Benjamin Michael McAdams (born December 5, 1974) is an American politician and attorney who served as the
U.S. representative
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
from
Utah's 4th congressional district
Utah's 4th congressional district is a congressional district created by the state legislature as a result of reapportionment by Congress after the 2010 United States census, 2010 census showed population increases in the state relative to other ...
from 2019 to 2021. During that time, he was the only
Democratic member of Utah's congressional delegation and was a member of the
Blue Dog Coalition
The Blue Dog Coalition, commonly known as the Blue Dogs or Blue Dog Democrats, is a Congressional caucus, caucus of Political moderate, moderate members from the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the United States House of ...
.
From 2013 to 2019, he served as mayor of
Salt Lake County, and from 2009 to 2012, he was the
Utah state senator from the
2nd district, which includes
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
,
South Salt Lake, and a portion of
West Valley.
[Benjamin Michael Adams: Volunteer Faculty](_blank)
University of Utah College of Law McAdams was elected to Congress in
2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
, narrowly defeating two-term Republican incumbent
Mia Love
Ludmya "Mia" Love (née Bourdeau; December 6, 1975 – March 23, 2025) was an American political commentator and politician who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Utah's 4th congressional district from ...
. In
2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
, McAdams ran for reelection, but he lost to Republican challenger
Burgess Owens
Clarence Burgess Owens (born August 2, 1951) is an American politician and former professional football player serving as the U.S. representative for Utah's 4th congressional district since 2021.
He played safety for 10 seasons in the Nati ...
.
He is the most recent Democrat to represent Utah in Congress.
Early life and education
McAdams was born in
West Bountiful, Utah. He has a bachelor's degree in political science from the
University of Utah
The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...
and a J.D. with honors from
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School (CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City.
The school was founded in 1858 as the Columbia College Law School. The un ...
.
At Columbia McAdams was a member of the ''
Columbia Human Rights Law Review''.
Early career
Legal career
After graduating from law school, McAdams briefly worked in New York City as an associate at the law firm
Davis Polk & Wardwell
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, commonly known as Davis Polk, is an American multinational corporation, multinational law firm headquartered in New York City with offices in Washington, D.C., Menlo Park, California, Menlo Park, London, Madrid, Brussel ...
.
McAdams and his family then returned to Utah,
where he joined the law firm Dorsey & Whitney in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
, working in
securities law
Securities regulation in the United States is the field of U.S. law that covers transactions and other dealings with securities. The term is usually understood to include both federal and state-level regulation by governmental regulatory agencie ...
.
McAdams then became Senior Advisor to
Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker.
McAdams has served as an adjunct faculty member at the
University of Utah College of Law.
Utah Senate
McAdams was elected to replace
Scott McCoy as the senator for Utah's second district in a special election on December 19, 2009. He was elected to a four-year term on November 2, 2010.
Legislation
In March 2011, McAdams proposed a bill banning employment and housing discrimination against gay and transgender
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
ns. His motion to hold a hearing on it failed on a party-line vote. Salt Lake City passed a similar measure in 2009.
Scorecards and ratings
McAdams received a 75% rating from the advocacy group
Parents for Choice in Education during the 2012 legislative session and a 77% rating from the
National Education Association
The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college st ...
. He also received an 82% score from the Utah Taxpayers Association, the highest-scoring Democrat that year. The ''
Salt Lake Tribune
''The Salt Lake Tribune'' is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The ''Tribune'' is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871."
History ...
'' identified McAdams as the most liberal-leaning member of the Utah Senate in 2011, with a conservative rating of 34.4% that year. In 2012, however, the Tribune identified him as the third-most conservative Democratic Utah state senator (out of eight).
McAdams was given a rating of 33% conservative by the
Sutherland Institute, a fiscally and socially conservative political action committee, based on his time in the Utah state senate. He also has a 100% rating from the
Utah Sierra Club, which supports greater environmental protection.
Committee assignments
Mayor of Salt Lake County
Elections
In November 2011, McAdams announced his campaign to succeed
Peter Corroon as
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of
Salt Lake County, Utah
Salt Lake County is located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 1,185,238, making it the most populous county in Utah. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the List of capitals in th ...
. McAdams was elected, on November 6, 2012, defeating Republican nominee Mark Crockett 54% to 45%. McAdams resigned from the state senate before taking office as mayor.
