Important news from this past week:
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President Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to serve on the United States Supreme Court, and I was glad to be at the White House for the nomination. Judge Kanavaugh is a very well-qualified jurist, and I hope this confirmation process will be conducted with dignity and respect.
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The Senate took another positive step forward in restoring our country’s 417 national parks – a Senate subcommittee held a hearing to discuss the Restore our Parks Act, legislation I helped write to help address the nearly $12 billion deferred maintenance backlog in national parks across the country, including $215 million of road, campground, and trail projects in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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The Senate confirmed Paul Ney, of Tennessee, to be general counsel of the Department of Defense.
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This week, some of Tennessee’s largest health insurance companies announced they are cutting premiums for those in Obamacare’s individual health insurance market. This is good news for Tennesseans facing an over 176 percent increase in health insurance premiums since Obamacare took effect.
Republican Congress getting results for Tennesseans:
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Because of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that the Republican Congress passed and President Trump signed into law last year, there is a new paid family leave tax credit that will give more employees the ability to take paid family leave after the birth of a child. A number of major employers are already taking advantage of this new tax credit, which helps working families while also allowing job creators to design leave programs for their employees.
President Trump nominates Judge Brett Kavanaugh to serve on the United States Supreme Court
This week, President Trump nominated a very well-qualified jurist – Judge Brett Kavanaugh – to serve as the next U.S. Supreme Court associate justice. Judge Kavanaugh must now be approved by the Senate, but unfortunately, the Senate has gotten into a bad habit of treating good people as ‘innocent until nominated.’ Instead, I hope Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation process will be conducted with dignity and respect so that we may learn more about his character, temperament, and attitudes. During the eight years I was governor of Tennessee, I appointed about 50 judges. In doing so, I looked for the same qualities I will look for now as the Senate considers Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination: intelligence, good character, restraint, respect for law, and respect for those who come before the court. It is my hope that the Senate will return to the practice only recently lost of inquiring diligently into qualifications of a nominee and then accepting that elections have consequences, one of which is to give the President of the United States the constitutional right to nominate justices to the Supreme Court.
New bipartisan bill is best way to fix our national parks so Americans can enjoy them
This week, at the Senate Energy and Natural Resources National Parks Subcommittee hearing, I discussed the Restore Our Parks Act - bipartisan legislation I helped write that could do more to restore our nation’s national parks than anything that has happened in the last half century. The reason we need to restore our parks is so future generations can enjoy the 417 National Park Service sites – from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the Grand Canyon – for generations to come. This bill will greatly reduce the deferred maintenance backlog in our parks and prevent situations such as with the Look Rock Campground on Chilhowee Mountain in the Smokies, which once was visited by 5,000 families a year, but has now been closed for repairs for five years. This is just one example of how the $11.6 billion maintenance backlog negatively impacts visitor experiences across the country, and of how important it is that we pass this bill so generations to come will have the same opportunity to enjoy our parks as we have had. Learn more about the bill here.
You can listen to my remarks at the hearing here or by clicking the above image.
This week, I spoke with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke about this bipartisan compromise that would help address the nearly $12 billion deferred maintenance backlog at the National Park Service, including the $215 million in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I am glad to have the support of the Trump administration as we work to pass the Restore Our Parks Act.
Tennessee insurance companies requesting lower premiums next year for the first time since Obamacare exchanges opened
This week, some of Tennessee’s largest health insurance companies announced they are cutting premiums for those in Obamacare’s individual health insurance market. This news is a welcome step for Tennesseans after facing an over 176 percent increase in health insurance premiums since Obamacare took effect, but the news could have been even better. Since Democrats in Congress have elevated Obamacare to the 67th book of the Bible and have blocked even minor changes to the law that could have lowered rates by up to 40 percent, it is up to the states and the Trump administration to continue to help lower premiums. I congratulate Tennessee Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak’s efforts to bring more choices and lower prices to Tennessee and will continue working with the administration as best as I can on ways to give states greater flexibility to lower premiums.
I was in Knoxville last month with Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta and Tennessee Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Julie McPeak to talk about a Trump Administration plan that could give thousands more Tennesseans access to lower cost employer insurance.
Imposing tariffs is like shooting ourselves in both feet at once
The administration has imposed tariffs on aluminum and steel and now other products, including soybeans and other products grown and manufactured in our country. In general, these tariffs are a big mistake. I have urged President Trump instead to focus on reciprocity. Tell other countries “do for our country what we do for you.” I've worked for 40 years to bring the auto industry to Tennessee. It has done more than anything to raise our standard of living and to raise family incomes in our state. Tariffs will lower our standard of living and will hurt Tennessee more than almost any other state. I've said to the president as respectfully and as effectively as I can, “Mr. President, we agree on taxes. We agree on regulations. We agree on judges. We're proud of having the best economy in 18 years, the lowest employment rate that anybody else can remember, but these tariffs are a big mistake. They will take us in the wrong direction.” I have not been successful in talking with the president about this, but I intend to keep trying. There are other and better ways to persuade our trading partners to do for us what we do for them instead of shooting ourselves in both feet at once, which is what we do when we impose these tariffs.
Senate confirms Paul Ney to be general counsel of the Department of Defense
This week, the U.S. Senate confirmed Paul Ney, of Tennessee, to be general counsel of the Department of Defense. Paul is well-qualified for this position – he previously served as acting general counsel for the Navy, deputy general counsel for the Department of Defense during the Bush administration, and he is currently the chief deputy attorney general for the State of Tennessee. Paul’s character, temperament and years of experience will serve our country well, and I’m glad the Senate confirmed him this week.
Enjoyed meeting with the Tennessee 4-H Foundation. Have fun visiting Washington!
Senate doing its job on appropriations
Boy Scouts shouldn't get a merit badge for telling the truth and senators shouldn't get a pat on the back for conducting an appropriations process the way it's supposed to be conducted, but it's worth noting that for the first time in a long time we're actually doing it. This week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appointed me to serve on the House-Senate “Conference Committee” that funds Tennessee priorities including construction of Chickamauga Lock in Chattanooga, funding for Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Y-12 National Security Complex, and supercomputing. I look forward to continuing the good work the Senate and House have done so far to restore regular order to the appropriations process and set priorities with budget limits. These are important bills for Tennesseans - I worked hard to include up to $99.5 million in the Senate bill to continue construction of Chickamauga Lock in Chattanooga, to continue record funding for supercomputing and for the agency that funds our 17 national laboratories - including Oak Ridge National Laboratory - and to support weapons programs that are vital to our national security and the important work at Y-12. I look forward to participating in this important next step in making these appropriations bills law. Listen to my remarks on the Senate floor on this year’s successful appropriations process.
It was good to meet with the Bank of America Student Leaders who were here for the Student Leaders Summit, a partnership with the Close Up Foundation, which focuses on skill building and creating a more civically engaged society.
