Tag: Rep. Tim Burchett

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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FEMA Denies Confiscating Hurricane Relief Supplies, Contradicting Claims by SpaceX Engineer Shared by Elon Musk

Tom Pappert
FEMA worker

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) twice denied to The Tennessee Star that it is confiscating hurricane relief supplies in Tennessee, North Carolina, or any area recovering from the destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene.

The denials come despite Elon Musk, the owner of Space X, reporting that one of his company’s engineers said supplies were confiscated by the federal agency in Asheville, North Carolina, where the world’s richest man is supplying volunteers with Starlink devices to restore Internet connectivity to the rural communities.

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Reps. Ogles, Burchett, Labeled ‘Far-Right Obstructionists’ by FiveThirtyEight

Peter D'Abrosca
Andy Ogles and Tim Burchett

Poll aggregation website FiveThirtyEight said that U.S. Reps Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) and Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) are “Far-Right Obstructionists.”

“In a Congress largely defined by Republicans’ struggle to govern in harmony with their far-right flank, it’s no surprise that a cluster of hardline, obstructionist conservatives emerged as a cohesive voting cluster,” FiveThirtyEight said.

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Rep. Burchett Responds to Criticism After Calling Kamala Harris ‘DEI Vice President’

Peter D'Abrosca
Tim Burchett and Kamala Harris

Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) has drawn the ire of the left-wing media this week, first for calling former U.S. Secret Service (USSS) Director Kimberly Cheatle a “DEI horror story,” and now for calling Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, a “DEI Vice President.”

Wednesday, Burchett responded to the criticism he has faced from the left-wing media, which has labeled him as a “racist” among other typical tropes.

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Rep. Burchett Blasts Secret Service Director as ‘DEI Horror Story’

Peter D'Abrosca
Tim Burchett

In a testy hearing before of the House Oversight Committee on Monday, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) slammed U.S. Secret Service (USSS) Director Kimberly Cheatle after the near assassination of former President Donald Trump on her watch. 

On July 14, Trump was hosting a campaign rally in Butler, PA, when shots rang out from a nearby rooftop, with only bullet grazing Trump’s ear and narrowly missing his head. 

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Harvard Law’s Dershowitz Compares Lawfare Against Trump to McCarthyism, Says the Future is Dark

Just the News
Alan Dershowitz

Harvard Law School Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz say the political lawfare against former President Donald Trump is a return to the McCarthyism of the 1950s.

“I know lawyers who have been asked to defend Donald Trump on First Amendment grounds,” Dershowitz said on the Wednesday edition of the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show. “They would normally take the case, but they say, ‘we can’t afford it for our family because they’re coming after our bar license.’ It’s exactly what happened during McCarthyism.”

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Tennessee U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett Tells CNN Host Point-Blank He Knows ‘Good And Well’ Border Bill Would’ve Been ‘Disaster’

Admin
Rep. Tim Burchett and Jim Acosta (composite image)

Republican Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett told CNN’s Jim Acosta on Friday that the host knows “good and well” that a February Senate border bill would have been disastrous if enacted.

The Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act included additional funds for hiring more immigration judges as well as handling foreign nationals illegally in the United States, but Republicans argued it would not meaningfully reduce illegal immigration. Acosta on “CNN Newsroom With Jim Acosta” characterized the bill as a “bipartisan effort to crack down on the border,” but Burchett said it was “a bad deal” and that the host understands it would not have been effective.

WATCH:

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Tennessee Officials React to Hunter Biden’s Guilty Verdict

Peter D'Abrosca
Hunter Biden

Some of Tennessee’s federal lawmakers Tuesday reacted to the news that Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, was convicted on felony gun charges.

The younger Biden was found guilty of making a false statement in the purchase of a gun, making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed gun dealer, and possession of a gun by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance in a federal court in Wilmington, Delaware. 

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Tennessee U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett Slams Department of Energy over Use of Strategic Oil Supply

Tom Pappert
Rep Tim Burchett

U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) declared Biden administration Department of Energy Secretary Granholm either “ignorant” or “a liar” during a Sunday interview after previously sparring with her in a U.S. House Oversight committee meeting over the Biden administration’s decision to release part of the country’s strategic oil supply.

Burchett previously confronted Granholm on May 23 over the Biden administration’s oil and energy policies, as well as its recent decision to release part of its strategic oil supply ahead of the Independence Day holiday on July 4, and told Katie Smith of One America News Network (OANN) that Granholm is “either ignorant or she’s a liar.”

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Rep. Burchett: ‘We Could Have Built the Wall’ Instead of Funding Ukraine

Peter D'Abrosca
Tim Burchett Border Wall

A Congressman from Tennessee took to NewsMax to ensure Americans that he won’t vote to continue sending taxpayer dollars to Ukraine, and noted that many domestic problems could have been solved with the money Congress has already allocated to the country. 

“Of course I’m not going to vote for any more funding for Ukraine,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) said in a segment on the news station Monday. “$116 billion dollars? We could have built the wall, I believe six times. We could have fixed the Flint, Michigan lead situation a dozen times, probably. We could give every homeless veteran a million dollars in this country with the money we’ve spent on Ukraine.”

