Marsha Blackburn
Senator for Tennessee · Republican · United States
“201 Ex.] YEAS--50 Armstrong Banks Barrasso Blackburn Boozman Britt Budd Capito Cassidy Cornyn Cotton Crapo Cruz Curtis Daines Ernst Fischer Graham Grassley Hagerty Hawley Hoeven Husted Hyde-Smith Johnson Justice Kennedy Lankford Lee Lummis Marshall McCormick Moody Moran Moreno Murkowski Paul Ricketts Risch Rounds Schmitt Scott (FL) Scott…”
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 119 (Tuesday, July 21, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 119 (Tuesday, July 21, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S4180] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] Vote on Westercamp Nomination The PRESIDING OFFICER.”
“What this Constitution, again, tells us when it comes to the role of the Senate: The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. No question about that. If the House impeaches, it is our job to decide whether we agree or not. It takes an extraordinary vote to impeach.”
“We asked the Congressional Research Service: Is there any Senate precedent for what the Senator from Tennessee is doing? They responded: There is no Senate precedent for either introducing or passing a Senate resolution condemning a judge's illegal misconduct. What?”
“Well, what the Senator from Tennessee wants us to do is to taint the jury, to get us on record before the House has any impeachment activity, before we sit as a jury as to how we are going to rule. That is why it has never been tried before on the floor of the U.S. Senate.”
“We are condemning this inappropriate sexual misconduct by a sitting Federal judge, and we are condemning her subsequent lying about that misconduct. That is it. I do want to note for the record that there was misconduct in the Eleventh Circuit report that I have not included in the resolution.”
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“By eliminating waste and fraud, the administration is strengthening these essential programs. For example, DOGE confirmed that 1.3 million individuals who secured fraudulent Social Security numbers also received Medicare benefits. That is stealing money from individuals who are entitled, rightfully, to the benefits. So if you have 1.3 million individuals who have fraudulent Social Security numbers and they have also signed up for Medicare, they should be removed from the program because they are not entitled to be on that program. DOGE also sifted out 10 million cases where Social Security number holders were over the age of 120. Now, this should raise alarms.”
“In essence, that is what they are saying because they are accepting the status quo. But repeatedly we remind people that it is Republicans who are trying to save Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid because we are rooting out waste, fraud, abuse, and making certain those benefits should go to the people who deserve them. But this shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody. We have been saying: Let's preserve these programs, and let's make them stronger. Let's make certain that scammers and fraudsters don't have access to taxpayer money. Just last month, the President said: I'm not going to touch Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. Now, we're going to get fraud out of there. . . . Everybody wants us to get the fraud out, and therefore you'll make it better. That is exactly what we are doing.”
“To help our Democrat colleagues to understand this issue, I have pulled together a fact sheet that makes one thing clear: While eliminating wasteful spending, improper payments, and fraud in the system, Republicans are protecting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for the beneficiaries for which it is intended. See, our colleagues across the aisle have this completely backward, and they have been pushing these talking points off to the mainstream media, to some of the leftists that are out protesting. If you accept the status quo on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, basically what you are saying is: Hey, I am OK if you waste money. I am OK if you make improper payments. I am OK if you allow fraud and deception. I am OK if you let the trust fund run dry. I am OK if you cut benefits.”
“Many of these attacks are disconnected from reality. Recently, the Democrats have landed on a new line, and we have heard them repeat this over and over. Now their new line is that Republicans and the Trump administration are using DOGE to cut Social Security benefits for our Nation's seniors. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. It is Republicans and President Trump that are seeking to save--to save--Social Security. Last month in this very Chamber, the Senate Democratic leader claimed that ``the goal of Trump and Elon Musk is to destroy Social Security from within.'' Well, nothing could be further from the truth.”
“It is essential that we go through this process, that we right-size government, that we utilize technology, and that we ensure that this country remains free, independent, sovereign, and solvent. Yet, for weeks, we have seen our colleagues on the other side of the aisle choose to stand up and attack President Trump's efforts to rein in Federal spending and to make government transparent and accountable to the people. Again, it is an issue of, who is paying the bill for this? It is the American people. And if you are paying the bill, you want to know what it is that you are paying for. This has been so interesting to me to see my colleagues on the other side of the aisle object to DOGE and object to saving Federal money, object to wise stewardship of Federal resources, and then to attack, attack, attack.”
