WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: United States Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today urged his Senate colleagues to support the two year budget agreement announced by President Trump and congressional leaders, saying that it increases spending for our national defense, national laboratories, national parks and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which "is not the part of the federal budget that is driving our $22 trillion federa  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Today, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) joined Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to introduce a resolution commending the men and women of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection for their honorable service. "Our CBP officers have answered a call of duty far greater than the one they signed up for," Senator Blackburn said. "Instead of defending our nation's sovereignty, they  more

WASHINGTON, July 26 -- Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) joined Senators James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) to introduce legislation to restore integrity to and strengthen the asylum process by eliminating loopholes. "The crisis at our border requires immediate action," said Senator Blackburn. "We can't let traffickers and drug cartels continue to take advantage of   more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- The office of Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Today, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) questioned FBI Director Christopher Wray at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on "Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation". The Senator questioned Director Wray on the FBI's efforts to combat the opioid crisis. "The opioid crisis has really taken such a toll in Tennessee. We know now that it is more than double the deaths from homic  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- The office of Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Today, Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) introduced Transparency and Effective Accountability Measures for (TEAM) Veteran Caregivers Act to improve the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) caregiver program. The Senators serve together on the Armed Services Committee, and Senator Blackburn serves on the Veterans Affairs Committee. According to recent reports, c  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.Res. 246, a resolution Congressman Kustoff co-sponsored that expresses the sense of the House to oppose efforts to delegitimize the State of Israel and the Global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement (BDS) targeting Israel. "The passage of this resolution is a first step in fighting back against the BDS campaign. However, the House must also pass l  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Congressman David Kustoff (TN-08) joined Congressman Billy Long (MO-07) to introduce H.R. 3869, the Internet Exchange (IX) Act. This bill aims to strengthen Internet access in rural areas by promoting more Internet Exchanges across the country. Senator Blackburn introduced companion legislation, S. 1166 , in the Senate in April. "When our rural communities thrive, the whole country thrives. Unfortunatel  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Today, Congressman David Kustoff (TN-08), joined Steve Scalise (LA-01), Kevin McCarthy (CA-23), and Lee Zeldin (NY-01) to denounce Rep. Omar's pro-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. "The BDS movement is not about peace or equality. This is a dangerous and anti-Semitic organized movement that seeks to delegitimize and economically strangle Israel and her people. It is deeply   more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Today, Congressman David Kustoff (TN-08), spoke on the U.S. House floor to raise awareness on the importance of H.R. 336 and urge Speaker Pelosi to bring it to the floor for a full vote. H.R. 336, Strengthening America's Security in the Middle East Act of 2019, would take real policy action against the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The Senate companion to H.R. 336 is S.1, w  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Timothy Burchett, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Congressman Tim Burchett recently introduced the Carbon Capture Improvement Act, H.R. 3861, a bill that would provide industrial facilities and power plants a financial incentive to invest in carbon capture and storage equipment. It seeks to amend the Internal Revenue Code to authorize the issuance of tax-exempt private activity bonds, issued by local or state governments, to finance carbon capture pro  more

WASHINGTON, July 26 -- Rep. Timothy Burchett, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Congressman Tim Burchett introduced the Unmasking Antifa Act, a bill that seeks to punish, with fines and/or imprisonment for up to 15 years, any person wearing a mask or disguise while committing a crime, including threatening or intimidating another individual exercising their constitutional rights or privileges. "It's time we get tough on this issue. These cowards wouldn't act the way they do if th  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that St. Jude Children's Research Hospital will be receiving a $459,852 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for cancer cause and prevention research. Congressman Cohen made the following statement: "St. Jude is at the cutting edge of research into childhood cancers and works tirelessly toward a 100 percent survival rate for pediatric   more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- 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 a $355,579 grant from the National Science Foundation for work on a computational and data-enabled science and engineering library. Congressman Cohen made the following statement: "The University of Memphis stays at the cutting edge of science and engineering research in part because of grants like this from t  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: * * * - Widely supported animal protection measure prohibits horse soring * * * Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) applauded today's House passage of the U.S. Senator Joseph D. Tydings Memorial Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, to prohibit the intentional injury to the hooves and legs of performance walking horses such as Tennessee's iconic walking horses. The vote was 333 to 96. Congressman Cohen has  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: * * * - Aims to correct historical injustices of failed war on drugs * * * Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today joined House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler and Senator Kamala Harris of California in introducing the Marijuana Opportunity and Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act. The bill aims to correct the injustices of our failed drug policies by removing Marijuana from Schedule I in th  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: * * * - Permits veterans to avoid "means test" when filing for bankruptcy * * * Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today hailed House passage of the