WASHINGTON, March 19 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, ranking Republican member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following statement after the Senate passed companion legislation (S. 3503) to his bill (H.R. 6194), which would safeguard GI Bill benefits for student veterans during the coronavirus crisis: "In a time of so much fear and uncertainty, we must act quickly to assure student veterans and others who rely on the GI Bill to make ends meet that they won't suffer because o  more

WASHINGTON, March 20 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, ranking Republican member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following statement on March 19 after the House passed the Senate version (S. 3503) of his bill to protect GI Bill benefits for student veterans during the coronavirus crisis: "Just over a week ago, we learned that veterans and other students could lose their GI Bill benefits or have them significantly reduced because of actions their school takes to combat the coro  more

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee, March 17 -- Rep. Timothy Burchett, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Congressman Tim Burchett (TN-02) announced the following March Mobile Office Hours cancellations: * Rockford Mobile Office Hours: Tuesday, March 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Rockford Town Hall, 3719 Little River Road, Rockford * Rutledge Mobile Office Hours: Tuesday, March 31, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Rutledge Library, 8030 Rutledge Pike, Rutledge  more

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee, March 19 -- Rep. Timothy Burchett, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives, with few members of Congress present, passed a corrected version of H.R. 6201, Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The original bill passed last week contained dozens of pages that required corrections before the Senate would take it up for consideration, further delaying our nation's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rep. Tim Burchett (R,  more

WASHINGTON, March 19 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following statement: Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced that St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) will receive grants totaling $1,005,086 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. St. Jude will receive $544,357 from the National Cancer Institute for research into acute lymphoblastic leukemia. UTHSC will receive $460,729 from the National Heart, Lu  more

WASHINGTON, March 19 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following statement: Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a member of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, announced that the University of Memphis will receive a grant of $297,822 from the National Science Foundation to improve statistical literacy. "The STEM disciplines are a critical foundation for learning. "Strengthening statistical literacy is one area that will pay dividends as students proceed in a variety of aca  more

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Rep. Stephen Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following statement: Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) early this morning voted for, and the House passed, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The measure provides paid leave, establishes free testing, supports strong unemployment benefits, expands food assistance for vulnerable children and families, and increases funding for Medicaid programs across the country. It also contains tax credits for small and medium-sized b  more

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: In an effort to keep TN-09 constituents up to date on the coronavirus situation, I will share updates with important information. I hope you'll take some time to look at this information. As always, if you need to reach my office please call 901-544-4131 for the Memphis office and 202-225-3265 for the D.C. office. Updates will be posted on my website: www.Cohen.House.Gov. Tennessee has 39 confirmed Coron  more

WASHINGTON, March 21 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Tennessee has 228 cases of coronavirus infection, including 30 in Shelby County. At least 81 people in Shelby County are being monitored. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance on Covid-19 can be found at Coronavirus.gov. The CDC issued guidance this week that gatherings of 50 or more people should be postponed or canceled for the next eight weeks. Please follow the guidance from  more

WASHINGTON, March 19 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: In an effort to keep TN-09 constituents up to date on the coronavirus situation, I will regularly share updates with important information. I hope you'll take some time to look at this information. As always, if you need to reach my office please call 901-544-4131 for the Memphis office and 202-225-3265 for the D.C. office. Updates will be posted on my website: www.cohen.house.gov Tennessee has 76 confirm  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, March 16 -- Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Rep. Jim Cooper (TN-05) announced that his Nashville office will begin teleworking effective immediately in an effort to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). The office is expected to telework until further notice. Nashville staff will be accessible via email and telephone during regular business hours. Previously scheduled business and constituent meetings will be held via phone confere  more

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement: Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03) released the following statement on his vote in support of H.R. 6201 to provide more services and protections for Americans as the United States continues to fight and combat the spread of COVID-19: "I am glad that Congress has come together in a bipartisan manner to protect American families as we continue to work to curb the spread of COVID-19. This legislation p  more

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- Rep. Mark Green, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Rep. Mark Green (TN-7) sent a letter to Secretary DeVos requesting that the U.S. Department of Education recognize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on schools' abilities to administer statewide assessments and immediately grant any State's request for a one-year waiver from Section 8401 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Green said, "The COVID-19 outbreak is an international health crisis th  more

