President Donald Trump’s administration last week ordered at least 30,000 Internal Revenue Service employees back to their offices, where they have been working without pay to process taxpayer refunds. But from a processing center in Ogden, Utah, to the Brookhaven campus on New York’s Long Island, hundreds have received permission to skip work during the partial government shutdown due to financial hardship — and there may be more absences as part of a coordinated protest that could hamper the government’s ability to process refunds on time. [WaPost]
Happy Wednesday.
Topping the news: Sen. Mitt Romney’s first town hall meeting focused on the government shutdown, for which he blamed federal leaders and said they were using people “as pawns.” [Trib] [DNews]
-> After the U.S. Supreme Court lifted nationwide injunctions on a Trump administration policy barring transgender individuals from serving in the military, a retired transgender Utahn who served in the army worries a full ban could mean current service members would face discrimination or be forced “back in the closet.” [Trib]
-> Among the hundreds of proposals lawmakers will debate in the upcoming legislative session are a number of boomerang bills — ones that keep coming back after multiple defeats, like a ban on driving while talking on a cellphone or creation of a workable hate-crimes law. [Trib]
Tweets of the day: From @JoePerticone “Va. Sen. Mark Warner introduces the Stop Shutdowns Transferring Unnecessary Pain and Inflicting Damage In The Coming Years Act...or as an acronym, The Stop STUPIDITY Act.”
-> From @aedwardslevy “If you pour olives into the capitol is that a dirty CR?”
In other news: After two years of investigations, former Utah League of Cities and Towns Executive Director Ken Bullock was charged with seven felonies, including theft, misuse of public funds and racketeering. [Trib] [Fox13]
-> Rep. Eric Hutchings, R-Kearns, plans to introduce legislation aimed at reducing the risk of deportation for immigrants who came to the country legally but are convicted for minor crimes. [Trib]
-> Rep. Merrill Nelson, R-Grantsville, plans to introduce a proposal that would prohibit Utahns from changing the sex listed on their birth certificates in a move one LGBT advocated called “an egregious attack on the transgender community.” [Trib] [Fox13]
-> In a unanimous vote, the Salt Lake City Council appointed Analia Valdemoros, a 37-year-old Argentinian immigrant, to serve District 4 as a replacement for Sen. Derek Kitchen. [Trib] [Fox13] [DNews]
-> Two more members of a polygamous family responsible for operating Washakie Renewable Energy have been indicated in an ongoing fraud investigation involving biodiesel tax credits amounting to $511 million. [Trib] [Fox13]
-> Jeff Burningham, a self-made entrepreneur who founded a successful real estate company in Provo, announced he may run for governor in 2020. [Trib]
-> Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski bought Salt Lake City’s furloughed airport employees pizza for lunch and dinner on Tuesday and praised them for staying at their posts despite lack of pay. [Trib] [DNews]
Nationally: Competing proposals to end the ongoing government shutdown will be presented to the Senate on Thursday. Trump’s proposal would allocate $5.7 billion to a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, while the Democrats' plan would be to fund the government through Feb 8. [NYTimes] [Politico]
-> The United States Supreme Court voted to lift injunctions blocking Trump from barring most transgender people from serving in the military while cases challenging the policy make their way to the court. [WaPost] [NYTimes]
-> The Supreme Court has not yet granted a hearing on the Trump administration’s plan to shut down the DACA program, which shields some 700,000 young undocumented immigrants from deportation. The court’s next review period is not scheduled until Feb. 15, which would mean it wouldn’t be argued until after the next term starts in October. [NYTimes]
-> The Supreme Court will have its first test of how its reliable five-member conservative majority will approach the Second Amendment. Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s expansive views on gun rights could result in its expansion after the court reviews a New York law that limits residents from transporting guns outside their homes. [NYTimes]
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Taylor Stevens and Christina Giardinelli