Tag: Tim Burchett

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New Law Would Make Public Some of TVA’s Biggest Salaries

TVA president and CEO Jeff Lyash. (Credit: Toby Sells)

A bipartisan bill filed Tuesday would require the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to make salary information public for employees who make some of its largest paychecks.

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Memphis) and U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville) introduced the measure that would make public salaries for TVA employees who make more than $109,908, or the maximum basic pay rate for many of the federal government’s top-level positions. 

Lyash refused to give salary specifics last month in a hearing before a House committee. In it, Cohen said he has requested that salary information in the past and never received it. He wanted to know why. 

Lyash said part of the TVA Act once required those salaries be listed in a report to Congress and the White House. However, that requirement was changed with a 1995 federal law and TVA was asked to stop filing the report. Now, Lyash said his agency is only required to give detailed salary information to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 

“That’s not the people that created the TVA,” Cohen said. “That’s not what the TVA Act requires, and that’s just not right, Jeff. It’s not right. You’re part of the government. You’re created by the United States government. You’re part of it. 

“Salary should be transparent. And when people are making over $1 billion, the public ought to know who they are and what they’re doing.”

With that, Cohen’s speaking time in the hearing had expired. However, his line of comment was picked up by U.S. Rep. Garrett Graves (R-South Louisiana). 

“Your position is unsustainable, if you’re not going to give him the information he’s asking for” Graves said to Lyash. “You’re a government entity. You need to provide him the information. 

“Just to give you a little counsel there, I’d strongly urge you to do it. Otherwise, you’re going to be compelled to do it and you can either cooperate or it’s going get a little ugly. I’d urge you to comply with his request.”

Burchett struck an optimistic note in a news release about the new TVA bill.

 “I have seen the TVA improve its transparency in recent years, and I want to make sure that continues,” Burchett said in a news release. “This bill will help Congress keep TVA accountable for how it pays its employees, which is an important part of preserving its public trust.” 

The new bill is not the first time the two Tennessee lawmakers worked together on pay at TVA. Last year, they introduced another bill that would likely lower the pay of TVA’s CEO, Jeff Lyash. The bill would have reduced his pay to a level comparable with those of CEOs at other public utilities.

Lyash is the highest-paid federal employee, making up to nearly $10 million annually after benefits and bonuses. In 2020, then-President Donald Trump called Lyash’s pay “ridiculous” and threatened (but failed) to cut that pay “by a lot.”

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Burchett on UFO Hearing: “The Cover-Up Continues”

Credit: To the Stars Academy/Tim Burchett

This week’s congressional hearing on UFOs was a “total joke,” according to U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville), frustrated by the quality of witnesses, not the topic itself. 

Tuesday’s House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on UFOs, or unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) in military parlance, was the first on the topic in 50 years. The hearing came after Congress ordered an intelligence report on UFOs last year. That report included 144 official sightings of UAP and explained only one, which the report said was a deflating balloon.    

Two main witnesses before the Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and Counterproliferation Subcommittee were Ronald Moultrie, Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, and Scott Bray, Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence. The two head up the government’s new UAP task force. But Burchett wanted better. 

“We should have heard from people who could talk about things they’d personally seen, but instead the witnesses were government officials with limited knowledge who couldn’t give real answers to serious questions,” Burchett tweeted Tuesday.  

Committee chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said of the 144 official UAP reports, 18 of them “appeared to demonstrate advanced technology.” They reportedly were stationary in the wind, moved against the wind, moved abruptly, or moved at high speeds “without a discernible means of propulsion.” He asked if any U.S. adversaries were known to have technology to match these descriptions. Bray said no. 

“There are a number of events in which we do not have an explanation,” Bray said. “A small handful that had flight characteristics or signature management [camouflage] that we can’t explain with the data we have.” 

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisconsin) asked if the two were aware of an incident that occurred over Montana’s Malmstrom Air Force Base, home to strategic nuclear forces, he said. In that incident, Gallagher said 10 nuclear missiles were shut down and a “glowing red orb” was seen over the base. 

Bray told him the task force had no data on the incident. Gallagher pressed, asking if he was aware of the incident and asking if data on it existed anywhere. Bray said he’d heard the stories but had not seen official data on it. Also, the UAP task force has not looked at the incident.    

“I would say it’s a pretty high profile incident,” Gallagher said, taken slightly aback by the claim. “I don’t claim to be an expert on this. But that’s out there in the ether. You’re the guys investigating it. I mean, who else is doing it?”

Bray said if the incident was “officially” brought to his attention, the task force would review it. To which, Gallagher said, “I’m bringing it to your attention. This is pretty official.” Moultrie promised the congressman that “we’ll go back and take a look at it,” though he said the task force does not have the resources to follow every story or lead. 

