Important news from this week:
- The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan
solution that will permanently
fund Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other minority-serving
institutions and simplify the FAFSA -- a complex student aid form
filled out by 400,000 Tennesseans every
year.
- iHeartRadio announced it will open a second
headquarters in Nashville next year, which will bring even more jobs to Music
City.
- Johnson
City celebrated its 150th anniversary -- what a wonderful part
of our state. I know the next 150 years will bring the area even more
success.
Remembering the life of Bishop William
Graves
This week, we celebrate the life
of Memphis’ own, Bishop William
Graves. I believe he was one of our nation’s most consequential
religious and civic leaders. With his quiet, strong leadership, he made our
lives better and made us proud to claim him as a native son. Over the
years, Bishop Graves became a treasured friend of my family. We will
miss him and offer his family our great respect for his life of
service.
Simplifying the FAFSA for 20 million families and permanently funding
Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other minority serving
institutions
This week,
I released and the Senate passed a bipartisan
solution that will make permanent $255 million in annual
funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
and other minority serving institutions and simplify the
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for 20 million
American families. It’s hard to think of a piece of legislation
that will have more of a lasting impact on minority students
and their families than this bill. First, it provides permanent
funding for HBCUs and other minority serving institutions attended by over
2 million minority students. Second, it takes a big first step in
simplifying the FAFSA by eliminating the bureaucratic
nightmare created by requiring students to give the federal government
the same information twice. Students give permission to the
Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Education to share tax
return data, which eliminates up to 22 questions on the FAFSA with one
click. I look forward to working with the House of Representatives to put
it on President Trump’s desk to be signed into
law.
President Trump approved
Governor Lee’s Disaster relief request for the state of
Tennessee
I sent a letter this
week with Senator Marsha
Blackburn and Representative Mark Green to President Trump urging him to support Governor
Bill Lee’s request for a major disaster declaration. This
request will provide public assistance for 10 Tennessee counties in order
to respond to the overwhelming damage caused by severe storms and
straight-line winds in October. I commend President Trump for
quickly approving Governor Bill Lee’s
request. This federal assistance will help Tennessee communities begin to
rebuild and recover. Full text of the letter is available here.
Dr. Stephen Hahn is well-prepared to lead
the FDA at this critical time
The Senate health committee I
chair this week approved the nomination of Dr.
Stephen Hahn to serve as commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) by a bipartisan vote of 18-5. Dr. Hahn has
extensive medical and research experience and is a proven leader in large
health systems -- all around, he is exactly the type of nominee we want
to lead an agency as important as the FDA. Now it’s time for
him to be confirmed because there is a lot the FDA needs to do --
approve new life-saving drugs and devices, regulate tobacco and
e-cigarettes, address the opioid crisis and ensure pain patients can receive the
medications they need, and protect our nation’s food supply. Dr.
Hahn is well prepared to lead the FDA at this critical time.
His nomination will be voted on next week by the full
Senate.
I met with Gerald
Parish, Director of Recreation Education Services for the Tennessee
Department of Environment and Conservation. He even brought his granddaughter
to see Washington, D.C. for the first
time.
Senate confirms Dan
Brouillette to serve as U.S. Secretary of
Energy
This week, the U.S. Senate confirmed Dan Brouillette to serve as U.S. Secretary of
Energy by a vote of 70-15. I voted last month in the Senate Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources to advance Mr. Brouillette’s
nomination so it could be considered by the full
Senate.
I supported Mr. Brouillette’s nomination to
serve as deputy secretary in 2017, and I was happy to vote for him
again to lead the energy department. Mr. Brouillette has visited Oak
Ridge National Laboratory and understands the critical importance of the
work being done in Oak Ridge. I’m confident he will continue to
build on the progress former Secretary Rick Perry made by supporting
energy research, our 17 national laboratories and supercomputing, which
helps give America a competitive edge in creating
jobs.
Senator Johnny
Isakson of Georgia set an example for
U.S. senators
I spoke on the Senate floor this week
in a farewell speech to Sen. Johnny
Isakson of Georgia, who is retiring from the Senate at the end of
the year. I like to encourage my constituents in Tennessee to look at
Washington, D.C., as if it were a split screen television. On the one
side, you see what most people are watching -- you see impeachment,
tweets and Supreme Court controversies. But on the other side, where
very few probably watch, you see senators like Johnny Isakson working to
pass an opioid bill or senators working to pay songwriters a fair
amount for their work. That is where Johnny Isakson has spent most of his
15 years.
Johnny learned a long time
ago that if all you want to do is take a position or make a speech,
then you don't need to go through all the trouble of joining the United
States Senate -- you can get a radio program. He has reminded us of
why we're here. He reminded us that, if you are a United States
senator, it's hard to get here, it's hard to stay here, and while you're
here, you might as well try to accomplish something good for the country.
He set an example for why we senators are here. That is Johnny
Isakson’s legacy and that is something we should be grateful for. You
can watch my floor remarks here.
The best-kept secret in Washington is record funding for our
national laboratories, supercomputing
and biomedical research
On Friday, I met with
members of the East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC) and told them
that the best-kept secret in Washington is record funding for our
national laboratories, supercomputing and biomedical research. In fact,
Congress sent $4.6 billion to Oak Ridge last year, and the
Senate is on track to increase funding for national
laboratories by 42 percent, supercomputers by 64 percent and biomedical
research by 40 percent over the last 5 years. Americans invented
the Internet. And the personal computer. We invented nuclear power. And
the polio vaccine. Government sponsored research has helped make
America the greatest country in the world. And much of that is happening
right here in the Oak Ridge Corridor.
The Knoxville airport now has a new sign that
says: “Welcome to Knoxville: Gateway to the Smokies and The Oak Ridge
Corridor.” And it’s about time we celebrate it. I have come
to think of the Oak Ridge Corridor not as something that requires
renaming a highway, but as a concept -- a regional brand that can include
Maryville and Morristown, Kingston and Sevierville, and any other East
Tennessee community that wants to claim it.
One
of my favorite things is when Nashville songwriters
come visit my Washington, D.C. office. This week, Will
Duvall played his song, “The King of Country Music (The
Song)” for my staff.
Below
are some articles from this week I thought you would
enjoy:
USA Today: FAFSA: Ask any college student. The federal
student aid application is needlessly
complex
Nashville Medical News: In Bipartisan Vote, Senate Health Committee
Approves Dr. Stephen Hahn to Serve as FDA
Commissioner
Politico: Alexander, Murray strike deal to
revive expired funding for HBCUs
The
Chattanoogan: Senator Lamar Alexander: Johnny Isakson Set An
Example For Why We Senators Are Here
Clarksville
Online: Members of Tennessee Delegation Send Letter to
President Donald Trump Supporting Governor Bill Lee’s Disaster
Declaration
Be yourself, speak from the heart, and
not for too long.
#4 in Lamar Alexander’s Little Plaid
Book