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Rep. John Rose Applauds Possible Reduced FISA Reauthorization

Matthew Giffin
John Rose

U.S. Representative John Rose (R-TN-06) applauded a possible change to a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) reauthorization bill, shrinking the period of reauthorization from five years to two, according to a Thursday release.

After several Republican legislators blocked a plan to reauthorize FISA on Wednesday, it was reported the next day that House leaders are considering a plan that would limit the bill’s authority to two years. Such a plan resembles an amendment originally proposed by Rose.

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Rep. Burchett: ‘FISA Needs to Die’

Peter D'Abrosca
Tim Burchett

A U.S. Congressman from Tennessee had some strong words after he joined 19 of his Republican counterparts in voting against the reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) on Wednesday.

“FISA, of course, is what they use to spy, literally, on America citizens,” said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) in a video posted to his X account. “So what happens, very literally, say you have somebody working on your house, on your roof, what have you, [who is] not an American citizen, and then they contact you on their cell phone and basically because of that [the U.S. government] can follow you or investigate you or what have you, without a search warrant. And when I was told by the State Department that in fact it was problematic to have search warrants on these cases, they obviously have a problem with our Constitution. So, tough day for democracy today folks. And FISA needs to die.”

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U.S. House Passes Bill to Require Tennessee Valley Authority Disclose Salaries for Top Executives

Tom Pappert

The U.S. House of Representatives on recently legislation filed by Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) and Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) that would require the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to publish the salaries of its top executives, Cohen announced in a Monday press release.

Titled the TVA Salary Transparency Act, text of the two-page bill reveals new requirements would be posed for the TVA to provide annually “a report of the total number of employees at the management level or above, to include all executives and board members, that shall include the names, salaries, and duties” of employees “that are receiving compensation” higher than that allotted to the highest paid government employees.

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NCAA Failed to Establish ‘Clear Guidance and Rules’ Prior to New Allegations Against University of Tennessee, Warns State Rep. Jason Zachary

Tom Pappert
UT Football

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) reportedly plans to bring a slew of new Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) complaints against the University of Tennessee (UT), prompting a fiery response from Chancellor Donde Plowman in a Tuesday letter to the NCAA. Plowman received the support of Tennessee State Representative Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville), who argued the NCAA failed to create “clear guidance and rules” for institutions to follow.

Zachary wrote in a post to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that the Tennessee General Assembly “worked with institutions across our state to craft strong NIL institution that established the framework” in the state, but the NCAA’s “moving target” made work “very challenging” for lawmakers.

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Rep. Burchett Renews Call for Epstein Client List Release After Latest Court Docs Unsealed

Peter D'Abrosca

A United States congressman from Tennessee is still pushing for a full list of dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s clients, after unsealed court documents from earlier this week named several high profile figures as associates of Epstein’s. 

“I don’t care about the list of people Epstein interacted with in just ANY capacity,” said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) on X, formerly Twitter. “I care about the list of people who participated in his sex crimes and exploitation, especially when it involved minors. Where’s the actual client list?”

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Rep. Burchett Says He Expects Epstein Client List Coverup to Continue

Peter D'Abrosca
Tim Burchett Interview

Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) continued his crusade for the release of dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s client list Tuesday morning, noting that he said he believes that the coverup will continue.

“What I want is the client list,” Burchett told Rob Finnerty on NewsMax’s “Wake Up America.” “You know, you’ve got these skeevy old dudes that everybody says, ‘Well, they’ve gone and had sex on this island, what’s the big deal?’ No they haven’t. They’ve done an act of violence against a child. They need to be burned on that. That’s the list we need.”

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Tennessee Republicans: Far-Left’s Calls for Ceasefire in Gaza ‘Embarrassment,’ ‘Abhorrent’

Peter D'Abrosca

Members of Tennessee’s federal congressional delegation Monday slammed some of their Democrat counterparts who have called for a ceasefire in Gaza after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel.

“The fact that some of our leaders are calling for a ceasefire instead of supporting our ally Israel is an embarrassment,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) told The Tennessee Star Monday. “There is no compromising with the animals who brutally murdered innocent civilians and targeted women and children. Hamas is a terror group, and we should treat them like one.”

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Rep. Burchett Says Lobbyists Are Fighting Rep. Jordan for House Speaker

Peter D'Abrosca

A member of the U.S. House of Representatives said Wednesday that Washington lobbyists are to blame for holding up the election of Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) as Speaker of the House. 

“Since the lobbyist (K STREET) are coming out full force AGAINST [Jordan] I know I made the right decision voting for him,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) said Wednesday morning on Twitter/X. 

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Tennessee Republicans Remember Dianne Feinstein Despite Political Differences

Peter D'Abrosca

Tennessee’s elected Republicans took to X, formerly known as Twitter, Friday and offered somber reactions to the death of Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), sending their condolences despite political differences with the late senator. 

“Senator Dianne Feinstein was a trailblazer for women in politics. Despite our differences, I enjoyed our work together to protect songwriters and take on Big Tech. My prayers are with her family,” said Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). 