WASHINGTON, March 21 -- Rep. Mark Green, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced that standardized testing for the 2019-2020 school year will be waived due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Rep. Green said, "I am grateful to President Trump and Secretary DeVos for ensuring the flexibility of our Nation's educators and schools during this uncertain time. The gravity of the situation our schools continue to face while navigating the CO  more

FRANKLIN, Tennessee, March 21 -- Rep. Mark Green, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) designated Tennessee as an economic disaster area, a move that will allow small business owners to apply for low-interest federal disaster loans amid the coronavirus pandemic. Rep. Green said, "I am grateful to the Small Business Administration for allowing Tennesseans to access critical low-interest loans for their small businesses and non-profits. As  more

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement on the House passage of the Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201): "Congress worked with President Trump to address the coronavirus crisis. "Through increased testing and emergency economic support, this bill will provide families, communities, and businesses the protections they need. "It is vital we put politics aside and come together to overcome this challenge.  more

WASHINGTON, March 18 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, issued the following op-ed on the coronavirus, published on the Fox News website: As medical professionals and members of Congress, we have serious concern over the global spread of the novel coronavirus or COVID-19. Since the disease emerged in Wuhan, China, widespread outbreaks have occurred in South Korea, Iran, Italy and Japan. The number of cases in the United States continues to increase and will likely increase substantially as widespr  more

WASHINGTON, March 20 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, issued the following column: Over the course of the past week, every facet of American life has been impacted by the coronavirus. We've seen friends and loved ones laid off because businesses have been shut down, schools are closed for weeks - if not months, and retirement savings have been decimated as the stock market has lost nearly a third of its value. Coronavirus is wreaking havoc on our economy, which is why such dramatic actions are be  more

WASHINGTON, March 18 -- Rep. John Rose, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: U.S. Representative John Rose (TN-06) is working to protect staff and constituents against Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). After consulting with the Attending Physician, House Leadership, and Sergeant at Arms, Representative Rose directed his Washington, D.C., staff to work remotely for the time being. "My staff and I are in ongoing communication with health professionals and I have personally attended numero  more

WASHINGTON, March 20 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure's Aviation Subcommittee, joined Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) and Congressman Jesus "Chuy" Garcia (IL-04) in writing to House and Senate leaders negotiating a possible airline bailout urging them to include consumer and other protections in any deal. The letter comes a day after Airlines for Amer  more

WASHINGTON, March 19 -- Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tennessee, ranking Republican member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news release on March 18: Today, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Ranking Member Dr. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) led a bipartisan letter with Chairman Mark Takano (D-Cali.) and 25 of their Committee colleagues to Secretary Wilkie asking for answers on VA's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in addition to daily and weekly updates. It is crucial that VA is prepar  more

WASHINGTON, March 19 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following statement on March 18: * * * - As Senate sends to president second bill to fight COVID-19, senator warns paid leave plan hurts employers and shortchanges employees * * * United States Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today released the following statement after he voted for and the Senate passed, by a vote of 90-8, a second piece of legislat  more

WASHINGTON, March 19 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following statement: United States Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) released the following statement after he voted for and the Senate passed, by a vote of 90-8, a second piece of legislation to address the COVID-19 outbreak: "We are here not as Democrats and Republicans, but we are here to work together to do whatever we can to address COVID-19. Since the federal government is closing down the country - on behalf of all th  more

WASHINGTON, March 20 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: The Chairmen of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and the Senate Finance Committee released the following statements on provisions included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to keep Americans healthy and help families, workers, and schools during the COVID-19 outbreak. "This urgent situation requires a united approach to help Americans hurt by the outb  more

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: The White House made a critical announcement to expand telehealth due to the advocacy of Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.). Following discussions with both the White House and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma about a key regulation inhibiting the use of telemedicine, the administration announced it will waive that regulation to allow beneficiaries to receive a wide  more

WASHINGTON, March 20 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statements: * * * - Legislative package includes 28 health care proposals from the HELP Committee, 15 proposals from the Finance Committee * * * The Chairmen of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and the Senate Finance Committee released the fo  more