Sen. Bill Hagerty Says He Will ‘Work Arm in Arm’ with Trump ‘In Whatever Role’ amid Cabinet Rumors

Sen Bill Hagerty on "Face the Nation"

Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) declined to address rumors he is being considered by President-elect Donald Trump for a cabinet position during a Friday appearance on CNN, but vowed to “work arm in arm” with Trump “in whatever role,” likely signaling a willingness to serve the incoming administration if asked.

“I’ll leave the speculation to the speculators,” Hagerty told the network. “I’m just so excited that President Trump has delivered the mandate that he did on election day. I’m so pleased that Republicans are now in control of the Senate, and I do believe that we’ll hold control of the House.”

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Sen. Bill Hagerty Calls FEMA ‘Far Too Slow’ in East Tennessee Hurricane Relief, Says Agency Placed ‘Priority in the Wrong Place’

Bill Hagerty

Senator Bill Hagerty on Friday said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been “far too slow” in providing relief to those in East Tennessee who were in the path of Hurricane Helene last month.

Hagerty told News Channel 11 the federal agency “has been far too slow to step up to the plate,” and its response plagued with “serious” issues with management and staffing problems.

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Sen. Bill Hagerty, Rep. Andy Biggs Lead 60 Congressmen in DOJ Letter Demanding Answers on Non-Citizen Voting

Hagerty and Biggs

Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) led 60 members of Congress in a second letter to the Department of Justice DOJ to demand answers about non-citizen voters in the United States.

Biggs’ office explained in a press release that lawmakers previously sent a letter demanding information from the DOJ on July 12, and had yet to receive a response by their October 2 letter.

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Tennessee Congressional Delegation Urges President Biden to Approve Updated Disaster Declaration Submitted by Governor Bill Lee

Joe Biden TN

All 11 members of the Tennessee congressional delegation sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Tuesday requesting the “swift approval” of Governor Bill Lee’s request for an updated major disaster declaration in the wake of flash flooding caused by the remnants of Hurricane Helene.

Lee initially requested federal assistance for Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington counties following the flash flooding that devastated buildings and roads in East Tennessee on September 26 and September 27, which the president approved on Saturday.

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Tennessee Congressional Delegation Honor the ‘Scarboro 85’ on 69th Anniversary of Desegregation at Oak Ridge Public Schools

Classroom Students

The entire Tennessee congressional delegation sponsored a resolution this week celebrating the Scarboro 85 students from the Scarboro neighborhood in Oak Ridge. Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education, these students made history by entering all-white classrooms.

On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that separating children in public schools based on race was unconstitutional.

In a second opinion issued on May 31, 1955, the Supreme Court decreed that schools should be desegregated “with all deliberate speed.”

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Tennessee Congressional Delegation Members React to U.S. Secret Service Director’s Resignation

Kimberly Cheatle

Eight members of the Tennessee congressional delegation reacted to U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle’s resignation on Tuesday, agreeing that her decision to step down was in the agency’s best interest.

Cheatle’s resignation came 10 days after former President Donald Trump was grazed by a single bullet in his upper right ear in what is formally being investigated as a failed assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

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Tennessee Congressional Delegation Urges President Biden to Approve Governor Lee’s Disaster Declaration

Tennessee Tornado Damage

All 11 members of the Tennessee congressional delegation sent a letter to President Joe Biden requesting the “swift approval” of Governor Bill Lee’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration due to severe storms that devastated communities across the Volunteer State last month.

On May 8 and May 9, several rounds of significant severe weather impacted 13 Tennessee counties, causing three fatalities and damage to 459 homes in Tennessee.

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Tennessee U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty Latest Republican to Join Pledge Against White House Priorities

Bill Hagerty

U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) joined a group of 13 other Republican members of the U.S. Senate in signing a pledge vowing to not “aid and abet” the Biden administration in its “project to tear this country apart.”

The pledge was created last week on May 31 – just one day after former President Donald Trump was found guilty by a Manhattan jury on all 34 counts in the falsification of business records linked to the Stormy Daniels hush money scandal, marking the first time in history that a U.S. president has been convicted of a felony.

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Republican Liberty Caucus Endorses Tennessee U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles for Reelection

Andy Ogles

The Republican Liberty Caucus endorsed U.S. Representative Andy Ogles’ (R-TN-05) reelection bid for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District.

“The Republican Liberty Caucus proudly endorses Andrew Ogles in TN-5,” the political organization wrote in an X post on Thursday. “[Ogles] has become one of the top defenders of liberty in the House. An unwavering voice for freedom and smaller government, he scored a 95 on our Liberty Index during his first year in Congress.”

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Senate Democrats Block Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty’s Amendment Barring Illegal Aliens from Being Counted on the Census

The U.S. Senate failed to pass an amendment introduced by U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) that would bar illegal immigrants from being factored into the count for congressional districts and the Electoral College map that determines presidential elections on Friday.

