I’d like to start off by congratulating my friend, State House Majority Leader Jason Mumpower, on a very successful career in the state legislature. As many of you may already know, Leader Mumpower announced just days ago that he will not be seeking re-election in November which caps off a career in the Tennessee General Assembly that began in 1996 when Jason was just 23. His time in the legislature has been marked by an unyielding commitment to promoting fiscally responsible and socially conservative policies. He has performed a great service to the people of the third district and this state. Please join me in wishing Jason and his wife Alicia all the best in their future endeavors.

Democrats in Washington silenced the American people this month when they rammed through a trillion-dollar government takeover of health care. They turned the other cheek when confronted with immense opposition to their scheme and ignored the thousands of phone calls from their constituents who begged them to vote against the bill. Because of their actions, Democrats everywhere are being put on notice – you may have silenced the American people in March, but we will be heard in November.

I’m extremely proud of our Tennessee Republican members of Congress who, over the last year, have stood up against Obamacare at every turn and voted against the big-government proposal at every opportunity. And now, our state Republican lawmakers are working to move legislation through the General Assembly intended to protect our state from Democrats’ government-run health care experiment. And while the outcome of that legislation is yet to be determined, it is clear that Tennessee Republicans are working diligently on behalf of their constituents to fight Democrats’ unprecedented power grab of health care.

These are serious times. The implications of this legislation are far reaching and will not only negatively affect health care coverage, but will also put a huge strain on the financial health of our country. Just this past week, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that by 2020, the national debt will be 90 percent of our Gross Domestic Product. In simpler terms, this would be like an American family putting 90 percent of their earnings toward credit card debt. What’s scary is that these numbers do not include the costs of the recently passed health care bill.

The bill may have been signed into law, but the fight against a government takeover of our health care system is far from over. Plain and simple – Democrats are wrong and in 216 days, Americans will take to the polls and show them just how wrong they are. Just a few days ago, I heard someone say, “the last place anyone would want to be is in between a Republican and a voting booth this November.” I couldn’t agree more.

This is an important election year and we have to remain vigilant. If you’d like to receive more regular updates from the TNGOP, please feel free to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. As always, I want to express my appreciation for everything you do to support the Tennessee Republican Party.

Sincerely,

Chris Devaney
Chairman
Tennessee Republican Party

TN REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMEN & SENATORS STAND UP TO DEMOCRATS ON HEALTH CARE: Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate took every opportunity to stand up to Democrats’ government takeover of health care – voting against the proposal at every opportunity. Democrat Reps. Steve Cohen, Jim Cooper, and Bart Gordon abandoned their constituents and voted with Speaker Nancy Pelosi on March 21st.

From Tennessee Representatives and Senators:

• Sen. Lamar Alexander

• Alexander Statement on House Passage of Health Care Bill – Press Release (03/21/10)
• Alexander Votes Against Health Care Reconciliation Bill – Press Release (03/25/10)
• Watch Sen. Alexander discuss health reform on CNN and FOX News.

• Sen. Bob Corker

• Corker Disappointed in House Passage of Health Care, Says Costs Will Hit Tennessee and Future Generations Hard – Press Release (03/21/10)
• Watch Sen. Corker discuss health reform on FOX News.

• Rep. Marsha Blackburn

• Watch a speech Rep. Blackburn gave on the floor of the U.S. House before the final health care vote.
• Rep. Blackburn participated in a video entitled “Voices of Republican Women: A Discussion on Health Reform.” View the video HERE.
• During March, Rep. Blackburn has been hosting “listening tours” throughout the 7th district. See more here, here and here.
• See an op-ed by Rep. Blackburn on health care that appeared in the Tennessean.

• Rep. John Duncan

• Watch video of a speech Rep. Duncan gave on the floor of the U.S. House before the final health care vote.
• Duncan Statement on Health Bill Passage – Press Release (03/21/10)
• See an analysis here on how much the health care bill cost taxpayers.

• Rep. Phil Roe

• Watch a speech Rep. Roe gave on the floor of the U.S. House before the final health care vote.
• Roe Statement on Senate Democrat Health Care Takeover – Press Release (03/22/10)
• Read a column by Rep. Roe entitled “Health Reform: At What Cost?”

• Rep. Zach Wamp

• Health Care Takeover a Defining Moment – Press Release (03/21/10)
• 10 Prescriptions for a Healthy America – Press Release (03/05/10)

From the Tennessee Republican Party:

• Will Democrats Listen to the Majority of Americans Who Say Congress Should Start Over on Health Reform – Press Release (03/03/10)
• Gordon Puts Pelosi & Obama Before Tennesseans on Health Reform – Press Release (03/18/10)
• TN Dems Leave Constituents Behind, Vote in Favor of Government Takeover of Health Care – Press Release (03/21/10)

OTHER ITEMS OF NOTE:

• State House Republican Caucus Chairman Jason Mumpower announced he will not seek re-election. Read more HERE.
• The Republican Party lost a dedicated member this month when our friend Alice Algood passed away at the age of 84. Read a tribute to Alice written by Chairman Devaney published in the Columbia Daily Herald.
• Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Gibbons suspended his campaign for governor. Read Chairman Devaney’s statement highlighting his contributions to the race HERE.
• State House Democrat Caucus Chairman Mike Turner was called out for racial comments he made last week. Rep. Turner said that much of the resistance to Obamacare was because the President is African-American. Read more HERE.
• The Tennessee Democrat Party announced that Vice-President Joe Biden will be the keynote speaker for their annual Jackson Day dinner. Read why the TNGOP welcomes the Vice-President.
• Tennessee Democrat Party Chairman Chip Forrester said earlier this month that Democrats will face a “nuclear winter for 10-15 years” if Republicans are successful in November. Read more HERE.
• Campaign season will officially kick into high gear tomorrow at noon when the deadline for candidates to qualify for ballots in August is reached.
• Please take a look at your Republican U.S. House and Senate Members’ websites to find out what they’ve been doing on your behalf over the last month.

• Rep. Marsha Blackburn
• Rep. John Duncan
• Rep. Phil Roe
• Rep. Zach Wamp
• Senator Lamar Alexander
• Senator Bob Corker

TRACKING CHAIRMAN DEVANEY: During the month of March, Chairman Devaney has attended a number of events around the state. Following is a list of some events in which Chairman Devaney was involved:

03/03 – Conference Call with the Tennessee Young Republican Federation Officers
03/04 – Conference Call with the Tennessee Federation of Republican Women Officers
03/06 – African American Roundtable with RNC Chairman Michael Steele in Memphis
03/06 – Guest Speaker at the Carroll County Reagan Day Dinner
03/18 – Attended Williamson County Republican Party "Just Desserts" Dinner
03/19 – Call-In Interview with WPLN
03/20 – Guest Speaker at the Tennessee Young Republican Federation Rechartering and Constitutional Convention
03/20 – Guest Speaker at the Rhea County Lincoln Day Dinner 
03/23 – Conference Call with County Party Chairmen
03/26 – Guest Speaker at the Hamblen County Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner 
03/27 – Attended the Rutherford County Reagan Day Dinner