Tag: Rep. Scott DesJarlais

Tennessee Republicans Increase Share of Electorate as Trump Wins Popular Vote

Tom Pappert
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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Commentary: No City is Prepared for Sanctuary Status

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As our southern border crisis rages on promulgated by a non-response to the issue by the White House and progressive policies encouraging illegal migrants to travel in caravans, our American cities are being left to deal with the aftermath.

Leftist leaders across the country decry that this humanitarian crisis is a result of Republican policies, but when push comes to shove, Democrat mayors are completely disinterested in their city funding resources for border crossers. Just this week D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has asked for the National Guard to be activated and has made claims that these migrants are being “tricked” into coming to her city. This is the same mayor who tweeted in 2017 that “DC is a sanctuary city!” and has poured $2.4 million of her city’s budget into a program aimed at protecting immigrant rights for those who are not yet citizens.

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Rep. Scott DesJarlais Leads Republican Letter Questioning Biden Restriction of Coronavirus Antibody Treatments

Cooper Moran

Representative Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) led an effort by 55 Republican lawmakers to demand answers on why the Biden administration moved to limit potentially life-saving coronavirus antibody treatments.

The letter, also signed by Reps. Mark Green (R-TN-07) and Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01), specifically asks why the action by the Department of Health and Human Services targets Republican-led states.

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New York Gov. Cuomo Tells Hero Healthcare Workers Who Traveled There to Save Coronavirus Patients Now Must Pay State Income Taxes

Jason M. Reynolds
Gov. Andrew Cuomo

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who once pled for an influx of healthcare workers to treat COVID-19, now says they have to pay up for the privilege of having worked there to treat the coronavirus.

Cuomo said out-of-state medical professionals who volunteered to help his state owe income taxes, Fox News said. That applies even if they stayed on the payroll in their home states. However, only workers who stayed in New York for more than 14 days are on the hook.

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Scott DesJarlais Is ‘Impressed’ with the Way President Trump Has Dealt With the Coronavirus

Zachery Schmidt

Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) said on The Jeff Poor Show Monday that he supports the way President Donald Trump has been dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

“I don’t know what they could have done differently. I think they are handling it well,” DesJarlais said.

“I am impressed with the president and his team in what they’ve done and how they are trying to salvage the economy,” the representative added. “I do think things will open up and brighter times are not far away.”

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Democrats Turn National Defense Authorization Act Into Partisan Issue That Barely Passes House, Rep. DesJarlais Says

Jason M. Reynolds

  Democrat infighting nearly prevented passage of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act in the House of Representatives Friday, U.S. Rep. Dr. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) said in a press release. The annual defense policy bill, which for 58 years has passed with bipartisan support, instead passed in the House on a party-line vote. It survived only because of concessions to far-left socialists, insisting on the elimination of programs critical to defending the United States from Russia, China, Iran and other adversaries, the congressman said. The House on Friday approved the bill after adopting a progressive amendment including a prohibition on deploying lower-yield nuclear weapons and a ban on sending new prisoners to the Guantanamo Bay detention center, Roll Call said. The final vote on the fiscal 2020 bill was 220-197. No Republicans supported the typically bipartisan measure that traditionally has earned more than 300 of the 435 available House votes. A video of DesJarlais addressing the House on the matter is available here. “The legislation simply doesn’t provide our military men and women with the resources needed to adequately protect the homeland and could negatively impact facilities in and around the Fourth District of Tennessee, including Arnold Air Force Base,…

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Sen. Blackburn, Reps. DesJarlais, Green Publicly Support President Trump’s Meritocracy-Based Immigration Reform Plan

