I know many of you would like to understand what you can expect from me as your new Senator. I take that responsibility seriously.

In representing Utah, I draw from the example of the pioneers who settled this land—men and women of strength, vision, and purpose. Their values continue to guide our state and they shape my approach to public service.

The Pioneer Values I Strive to Uphold

1. Hard Work & Self-Reliance

Pioneers trusted their own ingenuity and effort. Our policies should reflect that same spirit—supporting self-reliance, compassion, and upward mobility for all.

2. Courage & Perseverance

The westward journey was full of challenges but pioneers were undaunted. Our challenges today are different, but the resolve to face them must be the same.

3. Faith & Spirituality

Many pioneers saw their path as divinely guided. Faith remains a source of strength and hope in my own work.

4. Family & Community

Family was the backbone of pioneering life. Communities came together to build schools, churches, and infrastructure, emphasizing mutual support and shared progress. When policies replace those bonds with government dependence, they weaken the foundation of our nation.

5. Adaptability, Resourcefulness & Thrift

In the face of scarcity, pioneers innovated. I believe we must apply that same mindset to life and governance today—by adapting, solving, and stewarding wisely.

6. Optimism & Ambition

Pioneers pressed forward with hope for a better future. That spirit of optimism still remains key to building strong communities and a thriving nation.

7. Respect for the Land

Pioneers lived close to the land and cared for it. Stewardship is still essential today—and the best decisions about land come from those who live nearest to it.

8. Independence & Freedom

The West symbolized freedom and opportunity. For pioneers, it was a chance to start fresh, free from societal constraints. Our policies must continue to protect that legacy of liberty and opportunity.

9. Patriotism

Pioneers viewed their westward expansion as part of America’s unfolding story. They took pride in contributing to a growing nation. Our future depends on honoring and advancing the ideals they helped shape.

10. Relying on Neighbors, Not Government

Pioneers counted on each other, not bureaucracy. That principle of community-driven problem-solving is just as vital today.

Policy Priorities

Representing Utah is a privilege. I approach this responsibility with a focus on practical solutions that reflect the pioneer values Utahns continue to uphold.

Energy

Energy powers our economy and secures our future. I support an all-of-the-above strategy—fossil fuels and renewables alike—that prioritizes affordability, reliability, and cleaner outcomes. Utah is already a leader in responsible development. To maintain that leadership, we must modernize outdated permitting systems so our resources can meet growing demands at home and around the world.

National Debt

Our $33 trillion national debt is more than a fiscal issue—it’s a generational one. The usual debates over spending cuts or tax increases often miss the root cause: a broken budgeting process. I’m working to reform that process so we can restore accountability, transparency, and long-term stability to our nation’s finances.

Local Control

As a former mayor, I’ve seen how federal overreach creates unnecessary burdens. Local leaders are best positioned to solve local problems. I remain committed to returning decision-making authority to state and local governments—especially in areas like education and public land management.

U.S.–China Relations

China’s manipulation of markets and disregard for intellectual property undermines American innovation, industry, and security. With long-standing experience in the region, I’ve worked directly and effectively to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable. That work continues. (That’s why there’s now a warrant for my arrest in China.)

We must continue to protect critical industries, support American workers, and secure our strategic interests.

A Final Word

You’ve asked what you can expect from me as your Senator. You can expect me to work hard, to stay grounded in Utah values, and to remain focused on solutions that matter.

Public service is a trust. It’s a humbling responsibility to represent the people of Utah – and I wake up every morning determined to fulfill that trust with respect, integrity, and results.

Thank you for the honor of serving.

— Senator John Curtis

Curtis chose to field questions on the Lake Mary Trail above Brighton Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Curtis hosted his first hiking meet-and-greet on Mount Timpanogos the year following his election to represent Utah’s 3rd Congressional District in 2017.

What has now become an annual tradition for Curtis started out as a way to help voters and activists understand his views as a fiscal conservative who prioritized clean air initiatives after he was elected mayor of Provo in 2010.

“I knew that we had tons in common, and that if we would get out on a trail and just enjoy each other, the nature, that we would tend to focus more on what we had in common than what we differed on,” Curtis said.

