Orrin Grant Hatch
Hatch served 42 years in the Senate, retiring in 2019 at the end of his seventh term. This profile grades his final 2016-cycle term (Jan 2013-Jan 2019), focusing on his Finance Committee chair role and the tax reform he co-authored.
Orrin Grant Hatch
- among Republican senators11th of 60
- among all senators20th of 115
All tracked promises
Pass comprehensive tax reform.
As Finance Committee chair, Hatch was the Senate co-author of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Pub.L. 115-97), which passed the Senate 51-48 on Dec 20, 2017 and was signed Dec 22, 2017.
Repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Hatch voted yes on the 'skinny repeal' amendment (Health Care Freedom Act) which failed 49-51 on July 28, 2017. The ACA remained in force at end-of-term, though the TCJA zeroed out the individual mandate penalty.
Reauthorize CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program).
Hatch co-authored the long-term CHIP reauthorization included in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Pub.L. 115-123, Feb 9, 2018), extending CHIP funding for 10 years — the longest extension in CHIP history.
Confirm conservative federal judges.
Hatch voted yes on Gorsuch (April 7, 2017, 54-45) and Kavanaugh (Oct 6, 2018, 50-48). He supported the elimination of the filibuster for Supreme Court nominations in April 2017.
Promote Utah public-lands priorities.
Hatch championed the proclamation reducing Bears Ears National Monument by 85% and Grand Staircase-Escalante by 47% (Dec 4, 2017 proclamations), a long-standing Utah Republican priority.
Address pharmaceutical drug pricing.
Hatch, a long-time recipient of pharmaceutical industry donations, opposed Medicare drug-price negotiation throughout this term and successfully kept it out of the TCJA. No major statutory drug-pricing reform passed during the 115th Congress.
Pass criminal-justice sentencing reform.
Hatch was a key Senate Republican supporter of the First Step Act (Pub.L. 115-391), which passed the Senate 87-12 on Dec 18, 2018 and was signed Dec 21, 2018.
Hold Russia accountable for 2016 election interference.
Hatch voted yes on the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (Pub.L. 115-44, signed Aug 2, 2017, 98-2 Senate vote). He did not, however, publicly criticize Trump's softer Russia framings.
Sustain U.S. commitment to free trade.
Hatch publicly criticized Trump's Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs (March 2018) and the trade war with China, but did not move legislation to revoke the tariff authority. USMCA was renegotiated rather than NAFTA preserved.
Strengthen the Senate institution and bipartisan norms.
Hatch supported nuking the filibuster for Supreme Court nominations (April 2017), a major escalation of partisan procedure. He also voted yes on the nuclear option for executive-branch nominations procedurally enforced through this term.
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