WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: The Senate health committee today approved the nomination of Dr. Stephen Hahn to serve as commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by a bipartisan vote of 18-5. "Dr. Hahn has extensive medical and research experience and is a proven leader in large health systems--all around, he is exactly the type of nominee we want to lead an agency as important as the FDA," Chairman Lamar Alexander  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: United States Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today said that "Johnny Isakson set an example for why we senators are here." Alexander made his remarks on the Senate floor in a farewell speech to Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia who is retiring from the Senate at the end of the year. "I listened carefully to Senator Isakson's remarks about bipartisanship. It kind of reminded me of the preacher on Su  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Dec. 6 -- Sen. Angus S. King Jr., I-Maine, issued the following news release: * * * - In addition to the 3D printing laboratory, today's tour included visits to the National Transportation Research Center, Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility, and Building Technologies, Research and Integration Center * * * Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and top officials from the University of Maine (UMaine) to tour Oak Ridge N  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 -- Rep. Timothy Burchett, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Congressman Tim Burchett (TN-02) and Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler are asking residents of Knox County to keep an eye out for a missing member of the community. Jack Harrison, a 77-year-old man from Halls, was last seen on Nov. 17 at the Walmart in Halls. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing jeans, a polo shirt, a brown jacket and a Denver Broncos baseball hat. "My family and I are prayi  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following statement on the National Cancer Institute's $695,409 grant to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for cancer research: "I'm pleased to announce that St. Jude will receive this important funding to continue its research into childhood cancers at the nation's premier childhood cancer research hospital. "This critical funding will permit St. Jude to make new discoveries, improve therapies, and support the hospital's   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following statement: Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) will receive a $380,000 grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute for research on diabetic vascular disease. Congressman Cohen made the following statement: "Diabetes is more prevalent in Memphis and higher than the national average, so research into any aspect of the disease is good fo  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: * * * - Judiciary Committee applies evidence of impeachable conduct to Constitutional standards * * * Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, today questioned legal scholars on the Constitutional grounds for impeachment. This is the fourth time in American history that the U.S. House of Representatives has considered impeachment of a president. See Congressman Co  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: * * * - Wednesday's hearing will review Constitutional grounds for impeachment * * * Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee will question witnesses Wednesday at a hearing on "The Impeachment Inquiry into President Donald J. Trump: Constitutional Grounds for Presidential Impeachment." The hearing, which begins at 10 a.m. Eastern/9 a.m. Central time will be livestr  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today voted for, and the House passed, the Voting Rights Advancement Act, which restores protections of voting rights gutted by a 2013 Supreme Court decision. As Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Congressman Cohen conducted several hearings on this bill, including one at the University of Memphis School of Law i  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 -- Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement after House passage of the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (S. 151): "Aggravating robocalls are a persistent problem in East Tennessee and across the nation - scamming consumers and putting personal information at risk. "Most Americans are familiar with the Do Not Call Registry which was previously utilized as a mechanism of defense against annoying robocalls, but unfortun  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 -- Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Today, Congressman David Kustoff (TN-08), announced the passage of the TRACED Act. After working with colleagues in both the House and Senate, the two chambers produced compromise legislation to prevent the harassing robocall scams most Americans receive. The final version includes the original text of H.R. 2015 - The TRACED Act that was introduced by Rep. Kustoff earlier this year. The bicameral bill adds  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Congressman David Kustoff (TN-08), voted against the political H.Res 326. This resolution states that only the outcome of a two-state solution can ensure Israel's survival and it undermines President Trump's Middle East Peace Plan. More importantly, it criticizes the Israeli government while remaining silent on the Palestinian Authority's acts of terrorism against Israeli citizens, and it does not advance   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement after Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, directed the House committees to draft articles of impeachment against President Trump: "The Democrats' sham impeachment inquiry has produced zero witnesses who have witnessed any crimes. These political hearings have exposed there are numerous officials who disagree with the president's foreign policy objectives, but disagreement is not grounds for removing a duly-elected   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement after meeting with Major League Baseball Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem: "The First District of Tennessee is home to four minor league baseball teams in the Appalachian League - with a fifth right across the border in Bristol, Virginia. "There are ongoing discussions between MLB and its minor league affiliates about the future of minor league baseball, and since half of the Appalachian League teams play in our regi  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement after voting in favor of the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act: "Robocalls are not just annoying, they can be dangerous. Anyone with a phone has dealt with robocalls, and they disproportionately affect elderly Americans. "So far this year there have been270 million robocalls to area code 423 and 174.6 million robocalls to area code 865. "This is absolutely absurd. The TRACED Act wil  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, issued the following column: It's been nearly three months since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats initiated their sham impeachment inquiry. The key fact remains that President Trump and President Zelensky agree there was no pressure to initiate investigations. The transcripts of their calls show no pressure and President Zelensky did not know that aid was under review when the call occurred. The aid was released without an investig  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Today, Reps. