Senator Marsha Blackburn
Tennessee
Washington, D.C. – Tennessee Tuesday is always my favorite day of the week.
Senator Lamar Alexander and I welcomed another great group of Tennesseans to our nation’s capital for coffee, conversation, and pictures this week.
If you plan to be in the Washington, D.C. area on a Tuesday when the Senate is in session, we would love if you join us for this Tennessee tradition. Constituents attending will have the opportunity to meet and have their picture taken with their senators while enjoying a coffee and pastries.
You can sign up to attend here.
You can view all the fun photos from this week’s Tennessee Tuesday on my Facebook page.
Voting No on the Green New Deal
You may have heard about the “Green New Deal” that many of my Democrat colleagues have been so excited about. Senate Republicans successfully rejected that raw deal this week and it failed.
This was an easy vote for me: I voted NO because it would kill Tennessee’s most productive industries and put thousands of Tennesseans out of work. Studies showed the Green New Deal would cost between $51 trillion and $93 trillion over 10 years.
This bill would weaken our currently strong, healthy and growing economy with massive spending, massive loss of jobs, and a massive increase in taxes. Tennessee’s largest agriculture industry is cattle production – a trade that Democrats would have us cut completely.
I spoke with Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business after I voted no on the Green New Deal.
Protecting Oak Ridge and Y-12
At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday, I spoke about the importance of nuclear modernization, including the important work being done at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex.
Our men and women who contribute to the national security enterprise by serving in these facilities deserve safe working conditions through regular infrastructure maintenance and upgrades.
You can view my questioning of Secretary of Energy Rick Perry here.
Welcome to Washington
I recently spoke to students from Franklin Road Academy and Ezell-Harding Christian School during their visits to the U.S. Capitol. It is always a pleasure to talk with young Tennesseans who are interested in learning how our government works. I wish them the best of luck in their studies and their future endeavors.
Special Counsel Finds No Collusion Between President and Russia
After two years of thorough investigation, led by a team of 19 lawyers and 40 FBI employees, costing over $25 million in taxpayer dollars, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s conclusions confirm that President Donald Trump’s campaign did not collude with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election.
Attorney General Bill Barr, in a jointly reached conclusion with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, determined the evidence from the Special Counsel report was “not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense.”
Attorney General Barr is to be commended for his quick release of the findings to Congress as well as his commitment to continue reviewing the matter further with Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Russia’s efforts to rig our elections and interfere with America’s democracy is a dangerous threat to our nation. I trust the Special Counsel’s findings will help us understand how we can prevent this threat moving forward.
It is time for Democrats and Republicans to come together to work on real issues affecting the lives of Tennesseans and the American people.
I shared my thoughts on the path forward in an op-ed for FoxNews.com and in an interview with Fox’s Bill Hemmer and Sandra Smith.
Supporting Governor Lee’s Disaster Declaration Request
Tennessee’s Congressional Delegation sent a letter to President Trump this week in support of Governor Bill Lee’s request to declare a major disaster under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief Act due to the flooding and severe storms that have impacted Tennessee since early February.
We are grateful for the ongoing efforts of state and federal authorities in response to the damage caused by the flooding and severe storms in our state. A declaration of a major disaster under federal law is the next step to ensure a swift and orderly process for getting federal disaster assistance to Tennesseans in need. The Trump Administration should approve Governor Lee’s request without delay.
You can read the full text of our letter here.
Standing with Israel
It was a pleasure to welcome a group of AIPAC activists to Washington for their annual policy conference. It is vitally important that we stand with our democratic ally, the state of Israel. That is why I supported measures this week to condemn all forms of Anti-Semitism and oppose any efforts to delegitimize Israel through the “Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions” or BDS Movement.
Improving Broadband for Caregivers
I recently joined Peter Rosenberger on his nationally-syndicated radio program “Hope for the Caregiver” to talk about the importance of closing the digital divide by bringing high-speed internet access to all Tennesseans. We discussed how high-speed internet access is vital to innovations in telemedicine.
You can listen to our full conversation here.
Visiting Troops in Poland and Ukraine
This past weekend, I had the distinct honor of visiting our men and women of the Tennessee Army National Guard serving overseas in Poland and Ukraine before they return home from a nine-month deployment. Too often, non-combat deployments can be overlooked and I wanted to let these brave Americans know their missions are critical to the national security of the United States.
You can see more pictures from my trip on my Facebook page.
Let Me Know Your Thoughts
If you would like to share your views or request help with a federal agency, please visit my website at www.blackburn.senate.gov.
Be sure to follow my work on behalf of Tennesseans on social media:
Facebook: facebook.com/marshablackburn
Twitter: @MarshaBlackburn
Instagram: @MarshaBlackburn
YouTube: youtube.com/c/senmarshablackburn
My Best,
Marsha