McAdams was mentioned as a potential candidate in Utah's
2016 Senate race or Utah's
2016 gubernatorial race, but did not run for either position.
He was reelected to a second term as Salt Lake County Mayor in November 2016 59% to 41%.
Homelessness
McAdams was tasked by the Utah Legislature to select a location for a new homeless shelter in Salt Lake County, outside of Salt Lake City. According to the
Deseret News
The ''Deseret News'' () is a multi-platform newspaper based in Salt Lake City, published by Deseret News Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS ...
, the task was considered politically damaging,
as strong local opposition was expected regardless of the ultimate shelter location. McAdams recommended
South Salt Lake, and was opposed by Cherie Wood, the city's mayor. Previously,
Draper
Draper was originally a term for a retailer or wholesaler of cloth that was mainly for clothing. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher.
History
Drapers were an important trade guild during the medieval period ...
mayor Troy Walker had volunteered two sites for the shelter in Draper, before rescinding the offer under public pressure.
Before making his recommendation, McAdams spent two nights on the streets of Salt Lake City, posing as a homeless person to gather information. Although tasked with recommending a site for the shelter, McAdams pledged to not support the center's groundbreaking unless the Utah Legislature passes a bill to create a pool of revenue from other cities to help with funding.
McAdams has called for a "radically different approach ... to address homelessness", and has called homelessness a "stubborn and complex social challenge".
Taxes and budgets
In 2014, McAdams supported the renewal of a Zoos, Arts, and Parks (ZAP) tax in Salt Lake County. The ZAP tax amounts to 1 cent on every $10 spent. It partially funds more than 190 county arts and cultural organizations, as well as 30 parks and recreation facilities, including
Hogle Zoo,
Tracy Aviary, the
Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, and others. The tax was approved by voters in 2014, with nearly 77% of county voters in favor.
McAdams's proposed 2018 county budget was passed by the County Council on a 5–4 vote. The opposition was due to an overrun of $367,000 over the preliminary budget request (of $1.3 billion) that McAdams had submitted previously. Included in the budget were funds for a partial opening of Oxbow Jail, a 2.5 percent pay raise for county employees, and funds for new libraries.
McAdams proposed a county budget for 2019 that included additional funds over previous years' budgets for public safety, including funds to fully open Oxbow Jail, and to help the local sheriff hire and retain public safety officers. The budget would not include a tax increase, and McAdams has said that overall new requests were reduced by around $18 million. After some modifications, the Salt Lake County Council passed the budget unanimously.
Economic and community development
McAdams supported a Utah bill that gave Salt Lake County's townships the power to decide their future governance structure. This led to the election in which
Millcreek residents voted to incorporate.
As Salt Lake County mayor, McAdams sat on the board of directors of the
United Way
United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit organization, nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual Un ...
of Salt Lake County. He implemented a "pay-for-success" model that invited third-party investors to pay for preschool and gain a return on their investment when specified benchmarks were met. In 2016, the United Way recognized McAdams for this model and its "data-driven collaborative approach".
McAdams opposed a proposed
Facebook
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
data center in
West Jordan in 2016. West Jordan city leaders blamed opposition from Salt Lake County, and McAdams in particular, for Facebook's ultimate choice to locate the data center in
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
instead of West Jordan. The $2.5 billion data center would have received $195 million from the city and county in tax breaks. McAdams believed that the data center was too expensive, since it would have directly produced a maximum of only 130 jobs. Supporters of the data center argued it would have drawn additional development and investment to the region.
Salt Lake County maintained an AAA bond rating throughout McAdams's tenure as mayor.
United States Representative
Elections
2018
On October 18, 2017, McAdams announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination to oppose incumbent Representative
Mia Love
Ludmya "Mia" Love (née Bourdeau; December 6, 1975 – March 23, 2025) was an American political commentator and politician who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Utah's 4th congressional district from ...
, a Republican representing
Utah's 4th congressional district
Utah's 4th congressional district is a congressional district created by the state legislature as a result of reapportionment by Congress after the 2010 United States census, 2010 census showed population increases in the state relative to other ...
. On April 28, 2018, McAdams won the Democratic nomination at the party's convention. With the backing of 72% of the convention delegates, McAdams avoided a primary campaign.
