Tennessee Senator Sends Letter to FEMA Director Demanding Accountability for Political Discrimination After Hurricane Helene

Deanne Criswell

Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell on Monday demanding accountability within the federal agency after it was reported that FEMA workers were advised to discriminate against Trump supporters who needed assistance after Hurricane Helene.

Earlier this month, The Daily Wire reported that a FEMA supervisor ordered workers to bypass the homes of Donald Trump’s supporters as they surveyed the damage caused by Hurricane Milton in Florida.

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Tennessee U.S. Senators Hagerty, Blackburn Support Trump’s Nomination of Matt Gaetz for Attorney General

Senators Hagerty and Blackburn

Both U.S. Senators representing Tennessee have confirmed they will support the nomination by President-elect Donald Trump of Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL-01) to serve as the U.S. Attorney General.

Senators Marsh Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) released statements expressing support for Gaetz last week ahead of reports the Florida Republican was calling senators to arrange meetings and seek their support during the nomination process.

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Senator Marsha Blackburn Introduces Bill to Prevent Migrants Tied to Hamas from Entering the U.S.

Blackburn and Rosen

U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) are introducing a bill this week that would prevent migrants tied to the terrorist group Hamas from entering the U.S. and receiving immigration benefits.

Blackburn and Rosen’s ‘No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act’ would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to deny immigration benefits to aliens who “carried out, participated in, planned, financed, supported, or otherwise facilitated” the recent attacks against Israel beginning on October 7, 2023.

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Tennessee Republicans Increase Share of Electorate as Trump Wins Popular Vote

Ogles and Blackburn

Tennessee Republicans largely increased or held their share of the vote compared to their performance in their past election, with Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) seeing the largest increase of the vote share when contrasting her successful 2018 campaign for U.S. Senate to her successful 2024 reelection.

Blackburn in 2018 received 54.7 percent of the vote, but increased her share by nearly 9 percent in her race against State Representative Gloria Johnson, trouncing the Democrat 63.8 percent to 34.2 percent, according to estimates at press time.

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Senator Marsha Blackburn Speaks to Reporters After Voting Early in Brentwood

Marsha Blackburn

Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) told reporters on Friday she is “confident” in the security of the Volunteer State’s elections after she cast her vote early for the November 5 general election at an early voting polling location in Brentwood.

“We know that in Tennessee, we have the most secure elections in the country and our Secretary of State, Tre Hargett, gets a lot of credit for that. I know Tennesseans are confident they can show up, cast their vote, and that vote’s going to be counted,” Blackburn said.

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U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Presses VP Kamala Harris on Her Failed Broadband Initiative to Connect Americans to the Internet

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) was among nine Republican senators who sent a letter to Vice President Kamala Harris pressing her on the administration’s “failed” initiative to connect millions of Americans to broadband internet.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed by President Joe Biden in 2021, provided the National Telecommunications and Information Administration with $42.45 billion for the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, which was intended to “provide broadband access to unserved communities, particularly those in rural areas.”

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U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Defends Bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act

Kids on phones

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) released a memo this week clarifying elements of her and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal’s (D-CT) Kids Online Safety Act, which passed the Senate in July, amid what the senator is calling “lies” being circulated about the legislation.

The Kids Online Safety Act seeks to “protect minors from online harms” by requiring social media companies to “take reasonable measures” to “prevent and mitigate” children from being harmed while using their platforms, including through sexual exploitation or online bullying.

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U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Urges Tennesseans to Vote Early

Marsha Blackburn

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is urging Tennesseans to cast their votes in the November 5 general election by taking advantage of early in-person voting.

Blackburn, who faces Tennessee State Representative Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) on the general election ballot, said she is hoping for a “big margin” in her race and for Tennesseans to vote for former President Donald Trump and local candidates.

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U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Joins Colleagues in Demanding Change to Unaccompanied Migrant Children Program from Biden-Harris Administration

border-crisis_840x480

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) joined 43 other Republicans in the U.S. Senate and House in sending a letter to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris demanding that their administration’s program that resettles unaccompanied alien children into the U.S. be reformed to ensure the safety of children within the program.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) program transfers unaccompanied alien children who crossed the border into the U.S. without a parent or guardian into the hands of unvetted sponsors within the U.S., which the Republicans often warned “continue to exploit and abuse” such children.