Tuesday’s public session closed and the committee met for another session on UAP behind closed doors. The next steps for the task force will be to strengthen relations with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other government agencies to create a better system for reporting UAP activity and collect better data.  

Before and after Tuesday’s hearing, Burchett spoke candidly about UAP to several news outlets. He told Knoxville’s WATN news station that UAP are either “a diversion to get our attention away from something else, an anomaly on our radar, or it’s something from outer space.” He told TMZ that he did not believe Russia had UAP tech saying, if they did, “they would own us right now.” He said he thought Roswell was a cover up, that former President Donald Trump might release files related to UAP, and that “UFOs were in the Bible,” citing Ezekiel’s flying wheel. 

In December, he told TMZ that he does not trust the Pentagon on the UAP topic. He said they’d likely ask Congress for more money and continue to keep the truth quiet. After Tuesday’s hearing, Burchett said, “the cover-up continues.”

Burchett’s statements on UAP are not his first foray into the paranormal. As Knox County Mayor in 2012, he proclaimed November 16th to be “Knox County Bigfoot Day” and met with the cast of Finding Bigfoot.

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Cohen Bill Would Likely Lower TVA CEO Salary

TVA president and CEO Jeff Lyash. (Credit: Toby Sells)

A new bill would likely lower the pay for Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) CEO, bringing the controversial salary down to a level comparable with those of CEOs at other public utilities. 

TVA CEO Jeff Lyash made $9.9 million last year. His base salary of $1.1 million was upped from a series of bonuses after he helped the federal utility meet or exceed some long-term and short-term corporate goals. His salary makes Lyash the highest-paid federal employee, far outpacing even the U.S. President’s pay of $400,000.

TVA has long defended its pay. For one, it says, salaries are not paid with taxpayer dollars but with revenue from electricity sales. Also, TVA has said pay, especially for its CEO, must be high to recruit and retain leaders who could make such salaries at other companies. 

See our interactive infographic here.

“The entire industry is competing for this talent as we all work toward a collective goal of a carbon-free energy future,” TVA spokesman Scott Brooks said in a statement. “That’s why we routinely benchmark with other utility peers to create a competitive compensation system. This ensures we have a well-rounded, diverse and skilled workforce that can deliver the outcomes our customers expect, including keeping rates low.”

However, TVA has been heavily criticized on the compensation. In 2020, President Donald Trump called Lyash’s pay “ridiculous” and threatened (but failed) to cut that pay “by a lot.” 

In February, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville) and Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Memphis) filed a bill to make TVA’s top salaries more transparent. The bill would require the government-owned corporation to list salary information for any employee making more than around $240,000. 

“Southeastern communities should be able to evaluate if those salaries match the service provided by TVA.”

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville)

“TVA’s top earners are paid generously, and Southeastern communities should be able to evaluate if those salaries match the service provided by TVA,” Burchett said in a statement at the time. “Compensation transparency from TVA’s key decision makers is important for maintaining the public’s trust.”

A bill filed by Cohen Friday takes the issue further, likely lowering pay for Lyash and other TVA executives. Current law only requires TVA’s salaries to be on par with any other power provider in the U.S., including private, for-profit companies. Cohen’s bill would make compensation comparable to “compensation of executives in public utilities in both the U.S. and Canada.”    

“It is past time to get realistic about TVA salaries and to do so fairly and transparently.”

Rep. Steve Cohen

“It is past time to get realistic about TVA salaries and to do so fairly and transparently,” Cohen said in a statement. “Electricity generation and transmission managed from Knoxville should not earn its CEO three times what a typical Canadian utility CEO makes. The comparison I am suggesting may open some eyes and restore some reality to compensation at TVA.”

A statement from Cohen’s office said a review by the Congressional Research Service found CEOs of “Canadian power companies make significantly less in annual total reported compensation than American CEOs.”

Salaries are not paid with taxpayer dollars but with revenue from electricity sales.

In May 2020, former Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander — a longtime TVA supporter — claimed (in a Knoxville News-Sentinel opinion piece) that Lyash’s salary ranked in the bottom fourth among “big utility CEO salaries.” 

“The Tennessee Valley Authority plays in the big leagues.”

former Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander

“The Tennessee Valley Authority plays in the big leagues,” Alexander said. “It is our country’s largest public utility, a $10 billion company serving 10 million residents in seven states. Big utilities pay big salaries to attract the best executives.”

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Scrum for Corker’s Seat?