During the campaign McAdams distanced himself from the House Democratic leadership, saying that he would not support
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia Pelosi ( ; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who was the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 2007 to 2011 an ...
for Speaker if elected.
In June 2018, CNN reported that the race was considered "consequential to both parties" because Love had "stood up to
resident Donald Trump/nowiki> on immigration" and "because national Democrats awMcAdams as one of their best chances to gain a foothold on red turf".
McAdams was endorsed by the Blue Dog Coalition
The Blue Dog Coalition, commonly known as the Blue Dogs or Blue Dog Democrats, is a Congressional caucus, caucus of Political moderate, moderate members from the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the United States House of ...
, a House caucus of conservative and moderate Democrats that stresses fiscal responsibility. He was also endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters
The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is an American environmental advocacy group. LCV says that it "builds political power for people and the planet." Through its affiliated super PAC, it is a major supporter of the Democratic Party. The org ...
On November 20, final results showed that McAdams had won by 694 votes, or .257%. His margin of victory was greater than the .25% needed to automatically trigger a recount. About $11.4 million combined was spent by Love's and McAdams' campaigns, and outside groups on their behalf, making it one of the most expensive campaigns in Utah history.
With his win, McAdams became the first Democratic member of congress elected from Utah since Jim Matheson won reelection to the 4th district in 2012.
2020
McAdams was challenged by Republican Burgess Owens
Clarence Burgess Owens (born August 2, 1951) is an American politician and former professional football player serving as the U.S. representative for Utah's 4th congressional district since 2021.
He played safety for 10 seasons in the Nati ...
, a former NFL player and frequent contributor on Fox News
The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...
. A United Utah Party candidate, Jonia Broderick, dropped out in October and endorsed McAdams.
Outside groups spent heavily to oppose McAdams. On November 17 the election was called for Burgess Owens, with a margin less than 1%. Owens won the election by overperforming in traditionally Democratic Salt Lake County and he ultimately defeated McAdams by approximately 3,000 votes, a larger margin than McAdams won by in 2018.[ The election was one of the closest House races in the country in 2020, as it was not officially called until thirteen days after Election Day.
]
Tenure
McAdams was the only Democrat in Utah's congressional delegation during his tenure.
He voted for Stephanie Murphy
Stephanie Murphy (born September 16, 1978) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Florida's 7th congressional district from 2017 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she defeated incumbent Republican John ...
, a Democratic representative from Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
, for House speaker. He had previously joined other Democratic House members in signing a letter pledging to oppose Nancy Pelosi as House speaker.
McAdams was one of over 100 members of Congress who asked to have their pay withheld during the 2018–19 United States federal government shutdown.
In April 2019, McAdams introduced legislation proposing a Balanced Budget Amendment
A balanced budget amendment or debt brake is a constitutional rule requiring that a state cannot spend more than its income. It requires a balance between the projected receipts and expenditures of the government.
Balanced-budget provisions ha ...
to the U.S. Constitution. He was supported by the other 26 members of the Blue Dog Caucus. The amendment would allow deficits during wars, recessions, or sustained periods of high unemployment. It would also protect Social Security
Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...
and Medicare from court-mandated budget cuts. As justification for the amendment, McAdams cited the $22 trillion debt, $1 trillion annual deficit, increasing interest payments, and lack of efforts by either party to curtail spending growth. Liberal-leaning news sources have criticized the plan: Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...
called it a "pry-bar ... to open the entire Constitution to revision", while Splinter News
Splinter is an American left-leaning news and opinion website owned by Paste. It launched in July 2017 under Univision Communications and ceased publication in November 2019 following a sale to G/O Media. The dormant publication was acquired by ...
predicted that "domestic spending programs and the safety net will always be up first on the chopping block if cuts need to be made". An opinion article in The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
newspaper accused McAdams and the Blue Dog Coalition of trying to "kill the Green New Deal
The Green New Deal (GND) calls for public policy to address climate change, along with achieving other social aims like job creation, economic growth, and reducing economic inequality.
The name refers to the New Deal, a set of changes and ...
", which would require deficit spending, and argued that "there's nothing inherently dangerous about a growing deficit".
A July 2019 poll showed McAdams with the highest approval rating of any member of Utah's congressional delegation.
