Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee sat down with Ben Shapiro on this week&#8217;s episode of &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-133-bill-lee">The Sunday Special</a>&#8221; to discuss why American businesses and citizens across the United States have relocated to the southern state.
Lee, who operated a family-owned business for 25 years before becoming governor, said creating a business-friendly environment ranked as one of his top priorities before entering office in 2019. Since he was sworn in, the state has garnered 272 project commitments to create almost 40,000 jobs and $12.9 billion in capital investments, according to the state website.
&#8220;Americans right now look around the country, and they see things that are worrisome,&#8221; Lee told Shapiro. &#8220;They want to be reminded that America is the greatest nation in the world, they want to see places that remind them that America hadn&#8217;t lost their way, and I think when they look at Tennessee — they see that and a whole lot of them have decided they want to be there.&#8221;
According to a report by the <a href="https://www.hoover.org/research/california-business-exits-soared-2021-and-there-no-end-sight">Hoover Institution</a>, Tennessee, Florida, and Texas have attracted California businesses — like The Daily Wire — and others from predominantly blue states. States like Tennessee, which offer fewer regulations, taxes, and workforce development strategies for business owners, help create jobs and opportunities for its residents.
<a href="https://chiefexecutive.net/best-worst-states-business/">The Tax Foundation</a>, a nonpartisan think tank focusing on state and national tax policies, ranks Tennessee 3rd for quality state business climates.
&#8220;Tennessee is a place that values opportunity and security and freedom,&#8221; Lee said. &#8220;And those things are things that Americans are looking for.&#8221;
But it&#8217;s not just the state&#8217;s business environment driving new residents and companies into Tennessee. The governor has been fighting against the federal government&#8217;s COVID policies since the early days of the pandemic.
Shapiro said the COVID response from individual states opened a wide gap between areas with strict protocols and those more focused on freedom. While legacy media praised states like California and New York for shutting down businesses and schools early and mandating face coverings, states like Tennessee &#8220;didn&#8217;t get enough credit.&#8221;
Lee said his background as a business owner in the private sector helped navigate his decisions to keep the state open as much as possible, despite the massive pushback he received from the media and the federal government.
&#8220;At the end of the day, I decided we can trust Tennesseans more than we can trust anybody else, frankly, because they know best,&#8221; he said.
Lee said the philosophy that people should be given the freedom to make their own decisions also extends to parents making choices about their children&#8217;s education and health care.
As a proponent for funding students over school systems, Lee also discussed how Tennessee became a pro-school choice state for families and why lawmakers are working on legislation for parents to moderate the content taught in the classroom and shared in the libraries.
&#8220;The Left says we&#8217;re attacking this or attacking that,&#8221; Lee said. &#8220;What we really are doing . . is we&#8217;re just protecting and preserving.&#8221;
Lee commended Daily Wire host Matt Walsh for his exposé on Vanderbilt University Medical Center&#8217;s transgender treatment of minors, which led to lawmakers demanding an investigation into the Nashville pediatric gender clinic.
&#8220;Whenever we can expose and make transparent things that are going on that people don&#8217;t know about — that&#8217;s a good thing,&#8221; he said, adding adults should not allow children to make life-altering decisions for themselves.
&#8220;It&#8217;s sad, and it shouldn&#8217;t happen.&#8221; Lee said. &#8220;It&#8217;s wrong on every level.&#8221;
Lee&#8217;s office also said he would contact state lawmakers about legislation regarding transgender care for minors after shocking videos showed a Vanderbilt doctor calling certain transgender surgeries &#8220;huge money makers.&#8221;
Gov. Lee also shared his optimism for the country&#8217;s trajectory ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, believing Americans &#8220;tend to stay on track when the country gets too far&#8221; on either side of the political spectrum.
With many Americans worried the country could fall apart without any uniting principle, Lee said Americans recourse to stand together rather than rely on the federal government.
&#8220;We make a course adjustment,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We&#8217;ve done it for 300 years . . . and we find ourselves moving down the path of a more perfect union. And every time we make that adjustment, we become a little bit more of a perfect union.&#8221;
WATCH the latest Sunday Special episodes <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/sunday-special">here</a>.

Key Speakers At Conservative Political Action Conference

‘A Place That Values Opportunity, Security, And Freedom:’ Gov. Bill Lee Explains Why Americans Are Drawn To Tennessee