Jason M. Reynolds

  President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful, bold” immigration overhaul plan has at least three backers in Tennessee’s congressional delegation. U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and U.S. Reps. Dr. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) and Dr. Mark Green (R-TN-07) issued statements backing the president. Trump this week rolled out a plan to “transform America’s immigration system” from one of random entry to a meritocracy, The Tennessee Star reported Friday. The president acknowledged that his proposal wouldn’t immediately pass and would have to wait until after the 2020 election. Provisions include: legal immigrants entering for jobs would rise from 12 percent to 57 percent; family-based immigration would decrease from two-thirds to one-third; asylum and diversity visas would decrease from 22 percent to 10 percent; and priority would be given to spouses, children and parents, but not extended family. Regarding the plan, DesJarlais said, “The President’s plan is a well-thought-out, sensible one that would end the chaos at the border and across the United States, because of weak border security, bad laws and judicial decisions. As opposed to the random lottery we have right now, we need a merit-based immigration system that attracts high-skilled workers who will not displace American citizens or become a public…

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Three Doctors in Congress Diagnose the Problems with ‘Medicare for All’

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by Rob Bluey   Few issues have animated conservatives as much as Obamacare. But there’s a new threat on the horizon. It’s called Medicare for All – and it would be a massive government takeover of your health care. The Daily Signal spoke with three medical doctors who are serving in the U.S. House – Reps. Scott DesJarlais (pictured, center), Paul Gosar (pictured, right), and Andy Harris (pictured, left) – to talk about Medicare for All and their solutions for a patient-centered alternative. Listen to the podcast or read the transcript below. https://soundcloud.com/dailysignal/the-daily-signal-podcast-030819-mixdown Rob Bluey: I want to ask about not only some of the problems we find in health care today, but also solutions. Some of your colleagues on the left have put forward quite a radical proposal called Medicare for All. As doctors, I want to ask you to weigh in on what you think about it. Congressman Harris, would you like to begin? Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md.: The Medicare for All plan that was announced a couple weeks by my Democrat colleagues, over 100 of them, really will result in care for none. That’s the bottom line. The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find…

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Tennessee Republican Party Supports President Trump’s Commitment to Border Security

Jason M. Reynolds

Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden has come out in support of President Trump’s visit to the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday. “The most important job a president has is to protect Americans, and today’s visit to the southern border by President Trump further illustrates his strong commitment to our nation’s safety,” Golden said in a statement. “While Democrats continue to play petty partisan games with our security, drug dealers, human traffickers and enemies of this country flaunt our sovereign border. The games have to end, and Democrats need to work with President Trump to make America a more secure nation. This is non-negotiable.” Trump visited the border in Texas Thursday, Fox News reported: During an afternoon briefing with border agents at a patrol station in McAllen, Trump highlighted the prevalence of guns and drugs along the border. The president spoke in front of a table of items border agents have seized, including a rifle, handguns, a plastic bag full of cash and black-taped bricks of heroin and meth. “If we had a barrier of any kind, a powerful barrier, whether it’s steel or concrete…We would stop it cold,” Trump said of human trafficking. The president posted a Twitter video of himself with…

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U.S. Rep. DesJarlais Supports President Trump’s Border Policy ‘100 Percent’

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U.S. Rep. Dr. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) said he supports stronger border and immigration security in the wake of President Donald Trump’s Oval Office address to the nation. On Tuesday, Trump said, “This is just common sense. The border wall would very quickly pay for itself. The cost of illegal drugs exceeds $500 billion a year vastly more than the $5.7 billion we have requested from Congress. The wall will also be paid for indirectly by the great new trade deal we have made with Mexico.” In a statement, DesJarlais said: Weak border security and bad laws are causing a humanitarian crisis at the southern border and in our local communities. Erecting more effective physical barriers would prevent drug and human smuggling into the U.S. We need more border agents and ICE officers, too, but Democrats oppose a wall, a fence and even ICE itself. But over ninety percent of heroin crosses into the U.S. from Mexico, killing Americans, and cartels and gangs are also smuggling women and children. Illegal immigration is overwhelming our court system. “The President presented these clear facts, including his offers to sign legislation Democrats supported until he took office. Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are now describing…

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U.S. Rep. DesJarlais Votes For Farm Bill That Improves Food Stamp Program, Rural Broadband, Education

