Former United States Representative Zach Wamp, a Republican from Tennessee, and former Ambassador Tim Roemer, a Democrat from Indiana, will participate in a panel discussion on political reform and bipartisanship Monday at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy.
The event is in partnership with Issue One, a crosspartisan political reform group. The discussion begins at 5 p.m. Monday, January 28, in the Toyota Auditorium.
“We govern best from the middle, which requires the spirit of bipartisanship—and bipartisanship will be required to deal with the deficit and fiscal challenges confronting the federal government today and tomorrow,” said Matt Murray, director of the Baker Center. “The Issue One event will draw attention to the need to address the looming fiscal crisis.”
Based in Washington, DC, Issue One works to bridge the gap between the right and left and to support unity and bipartisanship in politics by developing initiatives that bring together Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.
One such initiative is the ReFormers Caucus, Issue One’s bipartisanship coalition of more than 200 former members of Congress, governors, and cabinet officials. Roemer and Wamp co-chair the caucus.
Roemer served in the US House of Representatives from 1991 to 2003 and was a member of the 9/11 Commission after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He also served as US ambassador to India from 2009 to 2011, where he helped move the country from America’s 25th-largest trading partner to its 12th.
Wamp served as a representative for Tennessee’s 3rd Congressional District from 1995 to 2011 and was a senior member on the House Appropriations Committee and co-chair of the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus.
The event is free and open to the public and will be moderated by Meredith McGehee, Issue One’s executive director. Guests may park for free in the Vol Hall Garage by requesting a parking voucher from Baker Center staff at the event.
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CONTACT:
Katie Cahill (865-974-8681, kcahill3@utk.edu)
Megan Boehnke (865-974-3242, mboehnke@utk.edu)