U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) on Monday touted the achievements he and his staff have delivered for his constituents just eight months into serving his first term as Alabama’s freshman senator.
Tuberville said he has sought to bring “common sense” to the nation’s capital.
“The people of Alabama sent me to the Senate to be their voice and to bring some common sense to Washington,” said 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.”
He praised the work of his staff in their service to the Yellowhammer State.
“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,” Tuberville added.
The freshman senator has made it a prime focus of his office to deliver on issues dealing with constituent services, supporting the state’s national defense positioning, preserving economic opportunities for state localities, honoring veterans, standing up to China, combating illegal immigration, among an array of other priorities.
As U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) retires from the upper chamber in just over a year, many across the state have questioned what effect this will have on the state’s share of federal funding, which Shelby has been able to deliver by way of his seniority. Tuberville, in just months of service under his belt, has ensured that Alabama’s critical support of national defense priorities will continue when he takes on the role as the state’s senior senator.
Tuberville fought for strategic authorizations to be included in the fiscal year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to build military forces in the Pacific and to counter Chinese aggression. He was widely praised as a champion for the many Alabama companies that contribute to shipbuilding, missile defense, hypersonic missile research, high energy lasers, satellite development, rocketry and other tools vital to the nation’s fighting forces.
He worked with Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) members to increase the overall spending topline for the Department of Defense (DOD) by 3% real growth over the rate of inflation. Tuberville went to bat for Huntsville, as he doubled down on the Rocket City being the most strategic and cost-effective home for Space Command.
Relating to economic growth, Tuberville has focused efforts to drive resources to rural and underserved areas of the state.
Tuberville led the effort to preserve the current Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) threshold which assists economic development efforts and federal grant opportunities for multiple Alabama cities. He also assisted in introducing the Alabama Black Belt National Heritage Act to designate 19 Alabama counties as a National Heritage Area (NHA).
According to the senator’s office, his state-based staff expedited 400 emergency passports and completed 692 constituent requests for help with a federal agency. Members of the senator’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.
Tuberville has positioned himself as one of the Senate’s leading critics of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The release says he has introduced legislation to prohibit Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) funds from being invested in any entity headquartered in the People’s Republic of China. The senator has also spoken out against China’s theft of American intellectual property and warned of the communist nation’s attempts to infiltrate American academia. Tuberville urged the Biden Administration’s Secretary of State to retaliate against China’s decision to sanction former senior Trump administration officials.
Concerning illegal immigration, Tuberville introduced legislation to give state and local law enforcement inherent authority to enforce our immigration laws. He also introduced legislation to require the Department of Homeland Security to issue a Notice to Appear (NTA) in court prior to release from detention any illegal immigrant who has entered the country. Additionally, he personally traveled to the Texas-Mexico border and called on President Biden to take immediate action to address the border crisis.
According to the release, Tuberville introduced legislation to end the practice of the federal government directing settlement funds to partisan advocacy groups. Tuberville cosponsored legislation to permanently repeal the death tax, which conservatives have long advocated for.
The senator has also shown support for the state’s agriculture community and has spearheaded issues of importance to rural Alabama such as broadband expansion, simplifying credit access for farmers and combating overreach from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Tuberville has been a staunch proponent for implementing fiscally responsible policies which seek to combat the growing national debt, inflation and new tax increase measures proposed by the Biden administration.
Lastly, the senator has supported an array of conservative policies in regard to education. He has supported school choice, expanding STEM-related opportunities for students, fighting against Critical Race Theory-type teachings and has also stood for the rights of female athletes.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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