The Olympic and Paralympic games provide the world an opportunity to witness the greatest qualities of the human spirit exhibited by remarkable athletes. This week, Senator Romney congratulated his fellow Utahns in bringing the 2034 Winter Games back to Salt Lake City and offered well-wishes to Team USA athletes from Utah as they compete in the 2024 Paris Games that kicked off today. He also introduced legislation to keep smartphones out of classrooms, brought a taste of Utah to Washington, and celebrated Pioneer Day.

America’s ascent was improbable: our founding was based on a war nearly lost, a set of Articles of Confederation that failed, a Constitution that was barely ratified, and a terrible second war with Great Britain. Less than a century later, we succumbed to a great civil war that claimed more than 600,000 lives.Nevertheless, America not merely endured, but achieved a level of greatness and goodness never before seen in human history. This tradition continues today—I have seen the greatness of the American spirit time and again. We innovate, we persevere, we overcome.

Passport demand in Utah is enormous, due in part to our population growth and global missionary efforts. After a years-long push by Senator Romney, the State Department announced that a passport agency is coming to Salt Lake City to provide Utahns with improved, in-person services. Senator Romney also advanced another major priority by introducing bipartisan legislation that would help prevent wildfires and expedite federal resources for when they strike. His bill incorporates recommendations made by a wildfire commission he secured into law in the bipartisan infrastructure bill.