Cynthia Lummis

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By Leo Wolfson, political reporter
Cowboy State Daily

Despite a CNN story on Tuesday that appeared to show U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis having a change of heart on some gun control measures, her spokeswoman on Wednesday said the senator’s positions have not shifted

“The headline used by CNN didn’t accurately reflect the quote Senator Lummis gave them,” Abegail Cave said. “She is a strong defender of the Second Amendment, and will always defend the right of law-abiding citizens to bear arms.”

In response to recent mass shooting events, Lummis said her office has received a wave of phone calls from Wyoming constituents expressing an openness toward making legislative solutions intended to prevent future mass shootings.

In CNN’s story, Lummis was categorized as now giving consideration to a package of bills that could include changes to red flag laws, mental health programs, school security and juvenile background checks, because of the calls. 

“That’s something that I’d be inclined to want to look at,” CNN reported Lummis saying. “So many juvenile records seem to be expunged and the clock is set back to zero the day they turn 18. So I think that is something worth considering shortly.”

However, Cave said Lummis’ stance hasn’t changed on any of these issues. In the past, Lummis has opposed red flag laws and other gun control approaches, but supported improving mental health as an alternative to these measures.

The calls come in response to the recent Uvalde, Texas shooting that left 19 children and two teachers dead, just 10 days after a supermarket massacre in Buffalo, N.Y. that killed 10.

Cave said although she does not have any numbers for how many calls their office has received, she said it has been a strong “influx” compared to what they normally gets. She said these calls have come from a mix of pro Second Amendment and pro gun control constituents. Cave said every office on Capitol Hill has received an increase in calls.

Lummis has historically been a staunch supporter of gun rights and state’s rights, earning a lifetime A plus rating from the National Rifle Association. On the issue of mass shootings and other related events, Lummis has said addressing mental health is the way to solve these atrocities rather than gun restrictions. It is an issue of particular importance in Wyoming, as the state has the highest suicide rate in the country.

“Instead of attacking Americans’ Constitutional right to bear arms, we should be focusing on how to prevent this kind of dangerous behavior with mental health treatment and hardening schools,” Cave said on behalf of Lummis. “No child should feel in danger while at school, and parents shouldn’t have to worry about their child’s safety while at school.”

House Democrats are already working on eight gun control bills under the broader “Protecting Our Kids Act.”

Senate Republicans and Lummis have consistently blocked gun control legislation. They opposed efforts to tighten gun regulations both when they held the majority, and now when they can deny such bills with a filibuster. 

On Wednesday morning, a pre-recorded video from Miah Cerrillo, an 11-year-old Uvalde student who survived the mass shooting, was played before the House Oversight Committee. Also testifying were two parents of a victim from the shooting, pressing the congress members for gun control. 

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By Leo Wolfson, Cowboy State Daily

A measure aimed at increasing investigations and monitoring of domestic terrorism should be viewed with skepticism, according to U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis.

Lummis said Americans should be wary of the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, approved by the House last week, because it adds to the size of the government to more closely monitor the activities of American citizens.

“Americans should be concerned about any attempt to expand an agency, especially when that expansion includes ‘analyzing and monitoring’ the activities of American citizens,” she said. “We all share the goal of keeping our communities safe, but the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act fails to accomplish this goal and instead creates more bureaucracy based on the premise of distrust in the American public.”

The office of U.S. Sen. John Barrasso said he would not comment on the bill until after he votes on it.

The measure would create special offices within the government to investigate and monitor domestic terror threats.

Recent incidents of domestic terror such as shootings at a store in Buffalo, New York, and this week’s school shooting in Texas are being cited by supporters of the bill as reasons for its approval. Opponents have criticized it as opportunistic maneuvering to increase the size of government.

The act was approved by the House on a 222-203 vote last week that largely followed party lines. It now heads to the Senate.

U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney voted against the measure in the House.

According to a Morning Consult/Politico survey, 76% of those questioned support monitoring of domestic terrorism and 74% support members of different governmental agencies working together to combat domestic and white supremacy-related terrorism.

A theory espoused by white supremacy groups is being considered a key motivating factor in the Buffalo supermarket attack. 

However, no reason has been determined for the Texas shooting and very little warning was given by the killer.

Many Democrats have lobbied for gun control in response to such events in the past and President Joe Biden called for tougher gun control laws following the Texas shooting.

Such efforts have almost always been stymied in the past, but the domestic terrorism bill takes a new approach to preventing mass shootings through closer monitoring and more investigations into domestic terror threats.

“Congress hasn’t been able to ban the sale of assault weapons,” Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Illinois, said while arguing for the bill last week. “The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act is what Congress can do this week to try to prevent future Buffalo shootings.”

