State of Tennessee Archives: on Budget & Economy
Bill Hagerty:
Work to get government out of the way of business
Bill knows what it takes to grow Tennessee's bustling economy, because he's done it. He knows the federal government should never punish success, nor failure in the free market. He'll work to get government out of the way, cut unnecessary bureaucratic
regulation, continue President Trump's winning streak on taxes, promote free trade, remove barriers to trade, strengthen the regulatory review process, and encourage companies to do business in Tennessee.
Source: 2020 Tennessee Senate campaign website TeamHagerty.com
Dec 24, 2019
Bill Hagerty:
Won't raise taxes; committed to cutting spending
Your family balances its budget every month, and Bill believes the federal government should too. Bill won't raise taxes. He will fight for a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. He'll work to streamline an out of control federal government
that spends too much of our money and cut down on waste, fraud, and abuse. He's committed to cutting spending. He will stand strong against the liberal Democrats in the House who want to spend your hard-earned money recklessly.
Source: 2020 Tennessee Senate campaign website TeamHagerty.com
Dec 24, 2019
Bill Hagerty:
Democrats plan to undo Trump's economic success
In an interview with The Associated Press, Hagerty said the economy would be in greater jeopardy if Democrats win the White House, take control of the Senate and maintain their grip on the
House. "Democrats have made their plan clear. They'd like to undo the economic success of this president," Hagerty told the AP. "They've tried to talk the economy down in hopes of generating a recession. That hasn't worked."
Source: Nashville Business Journal on 2020 Tennessee Senate race
Sep 9, 2019
Bill Haslam:
Balance budget without education cuts & tax decrease
In talking about the budget, it's also important to talk about what we did not do to balance the budget the past two years. We didn't raise taxes. In fact, we lowered them.
We are also providing tax relief for low-income seniors, veterans and the disabled by fully funding the growth of the property tax relief program. Another important thing we did not do to balance the budget was to cut education funding.
Not only did we not cut funding, we had the second largest increase in state K-12 expenditures of all 50 states in fiscal year 2012. I'm not sure that Tennessee has ever been able to say that before.
The average increase was nearly 3 percent. Ours grew almost 12 percent in state education funding. Education is another example of how in Tennessee we're distinguishing ourselves as different from the rest of the country.
Source: 2013 State of the State speech to Tennessee legislature
Jan 28, 2013
Bill Lee:
Made hard decisions needed on company budget; it worked
Lee was forced to lay off about 400 employees in 14 months. "When you cut a company's budget from $100 million to $70 million, you have to make a lot of hard decisions," Lee said. "I had to say, `I know you have been here for 14 years, but today is your
last day.' It was brutal." [One observer] said Lee could have resigned himself to the CEO office and delegated the duties, but didn't.The cuts and reductions worked. Three years later, Lee says the company was rebuilt, and stronger than before.
Source: The Tennessean on 2018 Tennessee Gubernatorial race
Jul 21, 2018
Bill Lee:
Better to save for emergencies than spend now
As a conservative businessman, I know a good budget needs to pay for what is needed, take on zero long-term debt, and, perhaps most importantly, save for a rainy day. I am particularly proud of this: in my budget, we are making the largest single
contribution to our Rainy Day Fund in the state's history. When this budget is implemented, our Rainy Day Fund will be $1.1 billion--the largest it has ever been in both real dollars and as a percentage of our overall revenue.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Tennessee legislature
Mar 6, 2019
Bill Lee:
Investment & incentives to support rural counties
I'm also recommending $20 million for ECD's Rural Opportunity Fund, which supports site development, main-street development, and critical infrastructure assistance. We expanded an incentive program in
Tennessee medical schools that will grow the pipeline of primary care doctors locating in rural communities. We're adding more than $4 million for payment increases to rural health clinics and expanding rural access to dental care.
We're adding $7 million to the Ag Enhancement program and an additional $2 million for UT Extension Agents in distressed rural counties.
The Department of Tourism has created an Office of Rural Tourism, and we've set aside nearly $2.4 million for their efforts to draw attention to beautiful parts of Tennessee that are off the beaten path.
Source: 2020 State of the State Address to the Tennessee legislature
Feb 3, 2020
Bill Lee:
Addressing maintenance the fiscally responsible thing to do
In this year's budget I'm proposing the largest capital maintenance budget in our state's history - more than 900 million dollars in capital improvements and maintenance on both state buildings and higher education campuses.
