Blackburn Releases New Video on the Economy, Discusses What Has Kept Tennessee Growing as Nation Struggles

Tennessee Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn is preparing to release a video via social media discussing the state’s economy and spoke with The Tennessee Star this week to discuss both the pressures it endures as well as its bright spots compared with other regions.

In the one-minute spot, which shows the senator touring a Clarksville-area manufacturing plant, she discusses the challenge ongoing inflation poses to producers as they attempt to provide affordable goods to Tennesseans. 

Read the full story

Wisconsin Senator Johnson and Colleagues Urge White House to Reverse Major Climate Policies

Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson wrote jointly with several colleagues to President Joe Biden this week urging him to reverse major elements of his anti-fossil-fuel agenda. 

The letter from the senators takes issue with several actions the White House has taken to hinder investment in and use of oil, natural gas and coal in an effort the administration insists is important to lessening global warming. 

Read the full story

Marsha Blackburn Commentary: Firing Servicemembers over the COVID-19 Shot Threatens Our National Security

President Biden said it himself: the pandemic is over. So why is his Department of Defense (DoD) willing to look at the brave men and women who volunteered to serve our nation and say, “you’re fired” – all because they chose not to get the COVID-19 shot?

In the United States, the number of new servicemembers joining the military has reached a record low. Every single branch struggled to hit its recruitment goals this year, including the U.S. Army, which fell 10,000 soldiers short. At this rate, they will face a deficit of 21,000 soldiers next year. The National Guard also missed the mark by about 12,000 recruits, and expects to discharge up to 14,000 more by 2024 for refusing the COVID-19 shot.

Read the full story

Tennessee’s Blackburn and Green Take Biden to Task for 20-Year Mortgage-Rate High

Republican federal legislators from Tennessee blasted the Biden administration yesterday in light of the news that mortgage-interest rates have reached a two-decade high. 

Government-sponsored mortgage corporation Freddie Mac reported this week that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage — the option most homebuyers choose — hit 7.08 percent, exceeding seven percent for the first time since Spring 2002. The rate was 6.94 percent last week.

Read the full story

Tennessee Senator Blackburn Introduces Bipartisan Broadcast Transparency Legislation

Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) this week announced she is cosponsoring a measure alongside Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) to identify broadcasting content that foreign governments are underwriting. 

Called the Identifying Propaganda on Our Airwaves (IPA) Act, the bill directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to mandate that radio and television broadcast companies check foreign-media databases to ascertain non-American sources of programming and advertising. 

Read the full story

Tulsi Gabbard, Senator Marsha Blackburn, and More Set to Speak at the ‘Rally to End Child Mutilation’ Friday in Nashville

Author and journalist Matt Walsh released an updated list of speakers who will be attending the ‘Rally to End Child Mutilation’ Friday at the Tennessee State Capitol.

As previously reported by The Tennessee Star, Walsh announced the rally to “end child mutilation, sterilization, and abuse in Tennessee hospitals and beyond” earlier this month after he broke the story on how Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) was caught providing transgender surgeries to minors.

Read the full story

Majority of Tennesseans Support the State’s Right-to-Work Amendment

A recent poll asking Tennessee voters whether they would support a proposed constitutional “right-to-work” amendment indicates the measure has strong backing.

According to a Cygnal survey of 500 likely voters conducted from October 7 through 9, 58 percent of respondents said they expect they will vote on November 8 to approve Amendment One which would enshrine the policy in the Tennessee Constitution. Only 22 percent anticipated they will vote against the proposal and 20 percent had not yet decided. Positivity toward the proposed amendment enlarged to 60 percent when only voters who indicate they “always” vote on ballot initiatives were examined.

Read the full story

Senator Blackburn Explains Why Taiwan Is a Sovereign Nation

On Monday, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) posted a video of an appearance she made on Fox Business where she discussed her position that Taiwan is an independent country.

“What we are doing is working towards protecting the Pacific Island nations, Taiwan included, from the Chinese Communist Party’s aggression. They are intent on being globally dominant by the time we get to the midpoint of this century. They have been very aggressive in how they have chosen to move forward in the last 18 months. That’s of concern to us,” said Blackburn to the Fox Business host.