While a simple majority of 51 votes is required to pass a bill in the Senate, a supermajority, or 60 votes, is needed to start or end debate on legislation before it can ever proceed to a vote.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, told The Hill last week he does not expect the bill to get 10 Republican votes of support in the Senate. 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, has said “common sense, strong gun safety amendments” could be added to the Domestic Terrorism Prevent Act if Republicans would allow the bill to be discussed.

Schumer was referencing Republican gun violence-related amendments such as Sen. Ron Johnson’s, R-Wisconsin, legislation to create a clearinghouse of information on the best practices for school safety.  

Some congressional Republicans have compared the domestic terror bill to the recent establishment of a “disinformation board” by the Biden administration.

The board was established to determine a set of “best practices” to surveil for threats of violence from foreign states and adversaries while simultaneously safeguarding free speech, civil rights, liberties and privacy. 

The board had no authority, never met and was paused after its Executive Director Nina Jankowicz resigned in the face of public opposition. Its status is currently under review by the DHS’s Homeland Security Advisory Council.

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By Leo Wolfson, Cowboy State Daily

U.S.  Sen. Cynthia Lummis is co-sponsoring a resolution urging federal agencies to recognize only males and females in what is described as an effort to “reaffirm legal protections” for women.

“Male and female individuals possess unique and immutable biological differences that manifest prior to birth and increase with age and puberty,” the resolution said. “(Recent) misguided court rulings relating to the definition of ‘sex’ have led to the endangerment of spaces and resources dedicated to women.”

The Women’s Bill of Rights, also known as Senate Resolution 644, said it is important to clearly define men and women in certain situations.

“There are important reasons to distinguish between the sexes with respect to athletics, prisons, domestic violence shelters, restrooms, and with respect to other areas, particularly where biology, safety and privacy are implicated,” it said.

The resolution called for a person’s sex to be determined by his or her biological sex at birth.

The Woman’s Bill of Rights surfaced less than a week after Lummis’ remarks on the topic of sex at the University of Wyoming graduation ceremony resulted in her being booed by some in the crowd.

“Even fundamental scientific truths such as the existence of two sexes, male and female, are subject to challenge these days,” she said.

Lummis issued an apology after the event and said she acknowledged “there are biological differences and circumstances in which these differences need to be recognized.” 

However, the resolution mentions only the sexes of male and female.

A Lummis spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment about the senator’s intent with the resolution or reason for co-sponsoring it.

Senate resolutions are not binding law. They are used to express a collective sentiment from the Senate on a particular topic, although their passage can lead to the creation of Senate committees to examine the issue raised.

Lummis’ co-sponsorship of the resolution was criticized by Sara Burlingame, executive director of Wyoming Equality, a nonprofit LGBTQ advocacy group.

“It just makes me feel sad,” Burlingame said. “I have a sense for who Sen. Lummis is. She is someone who cares about making people feel welcome and this resolution does not do that.”

Transgender advocates argue that an individual’s biological sex at birth does not represent what sex or gender they might choose to identify with later in life.

Burlingame said it is important to recognize sex and gender as two different things, the former being biological and the latter a social construct.

“Just because they have been conflated in the past doesn’t make them so,” she said. 

Burlingame also said she is disappointed the resolution also does not recognize intersex people, individuals born with both male and female reproductive organs and an ambigious sexual identity.

The resolution does not go into how the designations of male and female, man and woman or boy and girl should be enforced.

The issue of transgender students competing in women’s sports has surfaced in Wyoming in recent years, with legislation drafted this year to ban people born as males from competing on women’s sports team. The bill was approved by the Senate but the House did not consider it.

The Transgender Law Center gives Wyoming a “low” ranking for its LGBTQ-related laws, while Colorado to the south was given a rating of “high.”

In Feburary, Alabama lawmakers passed legislation that would bar transgender students from using school bathrooms and locker rooms that match their current gender identity and on Thursday, Oklahoma adopted similar legislation requiring students at public schools to use restrooms and locker rooms that match the sex listed on their birth certificates. 

But in Tennessee earlier this week, a federal judge struck down a law that required businesses to alert patrons if they allow transgender use of their bathrooms.

U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Mississippi, is the lead sponsor on the resolution. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is a co-sponsor with Lummis. The resolution was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.

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By Jimmy Orr, Cowboy State Daily

A bill in Congress that would create a national “no-fly” list for disruptive airline passengers is being opposed by U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis.

Lummis has been outspoken in her opposition to the “Protection From Abusive Passengers Act,” introduced Wednesday, which she sees inviting overreach by the federal government

“TSA no-fly lists have been historically restricted to suspected terrorists because such individuals are a threat to every airline and every traveler,” Lummis said.

