Since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law, we have seen story after story about employers improving benefit packages, giving employees bonuses and creating new jobs – not to mention the significant tax relief that nearly every American will experience as a result of the law. Despite these positive benefits, critics of the law have said it did not do enough to increase wages. In fact, wages are now rising at the fastest rate since 2009, and consumer confidence is nearing an 18-year high... Read more

Since the day Donald Trump took office, one of his priorities has been to strengthen our border security and reform our immigration system. His administration has enforced the immigration laws that are on the books that were ignored by previous administrations, and he has been vocal about building a wall on our southern border. There’s no question our immigration system is broken, and I’ve said time and time again that the first step to fixing our broken system - in addition to enforcing current... Read more

Since its passage, we’ve seen promise after promise broken when it comes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the care it was supposed to provide all Americans. The ACA, or Obamacare, has been an abysmal failure. Under Obamacare, Tennesseans were promised more coverage options, lower costs and an easier-to-navigate health care market. What we got was the opposite: higher premiums, fewer plans and a more restrictive system that makes it difficult for patients and their families to shop for a plan... Read more

Since serving in Congress, I’ve repeatedly said there are three groups I’ll never apologize for supporting: the men and women of our Armed Forces who put themselves in harm’s way to keep us free; veterans who have honorably served our country; and farmers because of the work they do day in and day out to keep our food supply strong. On Thursday, July 26, I cast one of the most important votes I take each year – a vote to send a bill to the president’s desk to provide funding for our military. Th... Read more

As a father and grandfather with two school-aged grandchildren, I want to do everything I can to help ensure schools are as safe as possible. I understand firsthand the concerns of family members of school-aged children, and my heart breaks when I think about those who have witnessed violence in their schools. East Tennesseans have a lot of good ideas about the changes that need to be made to ensure school safety. In the last several months, I’ve held roundtables, town halls and forums to hear f... Read more

In today’s economy we are seeing an explosion of opportunity, a renewed sense of confidence in the future of our nation, and historic investments – both public and private – in creating safer and stronger communities. Not only are hardworking families seeing relief, businesses are growing so rapidly we have more job openings than workers. Achieving the American Dream is becoming easier, and while this is a fantastic problem to have, we must continue our efforts to support and build a strong midd... Read more

The Constitution of the United States is one of our nation’s most sacred documents, and as a member of Congress, I took an oath to support and defend it. The president and justices of the U.S. Supreme Court also must take this most solemn vow. Under the Constitution, Congress makes law; the Executive Branch enforces and implements law; and the Supreme Court interprets law. Each serves as a check and a balance against the others. As we’ve seen time and again, the Supreme Court - the highest court... Read more

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. I think often about these powerful words that paved the way for the United States. All these years later, they still ring true. You cannot govern without the consent and trust of the governed, and every citizen should play a role in our democracy. We’re blessed to live in the best country ... Read more

President Trump made many commitments to the American people and has done an exceptional job of keeping those promises. One of those promises was to grow our economy and create jobs so that every American has opportunity. That’s why I was proud to support the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which has resulted in a thriving economy and an unemployment rate of 3.8 percent nationally last month, and it’s even lower in Tennessee at 3.4 percent. In addition, in a survey completed by the National Association o... Read more

Since taking office, President Trump has rightfully focused on improving our country’s border security, discouraging illegal immigration, and reforming our immigration process to prioritize entry based on merit and skills of national need. He has also indicated his interest in signing into law a policy that addresses the status of millions of young children who did not come here legally but were brought through no fault of their own and have grown up in America. For months now, the president has... Read more