Rep. John J. Duncan, Jr.

12/14/2018

I am so honored that my colleagues in the House voted yesterday to pass a resolution that I introduced to help improve the safety of our schools. This legislation would encourage every state in the country to require Automated External Defibrillators at all schools to help students and teachers suffering from cardiac arrests. It is my hope that this will help promote safety awareness, emergency preparedness, and even save precious lives.
You can read the full text here:

Text for H.Res.35 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives relating to automated external defibrillator (AED) education in the Nation's schools

12/07/2018

Today I wanted to share one of my favorite quotes by the late and great Charles Krauthammer. "Socialism having failed so spectacularly, the left was adrift until it struck upon a brilliant gambit: metamorphosis from red to green. The cultural elites went straight from the memorial service for socialism to the altar of the environment. The objective is the same: highly centralized power given to the best and the brightest, the new class of experts, managers, and technocrats."

11/15/2018

Today I took a few moments to recognize the inspiration and support that my family has shared with me during my 30 years of working for the people of East Tennessee. I could not have served without my family and so many others. I am so honored to be a husband, father, grandfather, and friend to such wonderful people. Thank you to everyone who has helped me provide the best service possible to the great District 2 of Tennessee.

On November 15th, 2018 Congressman John J. Duncan Jr. spoke in the House Chamber about the major impact his mother, father, wife, children, and grandchildren had on him during his time in Congress.…

11/13/2018

On Friday, I was proud to see the Foothills Parkway section open that has taken over 50 years of teamwork to complete. With many partners including Members of Congress, the National Park Service, the Federal Highway Administration, Tennessee Department of Transportation, and hundreds of construction workers, this final product we all worked so hard on will help the lives of countless travelers and Tennesseans enjoy access to our great state.This photograph of the new section was taken by Don Walker, a senior member of my staff, who helped see this project through to the end. myTDOT

09/28/2018

At the height of the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky and other s*x scandals years ago, I was speaking to an assembly program at Fort Loudon Middle School telling the students about my job.

During the question-answer session, in front of the approximately 1,000 students, one girl asked me if I had ever had an affair. I told them no, I had not and that I bet that almost none of their fathers had either.

I have found over the years that the men who cannot be satisfied with and loyal to one woman are almost always repeat offenders with many women- such as President Clinton.

I have become concerned during all the publicity and controversy about Judge Kavanaugh that some young women may think all men are s*xual predators in the worst meaning of those two words.

I really believe that the great majority- the overwhelming majority- of men are good and kind people who have no desire to force themselves on anyone.

I believe that most women are good and kind people who do not want to be in an adversarial relationship with most men. Men and women are different, and that does not imply that women should be held back in some way.

My wife and I have two daughters and two sons and now five granddaughters and four grandsons. My biggest desire is for all of them to be wonderful at whatever they want to do.

But we all need to get along. We certainly don’t need to be enemies.

In thinking about this relationship between men and women, I wish everyone would read the following column by Suzanne Fields which was published in the September 27th edition of the Washington Times.

My father was not very tall. But no man ever stood taller in my eyes than this particular Big Daddy. He was warm and playful, a man of character and the model for the men I would admire as I grew up. Daddy wasn’t formally educated, having dropped out of school in the sixth grade after his mother a...

09/17/2018

In honor of Constitution Day, I joined Mayor Jacobs and Judge Varlan in reading Our Nation's Constitution aloud outside the Howard H. Baker Jr Federal Court House. On this very day in 1787, our founders worked to finalize this important document. Today, and every day, it is my hope that everyone who has the chance, can read or hear these words that were penned to prevent us from being subjected to absolute rule and tyranny.
No matter where we are from, what we look like, how we vote, or how long we have been on this Earth, all Americans are afforded the same rights and responsibilities as citizens. If you haven't had a chance to read through the Constitution lately, you can read these powerful words as they were written in 1787: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript -section-1-

08/30/2018

I am very saddened by the passing of the legendary Stan Brock. He made such a powerful impact on our community through his devotion to others, caring heart, and creation of Remote Area Medical - RAM. I was honored to work alongside him last year when he came to the Capitol Building. It is my hope that his legacy continues to inspire other East Tennesseans to rise up and find ways to help those in need. Stan was a true Volunteer who will be greatly missed by many in our state and throughout the world. I send my condolences to all of his friends and family as they mourn the loss of such a wonderful person.

07/12/2018

Congressman Duncan speaks on the House Floor on July 11, 2018.

07/11/2018

I wanted to share my thoughts on how important it is to have had oversight over many elements of our government during the last 40 years thanks to the passage of the Inspector General Act of 1978.

Rep. John J. Duncan, Jr., TN-02, Member, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, delivers remarks on the 40th anniversary of the passage of the Insp...

07/04/2018

As we get together with our communities, friends, and families to feast on barbecue, watch fireworks, or enjoy the great outdoors today, we can easily forget why this day means so much to us as Americans. Celebrating what it means to be free can come in many different forms, but I hope you will join together with me to especially reflect on the sacrifices, dedication, and perseverance that those who came before us had to have so that we could enjoy the liberties and participate in the responsibilities that come with being an American. Happy Independence Day!

07/02/2018

President Trump has already said he is going to appoint a new Supreme Court Justice from a previously-referenced list of 25 current judges.I am sure they are all good judges and honorable men and women. I was a judge for 7 ½ years before coming to Congress. I have great respect for those who serve in Our Nation’s Judiciary and several judges are good friends of mine.

However, I wish President Trump and future Presidents would consider lawyers who have spent most of their careers in private practice and especially those who have actually tried jury trials and represented individual, ordinary citizens.

No one likes pressure and competition, but both make people better in any job or profession. The lawyers who are under the most pressure and who face the most competition are those who are in private practice.

And the lawyers who are under the greatest pressure are trial lawyers who actually occasionally face a jury. Also, the judges who are under the most pressure are trial court judges who have to make rulings on the spot right in the middle of sometimes tense, hard-fought trials.

It is no criticism to say that the least pressure is on appellate court judges. Yet it seems that now we appoint to the highest court in the land only law professors, appellate court judges, or those who have had a very high class, genteel private practice.

I think that we are eliminating many of the greatest lawyers in this Country by not even considering those who have represented a wide variety of people in a rough and tumble private practice.

06/12/2018

I want to take a moment to give special thanks to the wonderful staff at Parkwest Medical Center who were so kind to my wife and me during our 8 day stay there. I am so grateful for their team's devotion to providing great care to our community.