WASHINGTON, July 21 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, ranking Republican member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news release on July 20: Today, Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Mich.), the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, released the following statements after the amendment they offered to add the Improve Well-Being for Veterans Act to H.R. 6395,  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- The House Education and Labor subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education issued the following testimony by Tennessee Commissioner of Education Penny Schwinn, at a hearing entitled "Underfunded and Unprepared: Examining How to Overcome Obstacles to Safely Reopen Public Schools" on July 23: I very much appreciate the opportunity to share Tennessee's story and the incredible work that continues to be done by our districts, educators, and department   more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- The House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education issued the following hearing information: "Underfunded & Unprepared: Examining How to Overcome Obstacles to Safely Reopen Public Schools" at 2175 Rayburn House Office Building at 10:15 a.m. on July 23: Agenda Public access via the Committee's website and social media channels. Witnesses: * Michael Hinojosa, Ed.D., Superintendent, Dallas Independent School District, Dallas,  more

WASHINGTON, July 21 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, ranking Republican member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following statement on July 20 after the House unanimously sent three bipartisan bills to better support servicemembers, veterans and blind and severely disabled individuals to the President Trump's desk: Dr. Roe sponsored each of the bills the House passed and recently joined Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, ranking Republican member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following statement on July 24 after the House passed the omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 7608), which would allocate an unprecedented $12.5 billion dollars in emergency funding to the Department of Veterans Affairs: "It is deeply concerning that House Democrats advanced a bill today that would allocate more than 12 billion dollars in taxpayer funds irresponsibly d  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Timothy Burchett, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement regarding the National Defense Authorization Act: "This year's NDAA started out as a good bill, but the hundreds of amendments that were added made the original product unrecognizable. "Millions of taxpayer dollars were tacked onto the already expensive legislation to fund partisan priorities unrelated to our national defense. I hope the Senate strips out the big government pork that's been piled on this  more

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee, July 20 -- Rep. Timothy Burchett, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement on the death of Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia: "John Lewis will forever hold a special place in our nation's history as a leader in the Civil Rights Movement and the United States Congress. He lived an incredible life full of courage and integrity. This country owes Representative Lewis an enormous amount of gratitude, and I am praying for his family tonight."  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Timothy Burchett, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (TN-02) voted in favor of the Great American Outdoors Act. This legislation, spearheaded by Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), focuses on preserving federal lands including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. "The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a key part of our local economy in East Tennessee, attracting tourists from across the nation - and world - to visit  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Rep. Stephen Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following statement: Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced that the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) will receive a grant of $342,000 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for research on gastrointestinal dysfunction. * * * "I'm pleased our medical school researchers can continue their important work on the scourge of diabetes, which is so devastating to communities   more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) applauded the inclusion of his priorities in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a measure providing for our national defense in the fiscal year that begins October 1. The measure, which passed the House 295 to 125 and for which Congressman Cohen voted, includes language that authorizes a $2 million multi-drone/multi-sensor intelligence program that will be housed   more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Rep. Stephen Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following statement on 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act: "I have long supported the Americans with Disabilities Act that has opened vistas of opportunity to so many people over the last 30 years. "I was a cosponsor of the state ADA when I was a Tennessee state senator in the '90s and have been a strong supporter as a Congressman. Having experienced polio as a child, I became well acquainted with disabilit  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, chaired a hearing on press freedom in the United States. Congressman Cohen noted that, according to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, there have been more than 500 attacks on journalists during Black Lives Matter protests since May 26. Congressman Cohen also expresse  more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation, today wrote to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Chairman Peter DeFazio of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Rick Larsen to express his concern about the misguided formula for airport relief authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Rep. Stephen Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following statement: Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, introduced the Citizen Participation Act, which would make it easier to dismiss frivolous lawsuits brought to intimidate individuals because of their speech. The Citizens Participation Act would help to stop Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) actions. In m  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, July 20 -- Rep. Stephen Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following statement on the death of Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia: "America has lost a hero. "I have lost a hero, a dear friend, a 'good trouble' cohort and colleague. "It has been an honor to know and serve with this gentleman. "He was the embodiment of Dr. King, Mahatma Gandhi, and heaven on earth."  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) spoke from the House floor about amendments he has supported in this year's annual spending bills, including a prohibition on federal spending at Trump-owned businesses that he has introduced in previous Congresses. Congressman Cohen also spoke in favor of amendments to a spending bill that would treat horses more humanely. In his remarks on his amendments prohibiting uncon  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Congressman Steve Cohen voted to pass H.R. 1957, the Great American Outdoors Act, to provide permanent, full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and establish the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund. This legislation, which passed the Senate last month, builds on the progress made by last year's John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act. The Great  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) voted for legislation to remove all Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol and to replace the bust of Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney with a bust of Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court. Taney wrote the majority opinion in the Dred Scott v. Sanford case on March 6, 1857, which argued that African Americans were not   more