Gov. Bill Lee Explains Why Americans Are Drawn To Tennessee

Ben Shapiro

Bill Lee

General

Politics

School Choice

Small Businesses

Sunday Special

Tennessee

Republican Governor of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tennessee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tennessee</a> Bill Lee weighed in on the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/covid" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID</a> vaccine mandate debate on Thursday after an advisory group recommended the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/kids-covid-vaccine-cdc-group-says-add-vaccine-routine-immunization-sch-rcna53129" target="_blank" rel="noopener">add</a> the shot to the vaccine schedule.
On Thursday, every member of the panel voted to have the vaccine included in the vaccine schedule, and the CDC now has the final say in whether the shot is added. States and local governments are in charge of making decisions and regulations regarding what vaccines kids need to get in order to attend school.
Governor Lee <a href="https://twitter.com/GovBillLee/status/1583164112661381122" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a> about his approach to vaccine mandates, stating, “I’ve always said mandates are the wrong approach, &amp; TN has led in pushing back on federal covid vaccine requirements.”
“Thanks to our work with the General Assembly, TN families won’t be impacted by today’s CDC vote. We&#8217;ll continue to stand for TN children &amp; for personal freedom,” he added.
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I’ve always said mandates are the wrong approach, &amp; TN has led in pushing back on federal covid vaccine requirements.
Thanks to our work with the General Assembly, TN families won’t be impacted by today’s CDC vote. We&#39;ll continue to stand for TN children &amp; for personal freedom.
&mdash; Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovBillLee/status/1583164112661381122?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
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In November of 2021, Lee <a href="https://www.huschblackwell.com/newsandinsights/tennessee-and-florida-state-law-restrictions-on-employer-vaccine-mandates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> <a href="https://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/112/CCRReports/CC9002.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House Bill 9077/Senate Bill 9014 (SB 9014)</a> into <a href="https://www.butlersnow.com/2021/11/new-tennessee-covid-legislation-has-significant-impact-on-employers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">law</a>, <a href="https://www.wallerlaw.com/news-insights/3999/Tennessee-passes-legislation-limiting-COVID-related-rules-restrictions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banning</a> governmental entities, schools, and local education agencies from mandating that someone get a COVID vaccine. It also does not allow such groups to require a private business or school to mandate &#8220;proof of vaccination as a condition to access the private business&#8217;s or school&#8217;s premises or facilities or to receive the benefits of the private business&#8217;s or school&#8217;s products or services.”
Private businesses, schools, governmental bodies, and local education groups are also not allowed to force someone to show proof of vaccination.
Leading up to and following the CDC panel’s unanimous decision to recommend the vaccine for the schedule, there was significant pushback and questions from those concerned about the decision.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-cdc-coronavirus-vaccine/fact-check-cdc-can-advise-childhood-vaccine-schedules-but-vaccine-mandates-for-school-attendance-are-decided-at-state-level-idUSL1N31L2LW" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>, “The CDC is about to add the Covid vaccine to the childhood immunization schedule, which would make the vax mandatory for kids to attend school.”
The CDC replied, “States establish vaccine requirements for school children, not ACIP or CDC.”
Carlson noted on his show, “More than a dozen states follow the CDC’s immunization schedule to set vaccination requirements for children to be educated,” adding, “The point is, the CDC sets the standard, and then it becomes required across the country.”
Alabama’s Republican Governor Kay Ivey also <a href="https://twitter.com/GovernorKayIvey/status/1583201473844088832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1583201473844088832%7Ctwgr%5Ee23eacaa43d43dacfb60f2bdec33f44778f23a29%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https://www.al.com/news/montgomery/2022/10/parents-make-decisions-alabama-wont-mandate-covid-vaccine-for-kids-after-cdc-vote-ivey-says.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">discussed</a> the news on Twitter, saying “Here in Alabama, the parents make decisions when it comes to their children’s health care. We do NOT mandate the covid shot for kids – nor will we ever.”
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Here in Alabama, the parents make decisions when it comes to their children’s health care. We do NOT mandate the covid shot for kids – nor will we ever. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/alpolitics?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#alpolitics</a>
&mdash; Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovernorKayIvey/status/1583201473844088832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The Alabama Department of Public Health pointed out that there are no state requirements for kids to get the COVID vaccine.
“The ACIP’s vote to include COVID-19 in VFC is the mechanism to ensure that, when COVID-19 vaccine is no longer provided free by the federal government, uninsured and underinsured children can have access to the vaccine without charge. Including COVID-19 vaccine under VFC is not a mandate for children to take the vaccine,” the agency <a href="https://www.al.com/news/montgomery/2022/10/parents-make-decisions-alabama-wont-mandate-covid-vaccine-for-kids-after-cdc-vote-ivey-says.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a>.
“VFC is a federally funded program that provides vaccines at no cost to children who might not otherwise be vaccinated due to inability to pay,” ADPH’s statement continued. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) buys vaccine at a discounted rate for distribution to registered VFC providers. Many physicians in Alabama are VFC providers so that their patients can receive recommended vaccines. Children who are eligible for VFC vaccines are entitled to receive the same ACIP recommended vaccines as any other child.”

Nurse putting adhesive bandage on boy’s arm at vaccination center

Governor Bill Lee Says Tennessee Families Won’t Be Impacted By CDC Vote

Governor Bill Lee Says Tennessee Families Won't Be Impacted By CDC Vote On COVID Vaccine