“Expanding the use of no-fly lists to include people who are frustrated about mask mandates would tacitly equate ordinary flyers to violent extremists,” she said.

The act is sponsored by Lummis colleague Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), and supporters say it is part of an effort to reduce the rise of violent confrontations in airplanes.

He said the legislation would make people who have been convicted of assaulting crew members eligible to be placed on a ‘no-fly’ list maintained by the Transportation Security Administration.

“We’re here today to stand up for the 99.99999 percent of travelers who’ve had enough of bad behavior,” Sen. Reed said. “There should be zero tolerance for violence aboard an airplane. This bill will help reduce incidents of in-flight violence and hold unruly passengers accountable if they break the law.”

There were nearly 6,000 unruly passenger incidents on airplanes reported in 2021.  Of those, 1,105 were labeled as “serious,” which is three times the previous high since the agency began collecting the data in 1995.

In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Lummis said the increase in unruly behavior stems primarily from individuals opposing the federal mask mandate.

“Creating a federal ‘no-fly’ list for unruly passengers who are skeptical of this mandate would seemingly equate them to terrorists who seek to actively take the lives of Americans and perpetrate attacks on the homeland,” she wrote.

But Sara Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants, said the legislation is necessary because a violent passenger can jump from one airline to another after an incident.

“Right now, a passenger can be fined or convicted, and may be banned on an individual airline – but that does not prevent this violent offender from flying another airline,” Nelson said. “This bill would change that. It’s really just a handful of bad actors who need to be grounded and face consequences for their violent actions.”

Many airlines support the measure including American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and Southwest Airlines. Also behind the bill is the Airline Pilots Association, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, and the Transport Workers Union of America.

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By Ellen Fike, Cowboy State Daily

U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis has stalled confirmation of President Joe Biden’s choice to enforce federal environmental rules due to the agency’s handling of coal power plants in Wyoming.

Lummis’ office confirmed that the Republican on Wednesday removed from the agenda of a Senate committee a confirmation vote for a nominee to serve as assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee had been scheduled Wednesday to take a confirmation vote on the appointment of David Uhlmann to the post, according to energy news outlet E&E News.

But committee Chair U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Delaware, announced at the start of the meeting that Uhlmann’s nomination had been pulled from the agenda. He said an unnamed senator was waiting for information from the agency before considering whether to support Uhlmann.

Lummis’ office confirmed she had asked that the vote be postponed.

According to the outlet, Lummis was waiting to hear from EPA about whether Wyoming’s regional plan for managing haze in the area of the Jim Bridger power plant near Rock Springs would be approved.

The state and federal governments in 2020 had agreed to a regional haze program that would allow the plant to continue operating, but after President Joe Biden took office, the EPA reversed its decision and ordered the plant to comply with rules previously in place.

The federal haze program seeks to reduce pollution to increase visibility, which has proved troublesome for the southeastern Wyoming power plant.

After Wednesday’s meeting ended, EPA released a decision saying it would reject Wyoming’s haze management plan for the power plant.

“The EPA’s decision today is a complete reversal from that of career EPA employees during the previous administration,” Lummis said after the rejection. “The Biden EPA’s decision here is needlessly hurting Wyoming’s energy workers and threatening America’s energy independence as well.

“It is blatantly political, and I will continue to block President Biden’s EPA nominees over this issue,” she continued. “Wyoming has worked tirelessly to comply with federal law on its regional haze plan for the Jim Bridger Power Plant. The Biden administration’s decision to reverse course to appease environmental activists, including climate czars in the White House, will not help the people, or the environment, of Wyoming.”

The committee did advance other nominees at Wednesday’s meeting, including Martha Williams, Biden’s pick for Fish and Wildlife Service director, and Chris Frey, tapped to lead the EPA’s science office.

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By Jimmy Orr, Cowboy State Daily

Walking down a main street in Wyoming, you couldn’t necessarily tell that the COVID pandemic is still keeping people at home.

Private business doors are open and have been for months. In fact, two Wyoming communities — Cody and Sheridan — have little real estate space available on their main streets.

But the federal government is not fully back to work and closed offices or limited hours at some agencies have U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyoming, exasperated.

Wyoming’s junior senator on Thursday introduced legislation to get fully vaccinated federal employees working again — which means at their desks and in their offices.

Lummis said the legislation is necessary because the lack of an in-person workforce has created problems for her constituents.

“It’s long past time for federal workers to be back in the office helping the people of Wyoming and constituents across the United States. There is a huge casework backlog, and that is negatively impacting our veterans, our seniors, our business owners and American citizens,” Lummis said.