WASHINGTON, July 20 -- Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tennessee, issued the following statement on July 18 regarding the death of Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia: "I'd never met a living Saint until I met John Lewis. He lived the virtues of humility, empathy and kindness more than anyone alive today. "He also dearly loved Nashville from his school days at American Baptist and Fisk. "He learned his activism here and the radical strategy of non-violence taught by Rev. James Lawson. "We are still far from the B  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release on July 22: Rep. Jim Cooper (TN-05) sent a letter to Committee Chair Sen. Roy Blunt and Ranking Member Sen. Amy Klobuchar requesting answers to voter suppression tactics enforced by the Secretary of State Tre Hargett's office. Cooper sent the letter in advance of Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett's scheduled appearance before the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration today at 10:30AM ET/9:30AM   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 22 -- Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: At a news conference, Rep. Jim Cooper announced how CARES Act funds were allocated in Davidson, Dickson, and Cheatham Counties. The $2.5 trillion CARES Act is the largest relief bill in U.S. history. It was signed into law in March but there has been little transparency on how funds were distributed within congressional districts despite congressional efforts to monitor the funds. The largest shar  more

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee, July 20 -- Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement on the death of Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia: "Words cannot adequately describe the grief I feel learning of the passing of Congressman John Lewis. While I had the honor of serving alongside him in Congress for nearly a decade, John's legacy extends far beyond the halls of Congress. A leader, a freedom fighter, and a man of faith, John exemplified the very best of what America is and what every   more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement after voting for the Great American Outdoors Act (H.R. 1957): "Our national parks and public lands deserve to be taken care of so they can be enjoyed by future generations. While this bill is by no means perfect, I'm proud to support its passage and send it to the President for his signature. "A major reason I supported this legislation, and one of the best ideas the Trump administration has proposed, is using t  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, ranking Republican member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news release: Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), the Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, along with Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kans.), the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.), the Ranking Member of th  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Representatives Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, and Terri Sewell (AL-07) led a letter from the entire Alabama Congressional Delegation and Washington's Congressional delegate to Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, asking that U.S. Highway 80 be named the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Highway. Representatives Cohen and Sewell also   more