McAdams introduced a bill to help victims of Ponzi schemes recover their money. On November 18, 2019, it passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support. Utah has the highest number of known Ponzi schemes per capita in the United States.
McAdams introduced an amendment to a funding bill to prevent resumption of nuclear weapons testing
Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the performance of nuclear weapons and the effects of Nuclear explosion, their explosion. Nuclear testing is a sensitive political issue. Governments have often performed tests to si ...
, which passed the House in July. On the House floor, he said, "explosive nuclear testing causes irreparable harm to human health and to our environment and jeopardizes the U.S. leadership role on nuclear nonproliferation".
Committee assignments
* Committee on Financial Services
** Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions
** Subcommittee on National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy
* Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
** Subcommittee on Environment
** Subcommittee on Research and Technology
Caucus memberships
* Blue Dog Coalition
The Blue Dog Coalition, commonly known as the Blue Dogs or Blue Dog Democrats, is a Congressional caucus, caucus of Political moderate, moderate members from the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the United States House of ...
* Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus
* New Democrat Coalition
The New Democrat Coalition is a caucus in the House of Representatives of the United States Congress made up of Democrats, primarily liberals and centrists, who take a pro-business stance and a liberal-to-moderate approach to fiscal matte ...
* Problem Solvers Caucus
Political positions
McAdams is a self-described moderate Democrat. He has emphasized his efforts to work with Republicans, and has said on multiple occasions that he believes that it is important to work together to solve problems.
According to the UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
Department of Political Science's DW-NOMINATE scores, McAdams was the most conservative Democrat in the 116th House. He has a lifetime score of 82% from the pro-business U.S. Chamber of Commerce based on his House voting record.
Abortion
McAdams has identified himself as pro-life
Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in response to the lega ...
but voted against several anti-abortion bills as a state senator. He has said he "believes in the sanctity of life at all stages", and "opposes abortion except in cases of rape, incest, danger to the mother's life, and in certain other rare circumstances".
As a Utah state senator, McAdams opposed a bill to increase the waiting period for abortions from 24 to 72 hours, a bill mandating biannual inspections of abortion clinics, a bill requiring doctors to describe ultrasound images to patients, and a bill that would have allowed health care providers to refuse to perform abortions on religious grounds. He later said he voted against them because he considered them poorly written, and was concerned about their unintended legal consequences, not because he supported abortion.
During the 2018 election campaign, McAdams described himself as pro-life, referring to his "deeply held beliefs about the sanctity of life", and said that Mia Love's charge that he is an abortion advocate was "offensive". McAdams also said "decisions about terminating a pregnancy should emade by a woman in consultation with her physician, family members and faith counselors she trusts". He also said during a town hall meeting:
During the 116th session of Congress McAdams was one of three Democrats to sign a Republican-led petition to advance the "Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act", a born-alive bill.
Economic issues
Although not a member of Congress when it passed, McAdams expressed opposition to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017
The Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018, , is a congressional revenue act of the United States originally introduced in Congress as the Tax Cuts and Jobs ...
, because of the expected $1.5 trillion increase of the national debt over 10 years. He also believes it favors the "wealthy over the middle class". He has stated he believes in tax code modernization, but that he considered the tax reform bill "fiscally irresponsible", and believes that its cost "is borrowed from future generations".
McAdams supports measures to reduce the federal deficit, including a Balanced Budget Amendment
A balanced budget amendment or debt brake is a constitutional rule requiring that a state cannot spend more than its income. It requires a balance between the projected receipts and expenditures of the government.
Balanced-budget provisions ha ...
to the US Constitution.
In 2019, McAdams voted against a House bill to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour. He said he supports a higher minimum wage, but wants a system that sets the rate based on the regional cost of living and purchasing power.
In July 2019, McAdams called on Democratic House leadership to advance the passage of the USMCA trade agreement negotiated between the Trump administration, Mexico, and Canada. On January 29, 2020, President Trump signed the USMCA into law after passing both the House and Senate with bipartisan majorities.
McAdams was one of 18 Democrats who joined all House Republicans to oppose a $2.2 trillion COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
relief stimulus bill sponsored by Democrats. The bill, which has been the subject of negotiations for months, passed the House but has not received a vote in the Senate. McAdams said the bill "is a step in the right direction but is still weighted down with partisan wish list items unrelated to the COVID crisis".
