WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The office of Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: United States Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today said Bill Kilbride is "one step away" from being confirmed by the Senate to serve as a member of the TVA Board of Directors after the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works approved his nomination today. "Bill is an accomplished businessman and has provided strong leadership to his community as CEO of the Chattanooga Chamber   more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The office of Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: United States Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today said President Trump and Congress are working together to address the humanitarian crisis at our southern border. "President Trump is right to address the humanitarian crisis on the Southern border, and this is exactly the right way to go about doing it - identifying a problem and proposing a solution, then asking Congress for the fund  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 14 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: United States Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today told members of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) and the Tennessee Judicial Conference (TJC) the story of how three Tennesseans have been heroic in confronting dilemmas involving the rule of law. The TBA today awarded Alexander with its President's Award, recognizing his lifetime of public service, and the TJC presented Alexander with i  more

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- The office of Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Today, Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduced S. 1936, the Protecting Access to Lifesaving Screenings (PALS) Act of 2019, to postpone recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) that would limit access to breast cancer screening for women in their 40s. It would continue the moratorium on the USPSTF recommendations, which Co  more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Rep. Benjamin Cline, R-Virginia, issued the following news release: Congressman Ben Cline (R-Virginia) and House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law Chairman David Cicilline (D-Rhode Island), along with House Judiciary Ranking Member Doug Collins (R-Georgia) and Congressman Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee), introduced H.R. 3311, the Small Business Reorganization Act, on Tuesday, June 18. The bill would simplify the process for small businesses   more

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: * * * - Effort to prevent violation of domestic emoluments clause * * * Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) applauded House passage of his amendment to the State and Foreign Operations spending bill that would prohibit certain federal departments and agencies from spending taxpayer dollars at Trump-owned businesses. The vote was 231 to 187. Congressman Cohen made the following statement: "I believe that Pr  more

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) will be receiving $699,999 from the Department of Health and Human Services for its advanced nursing training program. UTHSC has received $8,165,704 in federal grants so far this year. Congressman Cohen made the following statement: "Nursing training is a critical element in the delivery of quali  more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that the University of Memphis will be receiving $199,673 from the National Science Foundation to underwrite research by Mechanical Engineering Professor Ranganathan Gopalakrishnan on "dusty plasmas." Dusty plasmas are low temperature plasmas with charged microparticles suspended in them. Congressman Cohen made the following statement: "Research in mechanica  more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: * * * - Supports creation of a commission to recommend remedies to the nation's "original sin" * * * Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), the Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, today presided over a hearing on "H.R. 40 and the Path to Restorative Justice." In his opening statement, Chairman Cohen said: "An honest reckoning with the federal go  more

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: * * * - Elicits testimony that President Trump's willingness to accept foreign opposition research, and acting on it, would violate the law * * * Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, today questioned election law and Russian intelligence experts about conclusions drawn by Special Counsel Robert Mueller in his review of Russian meddling in the 2016 elections.   more

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: * * * - Subcommittee to focus on the path to restorative justice * * * Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, will preside at a hearing Wednesday on H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act, and the Path to Restorative Justice. The 10 a.m. hearing at 2141 Raybu  more

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: * * * - Permits veterans to avoid "means test" when filing for bankruptcy * * * Congressmen Steve Cohen (TN-09) and Ben Cline (VA-06) introduced the National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Extension Act to ensure that certain members of the National Guard and Reserves who fall on hard economic times after their military service will continue to obtain bankruptcy relief without having to fill out the su  more

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a report on the National Nuclear Security Administration's high explosive capabilities specific to nuclear weapons. The report (GAO-19-449) is titled "Nuclear Weapons: Additional Actions Could Help Improve Management of Activities Involving Explosive Materials". The report was sent to Sen. James M. Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, chairman, Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Lamar   more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, ranking Republican member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news release: Today, Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.), Rep. Mark Takano (D-Cali.), Ranking Member and Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, along with Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, introduced a resolution to designat  more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Today, a bipartisan group of House members introduced the Locking Up Robocallers Act of 2019, which directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to provide evidence of unlawful robocall violations to the Attorney General. This would strengthen enforcement of current robocall laws aimed at ending the scourge of predatory robocalls. The bill was introduced by Congressman David Kustoff (R-TN), Congr  more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Today, Congressman David Kustoff (TN-08), spoke on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to express his frustration with the way Democrats on the House Rules Committee are cutting out Republican members from the Appropriations Process. The Democrat majority in the House Rules Committee chose to leave out the Congressman's bipartisan amendment that would increase funding for Tennessee to eradicat  more

WASHINGTON, June 21 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, ranking Republican member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news release: Today, Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, penned an op-ed in the Washington Examiner in honor of the 75th anniversary of the enactment of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, more commonly known as the GI Bill. Read the article here (https://republicans-veterans.house.gov/componen  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, ranking Republican member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news release: * * * - Shares personal story, thanks the American people * * * Today, Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.), the Ranking Member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, released the following video commemorating the 75th anniversary of the GI Bill: Below are Roe's remarks. Remarks as delivered: Hello, I'm Phil Roe, Congressman from the 1st Cong  more