Lummis’ legislation, the “Having Employees Return To Duty Act” would require all federal employees who have been vaccinated to return to their place of work and work the same number of hours they worked before the pandemic started in February 2020.

“Americans across the county have been returning to in-person work and the federal bureaucrats who work for them should do the same,” she said.

Lummis said she has heard from constituents who have not received services — because of closed offices or limited hours — at the Social Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service, National Personnel Records office, Veteran’s Affairs offices, U.S. Department of State Visa Processing Center and the Western Passport Center

Thad Leybush, an oil worker living in Wamsutter, said he was pleased to hear about the legislation but couldn’t believe there was a need for it.

“I’m busting my ass in hurricane force wind gusts while bureaucrats are staying home watching ‘The View’ and I’m paying for it,” he said while eating lunch at Chester’s Chicken at a local truck stop.

According to Government Executive magazine, some federal agencies aren’t expecting employees to return to work until as late as March, 2022.

Other federal agencies have yet to set a date.  

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By Jimmy Orr, Cowboy State Daily

Sen. Cynthia Lummis on Wednesday said it is time to end mandates for the use of face masks on airplanes and public transportation for Americans who have been vaccinated against coronavirus.

In announcing her support for the bill which would eliminate the mask mandate for vaccinated people in airports, commercial airplanes, buses, and rail systems, Lummis said the mandate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is no longer necessary and needs to rescinded immediately.

“Outside of the beltway, the country is going back to normal. Wyoming and most other states lifted their mask mandate months ago,” Lummis said.

“The only place most Americans are wearing masks now is in airports and on airplanes,” she said. “[Transportation] Secretary Buttigieg even said that the mandate is not actually about the science, but instead about ‘respect.’ If there’s no science backing it up, it’s time for the mandate to go.”

Other Republican senators from the more conservatives and moderate wings of the party also spoke in support of the bill stating that the mandate has outgrown its usefulness as more than 150 million Americans have been fully vaccinated.

“Americans should be able to travel to celebrate Independence Day with their friends and loved ones without having to follow an outdated and unnecessary mandate,” Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) said.

“I recently spoke with two flight attendants about the mask mandate for air travel,” said Senator Susan Collins (R-ME). “Given the horrendous and unthinkable violence that has occurred on flights, one of them was frightened by what would happen if she tried to enforce the mandate.”

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By Ellen Fike, Cowboy State Daily

U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis joined other Republican senators this week in introducing a resolution confirming the importance of the First Amendment’s freedom of speech protections.

Lummis joined North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer, Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn, among others, to introduce this legislation.

“I am an ardent defender of the U.S. Constitution, and the liberties it protects,” Lummis said. “People in Wyoming don’t always agree on everything, but we are always proud to defend the right of others to voice their opinions. Everything exceptional about America can be traced back to the protections granted under the First Amendment. We must all work every day to reaffirm those principles, especially that those we disagree with still have a right to be heard.”

In the resolution, the senators pointed out a number of examples where people’s freedom of speech rights were suppressed for some reason or another.

These included an Oregon high school student who was suspended for wearing a shirt supporting former President Donald Trump, a person being suspended from e-sports competitions for wearing a mask supporting protests in Hong Kong and a New York Times opinion editor who resigned six months after editing and publishing a controversial editorial piece by Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton.

The senators noted that “freedom of speech is one of the most basic values of the United States,” and “the ability of all people of the United States to speak, protest, and express their opinions publicly is central to the democratic process and to a free society.”

If passed, the resolution would certify that the Senate “recognizes that freedom of expression and freedom of speech are sacred ideals of the United States and should protect the freedom to peacefully express thoughts and opinions without fear.”

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By Ellen Fike, Cowboy State Daily

U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis and some fellow Republican senators introduced legislation Thursday that pushes to balance the federal budget within the next decade.

The Sustainable Budget Act would create a bipartisan national commission to review the nation’s budget and recommend ways to reduce the deficit and balance the budget within 10 years.

“Congress has spent nearly $6 trillion in the last year,” Lummis said in a social media post about the bill. “Much of it was necessary to weather the pandemic, but I know that people in Wyoming are concerned that we have no plan to pay it back. We are on an unsustainable trajectory. It’s time to make some changes.”

The bill is co-sponsored by Republican U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst of Iowa, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Mike Rounds of South Dakota and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, according to an article by conservative news outlet Washington Examiner, which had an exclusive interview with Lummis about the bill.

In the interview, Lummis expressed concern that the U.S. would spend more on debt interest than it does on defense.

Her proposed commission would work to find policies to improve the fiscal situation of the federal government in the medium- and-long term by balancing the national budget.

The commission would be chosen by a number of White House officials, including the president.

