Ending the filibuster would destroy the impetus in the United States Senate to force broad agreements on hard issues and unleash the tyranny of the majority to steam roll the minority. Presidents would like it. They would get their way more easily if we ended the requirement that 60 senators vote to cut off debate before we vote on a legislative issue.

I was glad to join @GovBillLee and others to announce a $6 million federal grant from the @ARCgov to construct 50-75 miles of mountain bike trails in Cocke County that will help encourage more people that visit the @GreatSmokyNPS to come through Cocke County. Cocke County is one of the most economically distressed counties in Tennessee, and this investment will help increase the tourism industry in Cocke County by bringing more of the visitors who come to the Smokies and the Cherokee National Forest each year to the area.

Congress should make sure that patients don’t receive a surprise bill when they seek medical treatment, especially during this COVID-19 crisis when emergency rooms are crowded. In normal times, one of five patients who go to an emergency room receive a surprise bill weeks later. The two federal laws enacted this month dealing with the coronavirus made sure that testing for COVID-19 is free, provided $100 billion for hospitals…

I worked with other senators to make sure that we have the right to ask for more documents and witnesses, but there is no need for more evidence to prove something that has already been proven and that does not meet the U.S. Constitution’s high bar for an impeachable offense.1/15 There is no need for more evidence to prove that the president asked Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter; he said this on television on October 3, 2019, and during his July 25, 2019, telephone call with the president of Ukraine. 2/15

Just because the House proceedings were a circus that doesn’t mean the Senate’s trial needs to be. We have a constitutional duty to hear the case.

That means to me, number one, hear the arguments on both sides, and not dismiss the case out of hand.

Number two, ask our questions, consider the answers and study the record.

There is bipartisan consensus in Congress that we need to #LowerHealthCareCosts. Health care and health insurance coverage are often conflated in both Congress and in media stories, so I want to be very clear that I am talking about the bipartisan consensus that health care itself is too expensive.

I’m about to chair the Senate health committee’s hearing on vaccines, ongoing outbreaks of preventable diseases, and the importance of immunizations. Watch live here: help.senate.gov/hearings/vacci… #VaccinesSaveLives It was not that long ago that, as a boy, I remember the terror in the hearts of parents that their children might contract polio and put my classmates in iron lungs. @senatemajldr contracted polio when he was young.

I’m about to chair the Senate health committee’s hearing to learn how primary care can play a role in lowering health care costs and improving outcomes, and explore innovative ways to improve access to affordable primary care. Watch live here: help.senate.gov/hearings/how-p… .@drleegross, of Florida, testified last year at this committee’s fifth hearing on the cost of health care that too many government mandates and insurance companies were getting between doctors and patients and making primary care more expensive than it needed to be.