“I think it is worthy to note that DOGE so far has identified more than $140 billion in potential savings for the American people. They have found this by going into each Department, working with the Secretaries of the different Departments, the heads of the Agencies, and they are reviewing unused Federal leases, Federal contracts, and they are saving billions. They are even able to find savings in some of these anti- American DEI programs. Every American should be celebrating this effort that saves them money. Government has not one penny to spend until the taxpayer sends the money. Every dollar is taxpayer money; it is not Federal money. The Federal Government does not create this; it is taxpayer money. So taxpayers should be celebrating the elimination of waste, fraud, and abuse.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 64 (Wednesday, April 9, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 9, 2025)] [Senate] [Pages S2500-S2501] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] Trump Administration Mr. President, since Inauguration Day, President Trump has been hard at work addressing one of the biggest threats that our Nation faces; that is, our $36 trillion debt. Unlike the last administration, the Trump administration has been very vocal. They are choosing to save the taxpayer money, and I will have to say that so far, they have had a tremendous amount of success. Now, I know some of my colleagues want to complain about DOGE, and they are not fond of the Department of Government Efficiency.”
“With water still rising in our State, power lines down, and many roads blocked completely, it is imperative that Tennesseans listen to local authorities and take every precaution to keep themselves safe. My team is working closely with State and Federal and local agencies, and we are ready to assist anyone who has endured these awful, awful storms. In the face of any crisis, Tennesseans always come together. As we start to pick up the pieces from these storms, I know you will see that volunteer spirit alive and well in Tennessee.”
“My heart goes out to every single one of their families as our State mourns this loss and as the communities gather to grieve the loss of their citizens. Right now, Tennessee remains in a state of emergency. Over the weekend in Nashville, I visited the State Emergency Operations Center and received an update from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, Tennessee Department of Transportation, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and other agencies on our State's emergency response. I also had the opportunity to visit with nonprofits that are meeting the needs on the ground of our citizens. I do want to say thank you to all of the first responders and the volunteers and the emergency teams who are working around the clock to meet the needs of so many.”
“Mr. President, in recent days, Middle and West Tennesseans have faced severe storms that have truly upended the lives of many of our communities and our citizens. Over 4 days, parts of our State saw more than 12 inches of rainfall. This has caused rising rivers, flash floods, and it has forced people out of their homes and their businesses. At the same time, we have seen devastating tornadoes that have destroyed homes, businesses, and entire communities. In Selmer, TN, one tornado reached winds of 160 miles per hour, leaving a path of destruction. In the words of one survivor, the storms have left the town ``unrecognizable.'' As a result of this devastation, we have lost the lives of 10 Tennesseans.”
“Mr. President, I ask the previously scheduled vote begin immediately. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________”
“The Chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the Senate may revise the allocations of a committee or committees, aggregates, and other appropriate levels in this resolution, and make adjustments to the pay-as-you-go ledger, for one or more bills, joint resolutions, amendments, amendments between the Houses, motions, or conference reports relating to protecting United States citizens by deporting all illegal immigrants currently present in the United States, by the amounts provided in such legislation for those purposes, provided that such legislation would not increase the deficit over the period of the total of fiscal years 2025 through 2034. ______”
“Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 60 (Thursday, April 3, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 60 (Thursday, April 3, 2025)] [Senate] [Page S2235] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 1609. Mrs. BLACKBURN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by her to the concurrent resolution H. Con. Res. 14, establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2025 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2026 through 2034; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the appropriate place, insert the following: SEC. ___. DEFICIT-NEUTRAL RESERVE FUND RELATING TO PROTECTING UNITED STATES CITIZENS BY DEPORTING ALL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CURRENTLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES.”
“8615; relating to defending women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth to the Federal Government), by the amounts provided in such legislation for those purposes, provided that such legislation would not increase the deficit over the period of the total of fiscal years 2025 through 2034. ______”
“DEFICIT-NEUTRAL RESERVE FUND RELATING TO ADVANCING PRESIDENT TRUMP'S EXECUTIVE ORDER DEFENDING WOMEN FROM GENDER IDEOLOGY EXTREMISM AND RESTORING BIOLOGICAL TRUTH TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. The Chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the Senate may revise the allocations of a committee or committees, aggregates, and other appropriate levels in this resolution, and make adjustments to the pay-as-you-go ledger, for one or more bills, joint resolutions, amendments, amendments between the Houses, motions, or conference reports relating to advancing Executive Order 14168 (90 Fed Reg.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 60 (Thursday, April 3, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 60 (Thursday, April 3, 2025)] [Senate] [Page S2235] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 1608. Mrs. BLACKBURN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by her to the concurrent resolution H. Con. Res. 14, establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2025 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2026 through 2034; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the appropriate place, insert the following: SEC. ___.”