Specifically, Lummis wanted to look at “entitlement spending” in federal programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

The current national debt is $28.1 trillion.

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By Jimmy Orr, Cowboy State Daily

U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis on Thursday urged her colleagues to vote against the nomination of Secretary of Interior Nominee Deb Haaland.

In a passionate speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Lummis said she agreed that it was “high time” for a Native American woman to lead the Department of Interior, but this wasn’t the right person for the job.

Lummis said Congresswoman Haaland wouldn’t stand up to President Biden and instead would “blindly enact the Biden agenda without consideration for the extraordinary impacts it will continue to have on energy states like Wyoming.”

These impacts have alarmed lawmakers all across the West — specifically the far-reaching implications of an executive order President Biden signed which bans all new oil and gas development on federal lands

Lummis cited a University of Wyoming study which found that Wyoming could lose $13 billion in tax revenue as a result of this executive order.

“Banning permitting on federal lands in Wyoming means banning access to 68% of Wyoming’s minerals,” she said. 

“For our state and our country to remain energy independent, we need someone at the Department of Interior who recognizes that if we shut down producers at home, we are only increasing the power of polluters like Russia and China,” she said.

In contrast, Lummis said, the U.S. has had the largest absolute decline emissions of any country while becoming the world’s top energy producer.

She said this is proof that you can be environmentally and energy-friendly.

What’s not friendly, she said, is the Green New Deal — something Haaland co-sponsored.

Further, in 2019, Haaland told The Guardian that she was “wholeheartedly against fracking and drilling on public lands.”

Biden, on the other hand, has flip-flopped — repeatedly — on the issue of fracking.

“Congresswoman Haaland is more radical in her positions than President Biden,” Lummis said. “What we need is a secretary who understands the issues that Westerners face.”

“We need someone who knows the ways that states like Wyoming are contributing to America’s energy independence and doing so in increasingly environmentally friendly ways,” she said.

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By Jim Angell, Cowboy State Daily

U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis is proposing a series of amendments to the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill making its way through the Senate that she said will redirect funds within the bill to better serve Wyoming’s needs.

Lummis is proposing four amendments dealing with Indian Health Services, the Small Business Administration, Veterans Affairs and the last coronavirus aid package.

“My goal is to try and redeem some of the spending in this bill, by redirecting it to programs that will actually support groups and individuals that have been really impacted by the pandemic, like our tribes, veterans and small business owners,” Lummis told Cowboy State Daily.

As it stands, the 628-page bill would provide most taxpayers with a third economic stimulus payment of $1,400, designed to offset the impacts of coronavirus shutdowns. The bill also provides an additional $400 per week in unemployment benefits through the end of August, expands child tax credits and provides extra funding for COVID-19 vaccine distribution, state, local and tribal government relief, rental assistance and schools.

One of Lummis’ amendments would transfer about $700 million to the Indian Health Service, while another would move more than $1.4 billion to Veterans Affairs programs, including state veterans homes and veterans community care.

Lummis’ third amendment would extend the expiration of the federal “Payroll Protection Program” by 30 days and allow businesses to choose whether they want to participate in the PPP or “Shuttered Venue Grant” program.

“This is a concern that a Wyoming resident brought to the senator’s attention this week,” a statement from Lummis’ office said. “This is a critical amendment for Wyoming concert and theater venues as well as rodeo and fair grounds to help ensure they can keep their doors open for the long run.”

The final amendment would simply insert language into the bill that would specify that groups or individuals who received money through the last round of coronavirus assistance should use that money before spending money made available under the latest bill.

Republicans have criticized the bill, drafted by congressional Democrats, alleging it contains spending not directly related to the coronavirus.

Lummis said she was disappointed with the way the Democrats have handled the latest relief bill.

““Last year, Republicans and Democrats worked in a bipartisan manner to pass five coronavirus-related bills, so it’s sad to see that this time Democrats opted to work behind closed doors to craft a highly partisan bill instead of working with us to again provide a lifeline to families, businesses and communities hit by the pandemic,” she said.

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Senator will Serve as Top Republican on Subcommittees for Fisheries, Water and Wildlife & Space and Science

U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming will serve as the top Republican, or “ranking member,” on two subcommittees this year, a significant leadership role for a freshman member of the Senate.

Sen. Lummis will serve as ranking member on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife. She will also serve as ranking member  on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee’s Subcommittee on Space and Science.

Of the two positions, Sen. Lummis said:

“’I’m honored to serve as the top Republican for two subcommittees right off the bat, particularly on issues with such importance to Wyoming. Wyoming has been working to conserve and protect its fish and wildlife since the 1860s, and I’m proud of how our state has managed the rebirth of its wildlife populations like the moose and grizzly. I look forward to bringing our knowledge of responsible and science-based conservation to the Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife Subcommittee.