COVID

COVID-19 Vaccine

Top <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tennessee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tennessee</a> officials disavowed a state-created HIV task force that was designed to help <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/transgender">transgender</a> individuals but has since expanded in scope to promote transgender surgeries and abortion.
In response to a Daily Wire inquiry, Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bill-lee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bill Lee</a> (R-TN) and the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) said that the state does not support the Tennessee Transgender Task Force (TTF), a group created in 2018 prior to the Lee administration. But the task force has repeatedly <a href="https://www.hivtn.net/ttf">aligned itself</a> with the state health department, even though state officials say it&#8217;s now an independent group with no members employed by the state. 
&#8220;The State of Tennessee does not support the task force, nor its promotion of gender-affirming treatment, abortion and other extreme ideologies. These ideologies are not consistent with the values of Tennesseans, and we will continue efforts to ensure they are not promoted or funded by state government,” Casey Sellers, a spokeswoman for Lee, told The Daily Wire.
Information on the task force added during the Haslam administration was still <a href="https://archive.ph/YEW33" target="_blank" rel="noopener">available</a> on the TDH as recently as this month, and was only removed after The Daily Wire asked about it. 
A health department spokesperson told The Daily Wire that the task force and others have been misrepresenting their involvement by using their name and logo, and that the department doesn&#8217;t oversee or provide funding for the task force. 
&#8220;The task force was formed prior to the Lee administration and remains an independent organization. To be clear, the department does not fund or promote gender-affirming treatments or ideologies,&#8221; TDH spokesperson Dean Flener said. 
Middle Tennessee State University Professor Marisa Richmond, a former member of the task force and the first transgender person to become a Nashville city board member, told The Daily Wire in an email that the task force &#8220;expanded&#8221; from focusing solely on HIV care and into a more general &#8220;access to health care for transgender Tennesseans.&#8221;
According to materials reviewed by The Daily Wire, the task force and individuals linked to the health department continued to associate itself with TDH even after Haslam left office and as recently as 2022.
For example, a November 2019 presentation given by then-TDH STD Prevention Director Leo Parker at an STD conference <a href="https://www.ncsddc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/112019-900a-PlazaBallroom-InnovationsHealthEquity.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">showed</a> how the task force had moved to other &#8220;trans health challenges.&#8221; During his presentation, Parker discussed the &#8220;lack&#8221; of gender identity and pronouns on state medical forms, the cost of hormone replacement treatment at pharmacies, gender markers on state IDs, &#8220;sex work,&#8221; &#8220;undocumented transgender individuals,&#8221; &#8220;lack of transgender-inclusive sexual education,&#8221; and &#8220;gender-neutral language in reproductive spaces,&#8221; according to PowerPoint slides with the TDH logo on them from the event.
Resource guides put out by the task force have promoted transgender treatments, abortion, and other services not related to HIV care. A 2021 <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2bedd8f2e6b18c0de8d577/t/609588bb102ab66c40e86e2c/1620412708277/TTF+Resource+Guide+PDF+V+1.0.pdf">iteration</a> of the resource guide included a list of over 30 clinics, doctors, and other entities across Tennessee that the group has apparently deemed to provide “trans-affirming” services, including “general reproductive care,&#8221; “youth services,” “letters for surgery,” “surgical care,” “fitness classes,” abortion, land letters for “gender marker change.&#8221;
The guide also lists doctors or professional organizations that provide &#8220;youth services,&#8221; including Vanderbilt Pediatric and Adolescent Transgender Health Clinic — which paused gender surgeries earlier this month in response to Daily Wire reporting — and the Oasis Center in Nashville — which runs &#8220;Just Us&#8221; programs for youth and celebrates the &#8220;fluidity of identity.&#8221;
In April 2022, Ray Holloman, who has been chair of the task force, gave a presentation on &#8220;Queer Cultural Humility,&#8221; at the Tennessee Department of Health annual statewide HIV conference. The Daily Wire has reached out to Holloman for comment asking for clarity on the relationship between the task force and the state health department.
The association between the task force and the TDH appeared to continue up until October 2022, as a recent <a href="https://us16.campaign-archive.com/?u=d99a916515ccec2fc503221a1&amp;id=025ee337a0">mailer</a> from the United Way of Greater Nashville, an HIV treatment group, with the TDH logo emblazoned on the top also encouraged people to contribute &#8220;trans-affirming&#8221; health care providers to be vetted by the task force and added to the resource guide.
The task force did not respond to a request for comment.

Transgender Flag Waving Against Trees

Tennessee Governor, Officials Disavow State-Created Task Force Over ‘Extreme’ Trans Activism

Tennessee Distances Itself From State Created Transgender Task Force That Promotes Trans Procedures, Abortion