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U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04), a member of the House Agriculture Committee, said in a press release Wednesday he voted for the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. The House-Senate agreement sets national agriculture policy for the next five years, and President Donald Trump will likely sign it, DesJarlais said. DesJarlais, a House Freedom Caucus member, was an outspoken proponent of changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, which would help more Americans gain job training and employment in an economy where an estimated 6 million job openings outnumber the unemployed. AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy & Engagement Officer Nancy LeaMond signaled her appreciation of the act’s passage. She said, “AARP applauds Congress for passing the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. This legislation protects access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). We are particularly pleased that the bill rejected harmful changes to the law’s work requirements that would have made it harder for older Americans to access SNAP benefits.” DesJarlais said, “Especially in Tennessee’s Fourth District, where Rutherford County is one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., the economy requires skilled workers to fill good-paying jobs. But able-bodied, working-age adults receiving food…

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Tennessee House Delegation Unanimously Opposes Ryan Immigration Bill

John Bryant
TN Congressional Delegation

Tennessee’s U.S. House delegation voted unanimously against House Speaker Paul’s Ryan’s immigration bill Wednesday, including both Democrat members, with Rep. Diane Black not voting. The bill went down in defeat by a wide margin, 121-301, despite President Trump’s subdued support. A sprawling, compromise GOP immigration bill that would have provided a path to citizenship for young illegal immigrants while directing $25 billion for the construction of President Trump’s border wall failed in the House on Wednesday, despite encouragement from the president for Republicans to support it. The bill was overwhelmingly rejected 301-121, in part because some Republicans are reluctant to vote for any bill they worry could be portrayed as “amnesty.” More than 100 Republicans voted against the legislation. The legislation was given little chance of passing going in. Trump’s tweet Wednesday captured his earlier private views that he supports the bill as well as his previous tweets that Republicans were wasting their time on legislation that can’t pass the Senate, putting a different spin on the latter. “HOUSE REPUBLICANS SHOULD PASS THE STRONG BUT FAIR IMMIGRATION BILL, KNOWN AS GOODLATTE II, IN THEIR AFTERNOON VOTE TODAY, EVEN THOUGH THE DEMS WON’T LET IT PASS IN THE SENATE,” he tweeted in…

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Rep. Scott DesJarlais Supports Trump’s Healthcare Announcement

John Bryant
Scott DesJarlais and Donald Trump

Congressman Scott DesJarlais, M.D., an advocate of patient-centered health care, who has voted to repeal Obamacare and replace it with free-market reforms that would lower insurance costs and increase consumers’ choice of plans, released the following statement in support of the Trump Administration’s announcement yesterday of a new rule allowing small businesses to create Association Health Plans: “Republicans have made major headway repealing the worst Obamacare rules, providing more affordable alternatives to Tennessee families and small businesses. The latest change allows Association Health Plans across state lines, one employers and employees have been advocating for years, ever since Obamacare began raising taxes, fees, and insurance costs. Patients lost their doctors. Hospitals closed. The statement continued, “The law raised premiums to pay for expensive mandates and subsidies, while limiting individuals’ choice of coverage and providers. It exempted big businesses, while punishing Mom and Pop. We’re giving small businesses and entrepreneurs freedom to create better options for an estimated four million people. And we’ll keep working to improve results for Tennesseans.” Under the finalized Department of Labor rule, self-employed entrepreneurs, small businesses, trade associations, and other organizations may now join together across state lines to increase their bargaining power and negotiate lower…

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Rep. Scott DesJarlais Backs President Trump’s Zero Tolerance Policy for Enforcement of Border Crossing Law

Tennessee Star Staff
Scott DesJarlais, Donald Trump

Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) issued a resounding defense of President Trump’s commitment to enforcing our country’s immigration laws on Tuesday. “Thousands of families legally immigrate to the United States every year, following all the rules. Those who break the law risk consequences – potential detention, separation from their families and prosecution – just as any American citizen would,” DesJarlais said in a statement released by his office late Tuesday. “Democrats argue illegal immigrants should receive better treatment than our own citizens, including the vast majority who follow the law and struggle to provide for their own families. However, our country’s de-facto open borders mean that hundreds of thousands of foreign citizens, remaining behind in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, primarily, are sending their children alone into the custody of federal immigration authorities and U.S. taxpayers,” DesJarlais continued. “Drug gangs and MS-13 transport unaccompanied minors across Mexico. But they and their families could remain together, if adults would simply follow the law. The President is enforcing it, as he promised he would during a winning campaign, and in Congress, I’ve voted for a border wall and other deterrents that would dramatically reduce illegal immigration, juvenile detention and family separation,” he added.…

