Tuberville: Voice of Common Sense in Washington

Fighting for America’s military and veterans, securing the border, standing up to China, and supporting our rural communities

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) released the following statement highlighting the work he has accomplished on behalf of Alabamians during his first eight months in the United States Senate:

“The people of Alabama sent me to the Senate to be their voice and to bring some common sense to Washington,” said Senator Tuberville. “Now, more than ever, our country needs leadership, and every day, I’m working to provide the principled, bold leadership that will move our nation in the right direction. I am proud of my team, their hard work, all that we’ve accomplished in our first eight months and the results we’ve delivered for our great state and country. We’re just getting started. I look forward to the road ahead and continuing the fight to defend our conservative values.”

FOCUSING ON ALABAMIANS:

Prioritizing Accessibility: Senator Tuberville announced 5 office locations across the state to ensure his team is accessible to all Alabamians.
Remaining Responsive: Senator Tuberville’s state team expedited 400 emergency passports and completed 692 constituent requests for help with a federal agency. Members of Senator Tuberville’s team have taken more than 1,000 constituent meetings across the state, sent 65 letters of recommendation for federal grants, and responded to 80,197 constituent emails.
Communicating Directly to Alabamians Through Local Media: Senator Tuberville places an emphasis on being accessible and transparent with Alabama’s local media, speaking regularly with local print, television, and radio outlets across the state to communicate information that matters to Alabamians.
Emphasizing Alabama’s Contributions to National Defense: Senator Tuberville toured Alabama’s major defense installations to receive high-level briefings on the important missions carried out in the state. These include Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base; Ft. Rucker Army Base; Redstone Arsenal; Anniston Army Depot; Ft. McClellan Army Base, and the U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Training Center. The Senator met with major industry players in the aerospace and defense industries and heard from constituents in Alabama’s defense communities.
Protecting Alabama’s Heritage: Senator Tuberville helped introduce the Alabama Black Belt National Heritage Act to designate 19 Alabama counties as a National Heritage Area (NHA).
Preserving Economic Opportunities for Alabama Localities: Senator Tuberville led the effort to preserve the current Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) threshold after the Biden Administration’s Office of Management and Budget announced its plan to raise the MSA threshold in a way that would have undermined economic development and federal grant opportunities for the Alabama cities of Florence, Muscle Shoals, Decatur, Gadsden, Anniston, Oxford, Auburn, Opelika, Dothan, Daphne, Fairhope, and Foley. Senator Tuberville’s efforts brought results for Alabama when the Biden Administration backed down from their proposal.

SECURING OUR NATION’S BORDERS:

Empowering Law Enforcement Act: Senator Tuberville introduced legislation to give state and local law enforcement inherent authority to enforce our immigration laws, while also extending the 180-day detainment period to the time necessary for removing dangerous criminal aliens.
Requiring Illegal Immigrants to be Assigned a Court Date: Senator Tuberville introduced legislation to require the Department of Homeland Security to issue a Notice to Appear (NTA) in court prior to releasing from detention any illegal immigrant who has entered the country.
Protecting Americans’ Health: Senator Tuberville called out the Biden Administration’s Department of Homeland Security for the hypocrisy of stringent COVID guidelines for Americans entering the U.S. versus the nonexistent standards for illegal immigrants.
Getting a Firsthand Perspective: Senator Tuberville personally traveled to the Texas-Mexico border and called on President Biden to take immediate action to address the border crisis.

STANDING UP TO CHINA:

Prohibiting TSP Investment in China: Senator Tuberville introduced legislation to prohibit Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) funds from being invested in any entity headquartered in the People’s Republic of China.
Standing up to China’s Non-Military Threats: Senator Tubervillecalled out China’s strategy to rob and replace Americans’ intellectual property while infiltrating institutions of higher learning.
Holding China Accountable: Senator Tuberville urged the Biden Administration’s Secretary of State to retaliate against China’s decision to sanction former senior Trump Administration officials.

