“We do thank our men and women in uniform. And I thank them. I thank this House today that approved a bill that will allow for a pay raise for our military. We are grateful for that and for the actions of this body.”

American politician and businesswoman, senior United States senator for Tennessee

Mary Marsha Blackburn is an American politician and businesswoman serving as the senior United States senator for Tennessee. A Republican, she was first elected to the Senate in 2018. Before her time in the Senate, Blackburn served in the Tennessee state senate from 1999 to 2003, then represented Tennessee’s 7th congressional district in the U.S. House from 2003 to 2019. During her years in the House, the National Journal ranked her among its most conservative members.