Read the full story

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn Meets with Taiwan President and Foreign Minister

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who is a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, met with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen at the Presidential Office in Taipei Friday.

Senator Blackburn also met with Foreign Minister Joseph Wu at the Taipei Guest House and then Wellington Koo, Secretary General of Taiwan’s National Security Council.

Later, Blackburn delivered remarks at Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs (IDIA) and meeting with the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan.

Read the full story

Tennessee Republicans React to the Total Arrests CBP Made at Southern Border in Fiscal Year 2022

In a statement released on Monday, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol announced over 1.82 million arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border for Fiscal Year 2022 and several Tennessee Republican leaders were quick to voice their displeasure with the statistic.

In comparison, there were 1,662,167 arrests in Fiscal Year 2021 and 405,036 for Fiscal Year 2020, the last year of former President Trump’s term.

Read the full story

Tennessee Republican Leaders React to Attorney General Garland’s Statement Approving Raid on Trump’s Home

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Thursday that he approved the FBI raid on former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home and several Tennessee Republican leaders voiced their displeasure with both the raid and the attorney general’s role in it.

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) was one of strongest and most prolific voices in reacting to Garland’s statement.

Read the full story

Marsha Blackburn Says the World Must Be Wary of the New Axis of Evil

In a letter to the editor submitted to The New York Times on Wednesday, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) warned “that the world must not turn a blind eye to the dangers posed by the New Axis of Evil.”

Senator Blackburn’s letter was in response to a piece entitled “A New Axis?,” which was written by David Leonhardt and published on Tuesday, August 2.

Read the full story

Senators Bill Hagerty and Marsha Blackburn Lambaste Passage of ‘Inflation Reduction Act,’ Warn Higher Prices, Taxes are Coming

U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) criticized President Joe Biden and their Democrat colleagues on the passage of the $740 billion “Inflation Reduction Act” Sunday. As expected, no Republicans supported the measure, and so by a 51 to 50 vote, with Vice President Kamala Harris cast the deciding vote.

The Inflation Reduction Act, described by Forbes as “a slimmed-down version of the Build Back Better bill,” allows the government to control the price of prescription medications, contains funding for fighting climate change, would implement larger taxes for wealthy corporations, expand the IRS by some 87,000 agents, and more more.

Read the full story

Marsha Blackburn and Colleagues Introduce Package to Bolster Violent Crime Laws

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and 21 of their Republican colleagues introduced introduced a broad legislative package to clarify and strengthen violent crime laws related to homicide, bank robbery, carjacking, kidnapping and other offenses according to a statement released on Friday.

“The Combating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act resolves discrepancies brought on by conflicting court decisions and clarifies congressional intent regarding crimes of violence and their respective penalties. Despite an ongoing crime wave, no Democrats have agreed to cosponsor the fixes,” said the statement.

Read the full story

Tennessee U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn Endorses Connecticut Republican Leora Levy for U.S. Senate

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) has endorsed Connecticut Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, Leora Levy.

“I am excited to endorse Leora Levy to be Connecticut’s next United States Senator,” Blackburn posted to social media. “She is a barrier breaking woman and the clear conservative choice to help us FIRE Democrats this November.”

Read the full story

Senator Blackburn Releases New Video Highlighting How Inflation Has Impacted Tennesseans

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) released a new video on Tuesday highlighting how inflation impacts Tennesseans.

“On the campaign trail, Joe Biden promised to cancel fossil fuels, and he’s following through on that promise. To make matters worse, he schemed with his fellow Democrats to force a $1.9 trillion spending package through Congress to fund scores of liberal pet projects. As a result, energy costs are through the roof, inflation is at a 41-year high, and gas is up 59.9%. Tennesseans have had enough. The key to lowering inflation is to stop this reckless spending,” said Senator Blackburn in a statement provided to The Tennessee Star.

Read the full story

Tennessee Republican Leaders React to Inflationary Rate Rising to Highest Level Since 1981

Tennessee Republican leaders took the Biden administration and Democrats to task on Wednesday over reports that the inflationary rate rose to 9.1%, the highest level since 1981.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 1.3 percent in June after rising one percent in May, reported on Wednesday, July 13.