CREDIT: Jackson Baker

As of the 4th of July weekend, there was no significant change in the prospective lineup for next year’s race for governor to succeed the term-limited Republican incumbent Bill Haslam.

The two definite Republican entries — former state Economic Development Commissioner Randy Boyd and Nashville businessman Bill Lee — are still the only formally declared candidates on the Republican side. Fourth District U.S. Representative Diane Black, state House Speaker Beth Harwell, and State Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris of Collierville are still the main GOP figures on the maybe list. (Norris also remains one of the serious maybes to fill a vacant federal judgeship.)

Former Nashville mayor Karl Dean is the only Democrat to have made a 2018 governor’s race official, but state House Democratic Leader Craig Fitzhugh of Ripley is considered a likely candidate, as well.

All that is same-old, same-old. Where there is renewed speculation on the statewide political scene is in regard to the U.S. Senate seat now held by Republican Bob Corker. The Senator is chairman of the influential Senate Foreign Affairs Committee and is also an important and active member of the Senate’s Banking and Budget committees.

Since his election in 2006 in a close race with Democratic nominee Harold Ford Jr., Corker has steadily become one of the more prominent GOP voices in Congress. In 2016, he was seriously considered by then-candidate Donald Trump as a possible vice-presidential running mate. And there have been off-and-on rumors that Corker wants to run for president at some point.

It has long been assumed, and still is, that Corker will be a candidate for reelection to his Senate seat, which comes due again in 2018. But other scenarios have been floated — including a possible Corker race for governor in tandem with a Haslam race for the Senate seat that would then be open.

Whatever the case, other candidates are eyeing a race for Corker’s seat next year. At least one Democrat, Nashville lawyer and Iraq war vet James Mackler is already running and has sent out an elaborate mailer statewide boosting his candidacy.

And there are also Republicans who are looking covetously at Corker’s Senate seat — especially on the GOP’s right wing and in its Tea Party constituency, where Corker’s oft-professed readiness to work across the aisle with Democrats on various issues has aroused suspicion.

The senator may also have raised hackles on the Republican right with recent statements expressing concern over actions by Trump, such as the Senator’s statement, in the wake of his firing FBI Director James Comey in May, that the president seemed to be on a “downward spiral.”

More recently, Corker has vowed to block arms sales by the administration to member nations of the Middle Eastern Gulf Cooperation Council, including feuding U.S. allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

UPDATE: Senator Corker’s office has forwarded this comment on the Senator’s proposed block on the arms sale:

Just wanted to note that the senator spoke with Secretary Tillerson in advance of sending the letter regarding future arms sales and that his goal is to give the administration leverage as it works to resolve the dispute.

The White House press secretary also made positive comments about the senator’s efforts, noting the administration shares his goals…

:

White House response:

Q: Senator Corker says he will use his authority as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to block the sales to Saudi and Qatar until that crisis is resolved. Is that a constructive step in your view?

Sean Spicer: I think we share Senator Corker’s goal on two fronts. One, obviously we want to resolve the situation. I know that the states that are involved are viewing this as a family matter and Secretary Tillerson is helping to facilitate some of the that. We believe that is positive. We share that concern. We also share the concern about terror financing that Senator Corker has, and I think we can work together on both those goals.

Seventh District Congressman Marsha Blackburn is said to have considered a Senate race, and other names mentioned as possible Republican opponents for Corker include Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, State House Representative Andy Holt, and Americans for Prosperity Tennessee state director Andrew Ogles.

Another possible GOP challenger is Mark Green, the state senator from Clarksville who was recently nominated by President Trump to become Secretary of the Army but had to withdraw from consideration amid objections to his ultra-conservative social views from Democrats and moderate Republicans.

Previous to that, Green had been considered a prominent prospect to run for governor, but he has since said no to resuming that quest. A brand-new website boosting his possible candidacy for the U.S. Senate has appeared under the auspices of Nashville activist Rick Williams, however, and it is known that Green has ambitions to serve on the federal scene.

• Shelby County Democrats, whose squabbling and ineffective local party organization was decertified as dysfunctional by state party chair Mary Mancini two years ago, are about to rise again.

David Cocke and Carlissa Shaw presiding, bylaws will be adopted and representatives will be elected to serve on two distinct local bodies — a county committee and a new group to be called the Democratic Grassroots Council.

The county committee will function as the party’s executive arm, while the new council will deliberate on policy, discuss possible projects, and in general serve as a sounding board for party objectives.

• No rest for the weary department: The Shelby County Commission, having punted on approval of a budget at its June 26th meeting and thereby having missed the traditional July 1st deadline beginning the new fiscal year, was scheduled for another try at resolving differences during committee meetings this Wednesday.