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Rep. DesJarlais Focuses in on Support for Law Enforcement and Addiction Treatment

John Bryant
Scott DesJarlais

Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) released a statement this week geared to focusing attention on his work in support of both law enforcement and addiction treatment. “During a week in which the House of Representatives focused solely on solutions to the country’s opioid crisis, Congressman Scott DesJarlais, M.D., voted to improve veterans’ addiction treatment, prevent childhood trauma and illness as a result of parental drug abuse, and to stop shipments of narcotic chemicals across U.S. borders, among other votes to help his home state of Tennessee conquer its drug epidemic,” it reads in part. Said DesJarlais, “Drug overdoses as well as suicides have increased, and the rising figures are tied to declining economic fortunes in depressed rural areas. In addition to strengthening addiction treatment and law enforcement, growing job opportunities is very important. Reversing the decline of American manufacturing and encouraging small businesses will provide hope to people who in despair have turned to drugs.” “Tennessee’s opioid-related mortality rate is higher than average. The rate in Grundy County in the Fourth Congressional District is particularly high”, he continued. DesJarlais represents parts of Appalachia, a region experiencing the worst of the crisis, according to the Appalachian Regional Commission. “Nearly every demographic is…

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Rep. Scott DesJarlais Calls Impeachment Attempt ‘Political Stunt’

Jason M. Reynolds

One Tennessee congressman called U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen’s attempt to impeach President Donald J. Trump a “political stunt.” Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) and other House Democrats on Wednesday filed five Articles of Impeachment against the president. U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-03) told the Tennessee Star, “Americans voted for Donald Trump and Republicans to improve the economy and national security. That’s what we’re working on and would be glad to have Democrats’ help. I think that’s what the country would like. “Political stunts, which might make some feel better about an election loss, only slow progress on important matters like cutting middle-class taxes and rebuilding our military. I’m focused on a positive agenda for Tennesseans.” In the Articles of Impeachment, Cohen and his co-sponsors cited allegations of Russian interference in the presidential elections, alleged links between Trump’s campaign and Russia and the firing of FBI Director James Comey. The Democrats also accused Trump of profiting off his business brand during his presidency (a process called emoluments), the pardoning of former Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Trump’s disagreements with the news media. Cohen is the ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice. He called for the committee to…

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EXCLUSIVE: U.S. House Freedom Caucus Members Fundraising In Nashville For Conservatives

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – House Freedom Caucus leader Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH), along with members Dave Brat (R-Virginia), Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Scott Perry (R-PA) accompanied Tennessee’s 4th District Scott DesJarlais to a Fundraising Reception held in Nashville to benefit the House Freedom Fund. The House Freedom Fund is a Political Action Committee (PAC), with Jordan serving as Chairman, that “helps elect rock-solid conservative candidates to the U.S. House of Representatives.” All five Congressman made comments in front of the group of attendees and then mingled amongst them, making their rounds to speak with everyone on an individual basis over the course of a couple of hours. All expressed optimism for the future as well as support for each other, fellow Freedom Caucus members and President Trump. The comments addressed a variety of topics including current legislative issues of Obamacare repeal and tax reform as well as some of their individual experiences since being in Washington, D.C. Congressman DesJarlais, who holds the highest conservative scorecard ratings of the entire Tennessee delegation, said of the event, “I’m glad my colleagues could experience some Tennessee hospitality, while we plan for the future.” He continued, The event was an opportunity for conservatives to come…

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Tennessee Congressional Delegation Split on Trump’s Afghanistan Decision Along Partisan Lines

