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Tennessee Democrats this week condemned Governor Bill Lee for calling a special session of the General Assembly on January 27, using the urgent need for disaster relief for Hurricane Helene as a bargaining chip to push through his controversial school voucher plan, the Education Freedom Act.

“Governor Lee is exploiting the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene to advance his partisan agenda, forcing legislators to choose between helping disaster victims and undermining our public education system. Holding disaster relief hostage to push school vouchers is political opportunism at its worst.” Hendrell Remus, TNDP Chair

In addition to disaster relief and education funding, the session will address public safety and immigration measures designed to align Tennessee policies with the incoming Trump administration.

Governor Lee’s cynical strategy pits the needs of hurricane victims against the priorities of Tennessee families who rely on strong public schools. This is not governing – it’s hostage-taking. Tennesseans deserve better.

Tennessee Democrats in the General Assembly have been standing by to provide all available funding for disaster relief. Today, we’re calling on all members of the General Assembly to reject this manipulative agenda and focus on addressing the urgent needs of the people without advancing divisive policies that weaken our schools and communities.