Washington, D.C. – This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to authorize subpoenas for 53 officials involved in the abuse of FBI surveillance capabilities, including James Comey, Sally Yates, Andrew McCabe, Lisa Page, and Susan Rice. We need to know how these officials used and abused their taxpayer-given authority.
The Committee is also looking into the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. What we learn over the next few months will help ensure illegal surveillance of Americans never happens again.
Holding The Chinese Regime Accountable
The COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic lifted the veil separating China from the rest of the world, and exposed the Communist Party’s duplicity.
Decades of failed engagement, Western investment and unfair trade tactics built China into an industrial powerhouse. The result? A loss of control over the world’s supply of pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and other basic goods to Beijing.
China has used cheap goods (that are manufactured with stolen technology!) to buy the West’s silence about its appalling aggression in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet and elsewhere. This week, Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and I explained how the United States could end our dependence on China.
While the world is distracted by COVID-19 Coronavirus, China is increasing its aggressive behavior in the South China Sea. Chinese vessels regularly harass Malaysian ships and bully Filipino vessels into abiding by arbitrary boundaries in contested waters. Meanwhile, officials in Beijing extort Vietnamese and Indonesian fishing vessels and even kidnap fishermen.
The operational presence of the United States Armed Forces in the South China Sea is crucial to demonstrating America’s commitment to our allies and partners. I sat down with Tom Bevan from Real Clear Politics and China expert Gordon Chang to discuss how China is attempting to take control of the South China Sea.
More than 70 colleges and universities across the US host Chinese funded and controlled Confucius Institutes. These institutes constrain academic freedom, ban professors from discussing the Tiananmen Square massacre, and ignore the oppression of Tibetans and Uyghurs. This week, the Senate unanimously passed the bipartisan CONFUCIUS Act, which I joined my colleagues in leading. It will protect academic freedom and prevent China from strong-arming our colleges and universities or indoctrinating our students with their propaganda.
Hong Kong’s new national security law may make it easier for China to kidnap and smuggle Hong Kongers to the mainland. This continued infringement on Hong Kong’s autonomy is exactly what the Hong Kong freedom fighters are rightfully afraid of.
Marsha’s Roundup
Our police officers need additional training, resources, and funding. Calls to defund police are not only absurd but counterintuitive. Research shows that some of the best strategies to decrease excessive force require more police officers.
Over two million brave women have served in our Armed Forces. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and I introduced a bipartisan resolution to formally recognize our brave female veterans for standing in defense of our country.
Rural hospitals are struggling to keep their doors open, and we need more doctors and health care innovation uninhibited by burdensome regulations. This week, the Alliance for Patient Access named me their 2020 Champion for Patient Access, recognizing my commitment to supporting patient-centered care like telehealth, during the pandemic.
Coronavirus Resources
- COVID-19 Coronavirus testing sites can be found here.
- General information about the coronavirus can be found here.
- Information regarding COVID-19 Coronavirus in Tennessee can be found here.
- You can call the Tennessee Coronavirus Public Information Line from 10:00am to 10:00pm CT at 877.857.2945.
- Information for cleaning and disinfecting your home when someone is sick can be found here.
Tornado Recover Updates and Resources
If you were affected by the April storms that hit the Chattanooga area, you can now apply for FEMA disaster assistance. To register click here or call 800.621.3362.
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