Health Care

Transgender

Tennessee Republican Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bill-lee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bill Lee</a> has called for an investigation of the Pediatric Transgender Clinic at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/huge-money-maker-video-reveals-vanderbilts-shocking-gender-care-threats-against-dissenting-doctors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shocking videos</a> posted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-matt-walsh-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Walsh</a> detailed a doctor&#8217;s promotion of “big money maker” transgender surgeries.
The videos obtained by Walsh also show apparent threats made against medical professionals at VUMC if they objected to the procedures, even for religious reasons.
“The ‘pediatric transgender clinic’ at Vanderbilt University Medical Center raises serious moral, ethical and legal concerns,” Lee said in a statement to The Daily Wire. “We should not allow permanent, life-altering decisions that hurt children or policies that suppress religious liberties, all for the purpose of financial gain. We have to protect Tennessee children, and this warrants a thorough investigation.”
Lee’s comments follow a detailed thread from Daily Wire host and author Matt Walsh on the medical center. In one of the video’s shared by Walsh, VUMC Clinic for Transgender Health’s Dr. Shayne Sebold Taylor admitted, “These surgeries are labor intensive, they require  a lot of follow-ups, they require a lot of our time, and they make money,” she emphasized. “They make money for the hospital.”
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Vanderbilt opened its trans clinic in 2018. During a lecture the same year, Dr. Shayne Taylor explained how she convinced Nashville to get into the gender transition game. She emphasized that it&#39;s a &quot;big money maker,&quot; especially because the surgeries require a lot of &quot;follow ups&quot; <a href="https://t.co/zedM7HBCBe">pic.twitter.com/zedM7HBCBe</a>
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1572313523232931840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
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At another Medicine Grand Rounds lecture, staffers are warned by Vanderbilt health law expert Ellen Wright Clayton that any “conscientious objection” will be met with “consequences,” and are told they probably shouldn’t be working at VUMC if they don’t want to participate in the trans surgeries, which include minor patients.
“If you are going to assert conscientious objection, you have to realize that that is problematic,” Clayton said. “You are doing something to another person, and you are not paying the cost for your belief. I think that is a … real issue.”
Clayton said conscientious objectors would be “accommodated,” but said these people have to find someone else to carry out such surgeries for them.
“I just want you to take home that saying that you’re not going to do something because of your conscientious — because of your religious beliefs, is not without consequences, and should not be without consequences,” she stressed. “And I just want to put that out there.”
“We are given an enormous — if you don’t want to do this kind of work, don’t work at Vanderbilt,” she stressed.
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Vanderbilt was apparently concerned that not all of its staff would be on board. Dr. Ellen Clayton warned that &quot;conscientious objections&quot; are &quot;problematic.&quot; Anyone who decides not to be involved in transition surgeries due to &quot;religious beliefs&quot; will face &quot;consequences&quot; <a href="https://t.co/CgNicrG4Mg">pic.twitter.com/CgNicrG4Mg</a>
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1572313566589468672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The medical center has also detailed transgender surgeries and treatments available for minors. Video from the Vanderbilt Psychiatry YouTube channel reveals the medical center “explicitly [admits] that they will give and have given irreversible hormone drugs to children as young as 13,” Walsh wrote.
“So, let’s review. Vanderbilt got into the gender transition game admittedly in large part because it is very financially profitable,” he closed the Twitter thread. “They then threatened any staff members who objected, and enlisted a gang of trans activists to act as surveillance in order to force compliance.”
“They now castrate, sterilize, and mutilate minors as well as adults, while apparently taking steps to hide this activity from the public view,” Walsh added. “This is what ‘health care’ has become in modern America.”
VUMC released a <a href="https://news.vumc.org/2022/09/21/statement-about-transgender-health-care-at-vumc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> Wednesday claiming to be victims of posts that “misrepresent facts.”
“We have been and will continue to be committed to providing family-centered care to all adolescents in compliance with state law and in line with professional practice standards and guidance established by medical specialty societies,” the statement said.
The medical center seemed to acknowledge it provides highly controversial transgender treatment to minors, but said “VUMC requires parental consent to treat a minor patient” and “never refuses parental involvement in the care of transgender youth who are under age 18.”
“Our policies allow employees to decline to participate in care they find morally objectionable, and do not permit discrimination against employees who choose to do so,” the statement continued, referring to video of Vanderbilt health law expert Ellen Wright Clayton seemingly threatening dissenting doctors. “This includes employees whose personal or religious beliefs do not support gender-affirming care for transgender persons.”
The controversial Trans Buddy program at VUMC, the statement said, “has received national acclaim. Its purpose is to provide peer volunteers who support persons who are seeking highly personal care in an unfamiliar environment, and who may have been refused medical services in the past or avoided seeking them out of fear of being met with hostility.”
This piece has been updated to included comment from Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Amanda Prestigiacomo contributed to this report.

Vice President Pence And CDC Roundtable Discussion On Vaccination Distribution

Gov. Bill Lee Calls For Investigation Of Vanderbilt’s Pediatric Transgender Clinic Following Matt Walsh Revelation

Gov. Bill Lee Calls For Investigation Of Vanderbilt University Medical Center Following Matt Walsh Bombshell

Investigation

Matt Walsh

Vanderbilt University

Nearly two dozen Republican governors slammed a massive spending bill that Democrats are trying to ram through the U.S. Senate in a statement Thursday, saying that the bill will worsen inflation.
The statement comes as Senate Democrats rush to make last minute changes to a massive $740 billion spending bill that they will try to pass before the August recess by using the reconciliation process because the bill lacks bipartisan support.
&#8220;The Democrats’ solution to 40-year high inflation is passing another reckless tax and spending spree to the tune of $740 billion, affecting Americans in every tax bracket,&#8221; the statement said. &#8220;While denying recession, Democrats want to raise taxes on businesses and manufacturers, which will force higher costs onto consumers, worsen inflation, and aggravate shortages.&#8221;
&#8220;With sky high prices at the pump, the last thing Americans need is for Democrats to punish energy producers, which will ultimately hurt working families struggling to pay for gas, goods, food, and utilities,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;Our citizens cannot afford Joe Biden’s broken promises on taxes and Democrats’ inflationary spending that will only exacerbate the economic crisis they created.”
Governors Henry McMaster (R-SC) and Brian Kemp (R-GA) led the 22 Republican governors in issuing the joint statement.
The other Republican governors who signed onto the statement included Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Doug Ducey (R-AZ), Asa Hutchinson (R-AR), Brad Little (R-ID), Kim Reynolds (R-IA), Tate Reeves (R-MS), Mike Parson (R-MO), Greg Gianforte (R-MT), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Kristi Noem (R-SD), Bill Lee (R-TN), Greg Abbott (R-TX), Mark Gordon (R-WY), Chris Sununu (R-NH), Kevin Stitt (R-OK), Doug Burgum (R-ND), Kay Ivey (R-AL), Spencer Cox (R-UT), Glenn Youngkin (R-VA), and Eric Holcomb (R-IN).
The statement from the governors comes after the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rogan-slams-democrats-for-trying-to-claim-economy-is-not-in-a-recession-what-a-bunch-of-weasels">released</a> data last week showing that the U.S. economy shrank for the second straight quarter, satisfying the traditional requirement of a recession.
The Biden administration has downplayed the poor economic news by claiming that the economy is transitioning out of a fast-paced, post-pandemic recovery to a more stable environment. The White House’s claims come as Americans continue to be battered by inflation, which measured over 9% in June.
Tim Pearce contributed to this report.

