Utah Gov. Cox says state ‘must build’ to keep living up to its motto: industry

Gov. Spencer Cox delivers his 2025 State of the State address in the House chamber at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Pool photo by Isaac Hale/Deseret News)

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox issued a call to action in his annual State of the State speech in front of lawmakers at the Utah Capitol on Thursday. “Now is a time for building.”

He painted a bleak picture of today’s United States, saying Americans have strayed from what made the U.S. a world leader for much of the 20th century — in “infrastructure, housing and technology.” 

“We built roads, bridges, and homes at an unprecedented pace. We harnessed our industrial might to win world wars and stop fascism. We stood as a bulwark against communism,” Cox said. “Strong families, neighborhoods and communities were the foundation of this era of growth.”

But over the past two decades or so, he said “a tragic gap has formed between American ideals and our actions.” 

“Negativity and inertia have replaced America’s culture of building,” Cox said. 

“We stopped building infrastructure, as a tangle of overregulation, outdated permitting processes, and entrenched NIMBYism fed by special interests and bureaucracies block the projects we desperately need,” he said. 

“We stopped building technology — ceding far too much of our manufacturing, industry, critical minerals and energy production to our adversaries.

“And, worst of all, we stopped building resilient people,” Cox continued. “For decades, families have been under attack. The mental and physical health of our teens is threatened daily by large social media companies. Our national birth rate is in steep decline, and demographic concerns now present one of the gravest threats to our shared future, all while deaths of despair have skyrocketed.”

However, Cox said Utah offers hope. Though “there are those who would see us turn into what so many parts of the country have become, where ambition and building have died,” the governor said that’s not happening in Utah.

“Not here. At least not yet. Utah is still an outlier,” he said, hearkening back to a theme in his State of the State speech last year. “Utah has stayed weird. In the best way.” 

The governor rehashed Utah’s history, how when Latter-day Saint pioneers first came to settle in the area, the Salt Lake Valley was known as a “barren wasteland” that was “arid, untamed, and unforgiving.”  

“And yet, almost 180 years later, our Utah desert has pulled off the most miraculous upset,” Cox said. “The land has blossomed as promised, our home has become the envy of the earth, and a world-wide destination.” 

Cox credited Utah’s evolution to builders. “Our ancestors irrigated farms, excavated minerals, built homes and neighborhoods, powered cities, and connected this continent by rail,” he said. “In the face of adversity, they built. They built here.”

Cox said from the “thousands of conversations” he’s had with Utahns across the state, “I know this: Utah is not done dreaming. We’re not done doing big things. And we’re not done building.” 

However, during a time when Utah’s unaffordable housing prices are a top concern for Utah voters, growth pressures also aggravate neighborhoods. Cox acknowledged this. 

“I recognize that when I talk about building, some people get a little nervous,” he said. “Some might even argue that we’ve blossomed a little too much. I often hear valid concerns about our growth.” 

Cox cited a headline from Utah’s oldest newspaper, the Deseret News, that warned the state’s resources were “unable to support” more growth. 

“In that article, experts and civil engineers made it clear that Utah just doesn’t have enough water to sustain more growth and they forcefully cautioned of a ‘rebuke by nature’ and threat of significant loss,” Cox said. 

He let that sink in before revealing that Deseret News headline was printed decades ago, in 1942, “when our population was 580,000 people.” 

“So, how is it possible that our state added an additional three million people, six times more than in 1942 while also improving the quality of life?” Cox said. “And is it possible to do it again? While the answer is simple, it’s not necessarily easy.” 

So, Cox said, “we must build.” He said history shows that Utahns, “when we are united and act together, we have always found a way past pessimistic prognostications.”

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“For 180 years and counting, Utahns have been building our way out of problems, even when things looked impossible,” he said. 

The governor urged legislators to join him in “bold action — and building — in five key areas”:

• Housing attainability: “We are reforming the regulatory regime, supporting more single-family construction, and fast-tracking approval processes,” Cox said, pointing to his administration’s Utah First Home program’s goal to build 35,000 starter homes in five years. “The greatest generation did this after World War II. We can do it again.” He thanked a pair of lawmakers — Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, R-South Jordan, and Rep. Stephen Whyte, R-Mapleton — for leading out on another slate of bills expected to encourage cities to build more “attainable” homes. He said housing will “surely be the defining issue of the next several decades.”

• Energy abundance: “We’re laying groundwork for advanced nuclear reactors while protecting national security by building capacity to be a net energy exporter through Operation Gigawatt,” Cox said, referring to his administration’s plans to double energy production in Utah over the next decade. “Together we will unleash Utah’s immense energy resources and drive prices down, all while making our grid more secure and reliable.”