“The Chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the Senate may revise the allocations of a committee or committees, aggregates, and other appropriate levels in this resolution, and make adjustments to the pay-as-you-go ledger, for one or more bills, joint resolutions, amendments, amendments between the Houses, motions, or conference reports relating to establishing the ``Campaign to Cut Waste'', a renewed effort to find misspent tax dollars at Federal agencies, which may include getting rid of pointless waste, stupid spending that doesn't benefit anybody, getting rid of or consolidating Federal Government websites, or identifying Federal buildings that nobody uses, by the amounts provided in such legislation for those purposes, provided that such legislation would not increase the deficit over the period of the total of fiscal years 2025 through 2034.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 60 (Thursday, April 3, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 60 (Thursday, April 3, 2025)] [Senate] [Page S2235] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 1607. Mrs. BLACKBURN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by her to the concurrent resolution H. Con. Res. 14, establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2025 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2026 through 2034; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the appropriate place, insert the following: SEC. ___. DEFICIT-NEUTRAL RESERVE FUND RELATING TO FINDING MISSPENT TAX DOLLARS AT FEDERAL AGENCIES.”
“The Chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the Senate may revise the allocations of a committee or committees, aggregates, and other appropriate levels in this resolution, and make adjustments to the pay-as-you-go ledger, for one or more bills, joint resolutions, amendments, amendments [[Page S2235]] between the Houses, motions, or conference reports relating to directing the Attorney General to award grants to eligible entities to hire and retain law enforcement officers, including by awarding bonuses to law enforcement officers, target, combat, and prosecute vehicle thefts, including carjackings, prevent violent crime by prioritizing stringent sentences for repeat offenders, including juvenile offenders, use public safety tools such as bail and pretrial detention to prevent dangerous offenders from returning to communities, acquire resources to better target drug and fentanyl crimes, detain and deport illegal aliens who have committed criminal offenses in the United States, eliminate investigatory backlogs and more quickly process criminal evidence, or combat interstate child trafficking, by the amounts provided in such legislation for those purposes, provided that such legislation would not increase the deficit over the period of the total of fiscal years 2025 through 2034.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 60 (Thursday, April 3, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 60 (Thursday, April 3, 2025)] [Senate] [Pages S2234-S2235] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 1606. Mrs. BLACKBURN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by her to the concurrent resolution H. Con. Res. 14, establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2025 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2026 through 2034; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the appropriate place, insert the following: SEC. ___. DEFICIT-NEUTRAL RESERVE FUND RELATING TO DIRECTING THE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO AWARD GRANTS TO ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.”
“That is not something they have the ability to do. Altogether, these provisions would help restore Federal courts to their core purpose, which is administering justice under the rule of law--not deciding nationwide policy.”
“Now, if they did have that power, they would be circumventing the will of the people, and we would no longer be a sovereign nation. The separation of powers works both ways. Judges must respect the President's authority over the executive branch. That is his jurisdiction. To ensure that happens, my Republican colleagues and I are introducing the Judicial Relief Clarification Act. Now, this is being led by Senator Chuck Grassley, who is chairman of our Judiciary Committee. And it would end this harmful practice of nationwide injunctions, make temporary restraining orders against Federal or State governments immediately appealable, and ensure the courts can only issue relief for the case or the controversy before them. A district judge in San Francisco or anywhere else should not ever be deciding national policy.”
“You have got to bring them back. Are you kidding me? Show me somebody that actually wants to have more murderers and rapists and robbers in their community. I invite anybody: If you want to go out there and protect rapists and murders and robbers, you come on down here, and you explain why you would like to have them come. If they are for that, I would like to hear why they are. But what we see happening is these activist judges are undermining our Nation's Constitution. In each of our Nation's 677 district judges, there is no veto power over the President--none. They do not have it. There is nothing--nothing--that gives a Federal district judge veto power over the actions of the President of the United States.”
“So you have got a judge that says: Oh, no, you have got to send this money out. Are you kidding me? They don't want to save the taxpayers' money? Now, I think one that has come up so often with Tennesseans and the reason this issue of these out-of-control leftist judges came up on our telephone townhall last night--by the way, we had thousands of Tennesseans on that call, and it had to do with deporting these criminal illegal aliens--Tren de Aragua, MS-13. To my colleagues, I remind you, we have deemed them foreign terrorist organizations. These are not people who are our friends. These are people who are terrorists. They are gangs. They have murdered. They have raped. They have robbed. But we have some of our friends on the left who are saying: Oh, you can't deport them. You can't send them to the gang prison in El Salvador.”
