CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – U.S. Rep. Mark Green visited the Kiwanis Club of Clarksville in Civic Hall last week to discuss national policy prior to November’s presidential election, including national security and foreign policy. Green has represented Tennessee’s 7th congressional district as a Republican since 2019 and is chair of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security.
Green said that he was dissatisfied by the current administration’s southwest border policy, saying they aren’t taking congressional oversight into account and are instead looking for ways around congressional legislation.
“It’s the constitution that says this branch of government writes the laws, this branch of government executes the laws, this branch of government adjudicates those laws, and this branch of government said, ‘we don’t care about the laws you pass; we’re going to do whatever we want,’” Green said.
Green serves ex officio on the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement, which focuses on border and port security policy and oversees related agencies such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Green also spoke on foreign policy, criticizing lifting sanctions on Iran and saying diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia need to be improved.
In terms of cybersecurity, Green said U.S. agencies are doing what they can but are suffering from workforce issues and empty job positions. Green said he has an upcoming bill slated for September that aims to address the issue with a training program similar to ROTC.
The aim is that recipients will attend college courses on cybersecurity on a government scholarship, with graduates working for the government for a certain number of years in exchange.
“We want the bill to work for everybody, I’ve got a Democrat co-sponsor,” said Green. He said his goal is for the bill to be life-changing for the country, and said the current goal for the bill was 10,000 scholarships a year.
Green also spoke on elected office, saying the oversight is a lot different than the military. “In the military, you know your commander is going to be critiquing you, in this job it’s all on Facebook, and you can see it all,” said Green.
Green is the incumbent candidate for this year’s general election for the U.S. House Tennessee District 7 seat.