Congressman Tim Burchett took office in January 2019 after serving eight years as mayor of Knox County, Tennessee. During his administration, he cut debt, kept tax rates low, and paid for a new elementary school without adding debt. Prior to his tenure as Knox County Mayor, he started a successful small business before serving 16 years in the state legislature, four years in the State House followed by 12 years in the State Senate. Congressman Burchett currently serves on the House Foreign Affairs and Transportation & Infrastructure committees.
During his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Burchett focused on legislation that increased government transparency, encouraged federal spending accountability, promoted energy innovation and supported small business growth. This included the Taxpayer Accountability for Airlines Act, which sought to prohibit airline executives from paying themselves bonuses with COVID-19 economic relief, and the Carbon Capture Improvement Act, which would provide industrial facilities and power plants a financial incentive to invest in carbon capture and storage equipment. Some bills, like the Easy Access to Mail Act and Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds Congressional Gold Medal Act, were introduced based on feedback Congressman Burchett directly received from East Tennesseans.
In total, Congressman Burchett sponsored 21 pieces of legislation in the House of Representatives during the 116th Congress. One of the bills he co-authored, the Patriotic Employer Protection Act, became law through inclusion in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. Two additional bills, the Microloan Transparency and Accountability Act and the Prison to Proprietorship for Formerly Incarcerated Act, passed the House. A portion of the Microloan Transparency and Accountability Act became law through inclusion in the 2021 fiscal year omnibus spending package. And elements of his No Taxpayer-Funded Art in Embassies Act were incorporated into the 2020 State and Foreign Operations reauthorization package that also passed the House.
Congressman Burchett's goals for the 117th Congress include spurring investment and revitalization in under-served and often forgotten areas of urban and rural America. As a former mayor, he knows the importance of private investments and job creation. Thanks to natural growth and good stewardship of taxpayer dollars, his administration was able to build new schools, launch infrastructure projects, and pay down debt-all without raising taxes. He plans to incorporate this experience by working to expand economic opportunity and workforce development by focusing on three main areas: Access to Capital, Government Efficiency, and Criminal Justice Reform.
Congressman Burchett's top priorities on the House Foreign Affairs Committee are holding adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party and Iranian regime accountable, as well as standing up for Israel. On the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Congressman Burchett will bring fiscally responsible principles and conservative policies to the national discussion on modernizing America's infrastructure. He is committed to ensuring East Tennessee's transportation network isn't left behind in a comprehensive package.