Chair's Press

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Last evening, U.S. Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) co-hosted the first in a series of monthly lectures for senators and their staff on the deaf community and its culture.  The lectures will take place over the next five months and are intended to help senators and their staffers expand their...

Washington, D.C., Feb. 25 – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the senior Republican on the Senate health committee, today released the following statement on the Obama administration report that 65 percent of small businesses will see health insurance premiums increase under Obamacare: “Now even the Obama administration admits...

NASHVILLE, Feb. 21 – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the senior Republican on the Senate health committee, today released the following statement on the Obama administration’s proposal to reduce Medicare Advantage payments: "This is dismal news for seniors who choose Medicare Advantage, more than one in four of everyone using...

NASHVILLE, Feb. 21 – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the senior Republican on the Senate labor committee, today released the following statement on the UAW’s appeal to the National Labor Relations Board of last week’s election at the Chattanooga Volkswagen plant:  “Labor laws are written to allow employees to...

Nashville, Feb. 20 – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the senior Republican on the Senate health committee, released the following statement on the White House announcement that President Obama has dropped chained CPI from his budget this year: “Using the most accurate measure of inflation for entitlement spending and tax...

Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 20 – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the senior Republican on the Senate health committee, today asked Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to clarify the administration’s position on patient access to personal health information. The FDA last year said in a warning letter to genetic test...

Washington, D.C., Feb. 18 – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the senior Republican on the Senate labor committee, today released the following statement on the Congressional Budget Office report finding that the Democrats’ bill to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour with annual increases for inflation could cost as many as 1...

By Sen. Lamar Alexander February 12, 2014 On the same day that the president discussed income inequality during his State of the Union address, I introduced legislation that would allow $2,100 federal scholarships to follow 11 million low-income children to any public or private accredited school of their parents’ choice.    ...

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) wrote to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg today to hold the agency accountable for decisions it makes that have the potential to negatively affect prescription drug overdose...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., released the following statement on the Obama administration’s announcement that businesses with fewer than 100 workers would not be required to provide health insurance to their employees in 2015 (or face a fine) and that businesses with more than 100 employees would have...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 – U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) today sent a letter to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen asking the agency to clarify how it will enforce the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate tax.  Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), John Barrasso (R-WY), John Cornyn (R-TX), Jerry Moran (R-KS) and...

*** “Here is what we should not do – and that is to fall back into the familiar Washington pattern of noble intentions, a grand promise, lots of federal mandates and sending the bill to the states with disappointing results.” – Lamar Alexander WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the senior...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today released the following statement on his vote against cutting off debate on Democratic legislation that would extend unemployment compensation without consideration of Republican proposals for helping unemployed Americans: “Unfortunately, the Senate is starting the new...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 – A group of Republican Senate and House lawmakers released statements today in response to a report the lawmakers requested of the Office of the Inspector General (IG) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The lawmakers asked the IG to look into the Health Resources and Services Administration’s...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the senior Republican on the Senate labor committee, today released the following statement on the National Labor Relations Board’s intentions to finalize its rule authorizing “ambush elections,” which shorten the length of time in which a labor union certification...

*** “I would hope you know that Americans have a First Amendment right to advocate the Second Amendment or any other amendment, and the Second Amendment is not a special interest group – it’s part of our Constitution.” – Lamar Alexander WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the lead...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the lead Republican on the Senate health committee, today released the following statement on a report by the Congressional Budget Office stating that Obamacare could push two million Americans out of the workforce: “The CBO’s new report that Obamacare is likely to force...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the senior Republican on the Senate education committee, and House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.) issued the following joint statement after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on federal student loan interest...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, joined by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and John Barrasso (R-WY), today asked Republican governors for their input and ideas for alternatives to Obamacare’s mandates, taxes and higher premiums if Congress were able to repeal the law and replace it with real...

*** “This is a real answer to inequality in America: giving more children more opportunity to attend a better school.” – Lamar Alexander WASHINGTON, Jan. 28 – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today introduced legislation that would allow states to create $2,100 scholarships out of existing federal education dollars to...