Curtis believes “everybody should have to be a mayor before they go to Congress.” His time as Provo’s chief executive taught him that most problems can be solved with one-on-one conversations, Curtis said. With his constituent hikes, Curtis has attempted to bring this ethos to the House, and hopes to do the same in the Senate.

But this kind of face-time between lawmakers is becoming increasingly rare, he said. In its place, Curtis sees a growing temptation for elected officials to perform for a camera rather than cultivate relationships on Capitol Hill that lead to policy becoming law. If lawmakers take a stand against legislative leadership and catch the attention of social media and cable news, they are rewarded by a boost in small-dollar donations, Curtis said.

These incentives were all too apparent during the past legislative term when GOP representatives took turns torpedoing efforts to follow regular order in the spending process, Curtis said. The way he sees it, Congress will function more seriously if it takes a “Brighton hike” approach over a “cable news” approach to policymaking.

“Your ability to just talk frankly, and let your partisan walls down just a little bit is enhanced so dramatically,” Curtis said. “Everything about the Washington, D.C., environment builds those walls up.”

Looking away from Brighton’s north-facing slope covered in golden aspens, Curtis listed the things that keep him up at night: national debt, the peaceful transfer of power and the emerging unity between Russia, Iran, North Korea and China.

If he had to isolate one issue as the most immediately concerning, it would be an escalation of tensions between Israel and Iran, Russia and Ukraine or China and Taiwan — where he served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and learned to speak Mandarin fluently.

“I’m very, very concerned about our relationship with China,” Curtis said. “It’s at a tipping point, and if it tips the wrong way, it’s not going to be good for us, it’s not going to be good for China, it’s not going to be good for the world.”

With situations escalating across the globe, Curtis says the proximity of global warfare is the most neglected topic in American politics. On Monday, Russia proposed record military spending as it makes territorial gains in its war with Ukraine. On Tuesday, Iran launched a missile attack against Israel, almost ensuring a direct response in the rapidly expanding war in the Middle East.

The United States is “clearly, clearly, clearly” not prepared to handle the growth of these conflicts in a way that secures American interests, Curtis said. One of his biggest worries is that the country will be caught unaware by a massive cyber attack “that could decimate our electric grid.”

Americans must be willing to break from the “momentum of prosperity” that prevents the country from making sacrifices to shore up its national security, Curtis said. He pointed to the blowback Congress received when his committee voted to advance a bill that would force China to divest itself of TikTok.

“We’re enabling the ease of an enemy disrupting us by that unwillingness to damper that prosperity,” Curtis said.

Conversations with economic experts have led Curtis to believe that there is an unnervingly short runway before the world’s confidence in America’s borrow-to-spend behavior runs out.

With $35.5 trillion in debt, and interest payments that now exceed defense spending, Curtis worries it is only a matter of time before people stop buying U.S. treasury bonds, the country becomes unable to service its debt and the dollar loses its reserve-currency status around the world.

“Having just complained about calling everything a crisis, I do believe the debt is a crisis. We’re in crisis,” Curtis said. “Every day we don’t do anything about it, it gets harder to get out of.”

To right the country’s sinking fiscal ship, Curtis said Congress must make structural reforms to its budgeting process to discourage massive omnibus spending packages and encourage more careful and transparent appropriations of American tax dollars.

Curtis said he has a proposal that is gaining traction among House lawmakers to mimic Utah’s baseline budget, where lawmakers agree at the beginning of each year that if they can’t pass a new budget, the previous year’s budget will be renewed without any spending increases.

This removes the threat of a shutdown which is often used to push through wasteful spending and will incentivize actual negotiations on important spending items, Curtis said. While this likely would not result in immediate slashes to spending, Curtis said it would change the spending culture in Washington, D.C., enough for the debt to slow, and then stop, its exponential climb.

“I think everybody would feel comfortable if the trajectory was down, even if it was very slow,” Curtis said.

*This interview originally appeared in Brigham Tomco’s article in the Deseret News. You can read the full article here.

Two bills sponsored by U.S. Rep. John Curtis (R-UT) passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 24 with bipartisan support and advanced to the U.S. Senate for consideration.