We are also eliminating the backlog of deferred maintenance at state parks with a 30 million dollar investment. Addressing maintenance is the fiscally responsible thing to do.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Tennessee legislature
Feb 8, 2021
Bob Corker:
Adding $2T to deficit was fiscally irresponsible
Corker lamented that his recent vote for the GOP tax bill could be one of the worst of his career if projections that it will add nearly $2 trillion to the deficit prove to be accurate. "None of us have covered ourselves in glory," Corker, who is
retiring at the end of the year, said. "This likely will go down as one of the most fiscally irresponsible administrations and Congresses that we've had."Corker was referring to a recent report by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget,
which concluded that the vote to increase the discretionary spending caps in the recent $1.4 trillion spending package, if made permanent, would add $2 trillion to the national debt.
Corker voted against the spending bill, calling it "one of the
most grotesque pieces of legislation I can remember." But in December, he voted in favor of the Republican tax reform bill after voting against an earlier version, complaining that the legislation did not do enough to address the national deficit.
Source: The Tennessean on 2018 Tennessee Senate race
Apr 12, 2018
David Kustoff:
Oppose tax-and-spend policies, as well as over-regulation
Creating Jobs: As a small businessman, I understand the importance of having an environment that allows job creators to create and grow businesses.
President Obama's tax-and-spend policies, as well as over-regulation, have prevented our economy from making a true comeback. I will fight for lower taxes, a balanced budget, and an economy that puts Americans first.
Source: 2016 Tennessee House campaign website KustoffForCongress.com
Nov 8, 2016
Diane Black:
Get government off the backs of job creators
Government doesn't create jobs, the private sector does.
We can help by getting government off their backs.
Source: 2018 Tennessee Gubernatorial website black.house.gov
Aug 31, 2017
Gordon Ball:
Balanced budget amendment to restore fiscal discipline
America is still recovering from the worst recession since the Great Depression and still facing a jobs crisis. At the same time, our rising debt threatens America's ability to pursue our priorities and to respond to such crises.
I'm for a constitutional amendment that would require the federal government to balance its budget and restore fiscal discipline in Washington.
Source: 2014 Tennessee Senate campaign website, GordonBallSenate.com
Aug 7, 2014
James Mackler:
Investment in infrastructure means jobs
James will push for investments in vocational education and job re-training, put Tennesseans to work rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, and fight for simpler tax policies that help businesses create jobs in both rural and urban areas.
Nobody should have to live in poverty or leave their family and community behind just to make ends meet.
Source: 2018 Tennessee Senatorial website JamesMackler.com
Oct 1, 2017
Jason Martin:
Work with Feds to get tax dollars for infrastructure repair
Tennessee needs high quality infrastructure in the form of highways, bridges, sewer and stormwater systems, roads and universal broadband. Our roads and bridges are in need of repair and help, and tens of thousands of Tennesseans are willing to answer
the call to make that happen. We need to make sure that Tennessee can work with any administration to fix this problem. I will make sure we bring back the nearly eight billion of our tax dollars to improve our communities.
Source: 2022 Tennessee Governor campaign website MartinForTN.com
Aug 7, 2022
Jason Martin:
GOP building up state cash reserves with no plans for it
He said Lee and Republicans have been building up the state's cash reserves while having no plans to address many of the key problems facing Tennesseans, like teacher shortages and access to health care and broadband in rural parts of the state. "It's
very important to be fiscally responsible and to have a rainy day fund," Martin said. "I wish they could be as proud of fully resourced schools, of access to quality health care and broadband internet as they are of that pile of money."
Source: The Tennessean on 2022 Tennessee Gubernatorial race
Jul 10, 2022
Jason Martin:
Legalized cannabis would bring in millions in tax revenue
We need to legalize cannabis for medical and recreational use. We could use the hundreds of millions of dollars of tax revenue from this regulated market to support causes like education, healthcare, and infrastructure. We should stop locking up
primarily Black and Brown Tennesseans for small cannabis drug offenses and use those law enforcement resources more appropriately. We should give our farmers a new crop to save the family farm.
Source: WTVF on 2022 Tennessee Gubernatorial race
Jul 18, 2022
Karl Dean:
Economic development statewide instead of just Nashville
Karl Dean, the former mayor of Nashville, says if he's elected governor, he would turn his economic development efforts far outside the city limits. Dean says folks in West Tennessee and parts of Memphis feel a bit left out as the state's capital city
boasts low unemployment and a booming real estate market. "We need to really focus on the areas that have not had the same success that Nashville has had," Dean says. "People are happy for Nashville. They're proud of Nashville, but at the same time,
they want something to happen in their communities too."The state-owned industrial site in West Tennessee, for example, still hasn't landed a tenant. Dean says he would make that a priority. "When you go to rural counties and the only job news has
been companies closing or companies moving out, or if you go there and their biggest concern is that none of their kids are returning, that there are no jobs for them in the future, those are things we need to address," he says.
