Our Nation Mourns the Loss of Four of our Nation’s Heroes
Senator Corker joined federal, state and local officials in Chattanooga last night at a press conference hosted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to discuss the latest regarding Thursday’s tragic shootings. A full transcript of his remarks follows. Corker served as mayor of Chattanooga from 2001-2005.
“Our nation mourns the loss – the senseless loss – of four of our nation's heroes. And another one lays in very serious condition here in a local hospital.
“Also today, one of our great men in blue is wounded in the hospital, certainly not in too serious condition, but someone who certainly came to the aid.
“This is a great city. And I know that our city, as will our nation, will come around the families who will need support, who have the sudden shock of loss of a loved one, who came to work today carrying out their duties in a normal way, doing the things that our great military men and women do to protect us and to carry out the duties in support of making sure that we continue to be the great nation that we are.
“Today, senselessly, four of them are gone and one is fighting for their life.
“I too want to thank the outstanding state and local officials who have come to the aid. The FBI has been outstanding. Bill Killian has done a great job. The FBI will very soon lay out the details for you as they can, but I want to thank them so much.
“I know this community will come around these families. This community will do everything that they can to make sure that these law enforcement folks have everything they need to understand why this young person had the motive, the desire to do this senseless thing, which has shaken our nation.”
Click here or on the image above to view video.
Shortly after reports of the tragic shootings began to surface, Senator Corker delivered remarks on the Senate floor.
Click here or on the image above to view video.
Every Child Achieves Act Passes Senate
Senator Corker released the following statement yesterday regarding Senate passage of the Every Child Achieves Act, a bipartisan education reform bill authored by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) to fix flaws in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, commonly known as No Child Left Behind. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 81 to 17.
“I have long believed that decisions regarding student achievement should be made at the state and local level, not in Washington, and I am pleased this legislation provides Tennesseans the flexibility to determine what is best for our students,” said Corker. “I applaud Senator Alexander for his outstanding work on this important legislation and thank him for all he does to make a difference for the citizens of Tennessee.”
Obama Administration Should Postpone UN Vote on Iran Deal
In a letter to President Barack Obama yesterday, Senator Corker and Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urged the administration to postpone a United Nations Security Council vote on the Iran deal until Congress considers the agreement. The mandatory 60-day congressional review period does not begin until all documents associated with an agreement are submitted to Congress, along with assessments on compliance and non-proliferation.
“The Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, a bill which 98 senators and 400 representatives supported and you signed, established a 60-day period for Congress to consider the nuclear agreement. We are deeply concerned that your administration plans to enable the United Nations Security Council to vote on the agreement before the United States Congress can do the same,” wrote the senators. “We urge you to postpone the vote at the United Nations until after Congress considers this agreement.”
Read the letter in its entirety here.
Tennesseans Visit Washington
Senators Corker and Alexander hosted more than 40 Tennesseans at this week’s “Tennessee Tuesday,” a regular breakfast held on Capitol Hill every week the Senate is in session for visitors from the Volunteer State. For more information, click here.
On Wednesday, Senator Corker met Tennesseans with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Children’s Congress visiting Washington, D.C. to discuss promising research on treatments and a cute for Type 1 Diabetes.
On Wednesday, Senator Corker met with Grammy award-winning Christian singer Michael W. Smith about his Nashville organization Rocketown, which offers outreach to Tennessee youth.
