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U.S. Congressional Tipoffs Involving Tennessee Newsletter for Sunday January 19, 2020 ( 35 items )  

4 Trump Nominees, Including OMB Administrator, Confirmed by Senate
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 -- The U.S. Senate confirmed the nominations of four individuals for positions in the federal government on Jan. 9: Paul J. Ray, of Tennessee, to be Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget. Cynthia L. Attwood, of Virginia, to be a Member of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission for a term expiring April 27, 2025. Amanda Wood Laihow, of Maine, to be a Member of Occupational Safety and Health Review Co  more

7 Trump Nominees, Including Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, Received by Senate
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 -- The U.S. Senate received the nomination of seven individuals for positions in the Trump Administration on Jan. 9: J. David Patterson, of Tennessee, to be Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha, of California, to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California. Stanley Blumenfeld, of California, to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California. Grace Karaffa Obermann, of Vir  more

Congressman Cohen Congratulates Whitehaven Teacher
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: * * * - Nathan Kirsch received prestigious national teaching award * * * Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Friday, congratulated Whitehaven High School math teacher Nathan Kirsch for being awarded the prestigious Milken Educator Award, what some call "the Oscar for teaching." This award is only given to 40 early- and mid-career teachers across the country. See Congressman Cohen's remarks on Mr. Kirsch's  more

GAO Denies Protest by SOC of Chantilly, Virginia
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a decision denying a bid protest filed by SOC of Chantilly, Virginia. According to the GAO, SOC LLC "protests the issuance of a task order to Janus Global Operations, LLC, of Lenoir City, Tennessee, under request for proposals (RFP) No. 19AQMM19R0112, issued by the Department of State for protective guard services, static guard services, and specialized security services to be provided at the U.S. Mission Somalia. SOC argues  more

GAO Issues Report on National Nuclear Security Administration, Additional Verification Checks Could Improve the Accuracy and Consistency of Reported Financial Data
WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a report on the National Nuclear Security Administration. The report (GAO-20-180) is entitled "Additional Verification Checks Could Improve the Accuracy and Consistency of Reported Financial Data". 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 Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Califo  more

Rep. Cohen Issues Statement in Supports Choice of Managers for Senate Impeachment Trial
WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 -- Rep. Stephen Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following statement: * * * - Agrees Speaker Pelosi's choices represent the "patriotism, pluralism and vibrancy of America" * * * Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, praised Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her choice of seven managers for the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald J. Trump. Congressman Cohen made the following sta  more

Rep. Cohen Issues Statement on 3 Artistic Projects Grants From National Endowment for Arts
WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced that three artistic projects in Memphis will be receiving a total of $35,000 in grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The Blues City Cultural Center will receive $15,000 to support its program "Sew Much Love: Women Who Have Seen the Rough Side of the Mountain," a series of theatrical productions. Carpenter Art Garden, a non-profit promoting creativ  more

Rep. Cohen Issues Statement on Announcement of $3.4 Million Grant to University of Memphis
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 -- Rep. Stephen Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following statement: * * * - Research funding to support adaptive learning for workforce development * * * Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced that the University of Memphis will receive a $3,439,035 grant from the National Science Foundation for research advancing the science of learning data science with adaptive learning for future workforce development. Congressman Cohen made the following statement: "Learning d  more

Rep. Cohen Issues Statement on Announcement of $6.6 Million in Memphis Homelessness Assistance Grants
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: * * * - Continuum of care funding for 27 local programs on the front lines * * * Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced that 27 local Memphis homelessness assistance programs will be receiving a total of $6.6 million in "continuum of care" grants to serve individuals and families experiencing homelessness from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Last year, there was a 2.7 per  more

Rep. Cohen Issues Statement on Climate Crisis
WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following statement: * * * - Asks about health consequences of extreme heat, plastic pollution * * * Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) questioned expert witnesses at a hearing on "An Update on the Climate Crisis: From Science to Solution" before the Committee on Science, Space and Technology. Congressman Cohen asked about the health consequences of extreme heat and air pollution, the impact of climate change in terms of the extin  more

Rep. Cohen Issues Statement on National Guard & Reservists Debt Relief Extension Act
WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 -- Rep. Stephen Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following statement: * * * - Fifteen measures have now been signed into law * * * Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) co-sponsored the highest number of bills that became law in 2019, according to GovPredict, a legislative analysis software company. Congressman Cohen also had a bill he sponsored - H.R. 3304, the National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Extension Act - signed into law last year. Congressman Cohen made the follo  more

