I’m Still Waiting, Mr. President
Last week I joined my colleague Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) to host a field hearing in Concord, North Carolina. The hearing, titled “Health Care Challenges Facing North Carolina’s Workers and Job Creators,” examined how President Obama’s health care law will affect small businesses. Currently, around 160 million Americans receive health insurance through their employer. As […]
Corker to President Obama: Secret U.S. Cash Payments to Karzai Lack Accountability, Promote Corruption, and Break Trust with Taxpayers
In a letter to President Obama today, U.S. Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn., ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, requested an explanation regarding recent reports alleging the U.S. has made millions of dollars in secret cash payments to Afghan President Hamid Karzai over the past decade. “Our support for the Karzai administration should have […]
Corker: U.S. Assessment of Chemical Agent’s Use in Syria “Deeply Troubling”
U.S. Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn., ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, last week said a U.S. intelligence assessment that chemical agents have been used in Syria is “deeply troubling.” Corker was among a bipartisan group of senators yesterday who sent a letter to the president asking for an unclassified answer to whether “the Assad regime […]
State Treasurers Overwhelmingly Support Maintaining Tax-Exempt Status of Municipal Bonds
Forty-two of the nation’s state treasurers are appealing to members of Congress to maintain the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds, an issue that has long-term ramifications for state budgets and the nation’s public infrastructure projects. The state treasurers individually signed onto a letter to members of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee urging them […]
Bipartisan Group of Senators Urges Financial Regulators to Prioritize Rules and Regulations that Help End “Too Big To Fail”
U.S. Senators Bob Corker, R-Tenn., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., David Vitter, R-La., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, this week wrote to Federal Reserve Governor Daniel K. Tarullo, Comptroller of the Currency Thomas Curry, and Chairman of the FDIC Martin Gruenberg, urging them to “proceed deliberately and expeditiously” to finalize rules regarding capital requirements for large financial […]
Corker to President Obama: Senate Must Be Fully Consulted Prior to Expanded U.S. Involvement to Stem Crisis in Syria
In a letter to President Barack Obama, U.S. Senator Bob Corker, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the Senate must be fully consulted before any decision to expand U.S. involvement to stem the crisis in Syria, including any lethal assistance to Syrian opposition forces or U.S. military action. “As you consider further […]
U.S. Iranian Tensions Rising
Tensions are rising between the United States and Iran, following a confrontation over the waters of the Persian Gulf this week. An Iranian fighter jet came within 16 miles of a U.S. Predator drone. The drone, which was an unmanned vehicle, was being escorted by two U.S. fighters that remained over international waters. No shots […]
Corker: Japan’s Interest in Joining Trans-Pacific Trade Talks Is “Positive Step” Toward Expanded Economic Opportunities for U.S.
U.S. Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn., ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Friday said Japan’s interest in joining trade talks between the U.S. and 10 other nations ringing the Pacific Ocean is a positive step toward an eventual agreement, which would provide significant, expanded economic opportunities for the United States. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) […]
Cyber Command Adapts to Understand Cyber Battlespace
Since the Defense Department officially made cyberspace a new domain of warfare in 2011, experts in the public and private sectors have been working to make that inherently collaborative, adaptable environment a suitable place for military command and control. In July of that year, the first initiative of the first DOD Strategy for Operating in […]
Tennessee Education Continues To Improve
Civic Enterprises, a public policy firm based in Washington D.C., this week announced that Tennessee schools have made the largest gains in the entire nation with regard to high school graduation rates. Between 2002 and 2010, the statewide high school graduation rate rose over 20 percentage points to an overall rate of 80.4%. Over the […]
Rosa Parks has a Permanent Place in the U.S. Capitol
National Statuary Hall inside the U.S. Capitol was once the meeting place of the House of Representatives. Now it’s home to a collection of statues and monuments — two from each state — representing some of the defining figures in our nation’s history. Today those sculptures were joined by that of a civil rights icon. […]
It’s Time to Bring Our Troops Home
In President Obama’s fifth State of the Union address, he highlighted his plan to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. While I disagree with much of the president’s agenda, I do agree it is time to bring our troops home. I am also pleased with the president’s decision to give military […]
Senate Resolution Condemns North Korea Nuclear Test, Calls for Additional Sanctions
U.S. Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn., ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today made the following statement after unanimous Senate passage of a resolution condemning North Korea’s recent nuclear test, which violated numerous international agreements and poses real dangers to regional and global security. “North Korea’s recent nuclear and missile tests pose real dangers […]
National Parks Serve as Powerful Economic Engines for Local Communities, Supporting 252,000 Jobs
National Parks continued to be important economic engines for local communities, with visitors generating $30.1 billion in economic activity and supporting 252,000 jobs nationwide in 2011, according to a peer-reviewed report released today by the National Park Service. “Places like the Grand Canyon or the Statue of Liberty take our breath away and inspire us […]
Corker Statement on Resignation of Tunisian Prime Minister
Following meetings Tuesday with the president of Tunisia and other senior leaders of major Tunisian political parties, U.S. Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn., ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, made the following statement regarding the resignation of Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali. “The United States strongly supports the people of Tunisia and their desire […]
Senate Bills Could Have Wide Impact on Tennessee Elections and Directors of Schools
The 108th Tennessee General Assembly is in Session and there have been a significant number of Bills introduced for consideration. Two Bills that will have widespread impact on voters in Tennessee came from District 8 Senator Frank Niceley. Senator Niceley has sponsored a total of 47 Bills since January 30, 2013, including SB0471 and SB0916. […]
