SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Attorney General’s office asked the Executive Appropriations Committee on Thursday for $2.1 million annually to help hire attorneys to assist with future lawsuits against the Biden administration.
“When President Biden came into office, we were anticipating a lot of executive orders and regulatory actions, but he greatly exceeded our expectations,” Melissa Holyoak, Utah’s solicitor general, said.
Utah was part of the successful fight against the Biden administration’s vaccine or testing requirement for some private employers. The Supreme Court struck down the mandate. Utah is also part of several other legal challenges against the current administration, including President Joe Biden’s executive order restoring the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments.
Threatening to stand up to the federal government is a familiar tactic in the Utah Republican playbook. The COVID-19 pandemic has given Utah leaders a chance to put their words into action, and now they want to deepen their bench.
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This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aim to inform readers across the state.