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Tennessee U.S. Representative Burchett Strafes Alabama’s Rogers for Outburst During McCarthy Battle: ‘People Shouldn’t Be Drinking, Especially When You’re a Redneck’

Admin

Even though U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-55) would win the House Speaker’s race, it may have been overshadowed by an incident moments earlier on the U.S. House of Representatives floor involving U.S. Reps. Mike Rogers (R-AL-03) and Matt Gaetz (R-FL-01). Throughout the week, Gaetz had been the figurehead for the opposition to McCarthy’s bid, which kept McCarthy from reaching the required majority to earn the role.

Rogers had emerged as one of McCarthy’s most staunch allies in the ordeal by taking an aggressive tack against the 20-something holdouts led by Gaetz. At one point, Rogers called for stripping the holdouts of their committee assignments, which drew the ire of U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX-21).

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Tennessee Gas Prices Hit All Time High, Expected to Keep Climbing

Peter D'Abrosca

Gas prices reached another all-time high in Tennessee Friday, and according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), they are only expected to continue rising. “While drivers might have seen a small break in pump price increases this holiday weekend, we could be looking at the calm before the storm for gas prices,” Megan Cooper, a spokeswoman for AAA, reportedly said. The average price for a gallon of gas in Tennessee was $4.39 on Friday, the highest ever recorded in the state. That price jump represents a 12-cent increase over the past week alone, and a 48-cent jump over the past month. A year ago, the average cost of a gallon of gas was $2.88. Nashville has been hit the hardest, where on Friday, the average cost of a gallon of gas was $4.44, five cents higher than the state’s average. Clarksville clocked in at $4.43 per gallon on average, just behind the state’s capital city. “A dip in gasoline demand provided drivers with a bit of stability at the pump, as the national average for a gallon rose less than three cents over the past week to reach $4.62. But this respite could be brief,” AAA said in a news…

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Burchett Explains ‘No’ Vote on Baby Formula Shortage Bill

Peter D'Abrosca

A U.S. Congressman from Tennessee explained Thursday why he voted against a bill that purports to help end the shortage of baby formula in the United States. 

“I wanted to talk a little bit about a bill that came through yesterday dealing with the formula and the shortage,” Rep. Tim Burchett R-TN-02) said in a video. “What it basically was, was $28 million in the bill, but like $23 million of it was for ‘administrative costs’ and ‘salaries.’ So basically, what the Democrat leadership did was use a bill, title it something that’s dealing with people who are genuinely hurting, and just use it as an instance to increase pay at the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA)].”

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Burchett: Hospitalization of Infants Who Couldn’t Get Baby Formula ‘Absolutely Tragic’

Peter D'Abrosca

A U.S. Congressman from Tennessee spoke out after news that two infants in Memphis were hospitalized because special baby formula they needed for medical conditions could not be found. 

“Absolutely tragic,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) told The Tennessee Star. “This nationwide crisis is landing kids in the hospital, and it’s unacceptable this is happening here in the United States. All our economic might doesn’t mean a thing if we still can’t protect our children.”

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Rep. Tim Burchett Warns of Tax Implications in Federal Infrastructure, Reconciliation Bills

The Center Square

U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett is concerned about the cost to Tennesseans if the federal $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill and $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill are voted on and passed next week.

Burchett, R-Tenn., who represents the 2nd Congressional District in east Tennessee surrounding Knoxville, won’t be voting for the bill, as four other Tennessee congressmen told The Center Square this week.

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Rep. Tim Burchett Cosponsors Bill to Award Congressional Gold Medal to East Tennessean Killed in Afghanistan

Cooper Moran

Congressman Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) announced on Tuesday that he will cosponsor legislation to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 13 U.S. military service members who were killed in Afghanistan last week.

Included in the 13 U.S. military members was Ryan Knauss, a U.S. Army Staff Sgt. from Representative Burchett’s district.

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Rep. Tim Burchett Introduces Bill to Eliminate Backlog of Passport Applications

Cooper Moran

U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) joined a group of bipartisan lawmakers to introduce legislation to help eliminate the current processing backlog of U.S. passport applications.

As economies around the world slowly begin to reopen, the State Department has witnessed a dramatic surge in passport applications and renewals, which has led to a jam of close to 2.2 million applications and has greatly extended the time to receive the document required for international travel.

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Rep. Burchett Sends Letter to Pelosi to End House COVID Restrictions

Cooper Moran

Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) sent a letter on Thursday to Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging her to end the current COVID-19 regulations that are in place for the House of Representatives. 

The letter from Burchett comes in response to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announcing that vaccinated individuals no longer have to wear a mask indoors. As cases continue to decline, COVID-19 restrictions are being lifted in each state across the country.

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Burchett Concerned that Democrat Fundraising Platform ActBlue Aiding Foreign Terrorists

Peter D'Abrosca

A Tennessee Republican is concerned that money donated to the Democrat Party via its universal donation portal might be ending up in the hands of foreign terrorists, according to a letter penned to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Attorney General Merrick Garland.

“The pro-BDS movement Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) currently uses ActBlue to solicit donations,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) said in his letter. “PACBI is also affiliated with the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), an organization known to have ties with foreign terrorist groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.”

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