Scott DesJarlais to Serve on House Armed Services and Agriculture Committees

U.S. Republican Congressman Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee will join the subcommittees on Strategic Forces, as well as Intelligence, Emerging Threats and Capabilities, according to a press release Wednesday. The Strategic Forces Subcommittee oversees nuclear weapons, missile defense and space programs.  The Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee oversees counter-terrorism, special operations, military intelligence and cyber issues, among other things, according to the press release. Texas Republican Congressman Mac Thornberry, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, announced subcommittee assignments for the new 116th Congress, according to the press release. DesJarlais will also serve on the House Agriculture Committee, per an announcement last week from Texas Republican Congressman Mike Conaway, the ranking member. In a statement, DesJarlais said this new assignment helps Tennessee. “Tennessee, especially the Fourth District, is a top producer of agriculture staples. It’s a major farming and ranching state, where the Walking Horse industry is prominent. Rural areas are also experiencing manufacturing growth, making demands on infrastructure,” DesJarlais said. “On the Agriculture Committee, I will have the opportunity to promote rural broadband and workforce development, because important skills are in short supply, and on the Armed Services Committee, I will be able to assist our many military members,…

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Most, But Not All Tennessee Republican D.C. Representatives Are Die Hard About the Border Wall

Republicans Chuck Fleischmann, Scott DesJarlais, and Marsha Blackburn have all reportedly come out swinging in support of President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall. U.S. Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, however, seems to have taken a more passive approach. Alexander’s junior colleague, U.S. Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn reportedly told The Cleveland Banner this week that, despite the shutdown, a large portion of the federal government, about 75 percent, still functions. Blackburn, according to The Banner, blamed the shutdown on Democrats, who refuse to negotiate. “It is sad they are putting partisan politics ahead of the American people,” the paper quoted Blackburn as saying. “It is unconscionable they would refuse to secure the border and protect our nation. Drugs, human sex and labor traffickers and gang members cross into this country — illegally every day. It is imperative that we secure the border and end illegal entry.” The United States, Blackburn went on to tell the paper, spends billions of dollars each year in foreign aid, money she said this country could use to secure the border — for one-tenth of that amount. Fleischmann, meanwhile, told The Banner he is withholding his pay during the shutdown, but he, like Blackburn, also…

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Scott DesJarlais Honors Afghan War Veteran

This week members of the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to honor an Afghan war veteran. U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-4) put a bill forward to honor Sgt. John Toombs, according to a press release his office released Tuesday. The bill designates Murfreesboro’s Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Facility at the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Alvin C. York Medical Center in Murfreesboro as the Sergeant John Toombs Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Facility. The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives on a bipartisan vote, said DesJarlais spokesman Brendan Thomas. “Sgt. Toombs, an Afghan War veteran who suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, sought counseling for his disorder, as well as addiction treatment, at his local VA facility,” Thomas said. In November 2016, as Thomas’ press release went on to say, Toombs committed suicide on facility grounds. The press release quoted DesJarlais. “He was a war veteran. He was a constituent,” said DesJarlais, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. “I’ve worked closely with David Toombs, his father, to recognize his son’s struggles and to prevent another tragic ending like John’s.” DesJarlais went on to say suicide and substance abuse problems affect a disproportionate number of U.S. military veterans. “We…

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DesJarlais: New Federal Defense Act Will Help Tennessee

Scott DesJarlais

U.S. Congressman Scott DesJarlais said he has inserted measures into the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act that will give more aid to Middle Tennessee’s Aerospace and Defense Technology Corridor. According to the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, Tennessee’s aerospace cluster includes 52 companies, including the Arnold Engineering Development Complex. The region also has advanced research centers and manufacturers that supply the U.S. military and commercial enterprises with state-of-the-art equipment. President Donald Trump signed the NDAA into law this week. The NDAA sets yearly policy at the federal Department of Defense. “In terms of Tennessee, there are all kinds of military bases and service members across the state who are interested in national security,” said Brendan Thomas, spokesman for DesJarlais. “In terms of what the congressman is doing, this is the area through Middle Tennessee and parts of Alabama and Kentucky, known as the Aerospace Tech Corridor. This is where there are bases and private enterprises on the forefront of hypersonic and nuclear research. He directed his energy into those endeavors.” Among the beneficiaries are Fort Campbell, the research facilities at the University of Tennessee Tullahoma, and the nuclear research facilities in Oak Ridge. The 2019 NDAA will also…

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Marsha Blackburn and Scott DesJarlais Speak at Rally for GOP State Senate Candidate Shane Reeves

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) and Rep Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) spoke at a rally in Murfreesboro of enthusiastic Shane Reeves supporters on Saturday, three days in advance of Tuesday’s special election in the 14th State Senate District. The seat was vacated in November when former State Senator Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville) resigned to accept a position with the Trump administration. Reeves is the Republican candidate in Tuesday’s election, in which he faces the far left self proclaimed atheist Gayle Jordan, the Democratic candidate. The rally was followed by a Day of Action by Reeves’ supporters, who knocked on doors and called voters on behalf of their candidate. Tennessee Republican State Party Chairman Scott Golden also spoke on Reeves’ behalf at the rally. The race has drawn attention in recent days as political observers look for signs that the purported “Blue Wave” of Democratic victories hoped for in the 2018 midterm elections by Democrats has begun to show up in Tennessee. One data point that might support that notion was the surprisingly narrow victory of former Republican State Rep. Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) over his Democratic opponent in the December special election to replace former State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) in Wilson County.…

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