Washington, D.C. – Tennessee played a unique role in the women’s suffrage movement as the 36th and final state needed to ratify the 19th Amendment.
This Women’s History Month, we’ll be recognizing the Tennessee trailblazers who have championed equality, and I hope you can join us by celebrating the mothers, daughters, and mentors who continue to impact our lives.
Prioritizing In-Person Education
Tennessee teachers, parents, and students have listened to the science. Our community has worked together to get all of Tennessee’s 95 counties back to some degree of in-person learning. Still, the wish list budget proposal in the Senate is an outright attempt to put teacher unions’ demands ahead of what’s best for our country.
Investigating Who Investigators
Since the start of the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, the Chinese Communist Party has made a concerted effort to conceal critical public health information from the rest of the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) investigation into the Wuhan outbreak is no better. Members of the WHO’s hand-picked delegation have considerable conflicts of interest.
This week, I urged President Joe Biden to investigate these WHO investigators to hold the CCP accountable and restore public health transparency.
Calling Out Wasteful Spending
I’m calling out the wasteful spending proposed in the new 1.9 trillion dollar bailout bill. It is evident this bill is nothing more than a wish list of self-serving radical ideas and sweetheart deals. Americans need timely, targeted, and temporary relief, not the leftover crumbs from agenda-driven legislation.
Listening To Local Business Owners
With the budget reconciliation process, some politicians are trying to fit their wish list items—including a $15.00 minimum wage—into the already massive spending bill. In fact, only Senate rules barred them from forcing a minimum wage increase on small business owners.
That’s why I hosted a virtual roundtable with business owners from the Volunteer State to discuss the effects of a $15.00 minimum wage. You can listen in here.
Empowering Tennessee Students
East Tennessee State University (ETSU) received a federally funded grant from the U.S. Department of Education to serve first-generation and low-income students with disabilities. The grant will provide $348,002 annually over the next five years and support TRIO programs at ETSU.
“We are incredibly honored to continue to serve students at East Tennessee State University and support them on their journey to be the first in their family to earn a bachelor’s degree,” said Dr. Ronnie Gross, executive director of ETSU’s TRIO programs. “A significant number of ETSU students, and many faculty and staff, are first-generation college students. I am incredibly proud of the ETSU Student Support Services staff and the entire campus for their commitment to serve our students.”
Marsha’s Roundup
Using the budget reconciliation process, politicians have turned a bill intended to support the American people into a wishlist packed full of plans to fund radical policies for years to come. The American people need timely, targeted, and temporary relief—not partisan agenda items.
Tennessee is one of the best fiscally managed states in the nation. Meanwhile, less responsible states expect Tennessee taxpayers to fund their failed policies via the Senate spending bill. Listen to how these policies are all about demoralizing the American people.
The Senate spending bill is a colossal waste of taxpayer money. Only nine percent of the 1.9 trillion dollar budget goes towards COVID-related items. The rest of the “relief” funds projects that have nothing to do with COVID-19 Coronavirus for years into the future.
Department of Health and Human Services Nominee Xavier Becerra is far too radical and unqualified to lead on national health policy. His agenda would put illegal immigrants first in line for health care and institute nationwide abortion on demand. The American people deserve to have better than a socialism apologist with no relevant health care experience at the helm of HHS.
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.
- Information from the Tennessee Department of Health 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.
Stay In Touch
Be sure to follow my work on behalf of Tennesseans on social media:
Facebook: facebook.com/marshablackburn
Twitter: @MarshaBlackburn
Instagram: @MarshaBlackburn
My Best,
Marsha