“Cheyenne is home to the National Science Foundation’s Computational and Information Systems Lab, a supercomputer helping to drive research into how our planet works. With a new computer coming this year, I’m excited to use my spot on the Space and Science Subcommittee to support the people of Cheyenne as they continue their mission.”

Sen. Lummis was previously named to the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee; as well as the Environment and Public Works Committee; and the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee – three powerful Committees that position her to advocate for Wyoming’s natural resources, financial innovation and rural telecommunications and transportation issues.

A ranking member is the highest ranking, and usually longest serving, minority member of a committee and works with the chairman (majority member) to set committee priorities and agendas.

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By Ellen Fike, Cowboy State Daily

U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis this week invited billionaire Elon Musk to move to “business-friendly” Wyoming.

“Hey @elonmusk, I hear Wyoming is one of the most business friendly states in the nation and has the best laws for digital assets in the US. Ever think about relocating?” Lummis wrote in a tweet to the SpaceX and Tesla CEO on Monday.

Lummis also retweeted an article from CNBC that detailed Tesla buying $1.5 billion in Bitcoin and its plans to start accepting the cryptocurrency as payment.

This would make Tesla the first U.S. automobile producer to accept Bitcoin as payment.

Unfortunately, Musk didn’t respond to her comment. Could that mean he’s considering it?

Lummis has noted her passion for Bitcoin and blockchain technology, saying cryptocurrency was one of her main focuses for her term in the Senate.

Tesla produces electric cars and Musk is a major clean energy proponent.

Since Musk’s preferred presidential candidate, Kanye West, also lives and runs a business in Wyoming, maybe there’s some hope the billionaire will think about relocating.

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Sen. Cynthia Lummis on Wednesday thanked 15 National Guardsmen from Wyoming following the presidential inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States.

“I’m so proud of the men and women who serve in Wyoming’s National Guard,” Lummis said, “These dedicated Airmen and Soldiers represent the best of Wyoming. Their personal sacrifices and bravery are inspiring, and I’m humbled by their willingness to serve our country not only on Inauguration Day, but every day, no matter the challenges that arise.”

” They are truly an inspiration, and I wanted to let them know how grateful I am that they rose to the call and volunteered to serve this week,” she said.

Previously, Sen. Lummis tweeted a thank-you to the Wyoming National Guard Airmen and Soldiers who volunteered to help with security in Washington, D.C. this week, writing: “Thank you to the brave men and women of the @wyoguard who have answered the call to come to our nation’s capital in this tumultuous time. We acknowledge and deeply appreciate your dedication and service.”

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By Ellen Fike, Cowboy State Daily

Despite political divisions seen in the wake of last week’s storming of the U.S. Capitol, members of Congress need to work together to ensure a peaceful transition of power, U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis said Thursday.

During an interview with Glenn Woods on “Wake Up Wyoming” Thursday morning, Lummis spoke about her colleague, U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, and the fact they differ on whether President Donald Trump should be indicted. She said the more important issue is getting members of Congress working together.

“I take a different viewpoint from [Cheney] a bit,” Lummis said. “I think the better thing is to have a smooth transition of power on Jan. 20. We can try to begin to heal-up, tone down the rhetoric and get people to speak to each other again. Be calm with each other again.”

She added that agitation and hyperbole have gotten people emotional, but that those negative feelings need to be toned down and people should begin talking to each other “in a very civil and kind manner.”

When discussing her post-inauguration plans, Lummis said that she planned to focus on election fraud, natural resources and Bitcoin during her Senate term.

“We used to say that the House plays rugby and the Senate plays golf,” the senator joked. “My concern over the last election is that I spoke to people whose votes literally didn’t count. They showed up to the polls in some states only to be told that they couldn’t vote because they voted by mail when they hadn’t. I’m not saying that the election was stolen.  But some people’s votes were stolen.”

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By Sen. Cynthia Lummis, exclusive to Cowboy State Daily

When the U.S. Capitol Police were rushing us out of the Senate chambers at the height of the chaos, a reporter asked me who I thought was leading this mayhem. I said that if it was indeed Trump supporters, I would be heartbroken. 

I am heartbroken.

An attack on our Capitol is an attack on our Constitution and democracy itself. I strongly condemn the violence that occurred, which did more to damage the democratic process than to defend it.

What made this senseless act even more offensive is that it disrupted the constitutional process that myself and other members of the Senate were trying to peacefully use to ensure each and every American’s vote counts.

Despite the attack, in the best tradition of the United States Senate, we fulfilled our Constitutional duty.

