Washington, D.C. – During the longest continuous Senate session in 15 years, Republicans secured multiple victories for the American people. At the top of the list, we confirmed 21 of President Donald J. Trump’s cabinet members, surpassing the confirmation rates of the past three presidential administrations.
We also passed the landmark Laken Riley Act, which was signed into law by President Donald J. Trump to detain and deport more criminal illegal aliens. Since the beginning of the year, I’ve also introduced legislation to empower law enforcement, lower the cost of prescription drugs, make the federal government more efficient, improve access to health care for veterans, stand up for female athletes, and combat human trafficking.
I will continue to support President Trump’s America-first agenda, and I am fighting to secure big wins for Tennesseans this year.
Weekly Rundown
Since Hamas’s barbaric attack on Israel on October 7th, many of our nation’s top universities have abandoned their Jewish students. Instead of providing a place to learn, they have become hotbeds of antisemitism, anti-American hatred, and open support for terrorism. Each day brings new, disturbing examples. One thing should be clear: With President Trump back in the Oval Office and Republicans in the majority in Congress, pro-Hamas activists and colleges are going to face accountability. If you are visiting our great nation and supporting terrorism, you will be deported. Read more about this in my weekly column here.
This week, I visited the VA Tennessee Valley Health Care System facility, where its outstanding staff is working hard to serve our veterans. We shared an important discussion on the Trump administration’s efforts to streamline access to care for our veterans while eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse within the VA. Tennessee veterans deserve world-class service, faster wait times, and high-quality health care, and I was pleased to join Secretary Doug Collins to tour this important facility and recognize its staff. Read more here.
I also sent a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following reports that Hurricane Helene victims had their FEMA disaster payments stolen by fraudsters. These claims, spanning Unicoi, Johnson, Carter, Cocke, and Washington Counties in Tennessee, are only the instances that we are aware of, but there are undoubtedly more victims of these horrific crimes. FEMA must do everything in its power to ensure Tennesseans get the assistance they deserve. Read more here.
Marsha’s Roundup
ICYMI
Last week, I introduced the Federal Workforce Freedom Act to ban federal labor unions and put a stop to collective bargaining agreements between federal agencies and labor unions, which harm productivity, increase labor costs, and reduce investment. Nearly 200 TSA officers employed at the taxpayers’ expense spend their workdays focused on matters important to labor unions instead of keeping Americans safe, and I applaud the Trump administration’s recent action to help make our government more efficient. Read more here.
I also introduced the Restoring Law and Order Act in response to the violence plaguing communities across America. In Tennessee, Memphis has experienced a series of shockingly violent crimes. We need to ensure law enforcement officers can hunt down violent criminals and keep Tennesseans safe. Read more here.