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.) and Joe Courtney (D-Conn.)reintroduced the Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education (AIM HIGH) Act. This legislation would establish an independent commission to develop voluntary guidelines for accessible postsecondary electronic instructional materials and related technologies to ensure students with disabilities have access to the same materials as non-disa  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Members of the Tennessee U.S. congressional delegation announced today that they have sent a letter to President Trump supporting Tennessee Governor Bill Lee's request for a major disaster declaration for 10 counties impacted by severe storms and straight-line winds in October. The full text of the letter follows: Dear Mr. President: On behalf of the State of Tennessee, we are writing to express our   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement on his vote to confirm Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette to serve as Energy Secretary: "I supported Mr. Brouillette's nomination to serve as deputy secretary in 2017, and I was happy to vote for him again today to lead the energy department. "I'm confident he will continue to build on the progress former Secretary Rick Perry made by supporting energy research, our 17 national laboratories and sup  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement on the death of Christian Methodist Episcopal Church Bishop William Graves: "William Graves was one of our nation's most consequential religious and civic leaders. "With his quiet, strong leadership, he made our lives better and made us proud to claim him as a native son. "Over the years, Bishop Graves became a treasured friend of our family. "We will miss him and offer to his family our great respect for  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following news release: * * * - Says Dr. Hahn's experience as an oncologist, a successful leader of the MD Anderson Cancer Center, and work at the National Institutes of Health makes him well prepared to lead the FDA * * * The Senate health committee today approved the nomination of Dr. Stephen Hahn to serve as commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Admi  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Senate Education Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Senators Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) today released a bipartisan amendment to the House-passed FUTURE Act to make permanent $255 million in annual funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions, sim  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: The United States Senate today passed a bipartisan amendment to the House-passed FUTURE Act sponsored by Senate Education Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Senators Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) to make permanent $255 million in annual funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities an  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today said "the Senate has taken a big first step in simplifying the FAFSA for 20 million families, including 8 million minority students," after the Senate passed bipartisan legislation that makes permanent $255 million in annual funding for HBCUs, cuts up to 22 questions from the federal student aid application form (FAFSA), and eliminates b  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following news release: * * * - Senate unanimously passes bipartisan legislation that provides permanent annual funding for HBCUs, cuts up to 22 questions from the federal student aid application form, and eliminates bureaucratic verification nightmare for most students * * * Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today said "the S  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Dec. 6 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: United States Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today told members of the East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC) that "the best-kept secret in Washington is record funding for our national laboratories, supercomputing and biomedical research." "Last year, Congress sent a total of $4.6 billion to the Oak Ridge complex - which funds the nation's largest science and engineering laboratory, Y-12,   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news: Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) wrote to a Memphis, Tennessee hospital regarding a recent news report (https://mlk50.com/mlk50-com-profitingfromthepoor-7deacb56d542) outlining its potential failure to live up to its legal obligations as a tax-exempt organization. Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare is tax-exempt and therefore must serve community health   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) wrote to a Memphis, Tennessee hospital regarding a recent news report outlining its potential failure to live up to its legal obligations as a tax-exempt organization. Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare is tax-exempt and therefore must serve community health needs, provide financial assistance, limit amounts charged for medically-necessary care and r  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following news release: * * * - Legislation provides $255 million annually for HBCUs and Minority Serving Institutions, cuts up to 22 questions from the federal student aid application form, and eliminates bureaucratic verification nightmare for most students * * * Senate Education Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Ranking Member Patty Murray  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following news release: * * * - Legislation provides $255 million annually for HBCUs and Minority Serving Institutions, cuts up to 22 questions from the federal student aid application form, and eliminates bureaucratic verification nightmare for most students * * * The United States Senate today passed a bipartisan amendment to the House-passed FUTURE Ac  more