This week, the Senate Finance Committee released the Senate tax reform bill.
I am very impressed with the Senate tax bill. The whole issue is—can we put more money in the wallets of working people and raise family incomes. Today, taxes handcuff job creators. Tennessee is doing pretty well right now, but we could grow faster and people could make more more money if we take off the handcuffs.
On Veterans Day, I think of all the Tennessee veterans I’ve been honored to greet this year on their HonorAir trips to Washington.
There are more than 500,000 brave men and women in Tennessee who have worn the uniform of our Armed Services. They’re our neighbors, our friends, the people we pass by in the grocery store or greet at church on Sunday – ordinary people who have done extraordinary things and made terrific sacrifices, and we owe them more than we could repay.
On Friday, I spoke with Tennessee members of the Associated Builders and Contractors in Nashville. We discussed how the Republican-led Congress is repealing unnecessary and overreaching regulations so businesses can grow and create jobs. Congress has passed and President Trump has signed legislation overturning 14 harmful Obama-era policies. These, along with additional executive actions, could save the economy $71 billion and eliminate more than 64 million hours of paperwork.
Protecting the American dream for workers
This week, Congress took two important steps for workers in this country. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation that is good news for the owners of this country’s 780,000 franchise businesses—health clubs, barber shops, neighborhood restaurants— who saw their path to the American dream threatened by the Obama National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) damaging and unreasonable definition of a “joint employer.” I’m glad Republicans and Democrats in the House have acted to restore three decades of labor precedent and basic common sense, and I look forward to the Senate acting as soon as possible.
While this partisanship at the NLRB didn’t begin under the last administration, it did become worse. On Wednesday, the Senate confirmed Peter Robb to serve as the General Counsel for the NLRB. Mr. Robb will have an opportunity to help restore the board to the role of a neutral umpire, and I’m hopeful that he will help bring stability to our nation’s workplaces.
Americans want a result on health care to prevent sky rocketing premiums and uncertainty
This week, I spoke on the Senate floor on health care – a topic that is on the minds of the American people. In Tennessee, because of the Affordable Care Act's structure, premiums have gone up 176 percent over the last four years and another 58 percent on average for 2018. Tennesseans, like millions of other Americans, are going through open enrollment and have sticker shock when they see the prices of the health insurance that they might buy.
President Trump, last month called me and asked me to work with Republicans and Democrats in Congress to do something about skyrocketing premiums. He said that he didn’t want people to be hurt over the next couple of years while we're continuing to debate the long-term structure of health care in the individual market.
I worked with Senator Patty Murray to produce a result that has 11 other Republican and 11 other Democrat cosponsors. Republicans support this legislation because it means: lower premiums, less tax dollars for Obamacare subsidies, less federal debt, more flexibility for states, and a new so-called “catastrophic” insurance policy so that a medical catastrophe doesn't turn into a financial catastrophe.
Our proposal gives states flexibility, increasing the variety and choices of insurance policies – and while it doesn't solve every problem, it limits the damage, it lowers premiums, it avoids chaos, it saves federal tax dollars, and it has the support of a significant number of Republicans and Democrats, and it's done at the request of the president. I hope we are able to pass our legislation quickly and send it to President Trump to sign to help the American people.
Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility is a national leader in the evolution of supercomputing
This week, the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility, which is home to some of the world’s most powerful supercomputers, celebrated its 25th anniversary. Using Oak Ridge’s computing facility, scientists have expanded the scale and scope of their research, solved complex problems in less time and filled critical gaps in scientific knowledge, and I am very proud of the men and women from all over the world who have made this facility a success. I thank them for 25 years of hard work and dedication, and I look forward to their continued success answering some of the hardest scientific questions.
Senate Agriculture Committee advances Alexander legislation to preserve Tennessee’s heritage
On Thursday, the Senate Agriculture Committee approved the Tennessee Wilderness Act, legislation Senator Corker and I introduced earlier this year to help protect our natural heritage and give the millions of people who visit Tennessee each year an additional reason to come and enjoy our great outdoors. You can read more about our legislation here.
On Thursday, I introduced Tennessean Stephen Vaden at his confirmation hearing to be General Counsel at the Department of Agriculture. Stephen grew up on a family farm in Union City, Tennessee. His father was a farmer, so he has hands-on experience for this job—and he has practiced law with two distinguished firms in Washington. Based upon his hands-on experience, his strong academic credentials, his mentorships and his practice of law, he’s very well qualified.
Visiting Washington, D.C., on a Tuesday? Sign up to attend Tennessee Tuesday, the weekly constituent breakfast I host with Senator Corker every week that the Senate is in session. My office can also arrange tours of the U.S. Capitol and other attractions throughout our nation’s capital.
This week, the Environmental Protection Agency said that the entire state of Tennessee meets recent air quality standards for ozone. Under federal law, counties that have not met the National Ambient Air Quality Standards have stricter emission standards, which means companies looking to expand must use more pollution control equipment. This announcement is good news because it signals that the air is clean, and all 95 Tennessee counties are open for business.
Last week, President Trump appointed State Senator Jim Tracy to serve as the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development State Director for Tennessee. Jim has a strong record of accomplished public service and is a good friend, and I look forward to working with him to create better-paying jobs and expand economic development in rural areas in Tennessee.
Below is an article from this week I thought you would enjoy:
Washington Examiner: Senate confirms Peter Robb as Trump's top labor law enforcer
Be optimistic. Most American movies have happy endings.
- #27 in Lamar Alexander’s Little Plaid Book
