Interview: Tennessee Insight: Marsha Blackburn Says to Expect THREE Budget Reconciliation Bills over Two Years
The Lowdown:
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.) expects three budget reconciliation bills over the next Congress: two this year and one around this time next year.
Blackburn also said she expects to see her bipartisan Kids Online Safety and Open App Markets Acts.
The Tennessee Republican said she supports the prosecution of the ICE raid leakers “to the fullest extent of the law.”
Blackburn did not say whether we should expect a gubernatorial run announcement soon, but said if she runs, she “will win.”
The Smoky Mountains of Tennessee hide within them many treasures. From delicious barbecue to Nashville’s famous hot chicken and Lynchburg’s legendary whiskey distillery, the Volunteer State is far from bereft of impact in America — and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.) is a testament to that fact.
Blackburn, Tennessee’s senior senator, hopped on the line with the Washington Reporter to talk about reconciliation, the president’s nominees, and more. The Tennessee Republican said she “absolutely” expects to see movement on budget reconciliation in the House, the current talk of the Beltway.
“The Senate Budget Committee took their first steps yesterday, and this first bill is going to deal with border, energy, and military [spending],” Blackburn said. “And what we will do is start through this reconciliation process with bill number one. We will then move to bill number two, which will make the 2017 tax cuts permanent.”
“And then I think you’ll see us move to that third reconciliation bill this time next year and deal with tips and overtime and SALT and Social Security and some of those issues,” Blackburn continued. “We have the opportunity to do three bills, and you will see us do all three. But the first will come in March and April, the second is going to probably be during the late summer, early fall, and then the third this time next year.”
Blackburn is also a champion of the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a bill to ensure social media platforms are protecting our children, that passed the Senate in 2023. The bill, however, did not pass the House before the end of the year. Blackburn also sponsored the bipartisan Open App Markets Act, a bill to establish rules for operating an app store; it passed the Senate Judiciary Committee 20-2 in the 117th Congress.
The senator said she expects both of these bills to move this Congress.
“I am going to be the chairman of Consumer Protection Data Security at Commerce, and then at Judiciary I will have the gavel for privacy and technology,” Blackburn said. “And we do expect these to move forward. There is wide support, House and Senate, for the Kids Online Safety Act, and Sen. [Richard] Blumenthal (D., Conn.) and I will refile that and be ready to move forward soon.”
When it comes to her colleagues on the other side of the aisle, Blackburn said she doesn’t believe the Democrats’ strategy to obstruct President Donald Trump’s agenda will affect his nominees and gave props to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) for his management of the upper chamber.
“I think you’re going to see his nominees all go through. We’re moving forward, we’re at a faster clip than we did with Biden or Trump’s first term. We’re more on pace, a little bit ahead, of where we were with Obama’s first Cabinet. But you’re going to see these nominees confirmed,” Blackburn said.
“The Democrats have tried their best to obstruct and to really stall the process,” she continued. “I give Leader Thune a lot of credit with how he is managing the Senate and how quickly we’re moving forward.”
In terms of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) helmed by Elon Musk, Blackburn said it was “encouraging” to see the work the new agency has done, such as with the recent revelations that billions of taxpayer dollars were going to pet projects and overseas for initiatives like sending condoms to Gaza.
“I think that when we look at what DOGE is uncovering, it’s encouraging to us to see the actions they’re taking, the definitions that they’re making, and it helps to build support for us to codify this,” Blackburn said. “And to freeze federal hiring, to freeze federal salaries, to actually make cuts as we go through the appropriations process.”
“And, the good thing is, by the time we get to that third reconciliation next year, DOGE is going to have presented us with lots of programs that have been retired and that will provide money for offsets that are needed,” “But I give President [Donald] Trump so much credit for the way he has encouraged this, the way he has told federal employees to get back to work or if they want to take a buyout and retire, they can do that. You’ve got over 60,000 that have decided already to do that.”
Blackburn said that “people know that there is a lot that needs to be adjusted and reformed, and there is a lot of fat in that federal budget.”
The Tennessee Republican also went off about the alleged leaker within the federal government disseminating U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Los Angeles and Aurora, Colorado. ICE Director Tom Homan recently said he believes the leaks are coming “from the inside” at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
“I appreciate Attorney General Pam Bondi’s strong stance on this. She has been resolute in supporting men and women in law enforcement and the work that they are doing to participate in these apprehensions, detentions, and deportations. And I agree with her that anyone who is found to have leaked information on these raids, thereby endangering the lives of not only federal, but local law enforcement, that they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Finally, the Tennessee Republican said that she is giving “a serious look” running for the Volunteer State’s governorship to succeed GOP Governor Bill Lee, who is term-limited under the state’s constitution. Blackburn previously said she was seriously considering a gubernatorial run last month.
“It is an honor to have so many people come to me and say, ‘We would like to see you run for this,’” Blackburn said. “I can guarantee you this: If I run, I will win.”
Should she run for governor, she will be joining a race that has already seen one declaration to run by Rep. John Rose (R., Tenn.) and interest expressed by GOP Reps. Tim Burchett and Diana Harshbarger — though Harshbarger said she will not run if Blackburn chooses to do so.