National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Extension Act that he introduced in June with Representatives Ben Cline (R-VA), Tim Burchett (R-TN) and Madeleine Dean (D-PA). The vote was 417 to 1. The bill ensures that certain members of the National Guard and Rese  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: * * * - School Bus Safety Act provisions endorsed by panelists * * * Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) questioned witnesses before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit hearing on "Examining the Federal Role in Improving School Bus Safety." At the outset of the hearing, Congressman Cohen noted that he and Senator Tammy Duckworth have introduced H.R. 3959, the Sch  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: * * * - Establishes Trump tried to cover up Russian interference by having Sessions "restrict the scope" of the investigation * * * Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee and Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, questioned Special Counsel Robert Mueller about President Trump's efforts to get then-Attorney General Je  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: * * * - Addresses high infant mortality rates in Memphis and across the country * * * Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today testified before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health and urged its members to hold a hearing on his bill, H.R. 117, the Nationally Enhancing the Wellbeing of Babies through Outreach and Research Now (NEWBORN) Act. See his remarks here (https://youtu.be/xpc8NxXE4j8).  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today applauded House passage of H.R. 3375, the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act, to stop abusive robocall practices. The vote was 429 to 3. The bill directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to enact strong consumer protections and empowers the FCC with tools to reign in robocalls. The bill also ensures that consumers have the ability to stop calls they have previously   more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: * * * - Implements commonsense recommendations from NTSB * * * As summer vacations draw to a close and students prepare for a new school year, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today introduced H.R. 3959, the School Bus Safety Act, to help keep students safe as they travel to and from school while also helping prevent accidents involving school buses. Their legislation wo  more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (TN-05) joined Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) to reintroduce H.R. 3830, the Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act. The bipartisan bill, which passed the House in each of the last three Congresses, would provide Americans with more information on how federal tax dollars are being spent and help eliminate duplicative and wasteful government programs. A similar measure has been introduced in the Senate by   more

WASHINGTON, July 26 -- Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tennessee, member of the House Freedom Caucus, issued the following statement after voting against the Bipartisan Budget Act: "The federal government's first responsibility is national defense. The bill continues our country's rebuilding of the military under President Trump, but like past agreements to lift budget caps, which successfully reduced federal spending levels, it incorporates the misguided notion that discretionary domestic spending mu  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03), Top Republican on the House Appropriations Homeland Security subcommittee, delivered the following opening remarks during a subcommittee hearing with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol Chief Carla Provost. Congressman Fleischmann's remarks discuss the challenges CBP agents face when addressing the crisis at our southern border. Congressman Fl  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03) issued the following statement after voting in support of H.R. 3375, the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act: "East Tennesseans are frustrated with the rise of annoying and disruptive robocalls. Worse than being an interruption to daily life, the perpetrators behind these illegal calls are often scammers trying to steal personal information. I was proud to cosponsor this   more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement after voting in support of a resolution (H.Res. 246) opposing efforts to delegitimize the State of Israel and the Global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement targeting Israel: "The BDS movement is rooted in anti-Semitic hatred and aims to undermine and isolate our greatest ally in the Middle East. Tonight, I voted for a measure to condemn this deeply disturbing anti-Israel movement. While this reso  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Mark Green, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement regarding the budget deal between the White House and Congressional leaders: "Imagine someone living far beyond their means. He receives a large income, yes, but he has a giant mortgage, a luxury vehicle, high-end clothing and expensive hobbies. His expenses far exceed his income. Year after year goes by, but he never changes his lifestyle. Debt piles up. Now he's worried about missing payments on his bills. So   more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Rep. Billy Long, R-Missouri, and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, issued the following statements on the introduction of the Internet Exchange Act (H.R. 3869): The bill aims to strengthen Internet access in rural and other underserved areas by promoting more Internet Exchanges across the country. "We need to build up and expand rural broadband infrastructure," said Rep. Long. "Too often, I hear stories of students, entrepreneurs, and families in rural areas that are u  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- 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.), the Ranking Member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, released the following statement after the House passed three bipartisan veterans' bills: "I am grateful that, before leaving for the August district work period, the House passed three bipartisan bills that would ensure that our nation's veterans   more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, issued the following column: Every hardworking American deserves peace of mind in their retirement years. Unfortunately, for millions of Americans who participate in multiemployer pension plans, that certainty has all but disappeared. Many of these plans are facing severe financial crisis that is only getting worse. If these plans fail, retirees will face steep cuts to the retirement benefits they worked hard to earn. Each day we wait to find a  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement after voting in favor of the bipartisan Stopping Bad Robocalls Act (H.R. 3375): "Robocall spammers have consistently stayed a step ahead of our laws and more needs to be done to combat this significant nuisance. The scam calls are not only annoying, but they cost Americans billions of dollars each year. It's estimated that this year, 44.6 percent of all calls will be