A total of 47 Democrats, three Independents, and one Republican senator voted against the amendment, which failed to pass by a 45-51 vote.

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Commentary: Congress Should Support Site-Neutral Reforms

The recent Health Equity Report by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee offers a glimpse into the health challenges faced by Tennesseans. Among many concerning statistics, one stands out: 100 people are diagnosed with cancer in the state every day.

Sadly, the financial toll of chronic illnesses like cancer is staggering. It can saddle seniors, families and patients across Tennessee with decades of debt. Nationwide, 23 million Americans are confronting the burdensome reality of medical debt, which can wreck credit scores, send seniors to debt collections, and thwart patients from getting the timely, quality care they need.

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After Canceling Student Loan Debt, Biden Admin Announces Paying College Students to Register Voters

Paying Voters Biden

The Biden administration announced it will pay college students to register voters and participate in get-out-the-vote activities shortly after canceling student loan debt.

It’s a move that Republicans and election integrity advocates are saying will mobilize Democratic voters with taxpayer dollars.

After canceling student loan debt the prior week, the Biden administration announced that it will pay college students to register voters and engage in GOTV efforts through a Federal Work-Study (FWS) program.

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U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty Travels to the U.S.-Mexico Border

Senator Bill Hagerty at Southern Border

Tennessee U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border on Tuesday with Tennessee sheriffs and mayors to meet with law enforcement and property owners.

“I’m back at the southern border here in Texas,” Hagerty said in a video message posted to X. “We’re just in the outskirts of Eagle Pass right now. I brought another delegation of sheriffs and mayors and law enforcement from Tennessee just like I did two years ago. What we’re seeing is even worse than it was two year ago.”

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Senator Marsha Blackburn Visits All 95 Counties of Tennessee Each Year: The ‘Full Blackburn’ Takes a Page from Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa

Marsha Blackburn

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) joined Friday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss a new bill she and Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) introduced as well as State Representative Gloria Johnson’s (D-Knoxville) recent vote against a bill that would allow prosecutors to pursue a death penalty sentence for convicted child rapists.

Blackburn, who was traveling through Sumner County while on the newsmaker line, first discussed the importance of her annual trips to all 95 Tennessee counties.

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Country Music Star Jelly Roll Testifies on Capitol Hill, Addresses the Fentanyl Crisis Under Questioning by Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty

Country music star Jelly Roll testified in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs this week at a hearing entitled “Stopping the Flow of Fentanyl: Public Awareness and Legislative Solutions.”

Thursday’s hearing focused on the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, a bill that would create new economic sanctions authority and money laundering penalties for components of the fentanyl supply chain, including Chinese entities and Mexican cartels.

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Tennessee Congressional Delegation Sends Letter to President Biden Urging Approval of Disaster Declaration Following Deadly Tornadoes

All 11 members of the Tennessee congressional delegation sent a letter to President Joe Biden requesting the “swift approval” of Governor Bill Lee’s request for a major disaster declaration due to severe storms that devastated communities across Middle Tennessee over the weekend.

On December 9, severe thunderstorms and tornadoes ripped through Middle Tennessee. The storms caused six fatalities and dozens of injuries, produced significant damage to nearly 1,900 homes, and destroyed over 500 homes, according to initial reports.

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Tennessee Congressional Delegation Members Push Back on President Biden’s Lump Funding Request for Israel, Ukraine, and Border Security

A group of Tennessee congressional lawmakers have criticized President Joe Biden’s budget request for Congress to fund an aid package for both Ukraine and Israel.

On Friday, the White House announced the details of Biden’s $105 billion funding request, with the majority of the funding – $61.4 billion – intended for Ukraine. Further, under Biden’s request, Israel would receive $14.3 billion. The rest of the requested funds would go towards humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, and other places and fund various initiatives geared toward the Indo-Pacific.

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Tennessee U.S. Senators Blackburn, Hagerty React to Indictment of Former President Trump

U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) both accused the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) of being “two tiered” after it was revealed that former President Donald Trump had been indicted following the FBI’s seizure of materials from his Mar-a-Lago estate last August.

On Thursday, Trump confirmed his indictment, writing on Truth Social, “The corrupt Biden Administration has informed my attorneys that I have been Indicted, seemingly over the Boxes Hoax, even though Joe Biden has 1850 Boxes at the University of Delaware, additional Boxes in Chinatown, D.C., with even more Boxes at the University of Pennsylvania, and documents strewn all over his garage floor where he parks his Corvette, and which is “secured” by only a garage door that is paper thin, and open much of the time.”

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Former President Trump Announces 2024 Tennessee National Leadership Team, Picks Up Endorsements from Members of the State Delegation

Former President Donald Trump traveled to Nashville over the weekend to attend the Republican National Committee’s Spring Retreat where he met with Republican members of the Tennessee Congressional Delegation.

Following his meeting with members of the state’s delegation, Trump announced the creation of his 2024 Tennessee Federal Leadership Team.

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