Days before this attack on the Capitol, I stated my intention to join a group of colleagues to raise concerns about the constitutionality of Pennsylvania’s new vote-by-mail statute, and that Pennsylvania’s election law may have been applied unevenly by state officials, including signature verification and voter identification requirements.

Even the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s chief justice noted that one of the lawsuits in his state raised “troublesome questions about the constitutional validity of the new mail-in voting scheme.” 

Legislators, election judges, Congressmen and others in Pennsylvania are concerned.  Wyoming citizens are concerned, too. 

The hard truth is, this election rocked the faith of many Wyoming citizens in the integrity of our election system. Polling shows that 39% of Americans believe “the election was rigged.”

We cannot turn a blind eye to American citizens not having trust in the integrity of our election systems. And Congress has a long history of using the Constitutional process of certifying electors to highlight election concerns.

In recent history, Democrats have objected to certifying electors in 2001, 2005, and 2017.

In 2005, Senator Barbara Boxer and the late Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones objected to the slate of electors from Ohio. They rightfully drew attention to the fact that many African-Americans and other communities suffered disproportionate wait times at the polls, broken voting machines and high ballot rejection rates.

Raising this objection led to some of these issues being remedied and more Americans having the precious opportunity to vote. That’s a legacy every American should value today.

Let me be clear: my objecting to the certification of the votes in Pennsylvania could not have changed the outcome of the election. That was never my intent.

Congress cannot and shall not dictate the results of a presidential election to our states.

That would be the death of our Republic. Rather, my objection was intended to shine a light on serious concerns over voter irregularities raised by Pennsylvania legislators themselves.

Many ask why Congress should be involved in election matters that have been considered by the courts. 

Congress has the right and duty to interpret the Constitution, especially on matters which by the Constitution have been delegated to Congress, like the Electoral Count.

Congress itself interpreted the Twelfth Amendment in passing the Electoral Count Act in 1887.

The very title of the 1887 law says it all: “An act to fix the day for the meeting of the electors of President and Vice-President, and to provide for and regulate the counting of the votes for President and Vice-President, and the decision of questions arising thereon.”

Thomas Jefferson commented in an 1819 letter that “each of the three departments [of government] has equally the right to decide for itself what is its duty under the Constitution.” I consider my actions and the actions of my colleagues as a humble part of that long, storied tradition.

Congress cannot fix this; only state legislatures can fix this.  But Congress can shine a light on election fraud. 

That was the point of my vote on January 6.  My fervent hope is that in state legislatures across the country where irregularities occurred, their lawmakers will consider meaningful election reform to ensure that our election laws are applied uniformly, to ensure the technology we use is accurate and secure, and most importantly, to ensure that all Americans treasure our precious right to vote and feel their voices are heard.

States are at the very center of elections in our country and will remain so. That is a fact I will always fight for.

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Cynthia Lummis is the junior senator from Wyoming.

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U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) released the following statement on today’s certification of the Electoral College votes:

 “I have serious concerns about election integrity, especially in Pennsylvania, and expressed some of them in a written statement to the Senate. But today’s sickening, un-American attack on the U.S. Capitol overshadowed that debate.

 “Congress cannot fix problems with election integrity, only states can fix these problems.  But Congress can investigate those problems and raise awareness. The allegations of fraud during this election were unprecedented, and left millions of Americans concerned that their votes don’t count.  Discussions of election integrity must occur and I will seek another forum to continue that discussion.”

 Lummis submitted the following statement for the record during the Senate debate over Pennsylvania’s Electoral College votes.

“It is the privilege of a lifetime to represent the people of Wyoming in this great deliberative body. I genuinely look forward to joining each of you to make a difference for the American people and to uphold my solemn oath to support and defend the Constitution.

“Let me be clear: an attack on our Capitol is an attack on our Constitution and democracy itself. I strongly condemn the violence that occurred today, which did more to thwart the democratic process than to protect it. 

“Today, many members of the Senate were trying to peacefully use our democratic process to ensure each and every American’s vote counts. In the best tradition of the United States Senate, we will fulfill our Constitutional duty and complete the Electoral Count tonight.

“In 1833, Senator Daniel Webster said that “duty binds … the conscience of the individual member” in counting the votes for President and Vice President.

“Each of us has a solemn duty to ensure that the slate of presidential electors we certify is beyond reproach, respecting the people’s voice and upholding the Constitution.

“Congress will not overturn the people’s voice. A president will be inaugurated on January 20th. Congress cannot and shall not dictate the results of a presidential election to our states. That would be the death of our Republic.

“In the coming months, Congress must take a fresh look at troubling concerns from the election that simply don’t add up.