Sen. Lindsey Graham Holds Election Night Watch Party In Columbia

22 Republican Governors Blast Democrats’ Spending Bill, Warn About Impact On Inflation

Asa Hutchinson

Brian Kemp

Doug Ducey

Glenn Youngkin

Greg Abbott

Greg Gianforte

Joe Biden

Kristi Noem

Ron DeSantis

Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn tore into the state of public education last week during a private college event in Tennessee.
Arnn’s comments were caught on a hidden camera at a private college event in Franklin, Tennessee, just south of the state capital of Nashville. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee attended the event as Arnn’s “special guest.” The recording of the event was obtained by a local Tennessee outlet, <a href="https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/revealed/revealed-teachers-come-from-dumbest-parts-of-dumbest-colleges-tenn-governors-education-advisor-tells-him">News Channel 5 Nashville</a>.
Tennessee and Hillsdale College currently have a working partnership. Lee <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tennessee-partners-with-hillsdale-college-in-statewide-charter-school-initiative">announced</a> in January that Tennessee was partnering with Hillsdale College to build dozens of classical K-12 charter schools across the state.
During the nearly two-hour event, Arnn criticized the institutions currently directing and influencing state-run education, such as the Department of Education, various universities with accredited education programs, and the National Association of Education union. After Channel 5 published its story, Claude Pressnell Jr., president of Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association, <a href="https://twitter.com/Pressnell/status/1542650038047739904">called</a> Arnn&#8217;s comments &#8220;incredibly disturbing&#8221; and an insult to educators.
Channel 5 reported clips of the event without publishing a full video of the event or Arnn’s comments. The Daily Wire was not able to obtain a full recording of Arnn’s comments, nor did Channel 5 respond to a request to share the full recording.
Channel 5 reported that Arnn “repeatedly mock[ed] the intelligence of public school teachers and question[ed] whether they really care about what is best for their students,” a characterization that both Hillsdale College and Lee’s office contest.
“Dr. Arnn was clearly criticizing the educational bureaucracy that has done a great disservice to both teachers and students by depriving them of the high-quality, content-rich education that makes for excellent teaching,” Hillsdale College spokeswoman Emily Davis told The Daily Wire in a statement.
“Hillsdale College has been in the serious business of education and teaching for more than 175 years. It wants what parents want: for as many children in America as possible to have access to high-quality educational options,” Davis continued. “The college’s approach to classical education in the liberal arts and sciences — combined with instruction in the principles of moral character and civic virtue — is the very best at teaching the whole child, helping students understand the world, and preparing young people for a life of service and flourishing. We look forward to assisting in that noble endeavor in Tennessee.”
Lee spokeswoman Laine Arnold told The Daily Wire, “Critics dishonestly claimed that a recent event with Hillsdale College criticized Tennessee teachers when it did not. Criticizing activism and other Left-wing issues that creep into the classroom is entirely separate from sentiments about the value or performance of Tennessee teachers. Our respect and support for educators in Tennessee wasn’t up for debate then and it isn’t now.”
Arnn’s college is a Christian liberal arts school in southern Michigan well known for its refusal to accept federal funds of any kind to limit the influence the federal government has on its curriculum. The college is popular among conservatives and often advertises with right-wing broadcasters.
Arnn said of the National Association of Education (NEA): “They’re the biggest gorillas, and they have a monopoly on education.” Teachers unions, of which the NEA is the largest, are generally highly partisan with 94% of donations backing Democrats, according to <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=l1300">Open Secrets</a>.
NEA’s president, Becky Pringle, has been an outspoken critic of any display of religion in public schools, whether or not it is sanctioned by the school itself. She <a href="https://twitter.com/BeckyPringle/status/1541433171761315843">slammed</a> the Supreme Court’s recent decision to side with a Washington state high school football coach who was disciplined for praying at midfield after football games. Pringle denounced the coach’s action as “sectarian religious coercion.”
Later on in the event, Arnn criticized the university education system for teachers and the approach to education overall inherent in them. “Ed departments in colleges, if you work in a college, you’ll know this – unless you work in the Ed department, ours is different – but they are the dumbest part of every college,” Arnn said.
The Hillsdale College president went on to suggest that teaching is not a skill that needs to be taught at universities, so much as the knowledge and topics the teachers will need to master in order to teach their students.
“If you study physics, there’s a subject, right? How does the physical world work? That’s hard to figure out. Politics is actually the study of justice. What is justice? Some of the greatest books ever written are written about that. ‘Plato’s Republic’ is written about that. Literature – they don’t do it much anymore, but you can read the greatest books, the most beautiful books ever written. Education is the study of how to teach. Is that a separate art? I don’t think so,” Arnn said.
Arnn cited theologian C.S. Lewis’ book “The Abolition of Man,” which in part argues that a rejection of an objective morality leads to the collapse of society. “[Bad] education destroys generations of people. It’s devastating. It’s like the plague.”
“The philosophic understanding at the heart of modern education is enslavement and we have to break out of that,” Arnn said.
Arnn said that most teachers are currently taught to “do” something to children rather than cultivate their minds and souls.
“It’s an organized force. The teachers are trained in the dumbest parts of the dumbest colleges in the country, and they are taught that they are going to go and do something to those kids,” Arnn said. “Do they ever talk about anything except what they are going to do to these kids?
“My wife is English, and she’s a gardener,” he said, “and she doesn’t talk about what she is going to do to these plants. She talks about what they need, because if you give them what they need, they will grow. It’s not a manufacturing operation.”
“They’re messing with people’s children, and they feel entitled to do anything to them, and if you mess with that, they’ll call the FBI on you,” Arnn said at one point, an apparent reference to a Department of Justice action last year.
Last summer, outraged parents spoke out at numerous school board meetings across the U.S. in protest of continuing COVID protocols and the influence of LGBT and Critical Race Theory content on their children’s education. Amid the outrage, the Department of Justice <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2021-10-21/garland-defends-decision-to-mobilize-fbi-against-threats-to-school-board-members">mobilized</a> the FBI against threats to school boards in an act many Republicans denounced as an attempt to intimidate parents for pushing back against leftism.
Arnn also criticized the average university system and the rigor of obtaining a degree in education.
“In colleges now, what you hire now is administrators. You don’t get faculty anymore, you get kids to do that, if you can. And the administrators you hire are all diversity people. And that helps you, by the way, with your federal requirements that you have a certain number by color,” Arnn said. “And what do they do? What they do is tell everybody else what to do. And now, because they are appointing all these diversity officers, what are their degrees in? Education. It&#8217;s easy. You don&#8217;t have to know anything.”

