Burgess Owens dossier →

• Personal bankruptcy and student loan forgiveness hypocrisy 867 days silent
  Expected position: As chair of the Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee, Owens would be expected to address the contradiction between his five personal bankruptcies ($1.5M discharged) and his vocal opposition to student debt relief for ordinary Americans. Evidence of activity on adjacent topics: Owens led a hearing attacking Biden's student debt forgiveness plan in March 2023, calling it an 'illegal scheme.' During this period, he was highly active — issuing press releases, signing amicus briefs, and giving podcast interviews. In a 2025 podcast, he told borrowers to 'get a second job.' However, when confronted about his own $1.5 million in discharged debt through bankruptcy, Owens' office did not respond to requests for comment. The Salt Lake Tribune noted he called student debt forgiveness 'unconstitutional' while having personally benefited from debt discharge. Primary URL: https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2023/03/21/rep-burgess-owens-lead/
• Absence from in-person town halls — Democrats held town hall in his place 131 days silent
  Expected position: As the representative for 872,000 Utahns, Owens would be expected to hold open, in-person town halls accessible to all constituents regardless of party affiliation, especially in a competitive district. Evidence of activity on adjacent topics: In July 2025, Democrats held a town hall in Owens' district because he was absent. The Utah Democratic Party chair said Utah's all-Republican delegation was 'not basically willing to receive information in a town hall setting from their constituents.' Earlier in 2025, GOP Reps. Maloy and Kennedy faced rowdy crowds at their town halls. Owens' office did not respond to multiple requests for comment on key votes, including the Big Beautiful Bill. Despite this, Owens remained active on social media promoting his legislative work. Primary URL: https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/rep-owens-absent-democrats-hold-utah-town-hall-his-place
• No response to comment on Big Beautiful Bill vote affecting 188,000 Utahns 0 days silent
  Expected position: As Utah's 4th District representative, Owens would be expected to explain his vote for a bill projected to cause 188,000 Utahns to lose health coverage. Evidence of activity on adjacent topics: The Salt Lake Tribune reported that 'Maloy and Owens did not respond to requests for comment on their votes and the bill's passage, but took to social media to celebrate.' Owens posted on X that he 'proudly voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill to deliver historic relief to families, students, workers, and seniors.' He did not address the projected coverage losses in his public statement. Primary URL: https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2025/07/03/big-beautiful-bill-utahns-us-house/
• other candidates' committees
  Interested donors: Huck PAC
  Huck PAC (amounts: $5,000 (2024)) — interest area: other candidates' committees
• ideological & single-issue
  Interested donors: Black America'S Political Action Committee
  Black America'S Political Action Committee (amounts: $5,000 (2024)) — interest area: ideological & single-issue
• colleagues' leadership pacs
  Interested donors: Eye Of The Tiger PAC, Tomorrow Is Meaningful PAC, Electing Majority Making Effective Republicans (Emmer PAC), Americans For Legislating Excellence PAC, Support Taxfighters & Elect Effective Leaders PAC, Raptor PAC
  Eye Of The Tiger PAC, Tomorrow Is Meaningful PAC, Electing Majority Making Effective Republicans (Emmer PAC), Americans For Legislating Excellence PAC, Support Taxfighters & Elect Effective Leaders PAC, Raptor PAC (amounts: $5,000 (2024), $5,000 (2024), $5,000 (2024), $5,000 (2024), $5,000 (2026), $5,000 (2026)) — interest area: colleagues' leadership pacs
• other / unclassified
  Interested donors: USA Farmworker PAC, American Revival PAC
  USA Farmworker PAC, American Revival PAC (amounts: $9,000 (2024), $5,000 (2024)) — interest area: other / unclassified
• corporate pacs, industry unlisted
  Interested donors: Western Alliance Of Farmworker Advocates PAC, Professional Compounding Centers Of America Political Action Committee (Pcca PAC), Slm Corporation PAC (Sallie Mae PAC)
  Western Alliance Of Farmworker Advocates PAC, Professional Compounding Centers Of America Political Action Committee (Pcca PAC), Slm Corporation PAC (Sallie Mae PAC) (amounts: $9,000 (2024), $5,500 (2024), $5,000 (2024)) — interest area: corporate pacs, industry unlisted

• H.R. 8404 ↗ PRESENT 2022-12-08
  Respect for Marriage Act — Federal protection for same-sex and interracial marriages; codifies marriage equality with religious liberty protections
  why contradicted?

  [reversal] Owens was the only member of the entire House (out of 428 voting) to vote 'present' — having previously voted yes in July. He was the sole Utah Republican not to support final passage. His op-ed framed the vote as a 'warning beacon' against progressive ideology.
• H.R. 3967 ↗ NAY 2022-07-13
  Honoring Our PACT Act — Expanded VA healthcare and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits and other toxic substances during military service
  why contradicted?

  [against_constituent] Owens joined all three other Utah Republican House members in voting against the PACT Act. One year later, over 111,000 disabled veterans were receiving expanded benefits. The bill passed 256-174 with bipartisan support. Owens faced constituent backlash in a veterans-heavy state.
• H.R. 1319 ↗ NAY 2021-03-10
  American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 — $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief including $1,400 stimulus checks, expanded child tax credit, enhanced unemployment benefits
  why contradicted?

  [against_constituent] Owens voted against pandemic relief for his constituents during the COVID-19 crisis. UT-04's poverty rate of 4.3% masks income inequality — Hispanic children in the district experience an 11% poverty rate — and many families depended on the expanded child tax credit and stimulus payments.

No documented broken promises on file.

• reversal SCORE 90
  Owens campaigned on a 'full repeal' of the Affordable Care Act, then quietly removed that language from his website in September 2020 and launched a 'facts' section claiming any suggestion he wanted to repeal the ACA was 'false' — a documented flip-flop that his opponent characterized as trying to have it 'both ways' on healthcare in a swing district.
• statement_vs_disclosure SCORE 90
  Owens declared that 'debt cannot be canceled' while leading hearings against student loan forgiveness, yet he himself had approximately $1.5 million in personal debts legally discharged through five bankruptcy filings. Ranking Member Rep. Frederica Wilson called out the 'hypocrisy of the Republicans on the committee for their support of tax cuts for the wealthy, bailouts for banks, the auto industry and PPP loans, but not hardworking students.'
• reversal SCORE 60
  Owens voted yes on the Respect for Marriage Act in July 2022 but then became the only member of the entire House to vote 'present' on final passage in December, a de facto flip that he attributed to concerns about insufficient religious liberty protections for individuals. The other three Utah Republicans all maintained their yes votes.