scams. In East Tennessee, in 2019, there have   more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, ranking Republican member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news release: Last week, Rep. Phil Roe M.D. (R-Tenn.), the Ranking Member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and the Committee's Minority Members wrote to Rep. Mark Takano (D-Ca.), the Chairman of the Committee, requesting a legislative hearing on bills to protect veterans' Second Amendment rights and ensure the safety of veterans' children in child car  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Rep. John Rose, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: This week, the "Stopping Bad Robocalls Act," which Congressman John Rose cosponsored, obtained final passage in the U.S. House to end the frustrating, deceitful, and oftentimes harmful calls which plague Tennesseans and folks across the country. "In this day and age, all of us know far too well how frustrating and constant robocalls have become," said Congressman Rose. "While we all share great frustration w  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Today, the U.S. Senator Joseph D. Tydings Memorial Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, H.R. 693 passed out of the United States House of Representatives. It was introduced by Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL) both veterinarians and co-chairs of the Veterinary Medicine Caucus. The bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and had 307 cosponsors. Soring is the practice of intentiona  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Florida, issued the following news release: Today, the U.S. Senator Joseph D. Tydings Memorial Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, H.R. 693 passed out of the United States House of Representatives. It was introduced by Reps. Ted Yoho (R-FL) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR); both veterinarians and co-chairs of the Veterinary Medicine Caucus. The bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and had 307 cosponsors. Soring is the practice of intentionally inj  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: * * * - Holds owners of low-income housing accountable for living conditions * * * Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) and French Hill (AR-02) today introduced the Housing Accountability Act, a bipartisan, bicameral bill to improve the quality and management of Section 8 and subsidized housing. Congressman Cohen made the following statement: "Lack of effective oversight by the U.S. Department of Housing an  more

WASHINGTON, July 26 -- Reps. French Hill, R-Arkansas, and Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following statement: This week, Congressman French Hill (AR-02) joined Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN) in introducing the Housing Accountability Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation to hold Section 8 housing landlords accountable for poor living conditions. Following introduction of the bill, Congressman Hill and Congressman Cohen released the following statements: "In my home state of Arkansas, we   more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following floor remarks on the bipartisan budget agreement: "On Monday, President Trump and congressional leaders announced a two year budget agreement that provides strong support for our military and increases funding for domestic priorities including scientific research at our 17 national laboratories and the National Institutes of Health. "There has been a lot of chest beating about how this budget agreement adds to the d  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement after meeting with Labor Secretary nominee Eugene Scalia: "As an accomplished litigator and a former top lawyer for the Department of Labor, Eugene Scalia has an impressive background and strong qualifications. "We will schedule a confirmation hearing promptly after his nomination papers arrive in the Senate, and I look forward to continuing to learn more about his views on how to help continue to grow our  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement after voting to permanently reauthorize the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund: "Today I voted to approve the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, which provides compensation to September 11 first responders and survivors suffering from related health conditions. "We owe a debt of gratitude to these American heroes, and I look forward to President Trump signing this critical legislation into law." The Senate today   more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement on his vote to confirm Army Secretary Mark Esper to serve as Secretary of Defense: "Secretary Esper - who is a West Point graduate, combat veteran, and dedicated public servant - is the right person to lead the Department of Defense during such a critical time in our nation. "Secretary Esper also has close ties to Tennessee, having worked for both Senator Fred Thompson and Majority Leader Bill Frist on nat  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) today released a report highlighting fraud and errors in income-driven student loan repayment programs. The Department of Education suggested the solution to this issue is passing the Faster Access to Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Act--legislation passed by the Senate last year and sponsored by Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Ran  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Veterans Affairs committees, issued the following statement after voting to confirm Mark Esper as Secretary of Defense: "Dr. Mark Esper has an extraordinary record of public service: from his time with the 101st Airborne Division 'Screaming Eagles' at Fort Campbell to serving as national security adviser for Majority Leader Bill Frist, and most recently as Secretary of the Army. "An effective   more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- The office of Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) joined Senators Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) to introduce S. 2154, the bipartisan JROTC Cyber Training Act, to enhance the preparation of students in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) for careers in computer science and cybersecurity. "Part of rebuilding our nation's military is investing in ou  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, and Patty Murray, D-Washington, chairman and ranking member of the Senate Health Committee, issued the following joint statement on the bipartisan Lower Health Care Costs Act: "The Senate does not have time before the August recess to consider the bipartisan Lower Health Care Costs Act, which the Senate's health committee approved 20-3 on June 26, and includes proposals from 74 of our colleagues--35 Republican and 39 Democratic Senators  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Ranking Member Patty Murray, D-Washington, issued the following joint statement on the Lower Health Care Costs Act: "The Senate does not have time before the August recess to consider the bipartisan Lower Health Care Costs Act, which the Senate's health committee approved 20-3 on June 26, and includes proposals from 74 of our colleagues--35 Republican and 39 Demo  more