Tim Burchett

Since we’re now into the midterms, I’m reflecting on U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett’s job as a public servant. He was a good mayor for Knox County, and I voted for him. Now that he’s been in DC for eight years, I’m beginning to question his judgment, and mine.

While touting himself as a deficit hawk, he voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which will increase the deficit by $4,000 billion (yes billion) over the next 10 years, a bill that sends most of the benefits to the very wealthy.

He has supported the extraordinary tariffs on foreign goods, taxes that raise costs for ordinary Americans. The tariffs were supposed to stimulate jobs in American manufacturing; last year we lost 98,000 jobs in manufacturing. Fewer jobs and higher costs for Americans.

He has supported the unilateral, poorly thought-out war in Iran, driving up gas, energy and fertilizer prices, hurting ordinary people, especially farmers, and alienating our allies, among other things. While perhaps achieving a tactical victory over Iran’s military, the U.S. has so far suffered a strategic defeat – the Strait of Hormuz is still under control of Iran and closed (it was open before the war), and Iran still possesses enriched uranium for making a nuclear weapon.

Topping this off, he has ignored Trump’s dismissive comments regarding Russia providing targeting and intelligence information to Iran for killing and wounding our troops. Having a grandson in the Middle East and assigned to missions there makes this even more troubling and worrisome. Tim likes to brag about his father’s service in the Marines, and his support for our troops. Would he be OK with a country (Russia) providing targeting information to kill his father? Or our troops? He’s just not representing the best interests of Tennessee District 2.

Ron Moore, Knoxville, 37934