WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) along with Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), and Tommy Tuberville (R- Ala.) sent a letter to President Biden demanding a Federal Co-Chair for the Delta Regional Authority (DRA). The DRA is responsible for targeted grant funding opportunities in the eight-state Delta region, which includes Tennessee.

View the letter here or below.

Dear President Biden:

We write regarding the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) and the vacant Federal Co-Chair position. The DRA has operated without a presidentially appointed Federal Co-Chair or Alternate Federal Co-Chair since January 20, 2021. As you know, the DRA provides grant funding to strengthen economic opportunity in the eight-state Delta region, and this work is important to millions of Americans.

As a federal-state partnership, the DRA requires an affirmative vote of both a federal member and a majority of State members in order to execute its grant making activities. We understand that the DRA does not have the statutory authority to make program eligibility determinations or new grant awards without the appointment of a Federal Co-Chair or Alternate Federal Co-Chair.

We urge you to promptly appoint a new Federal Co-Chair to the DRA. Thank you for your attention to this request