Empty auditorium

Hillsdale College President Under Fire After Ripping State Of Public Education: Here’s What He Said.

Hillsdale College President Under Fire After Ripping State Of Public Education. Here’s What He Said.

Education

Hillsdale College

Public Schools

NASHVILLE, TN — <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tennessee">Tennessee</a> Republicans moved this week to ask Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bill-lee">Bill Lee</a> (R-TN) to direct the Tennessee Department of Health to not promote or distribute the COVID <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/covid-19-vaccine">vaccine</a> for children under five.
The <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonZacharyTN/status/1539636088658075648/photo/2">letter</a> authored by Rep. Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville) asks Lee to direct the Tennessee Department of Health to “halt distribution, promotion or recommendation of COVID-19 vaccines for our youngest Tennesseans.”
It follows the Food and Drug Administration&#8217;s (FDA) approval of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for children between the ages of six months to five years.
Zachary disagreed, telling The Daily Wire that it was “reckless and irresponsible” to promote vaccinating this age group, saying that more research needed to be done. He also pointed out the low risk for young children to get seriously sick with COVID.
“There is no emergency, especially in Tennessee. Again, you’re talking about those who are the least risk for having hospitalizations or deaths related to the COVID virus. [They] are our least vulnerable Tennesseans,” the Tennessee Republican said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Zachary said that he had spoken with the governor’s legislative director and general counsel about the letter, but had not yet heard back from the governor, who was traveling. He characterized the initial conversations as “favorable,” but that Lee’s team still needed more time to review the letter.
The Daily Wire reached out to Governor Lee for comment.
Zachary’s letter was also signed by Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville), House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland), and House Republican Caucus Chairman Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby).
“We simply cannot recommend injecting an mRNA vaccine into children who have never been at serious risk from death or hospitalization from COVID-19,&#8221; the letter says. &#8220;We do not know the short-term and long-term impact on their development and overall health.&#8221;
The letter references Dr. Marty Makary of Johns Hopkins, Dr. Vinay Prasad of the University of California San Francisco, and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Lapado.
The Tennessee Republicans also asked several questions pertaining to the FDA’s decision to allow young children to be vaccinated, including: “Why was the trial not able to show a reduction in severe illness among those vaccinated?” and “Why was approval granted when the manufacturers&#8217; own trials show zero benefit to children?”
On June 17, the FDA <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-moderna-and-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccines-children">announced</a> that those ages 6 months and older could receive the Pfizer or Moderna COVID vaccine, stating that they were safe and effective.
“The agency determined that the known and potential benefits of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines outweigh the known and potential risks in the pediatric populations authorized for use for each vaccine,” the agency said in a press release.
Zachary&#8217;s letter concluded by thanking Lee for his leadership and &#8220;for standing against the continued overreach of a federal bureaucracy.&#8221;

TOPSHOT-FRANCE-HEALTH-VIRUS

‘Reckless And Irresponsible’: Tennessee Republicans Ask Governor To Stop Distribution Of Vaccines For Young Children

Tennessee House Republicans Ask Governor To Not Promote Or Distribute COVID Vaccines For Young Children

Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee signed a bill that would create penalties for public schools that don’t follow the state’s rules regarding biological males competing in girls’ sports. 
Lee signed the measure last Friday, which states that the Tennessee Department of Education would withhold state funds from local school districts that do not establish what a student’s sex is in order to take part in middle school or high school sports, according to <a href="https://www.marca.com/en/more-sports/2022/04/25/6266d6c146163f14978b4586.html">the Associated Press</a>. The legislation reportedly did not clarify how much state support would be withheld. The law is set to take effect on July 1.
Last year, Lee signed a bill to “preserve women’s athletics and ensure fair competition” by separating sports by biological sex determined at birth. 
The bill said that students must prove that their sex is the same as what is on their “original” birth certificate. If that documentation is not available, the parents have to provide another form of evidence “indicating the student’s sex at the time of birth,&#8221; per the AP.
The <a href="https://trackbill.com/bill/tennessee-house-bill-3-local-education-agencies-as-enacted-requires-that-a-students-gender-for-purposes-of-participation-in-a-public-middle-school-or-high-school-interscholastic-athletic-activity-or-event-be-determined-by-the-students-sex-at-the-time-of-the-students-birth-as-indicated-on-the-students-original-birth-certificate-amends-tca-title-49/1952530/">legislation</a> from last year pointed out that “it is unfortunate for some girls that those dreams, goals, and opportunities for participation, recruitment, and scholarships.” It said female sports can be negatively impacted by new initiatives at schools that allow “boys who are male in every biological respect to compete in girls’ athletic competitions if they claim a female gender identity.”
The law is in effect even though it is being challenged in court, with a trial tentatively scheduled for March 2023. 
“I signed the bill to preserve women’s athletics and ensure fair competition,” Governor Lee <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/03/27/981913132/tennessee-becomes-3rd-state-this-month-to-enact-restrictions-for-transgender-ath">said</a> via Twitter last year. “This legislation responds to damaging federal policies that stand in opposition to the years of progress made under Title IX and I commend members of the General Assembly for their bipartisan work.”
Lawmakers in Tennessee are also pushing through a separate measure regarding women’s collegiate sports, and Republicans have pressed to protect teachers and school districts if they don’t use a student’s preferred pronoun, per <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/tennessee-governor-signs-transgender-athlete-ban-in-girls-sports">PBS</a>.
Various states have taken similar action to protect girls’ and women’s sports, even as some governors have decided against signing the measures. 
Kentucky Democratic Governor Andy Beshear vetoed a bill banning biological males from competing in girls’ sports from 6th-12th grades and women’s college sports, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kentucky-legislators-override-governors-veto-pass-law-to-ban-transgender-athletes-from-girls-sports">reported</a>. But then the Republican-led legislature voted to override the veto. The bill makes it so that students have to compete in the sports that correspond with their sex assigned at birth. 
Indiana Republican Governor Eric Holcomb also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/indiana-republican-governor-vetoes-bill-to-ban-biological-males-from-competing-in-girls-sports">vetoed</a> a bill earlier this year that would have blocked biological males from participating in girls’ sports. In a <a href="https://www.in.gov/gov/files/Veto-HEA-1041.pdf">letter</a> to Indiana state Speaker Todd Huston (R), Holcomb said that the bill would increase “the likelihood of litigation against our schools with the courts having to adjudicate the uncertainties.” 
“In the two cases with initial rulings thus far, the courts have enjoined or prohibited laws with these same substantive provisions from taking effect based on equal protections grounds,” Holcomb added. 
He mentioned a third concern that it “implies that the goals of consistency and fairness in competitive female sports are not currently being met. After thorough review, I find no evidence to support either claim even if I support the overall goal.”