“After the 2000 presidential election, millions of voters in Florida felt disenfranchised, and now 74 million Americans deserve the assurance and the dignity that their votes count the same as every other American.

“We owe our first duty to the American people, following procedures–like the Electoral Count Act–used for nearly 150 years.

“It’s my fervent hope that our state legislatures will consider meaningful election reform to ensure that our election laws are applied uniformly, to ensure the technology we use is accurate and secure, and most importantly, to ensure that all Americans treasure our precious right to vote and feel their voices are heard. 

“States are at the very center of elections in our country and will remain so. Many ask why Congress should be involved in election matters that have been considered by the courts.

“Some argue that Congress’ role in certifying our presidential elections is merely ministerial. 

“Under our constitutional separation of powers, it is too often forgotten that Congress has the right and duty to interpret the Constitution, especially on matters which by the Constitution have been delegated to Congress, like the Electoral Count.

“Congress interpreted the Twelfth Amendment  in passing the Electoral Count Act in 1887, and continues to breathe new life into these provisions by its actions today. 

“Our Founders understood Congress would play a key role in debating constitutional issues as a co-equal branch of government.

“Thomas Jefferson commented in an 1819 letter that “each of the three departments [of government] has equally the right to decide for itself what is its duty under the Constitution.”

“I remain deeply concerned that the electoral votes of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania were not “regularly given” under Pennsylvania law, as required by the Electoral Count Act. 

“Serious concerns have been raised about the constitutionality of Pennsylvania’s vote-by-mail statute. Also, Pennsylvania election law may have been applied unevenly by state officials, including signature verification and voter identification requirements.

“In 2005, Sen. Barbara Boxer and the late Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones objected to the slate of electors from Ohio.

“They rightfully drew attention to the fact that many African-Americans and other communities suffered disproportionate wait times at the polls, broken voting machines and high ballot rejection rates.

“Raising this objection led to some of these issues being remedied and more Americans  having the precious opportunity to vote. 

“That’s a legacy our Senate and every American should value today.

“Thank you.”

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By Ellen Fike, Cowboy State Daily

U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis condemned the actions of protesters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday as an “attack on democracy.”

“Call it what it is: An attack on the Capitol is an attack on democracy,” Lummis wrote in a Twitter post. “Today we are trying to use the democratic process to address grievances.”

Protesters stormed the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon in support of President Donald Trump, who believes he didn’t lose the presidential election in November against former Vice President Joe Biden.

The event occurred as members of Congress met in a joint session to certify the results of the Electoral College vote, which appeared to verify the victory of the Democrat Biden.

Lummis was one of 11 Republican senators to announce they would object to the certification of the Electoral College vote until an audit can be conducted in states where Trump has alleged voter fraud occurred.

The invasion of the Capitol followed a “Save America” rally where Trump thanked Lummis for her support and criticized U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, who has urged fellow Republicans not to object to the outcome of the Electoral College.

Lummis said the invasion hurt the ability of Congress to address complaints about the election.

“This violence inhibits our ability to do that,” Lummis wrote. “Violent protests were unacceptable this summer and are unacceptable now.”

She also retweeted a message from U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, adding her own note.

“The First Amendment only protects peaceful assembly. Stop the Violence,” she said.

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By Jim Angell, Cowboy State Daily

U.S. Sen.-elect Cynthia Lummis will join a group of 10 other U.S. senators in voting to reject electors from states where the results of the presidential election have been questioned until an emergency audit of the election can be completed in those state, she has announced.

Lummis, who took her oath of office Sunday, said on Twitter that the action is needed to restore faith in the election system.

“Confidence in, and protection of, the integrity of our electoral system is at the root of our democratic process,” she wrote. “I’ve received an outpouring of calls, texts, emails in recent weeks from Wyoming folks concerned about irregularities in the election process in several states.

“I’m joining a number of colleagues to follow the steps laid out in the 12th Amendment (plus) the process established in the Electoral Count Act of 1887 to protect the vote for all Americans and begin work to restore the shaken confidence of many US voters,” she continued.

Results of the Electoral College’s vote are to be submitted for Senate certification on Wednesday.

Lummis and other senators, led by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said they will object to the certification until an electoral commission can be appointed to conduct an emergency audit of the election returns in states where questions have been raised about irregularities.

The group, in a statement, said the audit could be completed well before the presidential inauguration on Jan. 20.

The group said the audit would enhance the legitimacy of the next president, regardless of who that is.

“We are acting not to thwart the democratic process, but rather to protect it,” the statement said. “And every one of us should act together to ensure that the election was lawfully conducted under the Constitution and do everything we can to restore faith in our Democracy.”

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