File:President Donald Trump and Congressman Tim Burchett.jpg

English: President Trump fires Tennessee Valley Authority executives for outsourcing American jobs; Burchett renews calls for more transparency at TVA following meeting

WASHINGTON, DC (August 3, 2020) – Today, U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (TN-02) joined President Donald Trump at the White House for the announcement of the Hire American Executive Order. This initiative directs federal agencies to make hiring decisions based on the best interests of American workers and follows the Tennessee Valley Authority's decision to layoff dozens of its American information technology workers in favor of H1B visa labor.

"Working people are the backbone of this country, and I'm glad President Trump has the guts to stand up for the jobs of hardworking Americans" said Rep. Burchett. "The President did the right thing by holding TVA executive leadership accountable for being careless with American livelihoods."

Reform at TVA has been a top agenda item for Rep. Burchett since he arrived in Congress in 2019 and going back to his time in the Tennessee General Assembly. In fact, the first bill Rep. Burchett introduced was the Tennessee Valley Authority Transparency Act, legislation designed to create more openness and transparency at TVA. If enacted into law, Rep. Burchett's bill would require TVA board meetings to be held in public and for the agency to provide adequate summaries of each meeting.

"This most recent controversy at TVA shows there needs to be greater transparency and accountability within the organization, and this remains a top priority of mine as East Tennessee's Representative in Congress," Rep. Burchett added.