Tennessee State Capitol Building in Nashville, TN on a cloudy day

Tennessee Governor Signs Bill Creating Penalties For Schools That Don’t Follow Biological Sports Rules

Transgender Athletes

Tennessee GOP Governor Bill Lee is fighting back against the rampant leftism purveyed in the educational community across the country by inviting famed conservative institution Hillsdale College —which refuses to accept state or federal funding, including student grants or loans — to start 50 charter schools in his state.
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/10/us/hillsdale-college-charter-schools.html">The New York Times</a> mocked Hillsdale’s principles, writing “The college has also developed the ‘1776 Curriculum,’ which sets out to portray America as ‘an exceptionally good country.’ During a time when education has become inflamed by divisive cultural debates, Hillsdale has been criticized for its glossy spin on American history as well as its ideological tilt on topics like affirmative action.”
And horror of horrors, the Times notes, “Educators and historians have also raised questions about other instruction at Hillsdale’s charter schools, citing their negative take on the New Deal and the Great Society and cursory presentation of global warming.”
Lee stated recently, “For decades, Hillsdale College has been the standard-bearer in quality curriculum and in the responsibility of preserving American liberty. &#8230; I believe their efforts are a good fit for Tennessee.”
“The Hillsdale charter schools are neither owned nor managed by Hillsdale,” The Times noted. “Instead, the schools enter agreements to use the Hillsdale curriculum and the college provides training for faculty and staff, as well as other assistance — all free of charge.”
In March, after speaking to the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Lee stated, “We want charter school operators in this state from all over the country. &#8230; Any, high-quality charter school operator that wants to locate in this state we want them to consider that.”
“We have 22 operators, we have 116 charters, that educate 44,000 kids — 91% of those kids are minority students that come from — many of them come from difficult zip codes and neighborhoods in our state. We need to give them and we should make certain that we give the parents who choose that public school options for their kids,” he added.
Hillsdale’s classical education hearkens back to the time when respect for the Western philosophical tradition lay at the heart of collegiate education. Here is a sample of <a href="https://www.hillsdale.edu/academics/classical-liberal-arts-core/">Hillsdale’s kind of thinking</a>:
<blockquote>Receive an introduction to early American political thought and its crowning political achievement, the United States Constitution. Learn basic American political concepts like natural rights, social compact theory, religious liberty, limited government, separation of powers, and the rule of law.
&#8230;
Receive an introduction to representative Great Books in the West from Antiquity to the Middle Ages, meeting works like the Bible and authors such as Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Plato, Aristotle, Virgil, Ovid, Augustine, and Dante.
&#8230;
Continue your study of the Western literary tradition with English authors like Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Swift, Wordsworth, Dickens, Yeats, and Eliot, and American authors like Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, Whitman, Dickinson, Twain, Frost, Hemingway, and Faulkner.
&#8230;
Receive a general overview of the history of philosophical development in the West from its inception with the Pre-Socratic philosophers of ancient Greece to the 20th century Anglo-American and Continental traditions. Meet thinkers and innovators like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Descartes, Locke, Hume, Kant, Mill, and Nietzsche.</blockquote>

Tennessee GOP Gov. Lee Fights Back Against Leftism, Working With Hillsdale To Open Charter Schools

