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Spencer Cox: “Congress continues to abdicate their role in actually…”

Featuring: Spencer Cox, Republican | Governor of Utah

Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation

Published February 13, 2026 | Video Starts at 29:14

And I don't want to turn this into a civics class, but Congress was always intended to be the most powerful branch of government. I hate to say that with my legislative friends behind me, but sadly, Congress continues to abdicate their role in actually governing this country. We're very lucky that the founding fathers of our country, the founders, understood that that could happen. (29:14–29:19)

CLAIM

Asserts that Congress is failing to fulfill its governing responsibilities.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Spencer Cox

“Hill Air Force base employs over 22,000 Utahns, the largest single site employer in our state.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 01:16-01:23
“Aerospace and defense is a rapidly growing sector in our economy, now accounts for roughly 20% of our GDP.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 01:23-01:31
“Since 2022, the legislature has restricted foreign ownership of land near military installations and critical infrastructure.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 02:03-02:09
“Utah's legislation has been seen as model legislation for several of those other states.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 02:29-02:34
“A Chinese company that owned property near one of our Military installations has divested and recently sold that property.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 02:56-03:05
“HB291 strengthens land restrictions and closes some loopholes.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 03:36-03:41
“HB165 to protect our critical infrastructure.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 03:40-03:45
“HB19, securing drinking water systems.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 03:44-03:48
“HB182 that safeguards genetic information.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 03:47-03:51
“The relationship between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party has changed over the past 10 years.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 13:45-13:52
“We do and they're an important trading partner and I don't think it disrupts anything when it comes to trade.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 16:34-16:42
“What it does disrupt is again their ability to own real property in places that could cause serious harm and give them access to some of our…”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 16:41-16:53
“There are other states that are doing what we're doing and we think that it's just good policy.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 17:01-17:09
“No, again, it took us the enforcement piece of this. We've had other divestitures that happened voluntarily after the law was passed.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 17:33-17:42
“This is the first forced divestiture where we sent a letter and said, hey, we're coming after.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 17:41-17:48
“It's not necessarily what they were doing with the property, but what they could do with the property.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 18:52-18:58
“We know the type of command and control structure that the CCP has over these types of entities.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 18:58-19:05
“Certainly when it comes to upending our critical infrastructure, that's something that we're worried about.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 19:26-19:35
“The drone issue is a real issue we've seen in both, with both conflicts, Israel and Ukraine.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 19:41-19:52
“We're worried about spying on our test and training ranges on our military bases.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 20:00-20:07
“Those negotiations [on the South's Colorado River] are still ongoing.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 22:29-22:32
“There is still real hope to getting a deal that will get us over the next five years and then a longer term deal for 20 years.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 23:08-23:18
“We know the water situation on the Colorado is dire this year.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 24:29-24:34
“Desalination in California then pushes water upstream.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 24:52-24:57
“There appears to be some federal funding that we could utilize together to help each other out.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 25:51-25:57
“We have had some conversations with our friends in Idaho and we're working very closely.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 26:20-26:27
“The bill is not out yet.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 26:28-26:31
“We know that kind of supply side economics is something that I believe in.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 27:18-27:25
“Congress was always intended to be the most powerful branch of government.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 29:03-29:09
“The founding fathers...were very wise to divest power not just between the three branches of government at the federal level, but...these 50…”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 29:20-29:40
“You have a federal government, a federal Congress that is not doing their job to protect this country.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 29:46-29:54
“Eventually, I suspect that we will see legislation in Congress that looks a lot like what we're doing here in Utah.”
Gov. Cox discusses new national security legislation | Uploaded February 13, 2026 | 30:21-30:28