Rep. DesJarlais Issues Statement on War Powers Resolution
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement on the War Powers Resolution: Congressman Scott DesJarlais, M.D., a member of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after voting against a Democrat-led resolution that could prevent the President from protecting American troops and civilians against Iranian aggression: "Today's non-binding resolution, which will never become law, was another symbolic gesture from the Resista  more

Rep. Fleischmann on Announcement of Volkswagen, UT, ORNL Partnership & Creation of Innovation Hub
KNOXVILLE, Tennessee, Jan. 18 -- Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release on Jan. 17: Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03) issued the following statement in reaction to the announcement of the collaboration between Volkswagen, UT-Knoxville, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the creation of the automaker's first Innovation Hub in the United States: "Today I am elated to report on the continued commitment and expansion of Volkswagen in Eastern Tennessee," said   more

Rep. Green Statement on Transmission of Impeachment Articles to Senate
WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 -- Rep. Mark Green, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release on Jan. 15: Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats named impeachment managers and voted to transmit the impeachment articles to the Senate after an unprecedented 28-day delay. Green said, "This has never been anything but a partisan sham to overturn a national election and silence the voices of 63 million Americans who voted for President Trump. Six of the seven impeachment managers Speaker Pelosi appointed toda  more

Rep. Kustoff Issues Statement on Vote to Transfer Articles of Impeachment to Senate
WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 -- Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement on Jan. 15 regarding the procedural vote to transfer the articles of impeachment to the Senate: "Since day one, Speaker Pelosi claimed impeachment was an urgent and time-sensitive matter yet chose to delay sending the articles over to the Senate for almost a month. The fact of the matter is President Trump committed no high crime or misdemeanor, and this impeachment was conducted on a purely political basis,"  more

Rep. Roe Issues Statement on Impeachment Trial of President Trump
WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement: Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.), released the following statement after voting against H.Res. 798, a resolution appointing and authorizing managers for the impeachment trial of Donald John Trump, President of the United States: "House Democrats pushed through a partisan impeachment sham last fall under the pretense this was an urgent threat, and it took 28 days for Speaker Pelosi to finally decide to send the Arti  more

Rep. Roe Issues Statement on Joint Resolution to Increase Veteran Access to Dental Care
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, ranking Republican member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following statement on the House passage of a resolution (H.J.Res. 80) to approve a request from the Department of Veterans Affairs to pursue a pilot program to increase veteran access to dental care: "I am pleased to see that the House unanimously passed this important measure. "In addition to increasing veterans' access to care, the MISSION ACT also created a Cent  more

Rep. Roe Issues Statement on Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, issued the following remarks on Jan. 14 at a House Education and Labor Committee markup of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (H.R.2694): "As an OB/GYN who practiced medicine for over 31 years, the issue of pregnancy is one I take very seriously and upon which I built a career before coming to Congress. Given the important nature of the issue, and my years of experience caring for pregnant women, I appreciate the Committee's consideration of thi  more

Rep. Roe Issues Statement on Veterans Care Legislation
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement: Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.), the Ranking Member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, released the following statement after the House passed his resolution, House Joint Resolution 80, to approve a request from the Department of Veterans Affairs to pursue a pilot program to increase veteran access to dental care: "I am pleased to see that the House unanimously passed this important measure today. In addition   more

Rep. Roe: Weekly Columns
WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, issued the following column: * * * - Eliminating Terrorist Soleimani was Acting in America's Best Interest * * * The relationship between the United States and Iran was not always fraught with tension; but since the 1979 Revolution, the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini made it clear Iran would no longer be a friend to the U.S. From the hostage crisis in November 1979 to present day with Iran shooting down an American drone in June 2019, te  more

Reps. Nadler, Cohen Issue Statements on Virginia's Equal Rights Amendment Ratification Vote
WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 -- Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-New York, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, chair of the Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, issued the following statements on Jan. 16: Yesterday, the Virginia General Assembly voted to pass the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), setting the state on the path to become the 38th and final state necessary to ratify the ERA to the Constitution. After the vote, House Judiciary Committee  more

Reps. Pallone, Wyden Urge Inspector General to Vigorously Scrutinize Tennessee's Illegal Medicaid Block Grant Request
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 -- Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-New Jersey, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following news release: * * * - Tennessee's request would illegally alter Medicaid's basic financing structure, violating the plain language of the statute and clear Congressional intent * * * House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Senate Finance Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS  more

Sen. Alexandar Issues Statement on U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement Act
WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 -- Sen. Lamar Alexandar, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement on Jan. 16: U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) released the following statement after he voted for and the Senate passed, by a bipartisan vote of 89-10, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Act (USMCA): "Today, the United States Senate approved the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. This is very good news for Tennessee workers, especially autoworkers, in 88 of our 95 counties. It updates the   more