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U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Describes ‘Truly Catastrophic’ Scene in East Tennessee from Hurricane Helene

Marsha Blackburn

Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) described the scene in areas impacted by flash flooding from Hurricane Helene in East Tennessee as “truly catastrophic” after two days of traveling to the area to meet with residents and survey the storm damage.

One week ago, flash flooding from Hurricane Helene devastated areas of East Tennessee, which has since left 11 dead, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

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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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Sens. Blackburn, Hagerty Among Senators Seeking to Close ‘Loophole’ Biden-Harris Used to Grant Amnesty to Illegal Immigrants

illegal immigrants

New legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday by a group of lawmakers, including Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN), would eliminate the “loophole” used by the Biden-Harris administration to grant legal status to more than 500,000 illegal immigrants.

Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) is joined by the Visa Integrity Preservation Act by 13 other Republican senators, including Blackburn and Hagerty, in an effort they argue “ould close a loophole in current law that the Biden-Harris administration took advantage of in a June 2024 executive action to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants who entered the United States without inspection or overstayed a visa.”

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Sen. Blackburn Demands Secret Service Increase Trump’s Security on Heels of ‘Unfathomable’ Second Assassination Attempt

Senator Marsha Blackburn

Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Monday demanded the U.S. Secret Service increase the level of security provided to former President Donald Trump to that of a sitting president, calling the second attempt to assassinate the former president, which happened on Sunday in Florida, an “unfathomable and unacceptable” development for the agency.

Blackburn revealed her demand in a letter to Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, who began leading the agency following the resignation of former director Kimberly Cheatle as the agency’s shortcomings during the first assassination attempt were revealed.

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Commentary: ‘American Girls in Sports Day’ Matters More Than Ever

Across our country, more than 3 million female high school and college athletes compete, practice, and train every day to achieve athletic success.

For many of these young women and girls, athletic participation is more than just a game: It is a life-long passion that improves their physical health, boosts their self-confidence, and teaches them the discipline and leadership skills to succeed on and off the field.

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Conservatives Celebrate Courage of Sen. Marsha Blackburn in Leading Fight Against Income Tax in Tennessee

Marsha Blackburn

The Tennessee Star on Monday obtained videos from a newly released ad campaign by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who is currently favored to win reelection against State Senator Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville), which feature prominent Tennessee conservatives celebrate Blackburn’s role in the successful 2003 effort to defeat an income tax proposal.

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Exclusive: Sen. Marsha Blackburn Slams Cashless Bail with Tennessee Sheriff in Push for Restoring Law and Order Act

The Tennessee Star on Wednesday exclusively obtained a video released by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who urged Congress to pass her Restoring Law and Order Act to provide relief to cities like Memphis, which the senator argued suffers from ill-conceived restorative justice schemes and soft-on-crime judges.

Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) joined the senator’s Restoring Law and Order Act, which was reintroduced in May. The bill would authorize new grant funding for local law enforcement to hire and retain officers, combat child trafficking, and emphasize “public safety tools like bail and pretrial detention” to disallow accused criminals the opportunity to commit additional offenses.

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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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U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Demands Answers after DHS Report Reveals ICE Has Lost Thousands of Unaccompanied Migrant Children

border surge

Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Patrick Lechleitner this week demanding answers after a recent report revealed that ICE has lost track of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children over the last five years.

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State Rep. Gloria Johnson Celebrates U.S. Senate Primary Victory

Gloria Johnson

A far-left member of the Tennessee House of Representatives Thursday night won her primary election, and now faces an uphill battle against incumbent U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).

“Thank you, Tennessee. I am running for office to represent you, to fight for you, and make life easier for all who call Tennessee home. I have never felt more ready to fight for a Tennessee that works for all of us. Let’s do this!” said State Representative Gloria Johnson (D-Knovxille) when the primary results rolled in. 