“I am thrilled to have unanimous support from my colleagues for this common-sense legislation,” Rep. Curtis said. “Both of these bills benefit Utahns, who have already invested tremendous effort to innovate and address challenges.”

 

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill sponsored by Utah Republican Rep. John Curtis on Tuesday that includes the Great Salt Lake in the federal government’s Colorado River water conservation plan, possibly freeing up federal funds to help the Beehive State’s beleaguered saline lake.

The Great Salt Lake Stewardship Act tweaks the Central Utah Project Completion Act, which takes water from the Colorado River basin in eastern Utah, and through a system of reservoirs, rivers and pipelines, diverts it to the Wasatch Front where it’s used for municipal and industrial use. The project is described by the Department of Interior as Utah’s “largest and most comprehensive federal water resource development project.”

 

A bill some advocates say is historic in nature was endorsed in the House on Tuesday, expanding the geographical reach of the Central Utah Completion Act to encompass the Great Salt Lake drainage.

By doing so, the Great Salt Lake Stewardship Act — which has the support of Utah’s full delegation — would tap unused money already set aside for Utah and broaden its reach to support the efforts of the state of Utah, local communities and water districts north of Salt Lake County in conserving water use and replenishing the lake.

It would do this by allowing that unexpended budget authority to be available under the Central Utah act to be used for water conservation efforts, instead of just sitting in a bank account of sorts.

 

If you’re frustrated with national politics, is a “reset” the answer? On this episode, Nic Dunn sits down with Rep. John Curtis of Utah’s 3rd Congressional District. Rep. Curtis tells the story of how his team changed the way they conducted town halls, yielding vastly improved dialogue with constituents, and how it’s a model for improving national political discourse. He also covers President Ronald Reagan’s 80% rule and how it relates to lawmaking in Washington, D.C., ongoing work on climate and energy issues, and more.

 

Rep. John Curtis went on a tour of the Middle East last week, trying to help find a way to end the war between Israel and Hamas.

In an interview with the Deseret News on Friday, the GOP congressman revealed the tough conversations he had with world leaders and high-level dignitaries about the war, his fears of an escalation, and his hopes for a long-lasting ceasefire.

The tour began in Israel. Curtis said he visited a soccer field in Northern Israel where several children were killed in a Hezbollah missile attack. Bikes and a soccer ball were still lying on the ground, next to the destruction caused by the rocket fire.

 

Utah Rep. John Curtis is a productive congressman; apart from winning five elections over the course of seven years and the Republican nomination for Senate, his office has managed to pass almost two dozen bills in the midst of a divided Congress. He also successfully carved his own lane by becoming the conservative face of climate change, an issue his party has shied away from.

At the heart of Curtis’ accomplishments as a politician is his mindset on failure. Talking to a room full of students at the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics as part of the Sutherland Institute’s 2024 Congressional Series on Thursday, Curtis spoke on his chosen topic, “Reinventing the Wheel (But This Time, Let’s Try a Square).”

 

As a kid, John Curtis’ mother had the same question for him each time he returned from a ski outing: “Did you fall?”

The reason, the Republican congressman told a room full of University of Utah students on Thursday, was because “if you didn’t fall, you’re not learning.” Those falls helped him become a better skier, but Curtis — who has represented Utah’s 3rd Congressional District since 2017 and is now vying to be the state’s next U.S. Senator — said the same ability to fail doesn’t exist in politics, and he thinks it’s leading to worse outcomes for governing.

Curtis spoke at the Sutherland Institute’s annual series of discussions with Utah’s federal delegation Thursday. He picked the title “Reinventing the wheel — but this time, let’s try a square” for his forum with Jason Perry, the director of the university’s Hinckley Institute of Politics.

Utah Rep. John Curtis visited the Middle East this week as part of a congressional delegation, where he met with the leaders of Israel, Jordan and Egypt. He said his focus during the trip was on how to get the remaining hostages freed and on how to stop the fighting.

Curtis described his visit in his weekly email and video — a forum he uses to regularly discuss his “highs and lows” from the week. This week, he said, was particularly hard.

The high for the week was returning to a region he had first visited in 1979 as an 18-year-old BYU student on a study abroad program, he said.