Sen. Alexander Issues Statement on Labor Department's Final Joint-Employer Rule
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following statement on Jan. 13 on the Labor Department's final rule on the joint employer standard: "The new joint employer rule will help restore to franchise owners--those who are hurt the most by the current patchwork of joint employer standards--the opportunity to make their way into the middle class. "The rule gives businesses and workers a clear st  more

Sen. Alexander Issues Statement on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day: "In the summer of 1963, I stood on the National Mall as an intern at the U.S. Department of Justice and listened to Dr. King's 'I Have a Dream' speech. "I especially remember the power of 'not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.' "A lot has happened since that day, but there is still more to do. Dr. King dedicated his life to help  more

Sen. Alexander Issues Statement on U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement Act
WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following statement on Jan. 15: * * * - Says the update to NAFTA maintains its zero tariff agreement, which has nearly tripled the number of Tennessee auto jobs * * * Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today released the following statement after the Senate labor committee voted to approve the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Act (USMCA), which inc  more

Sen. Alexander Issues Statement on U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement Act
WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following statement on Jan. 16 after the Senate passed on an 89-10 vote, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement Act: "Today, the United States Senate approved the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. This is very good news for Tennessee workers, especially autoworkers, in 88 of our 95 counties. "It updates the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) of 19  more

Sen. Alexander: President Trump Should Use Funding Approved by Congress to Build Border Wall
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 -- Sen. Lamar Alexandar, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement: United States Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) reiterated that the president has sufficient funding authority to build the wall he wants on the Southern border without resorting to a "dangerous national emergency precedent." "I support the president's efforts to secure the border, and in December, I voted to give the President $1.375 billion to continue building the border wall and clear authority to tra  more

Sen. Alexander: Senate Labor Committee Approves Trade Agreement to Create Even More Good-Paying Jobs
WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release on Jan. 15: Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) released the following statement after the Senate labor committee voted to approve the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Act (USMCA), which includes several labor provisions: "Over 40 years ago, Tennessee hardly had any auto jobs. When the North American Free Trade Agreement - NAFTA - was adopted in 1994, Tennessee had about 51,000 auto jobs. Today ther  more

Sen. Alexander: Tightened Restrictions on Fentanyl Will Save Thousands of Tennesseans
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) released the following statement on legislation that passed in the Senate yesterday to designate all forms of illegal fentanyl as Schedule 1 narcotics. "Last year, more Tennesseans died from opioid overdoses than were killed in car crashes. And the leading cause of these opioid related deaths was fentanyl - a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than hero  more

Sen. Blackburn Issues Floor Statement on China Trade Deal
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 -- Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, issued the following floor statement, which was published in the Congressional Record on Jan. 15, on China trade deal: over the past few months, we have spent a great deal of time in this Chamber discussing our adversarial relationships with other countries, but I want to draw attention to a truly great economic and foreign policy victory negotiated with one of our adversaries. In fact, it was signed just a few hours ago. When it comes  more

Sen. Blackburn on Impeachment Trial
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 -- Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement regarding the participation of the four Senators running for president in the Senate impeachment trial: "Tomorrow, one hundred United States Senators will be sworn in to serve in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. "Four of those Senators must recuse themselves for their unparalleled political interest in seeing this President removed from office. "These four Democrats, Senators Bennet, Klob  more

Sen. Blackburn: Their Day Job is Senator & Night Job is Presidential Candidate
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 -- Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) spoke with Fox & Friends about her call for the four Senators running for president to recuse themselves from the Senate impeachment trial." They should recuse themselves. There is precedent," said Senator Blackburn. "This came up in 1868 in the Andrew Johnson impeachment.... These individuals should say 'Look, we're spending millions of dollars to defeat this guy, a  more

Sens. Cornyn, Lee, Moran Back Sen. Hawley's Resolution to Allow Dismissal of Articles of Impeachment for Failure to Prosecute
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) announced they have cosponsored Senator Josh Hawley's (R-Mo.) resolution to allow for the dismissal of articles of impeachment against President Trump for failure to prosecute. Senator Cornyn said, "It's been three weeks and counting since the House passed articles of impeachment, and Speaker Pelosi is still playing games after  more

Sens. Rosen, Blackburn Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Support American Manufacturing Jobs
WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 -- Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) both members of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee's Subcommittee on Manufacturing, Trade, and Consumer Protection - announced the introduction of the Advanced Manufacturing Jobs in America Act, bipartisan legislation that would help to fill the gap between the growth of advanced manufacturing jobs, and individuals qua  more