Americans For Prosperity Funds Tennessee Lawmakers Trip To Southern Border

House Republican chairman says he’s going for educational purposes.

Photo: Gov. Bill Lee addressing members of the Tennessee National Guard while on a trip to the Texas-Mexico border in July 2021. Photo Credit: tn.gov

By Sam Stockard [Tennessee Lookout -CC BY-NC-ND 4.0] –

The Americans for Prosperity Foundation is paying for a group of Tennessee lawmakers to tour the Southern border to see what it calls a crisis situation.

The group’s foundation, which holds a 501(c)3 status and employs no lobbyists, is funding the trip, according to Tori Venable, director of Americans for Prosperity – Tennessee.

Venable is taking the tour with House Republican Caucus Chairman Jeremy Faison of Cosby, Rep. Clark Boyd, R-Lebanon, Rep. Rusty Grills, R-Newbern, Rep. Chris Todd, R-Madison County, and Sen. Adam Lowe, R-Calhoun, according to a tweet by Michael Lotfi, who works for AFP.

“We are headed down for educational purposes to see the border crisis for ourselves,” Venable said in Wednesday text message between flights.

Venable noted the group has “no policy objective at the state level.”

Faison confirmed by text he is taking the trip to find out what is happening at the Southern border of Texas and Mexico. Tens of thousands of people are seeking refugee and immigrant status there to escape conditions in Central and South American countries.

“Every year bills come up about immigration and I believe it’s incumbent on us to know all of the aspects involved,” Faison said in his text message. He noted state legislators from across the country are visiting the region.

Gov. Bill Lee dispatched members of the Tennessee National Guard to work security at the border earlier this summer.

Critics of President Joe Biden’s administration contend the federal government has lost control of the border, allowing people and drugs to slip across and putting refugee candidates on a long-term waiting list for processing but allowing them to stay in the country.

The conservative Koch Industries provides the backing for Americans for Prosperity.

Mark Holden, a former senior vice president of Koch Industries Inc., serves as chairman of the board of Americans for Prosperity Foundation and Americans for Prosperity.

Americans for Prosperity Foundation says on its website it has been educating and training citizens for more than two decades to advocate for freedom and creating change at the local, state and federal levels. 

Typically, AFP concentrates on fiscal matters, health care, criminal justice reform and free expression. It does not mention immigration as one of its areas of emphasis, though it does say its LIBRE Institute offers training, education and volunteer opportunities for the nation’s growing Hispanic community.

Former AFP-Tennessee director Andy Ogles won election in 2022 to the 5th Congressional District seat after Republican lawmakers redrew the lines to break Davidson County into three congressional districts and give a Republican a better chance to win the 5th District seat. Recently, he introduced legislation to impeach President Biden.

About the Author: Sam Stockard is a veteran Tennessee reporter and editor, having written for the Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro, where he served as lead editor when the paper won an award for being the state’s best Sunday newspaper two years in a row. He has led the Capitol Hill bureau for The Daily Memphian. His awards include Best Single Editorial from the Tennessee Press Association. Follow Stockard on Twitter @StockardSam