Energy and environment
McAdams supports increased renewable energy sources and the development of new technologies. He supports a national energy portfolio that is balanced between renewables and traditional fossil fuel sources, as well as reductions in vehicle emissions.
McAdams supports efforts to improve Utah's air quality. He requested that the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee double the funding available for the Utah Transit Authority
The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) is a special service district responsible for providing public transportation throughout the Wasatch Front of Utah, in the United States, which includes the metropolitan areas of Ogden, Utah, Ogden, Park City, U ...
to purchase electric buses, in an effort to improve air quality. Air quality in Salt Lake City and other Utah urban areas consistently ranks among the worst in the US. Together with Representative John Curtis
John Ream Curtis (born May 10, 1960) is an American politician serving since 2025 as the junior United States senator from Utah. A member of the Republican Party, Curtis served from 2017 to 2025 as the U.S. representative for Utah's 3rd congre ...
, McAdams introduced legislation that would make projects like FrontRunner
''FrontRunner'' is a Commuter rail in North America, commuter railway operated by the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) that runs along the Wasatch Front in north-central Utah with service from Ogden Central station in central Weber County, Utah, ...
eligible for federal funding—in FrontRunner's case, by installing more miles of double track to increase service.
McAdams does not support the Green New Deal
The Green New Deal (GND) calls for public policy to address climate change, along with achieving other social aims like job creation, economic growth, and reducing economic inequality.
The name refers to the New Deal, a set of changes and ...
; he has said he has "some concerns and oesn'thave a lot of confidence in big heavy-handed government programs". Instead he has said he wants to see "government working hand-in-hand with the private sector" to harness "the creativity and entrepreneurship of the private sector... to solve hecrisis" of climate change. McAdams believes in "the threat of climate change", which he says is "real... and we are seeing it... in Utah". McAdams voted for a bill to block the Trump administration from leaving the Paris Agreement
The Paris Agreement (also called the Paris Accords or Paris Climate Accords) is an international treaty on climate change that was signed in 2016. The treaty covers climate change mitigation, adaptation, and finance. The Paris Agreement was ...
. He was the only member of the Utah congressional delegation to do so. In August 2019, McAdams called climate change "the greatest challenge of our time", calling for bipartisan efforts to address it, and for Utah to be a leader in those efforts.
Gun policy
McAdams has said that he used guns frequently growing up as recreation and supports the Second Amendment
The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...
but believes in more responsible gun ownership laws. McAdams owns several firearms for recreational use.
In February 2019, McAdams voted for a bill requiring background checks for all gun buyers. All of Utah's other representatives voted against it. At the same time, he voted for a Republican-backed amendment requiring Immigration and Customs Enforcement
The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from transnational crime and ille ...
to be notified when an illegal immigrant attempts to buy a firearm and is caught during the background check. McAdams also voted against a Democratic-sponsored measure to extend the waiting period to buy a firearm from 3 days to 10 days. He stated: "as a supporter of the Second Amendment, I believe most gun owners are responsible, law-abiding citizens. ... Adding more bureaucracy and delays for a gun buyer to navigate does not improve the background check system".
Healthcare
While Salt Lake County mayor, McAdams called for Congress to make fixes to the Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and informally as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...
(also known as Obamacare) instead of repealing it. He had previously called on Congress to renew the Children's Health Insurance Program
The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) – formerly known as the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) – is a program administered by the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides matching funds to ...
(CHIP) after its funding lapsed in September 2017.
McAdams does not support a "Medicare-for-all" type plan, saying he doesn't think it is an approach that would "work for isconstituents".
Immigration
McAdams has called for comprehensive immigration reform that includes secured borders, increased legal immigration, and a permanent solution for participants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is a Immigration policy of the United States, United States immigration policy that allows some individuals who, on June 15, 2012, were physically present in the United States with no lawful immigra ...
(DACA) program, also known as Dreamers. He also supports the principles in the Utah Compact.
During the 2018 election campaign, McAdams opposed President Trump's plans to build a wall on the southern U.S. border with Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. During the 2018–19 government shutdown, McAdams said he could accept additional border protection funding, potentially including a wall, if it were part of a compromise bill that included immigration reform and "a fix for the Dreamers and DACA". The government shutdown had centered on Trump's demands for additional funds to construct a wall and the unwillingness of House Democrats to agree to it.
