The Big Picture

FreedomWorks is excited to recognize Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) as our member of the month for June 2022. In his representation of Tennessee’s 2nd Congressional District, which encompasses Knoxville and surrounding areas in the eastern part of the state, Rep. Burchett continues to demonstrate his conservative bonafides.

Rep. Burchett boasts an impressive 97 percent lifetime score on FreedomWorks’ congressional scorecard. His commitment to small government and service are what sets him apart among members of Congress.

Rep. Burchett, born, raised, and educated in Knoxville, has been serving the people of his home region of Tennessee since the mid-1990s, first as a two-term state representative, then as a three-term state senator, and lastly as a two-term Mayor of Knox County.

The Details

Rep. Burchett is passionate about budget issues. This is fortunate because of his service on the Budget Committee and because of the dire state of our nation’s finances and over $30 trillion national debt. To this end, he not only consistently votes against increased government spending, but he also has introduced bills such as…

H.R. 915, Reforming America’s Fiscal Toolkit (RAFT) Act

• This bill amends the congressional budget process to ensure that the national debt remains lower than gross domestic product (GDP).
• In an April 2022 Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report on the Economic Effects of Waiting to Stabilize the Federal Debt, the CBO estimates that the US debt to GDP ratio is expected to increase from 102 percent at the end of 2021 to 202 percent in 2051.
• The high and rising federal debt that CBO projects over the next three decades would have serious consequences for the economy and federal budget, including the crowding out of private investment, higher interest costs, and increased risks of a fiscal crisis and of other disruptions.

H.R. 1802, Do Your Job Act

• It has been a quarter of a century since Congress did its job and passed a complete budget through the statutory process before the end of the fiscal year. The past 25 years have seen five presidential administrations and numerous flips in Congressional control, yet the result is always the same. Seemingly incapable of meeting a deadline, Congress continually uses budgetary gimmicks like the Continuing Resolution to absolve themselves of their constitutional responsibility.
• The Do Your Job Act would slash congressional pay for each year that Congress fails to pass a budget.

Why it Matters

Rep. Burchett’s constituents, and the rest of the country, are better off for the skepticism that he brings to Washington regarding the true purpose and role of the federal government and for the principled stands he is willing to take, even when it is not popular among members of his party.

We are thrilled to have Rep. Burchett is in Washington fighting for fiscal responsibility and personal liberty. The grassroots community is thankful the people of Tennesee's 2nd congressional district sent him to Congress.

FreedomWorks is excited to recognize Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) as June 2022’s member of the month and looks forward to supporting the good work he will continue to do in the House of Representatives and beyond.