Exclusive – Utah Mayor, Senatorial Candidate Rips Romney over Debt Deal

Senator Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah, speaks to members of the press on Capitol Hil
Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Joshua Klein

Following Sen. Mitt Romney’s (R-UT) decision to vote in favor of increasing the nation’s debt ceiling, the mayor of Riverton, Utah, accused the former presidential candidate, who he intends to unseat next year, of seeking the favor of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) over the interests of America.

In an exclusive statement to Breitbart News on Sunday, Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs accused Romney of having “once again prioritized being buddies with Chuck Schumer above the welfare of our country,” as he lamented the “$4 trillion added to our debt ceiling with virtually nothing in return.”

Mayor Trent Staggs

Mayor Trent Staggs (Facebook/Mayor Trent Staggs)

Staggs also maintained that he expected the move from “far-left Democrats, not people who claim to be ‘fiscally conservative.’”

The Riverton mayor concluded by declaring, “Enough is enough.” 

“We cannot keep electing people who’d rather get along than protect future generations from bankruptcy,” Staggs added.

On Saturday, President Joe Biden signed legislation that lifts the nation’s debt ceiling, averting an unprecedented default on the federal government’s debt.

The final agreement, passed by the House on Wednesday and the Senate on Thursday, suspends the debt limit until 2025 — after the next presidential election.

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks in the Rayburn Room following the House vote on Fiscal Responsibility Act at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on May 31, 2023. The US House of Representatives voted today, May 31, 2023 to raise the federal debt limit, moving the country a step closer to eliminating the threat of a calamitous credit default -- just five days ahead of the deadline set by the Treasury. The deeply divided lower chamber of Congress voted 314 to 117 to suspend the borrowing cap through 2024, and the Senate is expected to follow suit before the end of the week -- staving off the next showdown until after next year's presidential election. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks in the Rayburn Room following the House vote on Fiscal Responsibility Act at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on May 31, 2023. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Raising the nation’s $31.4 trillion debt limit will ensure the government can borrow to pay debts already incurred.

In both chambers, more Democrats backed the legislation than Republicans, but both parties were critical to its passage. 

In the Senate the tally was 63-36 including 46 Democrats and independents and 17 Republicans in favor, 31 Republicans along with four Democrats and one independent who caucuses with the Democrats opposed.

The vote in the House was 314-117.

In a clip announcing his run posted last month, Staggs noted that Washington is “broken,” as he explained how “every time we compromise it costs us trillions,” while vowing “enough is enough.”

In the video, Staggs also accused Romney of not living up to his campaign promises, including ending illegal immigration and pushing back against federal overreach.

“The only thing I’ve seen him fight for are the establishment, wokeness, open borders, impeaching President Trump, and putting us even deeper into debt,” he says.

Staggs, 49, is among multiple potential contenders predicted to position themselves more conservatively than Romney — who he described as a “millionaire from Massachusetts” who relocated to Utah.

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U.S. Senate

Over the months leading to his official declaration, Staggs had become more and more outspoken on a variety of topics.

After announcing his run for the U.S. Senate in May, Staggs charged that Romney “doesn’t represent most Utahns,” and that he could no longer sit by and watch as Romney and Schumer “mortgage my children’s future.”

“This guy votes to add trillions in spending, votes twice to impeach President Trump, but then turns around and votes to confirm guys like Open Borders Mayorkas and Radical Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson,” he said, adding “it’s unacceptable.”

Schumer censor (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press)

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to reporters following a closed-door policy meeting, at the Capitol in Washington on March 7, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

In March, he vowed to prevent the “communist-style social credit scoring” from guiding his city’s investment decisions, as Riverton unanimously approved a resolution objecting to the use of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies in credit rating agencies, investment firms, and other financial institutions.

Subsequently, he slammed woke “indoctrination” in today’s schools, including the availability of “inappropriate” and “pornographic” text materials, as he called to prioritize students’ “physical, mental, and spiritual” safety.

Insisting “there should be no greater priority than our children’s safety; physical, mental, and spiritual,” Staggs said it was his “number one job to protect the health and safety of all our residents.”

Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.

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