U.S. Rep. John Rose pitched his forthcoming gubernatorial campaign, defended his vote for this week's House budget resolution and acknowledged the influence of Project 2025 during a speech to the Republican Women of Williamson County on Wednesday.
“Women are such an important part of our society and culture, and I am so proud to have had so many strong women in my life,” Rose told several dozen RWWC members at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs.
House Budget Resolution
The remarks from Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District representative came some 14 hours after the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed the House’s budget resolution on Tuesday night. In that 217-215 vote, only one Republican — Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky — voted no.
The vote also saw President Donald Trump exert his influence on several Republican holdouts, including U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee's 2nd Congressional District.
“Thank goodness we've passed a budget resolution in the House,” Rose said. “Now, I will tell you it's not perfect, but it's really good. … I think it sets the stage for much greater success ahead of Congress, because we proved to the Democrats that we can come together and get the job done.”
Rose spoke with Scene sister publication the Williamson Scene following his remarks, defending his aye vote.
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“We're at a place in our nation's history with $36.2 trillion in debt and running $2 trillion deficits," said Rose. "So I think a lot of us would have liked to have seen more budget cutting than the budget resolution has, but it is a remarkable step in the right direction."
Critics of the budget resolution have pounced on its planned Medicaid cuts, something that Rose dismissed, despite some 1.4 million Tennesseans being enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
“I think that's much ado about nothing,” Rose said. “The savings that we will realize in Medicaid are primarily coming in places, in ways that are not going to reduce the benefits to the typical American, so they are eliminating waste, fraud and abuse, imposing work requirements, requiring states to tighten up the rolls that they have that achieve savings, that make the program really serve those people who need it most, and get the people off the rolls of Medicaid that shouldn't be there to begin with.”
Project 2025
Rose said he's going to work to “make the most of the next two years” in helping Trump succeed with his agenda, much of which has begun in a blitz of executive actions.
“I know there is a lot of angst around the country,” Rose said. ”The other side is twisted in knots about what the president is doing, and I would just tell you, let's not forget, this president telegraphed everything, right on the campaign trail. He told us what he's going to do, and now he's doing what he said he was going to do.”
Rose even acknowledged the reality of what he described as the “much maligned" Project 2025.
“How do you think the president was prepared to issue all these executive orders?" Rose said. "How do you think they were prepared to make all of these appointments in such quick succession after he got into office? Project 2025."
Throughout the 2024 campaign, Trump denied being involved with Project 2025. However, he implemented several of its policy initiatives after returning to office and nominated Project 2025 co-author Russell Vought to lead the White House budget office.
“You know, we couldn't talk a lot about that during the campaign,” Rose said. “It became the lightning rod that Democrats were trying — but they knew what was happening, and they knew that if President Trump was elected that he was going to hit the ground running. We see that on display.”
Gubernatorial Run
Rose's remarks also served as an early pitch for his forthcoming run for governor in 2026, when current term-limited Gov. Bill Lee leaves office.
“I am convinced that my best days are ahead and that the best opportunity I have to serve Tennessee is in a different role, and so I'm going to come home at the end of this period and I'm going to offer myself,” Rose said. “My plan is to offer myself as [a] candidate for governor of Tennessee.”
That statement gained applause from the crowd of several dozen women (many of whom sported “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha” stickers).
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Those stickers were seen throughout U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn's 2024 Senate reelection campaign, and now serve as a clear signal of support for her own anticipated run for governor.
Rose touted his "Tennessee values," saying, “much of that emanates from high Christian practice.” He told the Williamson Scene that the most pressing issues for the next governor will include education, which he said “remains at the top of that list,” as well as infrastructure, health care, emphasizing mental health, economic growth and development and a “growing demand for energy.”
“I think we're at a crossroads for our state, where we need to be more selective in the industry that we bring here and choose jobs that are going to be the right jobs for the future of Tennessee, and not bring employers to our state that are going to try to change the nature of our state.”
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Williamson Scene.
