmination point of the New Deal Era (1937), Trump’s agenda—particularly his push to restore federalism and separation of powers—could catalyze the next seismic shift in American history.Image 2. The Theory of the Fourth Turning

Strauss and Howe liken a saeculum to the seasons: a High is a spring of unity and growth (post-World War II America), an Awakening is a summer of individualism and rebellion (the 1960s counterculture), an Unraveling is an autumn of cynicism and decay (the 1980s–2000s), and a Crisis is a winter of destruction and renewal. America’s past Crises—the Revolution, Civil War, and Depression-to-WWII era—were existential challenges that reshaped the nation over decades. The Revolution birthed a republic, the Civil War redefined it, and the New Deal era forged the modern federal regulatory system.

The last turn-inducing Crisis arguably began with the 1929 stock market crash, deepened through the Great Depression, reached its culmination point in 1937 when the Supreme Court loosened key constitutional restraints to unlock FDR’s New Deal ambitions,and evolved with the onset of World War II, resolving in 1945 with victory and the American Century’s dawn—a new High. 

Counting forward, some have argued that the next (current) Crisis began to emerge between 2005 and 2015, a timeline aligning with the 2008 financial collapse, rising polarization, and global instability. Now, in 2025, we’re entrenched in this winter phase, grappling with economic fragility, cultural divides, and a strained world order. Could Trump’s presidency be its fulcrum?Image
Jan 30 5 tweets 1 min read
🧵1. Senator Schiff just demanded that Senator Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, should immediately join Democrats in asking for the release of Kash Patel’s grand jury testimony transcripts 2. Chairman Grassley declined, correctly noting that this isn’t something we ordinarily do, and that we’d need to have a good reason to attempt
Jan 27 11 tweets 6 min read
🧵 1/ What Are Letters Of Marque And Reprisal And How Could They Be Used To Weaken Drug Cartels? 🚨 Image 2/ Letters of marque and reprisal are government-issued commissions that authorize private citizens (privateers) to perform acts that would otherwise be considered piracy, like attacking enemy ships during wartime

Privateers are rewarded with a cut of the loot they “bring home” Image
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Jan 13 15 tweets 4 min read
🧵1. The God-given right to bear arms is nearly as ancient as efforts to restrict it are predictable. Image 2.Efforts to restrict the right to bear arms inevitably grant government—and those whose interests align with the regime in power—a monopoly on the use of guns. Image
Dec 31, 2024 20 tweets 5 min read
🧵 🚨 1. The Constitution’s Presentment Clause and the Unconstitutionality of Making Federal Law By Bureaucratic Fiat 2. The Presentment Clause, found in Article I, Section 7 of the U.S. Constitution, explains in clear terms how a bill becomes a federal law.
Dec 18, 2024 10 tweets 4 min read
🧵 🚨
1. The Ancestral Multitude: Imagine that every single one of your ancestors from 33 generations ago stood in front of you as holograms. In theory, you’d see 8,589,934,592 figures—more than the current world population! Image 2. The Numbers Don’t Add Up: Here’s the twist: 33 generations ago—around 1100 AD—the world’s population was just a few hundred million. So how can you have had more ancestors alive in 1100 AD than there were humans on planet earth at the time? Image