MONTGOMERY – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) shared an update on his work in the United States Senate with community leaders hosted by the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce. Coach Tuberville spoke about his efforts to halt American taxpayer funding to Ukraine, secure the Southern Border, promote Alabama’s defense industry, help Alabama farmers in the upcoming Farm Bill, protect our elections, and save college sports.
BACKGROUND
Coach Tuberville on strengthening our national security and defense by:
- Bolstering Alabama’s Defense Priorities: After participating in more than 30 hearings and hosting hundreds of meetings with government officials, industry leaders, think tanks, and key stakeholders, Senator Tuberville secured several key provisions for Alabama in this year’s defense bill, including:
- Temporarily blocking the move of SPACECOM Headquarters from Alabama to Colorado.
- Investing in Alabama’s military bases and defense industry. Through Coach’s efforts on the Senate Armed Services Committee, nearly $2 billion will impact Alabama entities both public and private.
- Encouraging the Pentagon to source more critical minerals for military component production from the U.S.—including Alabama;
- Extending opportunities for Employee-owned companies, like those in Alabama, to compete for more defense contracts;
- Requiring competition for suppliers of building materials, such as lumber, of which Alabama is a leading producer.
Coach Tuberville on supporting Alabama farmers, producers, and rural communities by:
- Listening to Needs of Alabama’s Agriculture Community: Senator Tuberville and members of his team continued hosting listening sessions and roundtables with members of Alabama’s farm communities to get their feedback leading up to next year’s Farm Bill reauthorization. Senator Tuberville has already introduced several pieces of legislation based on this feedback, including the Feral Swine Eradication Act to extend and make permanent a pilot program to safeguard public health, agriculture, and local ecosystems against the threat of feral swine. Additionally, Senator Tuberville helped reintroduce the Sunshine Protection Act to make Daylight Saving Time permanent after hearing about the problems caused by annual time changes from constituents.
- Expanding Rural Broadband: Last year, Senator Tuberville was named as the top Republican on the U.S. Senate AG Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy. He led his first hearing as Ranking Member on ways to expand rural broadband access, keeping a promise to make rural broadband expansion one of his top priorities for the upcoming Farm Bill. Senator Tuberville also helped introduce legislation to prevent the taxation of broadband grants.
- Protecting America’s Farmland: Senator Tuberville reintroduced the Foreign Adversary Risk Management Actearlier this year to keep America’s agriculture industry and supply chains free from foreign influence. Additionally, he led the Protecting America’s Agricultural Land from Foreign Harm Actwhich would prohibit the sale of U.S. agricultural land to any individual or entity tied to the governments of Iran, North Korea, China, or Russia. Critical portions of these bills, such as making the Secretary of Agriculture a member of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and regulating the foreign purchase of US farm land, were included in the Senate passed defense bill.
- Expanding Markets for Alabama Peanuts: Senator Tuberville introduced the Farmers’ Market Expansion Act, to make pecans and other tree nuts eligible for the USDA’s Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) and provide an additional market for our producers.
Coach Tuberville on keeping a level playing field for student athletes:
- Name, Image, and Likeness Ground Rules: Senator Tuberville introduced the bipartisan Protecting Athletes, Schools, and Sports (PASS) Act of 2023with Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) to create a national standard for Name, Image, and Likeness. The bill was drafted after more than a year of meeting with athletes, college presidents, and stakeholders.
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
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