Read the full story

Democrats Play Politics with National Guard Soldiers’ Jobs by Blocking Representative Mark Green’s Amendment to National Defense Authorization Act

House Democrats blocked U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07)’s amendment late Tuesday to the National Defense Authorization Act which would have enabled guardsmen who refused the COVID-19 vaccine to stay employed.

Green’s amendment fought to protect National Guard and Reserve troops from being prohibited from paid training or education programs simply for their refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Read the full story

Marsha Blackburn and Mark Green Provide Update on Their Federal Legislation Designed to Save National Guard Soldiers’ Jobs

FRANKLIN, Tennessee – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) provided an update on the status of their federal legislation aimed at saving the jobs of National Guard soldiers who refused the COVID-19 vaccine as part of a press gaggle held at an event supporting Tennessee Senate Majority Jack Johnson’s re-election campaign.

Blackburn and Green have both sponsored legislation in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House, respectively, that will pull the funding from enforcement of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate on National Guard soldiers.

Read the full story

Blackburn Unveils New Legislation That Disallows Federal Funds from Being Used to Force National Guard Members to Get COVID Vaccine

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) announced in a statement to The Tennessee Star that she will introduce new legislation to prohibit federal funds from being utilized to implement any requirement that a member of the National Guard receive a vaccination against COVID-19.

Blackburn’s legislation is unveiled as up to 40,000 U.S. Army National Guard members nationwide are set to be fired on Thursday, June 30 for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine unless the Biden administration reverses course.

Read the full story

Marsha Blackburn on Inflation, Gas Price, and Border Emergencies: Biden Administration Is ‘Doing This Intentionally’

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – In an exclusive interview with The Tennessee Star, Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn blasted the Biden administration, saying regarding the inflation, gas price, and border emergencies that “they are doing this intentionally.”

Blackburn spoke with The Star backstage at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Conference.

Read the full story

Blackburn Blasts ‘Woke’ Military During Pride Month

A U.S. senator Friday spoke out against the “woke” policies implemented by the military, which has become especially apparent during LGBT Pride Month of June.

“The United States military should be focused on one objective – creating the most lethal fighting force on planet Earth,” Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) told The Tennessee Star. “Instead, Joe Biden’s military leaders are secretly attempting to turn our brave warfighters into social justice warriors. Communist China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea do not care how woke our military is or what our soldiers’ pronouns are.“

She echoed a similar sentiment on Twitter.

Read the full story

Marsha Blackburn Responds to MSNBC Criticism of Her Take on Higher Gas Prices

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) responded to MSNBC’s criticism of her June 10 comments where she noted that Democrats have pushed higher gas prices in pursuit of the Green New Deal and transition away from fossil fuels.

Blackburn tweeted on Tuesday in response to their article, “Joe Biden’s policies have caused gas to reach over $5 a gallon. Now Biden is using his energy crisis as an excuse to implement his radical Green New Deal. This is not a coincidence. It’s intentional.”

Read the full story

Tennessee Politicians Blast Biden, Democrats for Surge in Inflation

Republican politicians in Tennessee are blasting President Joe Biden and Democrats after inflation numbers from May showed prices rising 8.6 percent year over year, a 40-year high. 

“I hope come November when folks head to the polls, they remember Democrats decided to put politics first instead of focusing on the real-life issues we all face today,” Rep. John Rose (R-TN-06) said Friday. 

Read the full story

TN-5 Candidate Andy Ogles on $40 Billion Ukrainian Aid Package: ‘It’s America First, Not Ukraine First’

Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles praised Tennessee U.S. Senators Bill Hagerty and Marsha Blackburn for their votes against H.R. 7691, known as the $40 billion Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2022.

In a statement, Ogles said, “It’s time we follow the words of President Trump and put America First.  At a time when mothers cannot find baby formula, we are facing runaway inflation and a disgraceful collapse of our southern border this inept Biden administration seems hellbent in destroying our economy and the middle class with it.”

Read the full story