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (TN-05) announced today the addition of two Tennesseans to his staff. Dr. Brittany-Rae Gregory, a native of Memphis, serves as press secretary for Rep. Cooper. Prior to joining Congressman Cooper's office, Gregory interned in the Obama administration and worked for Nashville-based duGard Public Relations firm. Most recently she taught in the Cathy Hughes School of Communications at Howa  more

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- Rep. Mark Green, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement on the news that Iran shot down a U.S. drone: "Iran is lashing out attacking drones and tankers because the sanctions are working. Last time they did this they were able to bluff their way into the Iran Deal - a disastrous deal Iran never signed or followed. Unlike Obama, President Trump won't back down. "Our European allies must not waver either. We need a united front against the Islamic Republic, which is th  more

WASHINGTON, June 21 -- Rep. Mark Green, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement applauding the Supreme Court's vote of 7-2 defending that a government-maintained Christian cross in the Maryland suburbs does not violate the constitution: The 40-foot Peace Cross designed by mothers of fallen soldiers in Bladensburg was erected nearly a century ago as a memorial to soldiers lost in World War I. Only the court's two most stalwart liberals, Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, diss  more

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- Rep. Mark Green, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Rep. Mark Green introduced a constitutional amendment in the U.S. House today that would require Congress to pass a balanced budget within 10 years and that budget permanently stay balanced. Rep. Green's amendment comes the same week Democrats put two appropriations bills on the U.S. House floor for a vote that balloon the deficit. The first bill passed with no bipartisan support. The second bill is expecte  more

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, issued the following floor remarks in the commemoration of American Eagle Day: "Thank you Mister Speaker. I am proud to once again rise to join in commemorating June 20, 2019, as American Eagle Day and to celebrate the recovery and restoration of the bald eagle, the national symbol of the United States. "On June 20, 1782, the eagle was designated as the national emblem of the U.S. by the Founding Fathers at the Second Continental Congress. The  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement after the Department of Health and Human Services announced a grant of $4,676,880 to Upper East Tennessee Human Development Agency's Head Start program: "It's always great to see strong investments being made to improve the lives of East Tennesseans. "This Head Start grant will help ensure children in Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington Counties have access to opportunities  more

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following opening statement at a health care costs legislative hearing: "Nearly a year ago, Dr. Brent James from the National Academies testified before our Senate health committee with a startling statistic: up to half of what the American people spend on health care may be unnecessary. "Let me repeat that: up to half of the $3.5 trillion the United States collectively spent on health care in 2017 was unnecessary. "That is   more

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement on a resolution he introduced to designate June 20 as American Eagle Day: "American Eagle Day is a day to celebrate the dramatic recovery and restoration of the bald eagle. "The bald eagle is a symbol of the spirit of freedom and sovereignty of the United States, and as a Tennessean, I am especially proud of the role the American Eagle Foundation in Pigeon Forge has played for more than thirty years in pr  more

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following news release: * * * - The Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019 contains nearly three dozen proposals from at least 16 Republican, 14 Democrat senators * * * U.S. Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said today that legislation he and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) have proposed will reduce what the American people p  more

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- The office of Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said today that legislation he and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) have proposed will reduce what the American people pay out of their own pockets for health care by ending surprise billing, creating more transparency and increasing competition to bring down drug costs. "Nearly a year ago, Dr. Brent James from the Natio  more

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- The office of Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: A Trump Administration official today told U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) that "there is no way in the world" the U.S. could address the deferred maintenance backlog at our 418 national parks without the Restore our Parks Act. "The Restore Our Parks Act, legislation that I introduced with Senators Portman, Warner, and King in February to cut in half the maintenance backlog at our   more

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- The office of Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, issued the following floor remarks about the fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act to fund the military: "As we move toward debate over the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2020, I would like to remind my colleagues that while we stand prepared to negotiate its various provisions, our military men and women stand at the ready for a much more serious task--the defense of our nation. "As we consid  more

WASHINGTON, June 20 -- The office of Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, issued the following floor statement about the VA Mission Act: "I join my colleagues today to mark the implementation of an updated and more streamlined health care system for veterans made possible by the VA MISSION Act. "Once the new structure is fully in place, members of the military community who have been neglected for far too long will finally get the attention and care they have earned. "I say "neglected," beca  more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Sen. Tom Carper, D-Delaware, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, issued the following opening statement: Today, the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) held a business meeting to consider a number of items: Robert Wallace to be assistant secretary for the Department of the Interior; William B. Kilbride to be a member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority; S. 1345, A bill to amend and re  more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following news release: * * * - Committee will vote on the Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019 on June 26 * * * Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) today introduced S.1895, the Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019 -- bipartisan legislation to deliver better health care at lower cost. Chairm  more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The office of Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) today introduced S.1895, the Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019 -- bipartisan legislation to deliver better health care at lower cost. Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Murray announced that the committee will vote on the legislation on June 26, 2019. "The single issue I hear most abo  more

WASHINGTON, June 21 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: * * * - Legislation would encourage improved training for police officers and use of independent investigation and prosecution to eliminate inherent conflicts of interest * * * U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Ed Markey (D-MA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) yesterday introduced the Senate version of the Police T  more

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Every month, more immigrants are crossing our border, worsening the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Even as Congress has agreed to provide emergency assistance to communities ravaged by natural disasters, Democrats have refused to include any assistance to help improve the situation on our southern border. Last month, in May, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountered over 144,000 migrants - twice the popula  more