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R) announced on Monday a state partnership with Michigan’s Hillsdale College to launch a number of K-12 charter schools.
Lee announced the partnership during his state of the state address on Monday evening in front of a special joint session of the state Legislature. Hillsdale College is a liberal arts college in southern Michigan known for its refusal to accept federal funds. The college has launched an initiative to revitalize “public education through the launch and support of classical K-12 charter schools.”
Lee and Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn are working together to build a system of charter schools in Tennessee.
“Two years ago, I traveled to Hillsdale College to participate in a Presidents Day celebration and spend time with champions of American exceptionalism,” Lee said. “For decades, Hillsdale College has been the standard bearer in quality curriculum and the responsibility of preserving American liberty.”
“I believe their efforts are a good fit for Tennessee, and we are formalizing a partnership with Hillsdale to expand their approach to civics education and K-12 education,” he added.
In an education-heavy speech, Lee leaned into the Tennessee state motto, “America at its best,” asserting that his state should be a model of governance for other states as well as the federal government. He touted the state’s conservative governance, from passing additional restrictions on abortion to pushing forward greater transparency in schools.
Lee also addressed the impact in Tennessee of national issues such as immigration and growing tensions between the United States and China.
Tennessee was one of multiple states to send national guardsmen to the U.S. southern border after the governors of Texas and Arizona put out a call for aid in policing illegal immigration from Mexico. Lee said that illegal immigration on the southern border is driving drug trafficking and other illegal activity in Tennessee.
“Both drug trafficking and human trafficking are on the rise in our country and in Tennessee. This is unacceptable,” Lee said before noting that 50 Tennessee National Guardsmen had left for the southern border last week.
On China, Lee said that Tennessee has banned Confucius Institutes, China-funded centers that have sparked concerns of Chinese propaganda in Washington, from college campuses. The governor said his administration is working to strengthen the vetting of companies working with and moving into Tennessee to cut off connections to countries such as China.
Lee announced a plan to provide “every house of worship” with “high quality safety training” to protect against terror, hate, and other attacks targeting religious groups. He based the plan on the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rabbi-held-hostage-in-texas-synagogue-says-active-shooter-training-saved-lives-from-belligerent-terrorist">experience</a> of a Texas rabbi who credited such training for his escape from a hostage situation.
The governor announced a host of education initiatives, including an overhaul of a roughly 30-year-old system of funding for school districts, shifting it from a school-focused system to a student-focused system.
“A formula that prioritizes the needs of students above all else, and that pays particular attention to students with disabilities, rural students, low income-students, and students with other priority needs,” Lee said. “If we do this correctly, we can create a funding formula that demands accountability and rewards districts for performance, but most importantly funds students and not bureaucracies.”

Tennessee Partners With Hillsdale College In Statewide Charter School Initiative

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R) is touting his state as “America at its best,” purposefully setting Tennessee forward as a model for other states to follow in building opportunity, security, and freedom in the U.S.
The Daily Wire obtained exclusive access to a video from Lee promoting his State of the State address, set to be delivered on Monday evening. The governor also spoke with The Daily Wire over the phone on Sunday afternoon ahead of his address.
“Our American spirit is being tested, but in Tennessee we’re proof that America hasn’t lost her way. From frontier to frontrunner, our state has been a beacon to the nation 225 years. This is America at its best,” Lee opens in the promotional video.
“We guard God-given freedom with a safe and just society. We innovate to meet the greatest challenges of our day, we value the privilege of America, and we hold great hope for the future. Now more than ever, it’s clear that our ordinary is the rest of the country’s extraordinary,” he continues. “Our national guard, our nurses and healthcare workers, first responders, teachers, small businesses – Tennessee is the capital of working people, USA. The times we’re living in are not for the faint of heart. Scripture describes an especially wise people who understood their times and knew what to do. May we be those people. As Tennesseans, we will pray, we will serve, we will act. America needs Tennessee because we are America at its best.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Tennessee is America at its best - 2022 State of the State Preview" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/58Uz3meUgmc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
From the chaos in Afghanistan to the spread of Critical Race Theory in U.S. schools, many Americans are worried about the future of the United States, Lee says. His state is providing a model for others to follow to restore the “American spirit,” and people are responding.
Tennessee is one of the most sought out states for individuals and families <a href="https://newschannel9.com/news/local/tennessee-among-top-10-states-in-numeric-growth-from-mid-2020-to-mid-2021-relocation-real-estate-move-new-york-florida-georgia-california#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20data%2C%20Tennessee,%2D2020%20to%20mid%2D2021.">relocating</a> since the outbreak of COVID-19 nearly two years ago. In 2020, Tennessee <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2021/01/06/tennessee-named-number-one-destination-covid-19-moves-uhaul-list-of-one-way-moves/4130347001/">topped</a> U-Haul’s list of one-way moves, beating out Texas and Florida. According to Lee, Tennessee’s draw comes down to three of its core values as a state: opportunity, security, and freedom.
“The last couple years have really shown a bright light on the real differences between the way states are operated,” Lee told The Daily Wire. “I think many Americans actually still believe this is the greatest country in the world even though they look around the country and they see things that scare them happening in some places and policies that they think are very troubling.”
“People believe in large part that this is the best country in the world but they want to be reminded of that and they look around the country and they look for places that remind them that America hasn’t lost her way and I think Tennessee is one of those places,” Lee said.
Tennessee is controlled by a Republican governor and Republican supermajorities in the state legislature. Lee and other GOP leaders have used that control to pass a number of conservative policies cracking down on Critical Race Theory in schools, Confucius Institutes on college campuses, and passing legislation that would ban abortion after roughly six weeks.
In addition, Lee and Republicans have pushed back against continued lockdown measures over COVID-19, banning school mask mandates and filing multiple lawsuits against the federal government over vaccine orders.
“There are clearly differences in the amount of government interactions or the amount of government interventions into people’s lives over the past several years,” Lee told The Daily Wire. “I think [Americans] look at Tennessee and they say, ‘that’s a place where I can find opportunity, security, and freedom, and I’m going to go there,’ and they’re coming here in record numbers.”

Exclusive: Gov. Bill Lee Promotes Tennessee As ‘America At Its Best’ Ahead Of State Of The State

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