• Infrastructure and permitting reform: “We recently celebrated the construction phase of a new transmission line — that the federal government took 15 years to approve,” Cox said, referring to the 732-mile TransWest Express high voltage transmission line that runs from Rawlins, Wyoming, to Delta, Utah, to south of Las Vegas. Cox blamed federal regulations for the delays, but with President Donald Trump back in office, he said, “fortunately, we finally have a federal administration willing to work with us to fix this national embarrassment. In the meantime, we will continue to lead the nation by streamlining Utah’s processes while maintaining environmental stewardship

• Community safety and support: “We’re implementing public safety reforms that balance accountability with compassion,” Cox said, pointing to state leaders’ goals to increase enforcement — and “healing” — in the state’s homeless system. He also applauded efforts to position Utah to help Trump’s administration crack down on deportations, applauding House Majority Whip Karianne Lisonbee, R-Clearfield, with leading out on a suit of public safety and immigration bills. He said her efforts demonstrate “we can have both security and dignity, and we are not shy in declaring that is what all Utahns deserve.”

• Family strength: Cox again urged lawmakers to back him in his call to eradicate Utah’s tax on Social Security benefits, saying “it’s a bit embarrassing” that Utah is one of only eight states that still have the tax. “I am determined to see this tax eliminated, putting money back into the pockets of our beloved senior Utahns,” he said. “It’s time. Check that — it’s way past time.” He also applauded Utah’s ongoing legal fights with social media companies, saying Utah has “led a weary nation in protecting” kids from “predatory social media practices.” 

Today, Cox said Utah faces a “fork in the road.” 

“We can either press forward with our pioneer spirit, our grit, our industry and our faith, and build the next chapter of Utah’s story — or we can be washed away in the negative, nationwide malaise of dysfunction.” 

Democrats respond

In response to Cox’s speech, the Utah Legislature’s top Democratic leaders issued a joint video-taped message saying the minority in Utah’s Republican-controlled Legislature remains “committed to protecting the rights and dignity of all Utahns, not just some.”

“We will push back on reactionary policies that are punitive to working families and will fight for solutions that uplift all communities and address the real challenges Utahns face every day,” Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, said. “We will safeguard the constitutional rights of Utahns, ensuring their due process, freedom of speech, and values that our state and nation are built upon.”

House Minority Leader Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, encouraged Utahns to get involved during the 2025 legislative session, which runs until March 7, by attending committee meetings — in person or remotely. 

“Your involvement is essential as we push back against the extreme policies that have impacted our state in recent years,” Romero said. 

Referring to some lawmakers exploring possible changes to Utah’s judicial system, Escamilla said Democrats are “committed to protecting the judiciary, ensuring it remains independent and fair.”

“By standing up against efforts to weaken judicial power, we aim to preserve Utah’s democratic values and the rule of law,” Escamilla said. 

While Utah leaders move to expand energy production, Romero said it’s “crucial for Utah to invest in renewable energy sources.

“By harnessing the power of wind, solar, and geothermal energy — not further investing in coal-fired power plants — we can reduce our dependence on diminishing resources while protecting our environment, and creating a resilient sustainable energy infrastructure for generations to come.”

Escamilla and Romero also urged Utah to do more to address the rising cost of living, housing prices, homelessness and a lack of mental health resources. 

“As the Legislature, it’s our responsibility to provide the proper resources, not to let communities and people suffer,” Romero said. “Rather than criminalizing those among us who are experiencing homelessness. We must break the cycle of housing instability, incarceration, trauma, and addiction.”

Romero also urged lawmakers not to restrict voting by mail, saying legislation “could threaten this system, making it harder for many to vote.” 

“We will protect our elections and fight efforts to limit voting access, while continuing to champion policies that uphold democratic values,” she said. 

Escamilla said Democrats, while lawmakers debate efforts to increase public safety, are “committed to evidence-based, data-driven approaches and collaborative practices with law enforcement to ensure safety for all.” 

However, Escamilla said “conflating public safety with immigration is misguided.” 

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“Our national immigration crisis needs to be solved by Congress,” Escamilla said. “As we continue to work through public safety challenges through proven, effective strategies, we will not be taking the easy road of scapegoating or blaming one community for the collective issues we face. We will confront all public safety issues with meaningful solutions, not by leveraging them for political advantage.”

Romero said many Utahns are worried about fallout from Trump’s looming mass deportation policies. She urged Utah leaders to “uphold fairness and compassion, protecting the rights of all residents regardless of status.” 

“Utah has long been a place of opportunity and inclusion,” she said. “Our policies must reflect these values, ensure justice and respect for everyone.”

Escamilla also urged lawmakers — as they debate sweeping budget cuts in the public higher education system while also moving ahead with a controversial Utah Fits All scholarship program that allows taxpayer funds to go to private school tuition — to prioritize fully funding education. 

“We are committed to investing in public education, opposing vouchers that serve only a few, and supporting our colleges and universities as they shape Utah’s future leaders and innovators,” Escamilla said. “Investing in education is investing in Utah’s future.”

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