McAdams has expressed strong concern to the Trump administration about its plan to rescind visas for immediate family members of H-1B legal immigrants. H-1B visa holders are skilled workers who immigrate with company sponsorship. H-4 visas, which the plan would affect, are issued to their spouses and children under 21.
LGBT rights
McAdams supports same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
. After the Supreme Court ruled in ''Obergefell v. Hodges
''Obergefell v. Hodges'', ( ), is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court which ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of th ...
'' that same-sex couples have the right to marry, McAdams stated: "As Justice Kennedy stated in his opinion, 'The right of same-sex couples to marry is derived from the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of equal protection.' This decision enshrines what I've long believed—that all families should be treated equally under the law".
In 2019, McAdams voted for the Equality Act, which would legally prohibit discrimination
Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...
on the basis of sexual orientation
Sexual orientation is an enduring personal pattern of romantic attraction or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. Patterns ar ...
and gender identity
Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent and consistent with the in ...
in employment
Employment is a relationship between two party (law), parties Regulation, regulating the provision of paid Labour (human activity), labour services. Usually based on a employment contract, contract, one party, the employer, which might be a cor ...
, housing
Housing refers to a property containing one or more Shelter (building), shelter as a living space. Housing spaces are inhabited either by individuals or a collective group of people. Housing is also referred to as a human need and right to ...
, public accommodations
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...
, public education
A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...
, federal funding, credit
Credit (from Latin verb ''credit'', meaning "one believes") is the trust which allows one party to provide money or resources to another party wherein the second party does not reimburse the first party immediately (thereby generating a debt) ...
, and the jury system. Despite his vote, McAdams has stated he "do s't think it's perfect" and supports continued dialogue and refinement of the bill.
Donald Trump's 1st term
Before the Trump–Ukraine scandal, McAdams had been cautious about the prospect of impeaching President Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
, or opposed it outright. For instance, after the Mueller investigation, McAdams said, "if the Mueller report supports the conclusion that no additional criminal matters are unresolved, then it is time for the country and the Congress to move on".
After the whistleblower complaint was released to the public, McAdams expressed support for an impeachment inquiry. He said an inquiry was necessary because Trump had "refus dto further cooperate with congressional oversight, without an impeachment inquiry". On December 18, 2019, McAdams voted for both articles of impeachment against Trump. Two days earlier, he had announced his intention to vote for impeachment, saying, "for me, the evidence is clear" that Trump attempted to undermine the 2020 presidential election by soliciting aid from Ukraine to help his own reelection efforts. McAdams considered the impeachment vote a choice between "two really bad options". A poll of McAdams's constituents taken shortly before the vote found that 42% were more likely to support McAdams if he voted for impeachment, and 37% were less likely.
McAdams criticized Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia Pelosi ( ; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who was the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 2007 to 2011 an ...
for ripping up her copy of Trump's 2020 State of the Union Address. McAdams called the action "very disappointing" and said "we have a lot of things to celebrate" about the Trump administration, including the economy and jobs.
Electoral history
Personal life
McAdams is one of six children. He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
(LDS Church), and served a mission to Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
in the mid-1990s. McAdams and his wife, Julie, have four children.
During the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, McAdams announced he had tested positive for COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
on March 18, 2020. He was the second sitting member of Congress to test positive, after Mario Díaz-Balart
Mario Rafael Díaz-Balart y Caballero ( ; born September 25, 1961) is an American politician serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Florida's 26th congressional district. A member of the Republican Party ...
earlier that day. On March 22, McAdams announced that he had been hospitalized since March 20 due to a "severe shortness of breath" related to COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
. He was released from the hospital on March 28.
See also
* Politics of Utah
* List of United States representatives from Utah
* United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:McAdams, Ben
1974 births
Latter Day Saints from Utah
Columbia Law School alumni
Davis Polk & Wardwell lawyers
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Utah
Lawyers from New York City
Living people
Mayors of Salt Lake County, Utah
People from Davis County, Utah
University of Utah alumni
Utah lawyers
Democratic Party Utah state senators
21st-century Utah politicians
21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives
21st-century members of the Utah Legislature