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

Republican Sen. Bob Corker and Republican Reps. Marsha Blackburn, Scott DesJarlais and Chuck Fleischmann released statements in support of President Trump’s decision to keep troops in Afghanistan. Trump announced his decision Monday evening in a televised address. His decision is likely to disappoint some conservatives because he campaigned on pulling out of Afghanistan. “My original instinct was to pull out — and, historically, I like following my instincts,” Trump said in his address. “But all my life I’ve heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office.” Trump said that, as happened with the withdrawal from Iraq in 2011,  “a hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS and al Qaeda, would instantly fill.” Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the following in a statement: I had the opportunity to talk with Secretary Tillerson in advance of this evening’s address, and while I look forward to receiving additional details, I support the direction President Trump laid out tonight for the U.S. role in Afghanistan. While there are certainly substantial questions about whether Afghanistan has the capacity over time to provide stable governance to its people, this more focused…

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EXCLUSIVE Scott DesJarlais Interview: ‘Going Forward, I Don’t Want to Confirm or Deny Whether I Carry Or Not’

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN) tells The Tennessee Star in an exclusive interview Saturday morning, “Going forward, I don’t want to confirm or deny whether I carry or not.” The Star asked DesJarlais whether he currently has a permit to carry a gun. “I don’t have a carry permit,” DesJarlais says. “I usually have somebody with me that does. It’s easier for me to communicate with people one on one without having a weapon on me,” he adds. In light of the shooting of Congressman Steven Scalise (R-LA), staffers, a lobbyist, and Capitol Hill Police by James Hodgkinson at a practice of the Republican Congressional baseball team in Alexandria, Virginia on Wednesday, DesJarlais made it clear to The Star that he will immediately reconsider his previous personal policy concerning whether he will be armed or not. “Going forward, I don’t want to confirm or deny whether I carry or not,” DesJarlais says again for emphasis. That statement suggests that anyone who intends on harming DesJarlais in the future will be met with an immediate and forceful response. As The Star reported Friday night, “Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN) was one of six Republican members of Congress–all of whom belong to the conservative…

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U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais Rips Mainstream Media At Rutherford County GOP Event

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

  U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais slammed the mainstream media Thursday in delivering his welcoming remarks at the Rutherford County GOP Reagan Day Dinner. “These folks are not even trying to be neutral and impartial anymore,” he said, describing how he believes coverage has become even more slanted since President Trump was elected. DesJarlais, who represents the 4th district which includes Rutherford County, said news stories are full of “complete and utter nonsense” and cautioned attendees to be wary of what they see and read. “The president is doing everything we elected him to do but you won’t hear about that on TV,” he said. Four announced and expected candidates for Tennessee governor spoke at Thursday’s event at the Stones River County Club in Murfreesboro. They included state Sen. Mark Green (R-Clarksville), Congresswoman Diana Black, and businessmen Randy Boyd and Bill Lee. Only Boyd and Lee have officially announced that they are running. DesJarlais encouraged state and local Republicans to stick together, saying that Democrats’ only chance of putting forward a winning gubernatorial candidate is if Republicans divide among themselves. In Washington, D.C., things are going better than some Republicans realize, he said. “Border crossings are dramatically down and that’s without…

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EXCLUSIVE Interview with U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais About American Health Care Act

Laura Baigert

  “We need transparency in health care where people know exactly what something’s going to cost and whether they’re willing to pay for that or not,” U.S. Representative Scott DesJarlais (R-TN) told The Tennessee Star in an exclusive interview on Monday about the American Health Care Act, recently passed by the House of Representatives and now under consideration in the U.S. Senate. “If they are, they can take that health savings card, like a debit card, and pay for that procedure.  I’ll guarantee they can negotiate a better price,” DesJarlais said. “I know as a doctor, if someone came in and I said I charge $200 to excise that skin cancer, but they said I’ll pay you $150 today, are you willing to accept that, I probably would knowing I didn’t have to go through insurance,” DesJarlais added. “People are able to negotiate better prices that way,” the Tennessee Republican noted. DesJarlais was in his home district, Tennessee’s Fourth Congressional District, on Monday, the guest of honor at an invitation-only luncheon held in Murfreeesboro with about 40 local activists and office holders who wished to express their appreciation to the Congressman, particularly for his work on the American Health Care…

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