Chaffetz addresses national debt, illegal immigration before Utah Legislature

SALT LAKE CITY — Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, outlined for Utah lawmakers Monday what he called the multitrillion dollar problems facing the country, and he agreed Washington must address illegal immigration.

"We're speaking in terms of trillions with a capital T," he told members of the Senate. "We can no longer sustain this kind of out-of-control spending."

In the House, Chaffetz said he realized his comments were somewhat "gloomy" and far from a "pick-me-up" message from one of Utah's representatives in Washington.

But, he said, the nation's security is threatened by a debt that's growing by almost $4 billion a day, about a third of Utah's state budget.

"You know the size of the Utah state budget. Look what's going on, on the federal side of the equation," he said. "We don't have a revenue problem in this county, but we do have a spending problem."

The growing debt creates doubt about the strength of the U.S. dollar in the world market, Chaffetz said, calling it "a true, real threat to the United States of America."

Another concern, he said, are attempts to slow the development of the nation's energy resources. Every time an area is declared off-limits, Chaffetz said, "we put out country at more risk."

He said defense is an area where the federal government should be spending.

"The war on terror is not going away. We are in a global fight," said Chaffetz, who recently returned form a tour of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. "The threat to the United States is real."

Senators urged Chaffetz to take on illegal immigration. The congressman agreed Washington must fix legal immigration and the he would give a D grade to anyone who says the issue is only border security.

"To suggest it's just about border security is an incomplete answer," he said.

Chaffetz offered a similar assessment in the House. "If we don't fix legal immigration, we'll never solve this problem," he said, stressing he rejects amnesty for those already in the country illegally.

He said he would be introducing legislation in Congress "that is bigger and broader than something that is just enforcement. Because that is part of it, but it is not all of it."

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