BOLSTERING DEFENSE:

Fighting for Alabama’s Defense Priorities: Senator Tubervillefought for strategic authorizations to be included in the FY22 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to build our military forces in the Pacific and to counter Chinese aggression. Senator Tuberville championed the many Alabama companies that contribute to shipbuilding, missile defense, hypersonic missile research, high energy lasers, satellite development, rocketry, and other tools vital to our nation’s fighting forces.
Increasing Defense Spending: Senator Tuberville worked with Senate Armed Services Committee to increase the overall spending topline for the Department of Defense by 3 percent real growth over the rate of inflation.
Asking Common Sense Questions: Senator Tuberville has quickly made his presence on Senate Armed Services Committee known by asking the tough questions. On June 10^th, he pressed our nation’s highest-ranking general, Gen. Mark Milley, on why the Biden Administration did not plan to retain Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.
Supporting Space Command: Senator Tuberville doubled down on Huntsville as the most strategic and cost-effective home for Space Command.
Pushing Back Against Military Politicization: Senator Tubervilleled an effort to rid political bias in military training materials and partisan targeting of DoD platforms.

HONORING OUR VETERANS:

Promoting Additional Treatment Options for PTSD and TBI: Senator Tuberville introduced the HBOT Access Act to make Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) an alternate treatment option for veterans suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), cutting red tape and allowing veterans access to all options on the table.
Honoring the Greatest Generation: Senator Tuberville introduced a resolution, which passed the Senate by unanimous consent, to recognize the sacrifices and accomplishments of the men and women of the Greatest Generation.
Expanding Veterans’ Access to the COVID Vaccine: Senator Tuberville helped introduce the Strengthening and Amplifying Vaccination Efforts to Locally Immunize all Veterans and Every Spouse (SAVE LIVES) Act,bipartisan legislation to expand COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to veterans and their spouses through the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs. This legislation was signed into law on March 24, 2021.

SUPPORTING OUR AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY:

Prioritizing the needs of Rural America: Senator Tuberville questioned the U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary about support for rural communities and the Biden Administration’s plan to hire and maintain the workforce of the Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Alabama, which supports farmers and rural communities across the state.
Supporting Peanut Famers: Senator Tuberville advocated on behalf of peanut farmers and pushed for the reduction of restrictive trade barriers.
Putting Farmers First: Senator Tuberville advocated for the importance of agriculture policies that are in the best interests of farmers and do not place undue burdens on Alabama’s largest industry.
Pushing Back on Changes to the Navigable Waters Protection Rule: Senator Tuberville helped introduce legislation to codify existing rules related to water regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) so that the Biden Administration cannot overburden landowners with stringent water rules.
Maintaining Current Tax Structure for Family Farms: Senator Tuberville called out President Biden’s proposed tax hikes which would be harmful to Alabama’s farmers.
Expanding Broadband in Rural Communities: Senator Tuberville introduced amendments to expand broadband resources in rural communities during the Senate floor debate on the infrastructure bill.
Increasing Lending Opportunities in Rural America: Senator Tuberville cosponsored legislation to allow banks to more easily and cheaply lend capital to farmers, landowners, and other Americans living in rural communities.

SAFEGUARDING EDUCATION:

Prioritizing Education: Senator Tubervilleplaced an emphasis on opportunity through education and on prioritizing STEM and technical training over traditional pathways.
Promoting Choice and Eliminating Bureaucracy: Senator Tubervillehelped introduce the CHOICE Act, a bill to allow low-income families with children in grades K-12 to use federal education funds for the educational opportunities that best fit their needs. Senator Tubervillehelped introduce the Head Start Improvement Act which would eliminate bureaucracy in the Head Start program by giving money directly to states through block grants.
Protecting Title IX: Senator Tuberville pressed the Biden Administration on protecting women athletes’ Title IX rights.

FIGHTING FOR FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY:

Addressing Inflation: Senator Tubervillevoiced concerns from Alabamians about rising prices and the impact of inflation on Americans.
Fighting Democrats’ Reckless Tax and Spend Agenda: Senator Tubervillepushed back against untargeted spending and the growth of an entitlement state.
Ensuring Good Governance: Senator Tuberville introduced legislation to end the practice of the federal government directing settlement funds to partisan advocacy groups.
Safeguarding Small Businesses and Family Farms: Senator Tuberville cosponsored legislation to permanently repeal the death tax, which forces many families to sell their family business, farm, or ranch to be able to pay the required tax.

PRESERVING AMERICAN VALUES:

Ending Divisive Teachings: Senator Tuberville led an effort to ensure federal funds are not being used in our education system for teachings that contradict the fundamentals of this great country.
Supporting Law Enforcement: Senator Tubervillepassed an amendment to reduce or eliminate federal law enforcement funding to local governments that support defunding their police forces.
Encouraging Americans to Return to Work: Senator Tuberville helped introduce legislation to incentivize job seekers to take available opportunities in the workforce.

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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