“They want the power and the authority to waste your money. That is what the Democrats are working for. Well, DOGE is working for the people--for the people. Go pick up those founding documents: ``People''--``We the People.'' It is in caps. It is in caps. But see what happens with the bureaucracy? The people stand up to be the people, and, all of a sudden, the leftists say: Oh, no, this is our sandbox. We have got to have more spending. We have got to have more money. We want to waste it all. Who is going to pay for this? It is going to be our kids and our grandkids because it not only affects our Nation's solvency; that addresses our Nation's ability to be a sovereign nation. We have got activist judges, and oh, you know, all those NGOs--they are [[Page S2109]] just stuck in a tear over this.”
“Tennesseans and a lot of Americans, also want a government that spends taxpayer dollars responsibly because we have $36 trillion in debt--$36 trillion in debt. Now, the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has already found north of $140 billion in waste and fraud. They have identified this, and we are working to save this money for the taxpayers. But here, again, the left can't pass what they want on the floor of the Senate or the floor of the House. So they go to the judiciary, and they say: You stop them because we can't get enough of the taxpayer money. We want more of it, and we want to shove it out the door to leftist NGOs and organizations and nonprofits. We want that money so we can waste it the way we want to waste it. Now, that is, in essence, what they are saying.”
“His decision or her decision applies to that case, and it applies to the district in which that judge is seated. But oh, no, these activists on the court have decided they are going to make nationwide injunctions to try to stop some of President Trump's policies, which as I said, are policies the American people have said: We want to see this done. It is like cutting down the size of the Federal bureaucracy. The American people are loving what DOGE is doing, but the leftists go to a district judge out in, of all places, San Francisco, and they have that judge issue an order to block what the President is doing. So this district judge out in San Francisco--the ``left coast,'' appropriately named--directed the administration to rehire thousands of terminated bureaucrats.”
“We can't get it legislatively. We can't win these elections, but we are going to count on you. And that is the judiciary. So what we have seen and what is troubling so many Tennesseans is activist judges that are on the bench, but, all of a sudden, they are trying to act like they are Supreme Court Justices. They are trying to act like they have the authority to take down the decisions and actions of a President who is delivering what the American people want. So our colleagues and friends on the left are now depending on the judiciary to rescue them--to rescue them. They failed because they are wrong, and the American people said we are not with you. So now we have these judges. They are stepping up. They are district judges. Now, what we know is this. A district judge has a case before him.”
“They are tired of that, and they are pleased with the actions that are being taken by this administration to hold the bureaucracy to account--not for just what is some of what I think they are doing, but for every single penny that they are spending and every decision that they are making. Now, as I said, we have got those on the left. They can't get what they want at the ballot box. They can't get what they want legislatively. They are looking at Governors and State legislators who are not giving them what they want, which is control and power over the American people. But that is what the American people are saying: Oh, no, we are not going to let you have that. So what have our colleagues on the left decided to do? Well, there is one branch of government that is left for them to try to go in and say: You do it for us. We have failed.”
“What we know that the American people and, indeed, Tennesseans, whom I represent--what they want to see is a government that is going to be transparent, a government that is going to be accountable, a government that will be a good steward of their money. But activists on the left can't get what they want at the ballot box. They lost on November 5. They lost, and they can't accept that. They can't get what they want legislatively. They don't have the votes. The American people said we are tired of leftist DEI-ESG policies. We are tired of two tiers of justice. We are tired of seeing waste, fraud, and abuse in the government. Reporting it, and the bureaucracy does nothing--zip, zero, nada.”
“And to be certain, the administration is seeing a lot of success, and the American people are very pleased with what he has done. However, on many fronts, the Trump agenda has been held up in court, not for legitimate legal reasons but because activist judges want to block as many actions by this administration as they possibly can. In the last two months alone, judges issued more injunctions--and, in February, that was 15 against President Trump--than they did against President Biden in his entire 4 years. There were 14 against him. Now, these judges are not issuing rulings on small details in narrow cases. They are trying to stop policies at the heart of President Trump's ``America First'' agenda.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 59 (Wednesday, April 2, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 59 (Wednesday, April 2, 2025)] [Senate] [Pages S2108-S2109] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] Trump Administration Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, in our constitutional Republic, the President represents the will of ``we the people.'' He does this more than any other elected official in this country because, alongside the Vice President, he is the only office holder who is elected by the entire Nation, State by State. And in November, the American people gave President Trump a powerful mandate to secure the border, lower inflation, rein in spending, restore our standing in the world, and usher in what he terms is a new ``golden age'' for America.”
“Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Britt). Without objection, it is so ordered. The Senator from Tennessee.”