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Never Trumpers Lose Big in Tennessee GOP Primary

Andy Ogles and Courtney Johnston

The Never Trump donors who assembled to oppose Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) in the Thursday Republican primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional district were trounced by the incumbent, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump more than one year prior to the election.

Ogles’ victory came despite the incumbent being out raised by his opponent, Metro Councilwoman Courtney Johnston, who also benefited from more than $600,000 in advertising from the Conservatives with Character super PAC, whose treasurer told The Tennessee Star its primary purpose was to see the Trump-endorsed incumbent defeated.

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Sen. Marsha Blackburn Celebrates After Senate Passes Kids Online Safety Act with Bipartisan Support

Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal

Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) celebrated on Tuesday after the U.S. Senate passed the Kids Online Safety Act with bipartisan support.

Blackburn wrote in a post to the social media platform X that the legislation passing the Senate is “a big step to protect” minor children from online harms, and noted Congress last passed legislation with that goal in 1998, when it passed the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

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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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Secret Service Chief Faces Mounting Pressure to Resign

Kimberly Cheatle

New allegations that Secret Service training resources were reallocated to “executive leadership bonuses” and DEI-prioritized recruitment are among the torrent of charges leveled against agency Director Kim Cheatle and other top officials in the aftermath of the assassination attempt against Donald Trump.

Inside the main hall of Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum, Republicans Thursday night were enjoying a Make America Great Again lovefest. But on the outside perimeter of the convention center, anger was still spewing over an avalanche of negative information about the layers of Secret Service failures that led to a bullet piercing Trump’s right ear, just millimeters away from killing him, four days ago at a rally in Pennsylvania.

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Sen. Blackburn Confronts Stonewalling Secret Service Director at the RNC over Trump Assassination Attempt Coverup

Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and John Barrasso (R-WY) on Wednesday confronted U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on the floor of the Republican National Convention (RNC) over the Secret Service actions that preceded the Saturday assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

The Tennessee Star confirmed the confrontation happened at the Fiserv Forum in Mulwaukee, Wisconsin where the RNC is being held. Blackburn and Barrasso confronted Cheatle upstairs in a luxury suite just prior to 9 p.m., just minutes before Blackburn uploaded video to the social media platform X with the caption, “[t]he American people deserve answers from the Secret Service.”

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U.S. Senators Prohibited from Asking Questions in Secret Service Conference Call After Attempted Trump Assassination

Senators and Secret Service

A source familiar with the conversation confirmed to The Tennessee Star that multiple members of the U.S. Senate were prohibited from asking questions during a Wednesday conference call with the U.S. Secret Service in the wake of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

The allegation surfaced after U.S. Senator Mike Lee revealed the Secret Service was “briefing senators” about the attempted assassination “on a conference call,” during which he claimed the federal agency provided “details that aren’t all helpful” and little information about “the failures that led to this tragedy.”

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Incumbent U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Trounces Democrat Challenger Gloria Johnson in Fundraising Battle with over $7.1 Million More Cash on Hand: FEC Data

Marsha Blackburn and Gloria Johnson

Data recently published by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) shows Tennessee incumbent U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) sitting on more than $7.1 million cash on hand than her leading Democratic challenger, Tennessee State Representative Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville).

Blackburn’s cash on hand as of June 30 is reported to be $9,227,961.41 while Johnson’s reported amount is $2,050,627.43 – a total difference of $7,177,333.98.

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U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Joins Push for Senate Judiciary Committee to Hold Hearing on Assassination Attempt of Former President Donald Trump

Sen. Marsha Blackburn

Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) was among the Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans who sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-IL) requesting that he organize a committee hearing on the circumstances leading up to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump over the weekend.

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Senator Marsha Blackburn Says the GOP’s 2024 Platform Unites Party Ahead of Presidential Election

Marsha Blackburn and Donald Trump

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said the 2024 Republican Party Platform is an “aspirational,” “modern” agenda that Republicans can unite behind ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

The Republican Party Platform Committee overwhelmingly approved former President Donald Trump’s 2024 Republican Party Platform on Monday.

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