U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn held her first virtual news conference of 2025 after she took the oath of office as part of the 119th Congress on Jan. 3. Before the conference, Blackburn was sworn in for her second term by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
“Getting President Trump's nominees confirmed is going to be at the top of the list,” Blackburn said.
Her other stated priorities include making the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, often referred to simply as the “Trump tax cuts,” permanent.
Blackburn continues to push for action on her 2021 veterans' health care bill and her 2021 “online privacy bill,” especially with the increased use of artificial intelligence online. She is also advocating for the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which she co-sponsors and was passed by the Senate in July.
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“The only thing that has stood in its way is the current Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and [House Majority] Leader Steve Scalise, who felt like it would be an infringement on free speech," Blackburn told reporters of her fellow Republicans. "But as my Senate colleagues have continued to say, protecting children and having laws that protect children is not something that's a violation of free speech."
President Joe Biden has indicated he would sign the law if it reaches his desk. He has already signed the Revising Existing Procedures on Reporting via Technology (REPORT) Act, which strengthened online safeguards for children.
That law updated requirements for tech companies, including social media platforms like Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram, to report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) when they become aware of violations involving the online sexual exploitation of children. The legislation was co-sponsored by Blackburn and Georgia Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff.
KOSA has been criticized by groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union. After the legislation passed the Senate in July, the ACLU released a statement that said the legislation would “threaten young people’s privacy, limit minors’ access to vital resources, and silence important online conversations for all ages.”
Blackburn also spoke about her support for Trump's immigration plans, which include mass deportations.
In March, Blackburn introduced the Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal [CLEAR] Act of 2024, which, if passed, would empower states to “investigate, identify, apprehend, arrest, detain, or transfer to Federal custody aliens in the United States (including the transportation of such aliens across State lines to detention centers), for the purposes of assisting in the enforcement of the immigration laws of the United States in the course of carrying out routine duties.” The bill would allow state and local law enforcement agencies to be reimbursed by the federal government for the costs of immigration enforcement. It would also cut federal law enforcement funding for “sanctuary cities” and see the creation of around 20 new immigration detention facilities.
“This is the type of bill that gives local law enforcement more power as more of our law enforcement agencies find that they are on the front line,” Blackburn said.
While not specifically mentioned in the Jan. 3 conference, Blackburn in the past urged the U.S. to “continue to combat the New Axis of Evil” in reference to China, Iran, North Korea and Russia, a callback to the term “Axis of Evil” coined in 2002 by former President George W. Bush to describe Iraq, Iran and North Korea. That post-9/11 talking point helped push the U.S. toward the invasion of Iraq, a war that most Americans now believe was a mistake. Many critics argue the military action was criminal based not just on faulty intelligence, but on lies told to the American people by its elected (and unelected) officials.
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In 2020, Trump ordered an airstrike in Iraq that killed Iran's top general Qasem Soleimani, who was responsible for killing hundreds and wounding thousands of Americans throughout the Iraq War. Soleimani's assassination increased tensions between the U.S. and Iran — tensions that have been tested by both U.S. foreign policy in support of Israel and the Republican Party's continued focus on war with Iran. Blackburn herself called for direct U.S. military strikes in Iran during last year's exchange of missiles between Israel and Iran.
During the 119th Congress, Blackburn will serve on the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee; the Finance Committee; the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee; the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee; the Judiciary Committee; the Veterans' Affairs Committee; and the Joint Economic Committee. Fellow Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty will continue to serve the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; the Appropriations Committee; the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee; and the Rules Committee.
Hagerty says in a Jan. 8 news release: “Throughout the 118th Congress, my positioning on these four critical committees allowed me to apply my background and experience as a former Ambassador, lifelong businessman, job creator, and negotiator to represent the interests of Tennesseans and push back against the failures of the Biden Administration and Democrats."
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Williamson Scene.
