01/31/2025
Statement from a TN Republican state representative on the horrific voucher bill his colleagues voted for. It is doubtful we’d agree with Rep. Warner on much, but this is an exception. Well said sir!
Today, Tennessee legislators passed the voucher bill that I have been outspoken about since day one. This legislation is NOT conservative, fiscally responsible, or in the best interest of Tennessee families. It’s a blatant abuse of taxpayer funds, a betrayal of our principles, and a handout to special interests at the expense of our communities.
Despite my repeated requests to speak on the floor and voice the concerns of constituents, Speaker Cameron Sexton, Majority Leader William Lamberth, and Caucus Chairman Jeremy Faison silenced dissenting voices, refusing to allow open debate. They treated legislators like children, forcing us to put our names on a list just for the chance to speak—like students begging their teachers for permission to go to the bathroom. Even then, there was no guarantee we’d be called on. If leadership didn’t like what we had to say, they simply ignored and threatened us. This isn’t leadership. It’s fear and control, plain and simple.
But the most egregious part? Leadership tied this controversial voucher scheme to critical funding for East Tennessee flood damage relief. Just like Joe Biden used these very same folks as political pawns, our leadership in Tennessee did the same by delaying much-needed aid for East Tennessee for the sole purpose of tying it to this voucher bill to buy votes. Holding disaster relief hostage to force through an unpopular, lobbyist-driven agenda is not just shameful. It’s a betrayal of the very people we were elected to serve. This is not conservatism—it’s corruption.
Conservatism is supposed to be about limited government, fiscal responsibility, and local control. This bill is the opposite of all three. It creates a massive new government program with no guardrails, no accountability, and no limits on costs, bloating the state budget and burdening taxpayers for generations. It expands government overreach, creating a new bureaucracy to oversee voucher distribution and compliance, while doing nothing to empower parents or improve outcomes for students. This isn’t school choice. It’s a scam masquerading as reform.
Let me be clear: I am a huge supporter of parental choice in education. Parents should have the right to choose the best educational path for their children. But this bill is not about parental choice. It’s about political power and special interests. Those who were most vocal in favor of this bill are the very same who have taken the biggest paychecks from lobbyists. This isn’t about helping families. It’s about helping themselves.
In 2019, the outcry surrounding this very same topic was heard on every news network across the state for months straight. But in 2025, when exponentially worse is happening behind closed doors, there is a deafening silence. The same leaders who once decried backroom deals are now orchestrating them on a larger scale, and the same voices that once demanded accountability are now complicit in the cover-up.
This is how far we’ve fallen as a state—truly, the swamp is alive and well in Tennessee with current leadership. What was once called a scandal is now standard operating procedure, and those who should be standing up to corruption are either too afraid or too compromised to speak out. The backroom deals are bigger, the arm-twisting is more aggressive, and the silence is more deafening than ever.
I will not stand by while backroom deals and political gamesmanship dictate the future of our state. No matter the threats or pressure from leadership, I will continue to fight for real solutions that put our families first—not the special interests who control Nashville. What happened today is NOT the Tennessee way. Together, we can and we must demand better. The time for silence is over. The time for accountability is now.
We are a weekly podcast and radio show broadcast on WQKR AM/FM/.Com. We aim to provide one of those voices. Hosted by Len Assante & Michele Harbin.
