Press Releases

*** "Let’s write a new law…not as an ideological exercise but simply in the way that someone would weed a garden before planting a new crop.” – Lamar Alexander WASHINGTON, Sept. 19—The senior Republican on the U.S. Senate education committee said today that the committee should “start from scratch” on a...

"The stakes are high – just as the decline in the auto industry sent jobs and profits overseas, a similar failure in U.S. higher education would damage our economy and send the best minds overseas.  In a highly competitive world, there is no guarantee that we will continue to produce 25% of the world’s wealth.” – Lamar...

*As Prepared for Delivery* “Today’s hearing marks the kick-off of the reauthorization process of the Higher Education Act here in the Senate. The Committee will hold a series of twelve hearings over the coming months to analyze the many aspects of our higher education system and how it can be improved. These hearings will range from a...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 – A group of 21 Republican senators today urged the administration to prohibit union health plans from receiving a carve-out in Obamacare, specifically premium assistance tax credits that are intended for the uninsured to purchase health insurance – a benefit no non-union member in America would receive. In a letter...

*** "I am going to be looking for long-term solutions on a restructuring of the National Labor Relations Board that will ensure that it is more likely to be an umpire and an adjudicator than an advocate, whether the president is a Democrat or a Republican.”– Lamar Alexander WASHINGTON, Sept. 18—The senior Republican on the U.S....

*** "This legislation puts vouchers in the hands of many working mothers so they can make their own decisions about what child care suits their needs the best.” – Lamar Alexander WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 - The senior Republican on the U.S. Senate labor committee released the following statement on passage of the Child Care and...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Richard Burr (R-NC), Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) applauded the passage of the bipartisan Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2013 by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. This bill reauthorizes and...

WASHINGTON, D.C. —Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today released the following statement after the Committee voted to pass the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2013 (CCDBG), a bill that will expand access to and improve the quality of child care for the...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Labor finalized a critical rule to ensure fair wages for workers providing in-home care and support to seniors and people with disabilities. The...

Will seek input from higher education community, including students, parents, and faculty WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN) today announced their intention to hold a series of hearings on reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16—The senior Republican on the U.S. Senate labor committee released the following statement on the President’s speech today on the economy:   Sen. Lamar Alexander (R. Tenn) said: “The president’s policies are hurting American workers. Today, 7.3 percent of Americans qualify as unemployed, while...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement today to mark World Sepsis Day and to announce that the HELP Committee will convene on September 24th at 10:00 a.m. to discuss efforts to reduce healthcare-associated infections,...

KNOXVILLE, Sept. 13—The senior Republican on the U.S. Senate health committee today said a new requirement that certain painkillers come with a warning to mothers and prescribers that chronic use during pregnancy can cause babies to suffer from life-threatening withdrawal “should help Tennessee combat the epidemic of babies addicted to...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12—The senior Republican on the U.S. Senate health committee this week joined in introducing a bill and an amendment to delay the health care law’s employer and individual mandates until 2015. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said: “Full repeal of this law is my goal—no family in Tennessee should ever be...

NASHVILLE, Sept. 9—The senior Republican on the U.S. Senate health committee today released the following statement on the news that the health care law is forcing an end to Cover Tennessee, a state program created in 2006 to help provide affordable coverage to Tennesseans who are uninsured or have pre-existing conditions: Sen. Lamar...

1.6 Million Smokers Have Attempted to Quit Smoking; More Than 200,000 Americans Quit Smoking Successfully WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today hailed an announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that the “Tips From a Former Smoker” (“Tips”) 2012 national ad campaign led an...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tom Carper (D-DE), and Ed Markey (D-MA) warned against the dangers of electronic cigarettes after the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released new data showing that use of these products has more than doubled among middle and...

The Internal Revenue Service violated the First Amendment rights of the American people -- and their trust -- when it targeted conservative political groups in Tennessee and around the country for additional scrutiny during the 2012 election. As Congress investigates just how deeply the problem goes, it's important to make sure those responsible...

KINGSPORT, Tenn., August 28—The senior Republican on the U.S. Senate health committee released the following statement today on the administration’s delay until mid-September in signing final agreements with insurance plans to be sold on the health insurance exchanges on October 1: Sen. Lamar Alexander (R. Tenn) said: "I've been warning...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today issued the following statement in response to Vice President Joe Biden’s announcement that the Administration will implement a new rule to promote employment for individuals with disabilities.  The...