Ben McAdams

Economy

Trade is a driver of business expansion and good-paying jobs in Utah. Ben stood up to leaders in his own party and pushed for a vote to approve the U.S. Mexico Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA). Congress passed and the President signed the “new NAFTA”, as it’s known, giving Utah farmers and ranchers, medical equipment manufacturers, eCommerce companies and their thousands of employees a major win. The agreement included important enforcement provisions on labor and environmental standards so that U.S. companies aren’t undercut by weaker standards in other countries. The economic relationship between Utah, Mexico and Canada supports more than 120,000 Utah jobs. Having the deal in place before the coronavirus crisis hit provided the certainty Utah businesses needed to serve their customers and retain their employees. Learn more

Ben voted with Republicans and Democrats to renew the U.S. export credit agency which both business and labor agree has been critical to economic development and job creation. The U.S. Export Finance Agency directly supports thousands of American jobs at no cost to the taxpayer. Its role is to provide short-term credit when the private sector is unwilling or unable to finance businesses’ efforts to expand into global markets and offers credit-backing and insurance to help Utah businesses bid on overseas projects and reach customers. Learn more

Education

As the son of a school teacher, Ben knows that education is the most important investment we can make in our children, including making available federal student loans and grants for college. As someone who received federal aid to go to college, he wants today’s students to be able to invest in their education, while not ending up with crushing debt. He supports bipartisan legislation that requires more openness and disclosure for students who take out loans, including simplified and monthly disclosures to student borrowers. Learn more

Ben has also advanced bipartisan legislation to enhance STEM education in rural schools, which face unique barriers to providing STEM education, including a shortage of science and math teachers and difficulty accessing online and computer-based technology. Learn more

Environment / Energy

Moving towards a clean energy economy is vital to addressing climate change and improving air quality. Ben advanced legislation to help fund the next generation of solar energy research. The bipartisan Solar Energy Research and Development Act of 2019 would reauthorize a Department of Energy program for research, development and demonstration of a range of solar energy technologies. Expanding the clean energy economy requires stepped up investment in solar energy and other renewables. The U.S. can and should lead the way on basic research and development to provide break-throughs in advanced solar technology. Utah is well-positioned to innovate and provide jobs in clean energy that will improve air quality, public health, the environment, and the economy. Learn more

Ben voted for the Climate Action Now Act which calls on the U.S. to remain part of an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Utah’s air quality and Utahns’ health depends on reducing pollution, including emissions from cars, trucks and other sources. Improving vehicle fuel economy and other goals set out in the agreement would help clean Utah’s dirty air, and save consumers money. Learn more

Healthcare

Access to quality, affordable health care and prescription drugs has never been more critical for Utahns. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Ben was fighting to protect Utahns’ access to health care and lower prescription drugs costs. Now more than ever families need peace of mind that a preexisting condition or getting laid off from a job won’t cost them their insurance coverage or prevent them from getting treatment. Learn more

Ben voted for bipartisan legislation expanding tax credits for working families to purchase health insurance through the Affordable Care Act exchange and for states to adopt a reinsurance program, which has proven to reduce premiums overall. Ben also supported negotiating the price of drug manufacturers for certain selected drugs, such as insulin and he helped pass a bipartisan bill–the CREATES ACT –to bring more lower-cost generic drugs into the marketplace. Ben supported more funding for Utah health care providers’ use of tele-health, to allow access to a doctor without having to leave home or travel long distances to a health care provider. Learn more

Immigration

Ben stood up to leadership and demanded they allow a vote on a bipartisan bill in 2019 to provide emergency aid to address unsafe and unsanitary conditions for thousands of children being held at the southern border in detention centers. It made funding available for medical care, additional food, and shelter in state-licensed facilities. Learn more

Ben voted to permanently protect a group of Utah immigrants from deportation who are eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program—also known as Dreamers. These young people are our classmates, our coworkers, our neighbors and members of our congregations. Brought here as young children, this is the only home most of them have ever known. Allowing them to remain here legally and continue to contribute is an important step towards fixing our broken immigration system that keeps families together and helps our economy. Learn more

Taxes / Budget

During the COVID-19 health and economic crisis, Ben knows emergency spending is necessary to support hard-working families during the crisis and keep the economy afloat. He was one of the first in Congress to demand that federal agencies disclose where billions in taxpayer dollars went, to ensure they were getting to those small businesses who needed and deserved the Paycheck Protection Program loans. During this pandemic, every federal dollar wasted is a dollar less to support our health care system, our workers and our businesses. Protecting taxpayer money should be the ultimate bipartisan cause and the American people are counting on Congress to get this right. Learn more