WASHINGTON, July 21 -- Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: U.S. Reps. David Kustoff (R-TN) and Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) introduced bipartisan legislation to modernize the real estate appraisal licensing system. The Portal for Appraisal Licensing Act establishes a nationwide licensing system for real estate appraisers that will improve the appraisal regulatory structure, reduce cost, and eliminate red tape. "Today, I introduced the Portal for Appraisal Licensing Act,  more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) proposed that 43 million student loan borrowers be able to continue deferring monthly payments after October 1 if they have no income. "In March, Congress deferred student loan payments for six months, but without congressional action, payments will resume starting October 1," Alexander said today on the Senate floor. "October 1 is just aro  more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following news release on July 21: Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) proposed today that 43 million student loan borrowers be able to continue deferring monthly payments after October 1 if they have no income. "In March, Congress deferred student loan payments for six months, but without congressional action, payments will resu  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) cosponsored the "School Choice Now Act," legislation introduced by committee member Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), saying the bill will give families "more options for their children's education at a time that school is more important than ever. "All parents, regardless of income or circumstance, should be able to decide which school best meets th  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following news release: Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) cosponsored the "School Choice Now Act," legislation introduced by committee member Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), saying the bill will give families "more options for their children's education at a time that school is more important than ever." "All parents, regardless of in  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Great American Outdoors Act by an overwhelming 310-107 bipartisan vote. The Senate passed the legislation 73-25 on June 17, and the bill now heads to the president's desk to be signed into law. The legislation includes the "Restore Our Parks Act" that Alexander first introduced in 2  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: United States Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) released the following statement after the Senate passed by an overwhelming vote of 86 to 14, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which establishes the nation's military spending priorities for troops, including those at Fort Campbell, and supports important U.S. Department of Energy national security programs at the Y-12 National Security Compl  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: The Senate Education Committee Chairman published a webpage featuring a collection of resources to assist the efforts of states and local school districts and private schools to reopen schools safely in the fall, including federal guidance, health organization guidance, links to state plans, best practices, and articles on the importance of having children in classrooms. Senate education committee Chai  more

WASHINGTON, July 21 -- Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) urged the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate reports that multiple scientific journals have withdrawn from publication more than a dozen papers written by Chinese researchers due to concerns about their scientific integrity. "As we learn more about the novel coronavirus responsible for the current pandemic, it is imperative that research be above repr  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: The NBA has responded to Senator Marsha Blackburn's (R-Tenn.) concerns about the league's relationship with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and, for the first time, announced the closure of its controversial training facilities in Xinjiang, one of the world's worst humanitarian zones. According to NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, the relationship with the Xinjiang basketball academy has been effec  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Congressional School Choice Caucus co-chair, introduced the School Choice Now Act - legislation that ensures all students will return to their pre-pandemic educational institutions. Senator Scott was joined by Senate Education Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN). "Growing up in a single-parent household in a distressed neighborhood, I fully understand what it mean  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Congressional School Choice Caucus co-chair, introduced the School Choice Now Act - legislation that ensures all students will return to their pre-pandemic educational institutions. Senator Scott was joined by Senate Education Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN). "Growing up in a single-paren  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following news release on July 22: The Senate Education Committee Chairman today published a webpage featuring a collection of resources to assist the efforts of states and local school districts and private schools to reopen schools safely in the fall, including federal guidance, health organization guidance, links to state plans, best practices, and arti  more

WASHINGTON, July 21 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following news release on July 20: Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today introduced the Preparing for the Next Pandemic Act -- legislation that will maintain sufficient onshore manufacturing for tests, treatments and vaccines, and rebuild state and federal stockpiles of supplies like masks and ventilators. "In this internet age,  more

WASHINGTON, July 21 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) introduced the Preparing for the Next Pandemic Act -- legislation that will maintain sufficient onshore manufacturing for tests, treatments and vaccines, and rebuild state and federal stockpiles of supplies like masks and ventilators. "In this internet age, attention spans are short," Alexander said on the Senate floor. "Even with an event as s  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- The Senate Rules and Administration Committee issued the following testimony by Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett at a hearing entitled "2020 General Election Preparations" on July 22: You and your colleagues are in my prayers during this challenging time for our nation and our world. I appreciate your service to our great nation. While I don't speak for each Secretary of State or chief election official in our country, I express our appreciation for the election-  more

WASHINGTON, July 21 -- Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) introduced the Civil Justice for Victims of COVID Act to allow Americans to sue China in federal court for its role in causing the coronavirus pandemic. This legislation incorporates previous efforts to hold the Chinese Communis  more