Source: Nashville Public Radio on 2018 Tennessee gubernatorial race
Apr 19, 2017
Manny Sethi:
Will fight out of control federal spending
Paul praised Sethi for supporting Trump but also said the Nashville trauma surgeon is a "physician, not another politician.""Tennessee deserves a true conservative who supports President Trump, is pro-liberty, and will fight out-of-control
federal spending," Paul said in Sethi's news release. "I believe Dr. Manny is the right choice, like me, he's a physician, not another politician. We need more outsiders in Washington, and I'm proud to endorse him today."
Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press on 2020 Tennessee Senate race
Jun 6, 2020
Marquita Bradshaw:
Raise minimum wage to $15/hr; end "Right to Work"
I support a living wage & worker's rights. Ensure a minimum wage of $15.00 an hour is enacted for Tennessee. Eliminate our status as a "Right To Work (For Less)" state. This will allow workers fundamental protections & rights within their companies.
Our rights as Tennesseans allows us to organize & unionize, workers need more protections and pay at their jobs, not less!
Source: 2020 Tennessee Senate campaign website MarquitaBradshaw.com
Aug 26, 2020
Marsha Blackburn:
Across-the-board federal spending cuts
Q: Support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?Marsha Blackburn (R): Likely no. Has supported across-the-board federal spending cuts.
Phil Bredesen (D): Yes. Empower TVA to help bring rural broadband internet access "just as
they did with electricity."
Q: Address debt and deficit?
Blackburn: Promote "balanced budget; cut bureaucracy," and "across-the-board spending cuts."
Bredesen: "Pay for corporate tax cuts by closing loopholes."
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Tennessee Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
Phil Bredesen:
Adjust our expenses to match our income, like family budget
My goal throughout this recession has been to remain true to the principle of the "family budget" that I talked about when I first became governor. It's nothing more than the commonsense idea that we're going to adjust our expenses to match our income,
and we're going to be very careful about using money from our savings account. It's the way sensible families have to manage through these times, and while the numbers for state government are much larger than for any family, the principle is the same.
Source: Tennessee 2010 State of the State Address
Feb 1, 2010
Bill Lee:
Public-private partnerships to modernize transportation
Right now, there's a $26 billion backlog of projects across the state. Simply put, we are way behind, and we have to change the way we fund and build our roads and bridges. That's why I'm introducing the Transportation Modernization Act--a
plan to engage public-private partnerships to build additional choice lanes on urban highways, to ensure electric vehicle owners pay their share in maintaining our roads, and to provide a delivery model that builds rural and urban projects faster.
Source: 2023 State of the State Address to the Tennessee legislature
Feb 6, 2023
Gloria Johnson:
New multicultural wave: focus on making life easier for all
Tennessee state Rep. Gloria Johnson clinched the Democratic nomination. [In the State Legislature, she has] championed issues such as living wages, affordable health care and women's reproductive rights. Johnson echoed the sentiments that a new wave of
politicians is coming into the fold in the Volunteer State, a "multicultural, multigenerational" group that represents the state's socioeconomic diversity. Johnson said this new movement is here "to fight for you and make life easier for all those
who call Tennessee home."Johnson, a retired teacher, was first elected to the Tennessee House in 2012 but later lost her seat by a slim margin.
She sought and won office again in 2017. In 2022, Republicans drew her into a Democratic colleague's district in a new redistricting effort. The retired teacher moved and won election a new seat.
Source: Nashville Tennessean on 2024 Tennessee Senate race
Jul 1, 2024
Bill Lee:
Proposes a $60 million Starter Home Revolving Loan Fund
Today, Tennessee is ranked 5th worst in the nation for the loss of starter homes. First, we're proposing a $60 million Starter Home Revolving Loan Fund. This self-sustaining program will provide 0% interest construction loans for the building of new
single-family homes. Second, we are funding the Rural and Workforce Housing Tax Credit, which will make sure that every dollar we spend on affordable housing goes further and reaches more of the people with the greatest need.
Source: 2025 State of the State Address to the Tennessee legislature
Feb 10, 2025
John Rose:
Would have liked to have seen more budget cutting
[On 2025 budget]: "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 & the Children's Health Insurance Program.
Source: Nashville Scene on 2024 Tennessee Gubernatorial race
Feb 28, 2025
Bill Hagerty:
The debt ceiling has become a tool to extract pain
I'm sure Mike Johnson did everything he could to try to accomplish the elimination of the debt ceiling, or at least to push it out a long way, because here's what the debt ceiling has become. It's a cudgel. It's a tool that the other side uses to
extract pain. And what we're going to be dealing with is a Democrat minority that's going to use this as a means, frankly, to raise spending in order for us to increase the debt ceiling. That's precisely the opposite of what President Trump wants to do.
Source: CNN SOTU 2024 interview on 2026 Tennessee Senate race
Dec 22, 2024
Page last updated: Feb 07, 2026