Washington, D.C. – We accomplished a lot in Washington in 2019, but you probably didn’t hear about it from the mainstream media; they were (and still are!) hyperfocused on impeachment. From giving our military the largest pay raise in a decade, to protecting the sanctity of life, I spent my first year in the Senate fighting for Tennessee values.
In 2020, I will continue to advocate for what Tennesseans consistently tell me is most important to them: protecting family values, fighting to expand rural health care and broadband access, helping workers succeed, and securing the nation.
When I came to Washington, I pledged to stand strong on behalf of faith, family, freedom, hope, and opportunity. This year, I’ll continue to fight against big abortion providers like Planned Parenthood, push to confirm more rule-of-law judges and fight back against anti-Semitism.
My bipartisan Rural Health Agenda will expand access to clinics and health departments, bring more doctors to rural areas, and jumpstart the use of telemedicine. We’re also going to explore new policies that will control the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs, and allow Americans to shop for insurance across state lines. We will continue to focus on opioid abuse prevention, including legislation to increase sentencing penalties for trafficking and distributing illicit opioids.
We’re going to maintain the economic momentum created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act by cutting red tape and getting rid of burdensome regulations that do nothing but kill jobs and squash innovation. Tennessee exports over $13 billion worth of goods and services to Canada and Mexico, and let me tell you: we’re really looking forward to passing the USMCA, which will create around 175,000 new jobs.
This year, our service members at Fort Campbell and all over the world will be putting the defense spending we just approved to good use. I’ll also keep working with officials at the VA to ensure those who sacrificed so much for our nation receive the timely and thorough care they deserve.
My bipartisan Internet Exchange Act will make sure rural communities have the funds necessary to build and maintain the infrastructure required to support broadband connections. It’s an investment in the local businesses and organizations that make Tennessee a great place to live. We must also give Big Tech a set of guardrails that protect consumers’ privacy and data, but also allow innovators to keep innovating.
We have a big year ahead of us, and much to accomplish in 2020 if America is to remain the best place in the world to call home. I look forward to seeing you all in Washington, and back home in Tennessee; but for now, enjoy a safe, happy, and healthy start to the new year.
The deadline to apply for the 2020-2021 White House Fellowship is January 8th, 2020. You can apply here.
Stay In Touch
As a reminder, you can reach any of my six offices in Tennessee to share a concern or request assistance with a federal agency.
Be sure to follow my work on behalf of Tennesseans on social media:
Facebook: facebook.com/marshablackburn
Twitter: @MarshaBlackburn
Instagram: @MarshaBlackburn
My Best,
Marsha
