Mark E. Green

He was first elected to the Tennessee Senate in 2012, defeating Democratic incumbent Tim Barnes.[3][11][12] He was rumored to be considering a challenge to Lamar Alexander in the 2014 U.S. Senate election,[13] but declined to do so.[14]

Green is most noteworthy for his legislation ending the Hall Income Tax in Tennessee, only the second time in US history a state has repealed an income tax.[15] He also co-sponsored a bill which eliminated the statute of limitations on rape cases where the DNA profile of the suspect is known.[16] Sen. Green has received awards recognizing his many laws protecting veterans and small businesses.[17][18] He has led the charge in Tennessee for automated technology in the auto manufacturing world speaking at national conferences on the topic.[19]

In 2015 Green proposed a pilot program to test an innovative solution to healthcare. The idea provides a reduced amount of healthcare dollars on a swipe card for Medicaid patients giving them choice and control. The incentive is that any dollars not spent go to the patient as an addition to their earned income check. SJR 88 passed and was signed by the governor. Currently, the request for a waiver to test the program is at CMS for approval.[20]

Green was opposed for re-election in the 2016 Republican primary but he won 84% to 16% over Lori Smith of Clarksville, Tennessee.[21] In the general election, Senator Green won re-election defeating Democrat David Cutting 67% to 33%.

In April 2017, Green was nominated by President Donald Trump to be United States Secretary of the Army.[22] Green was Trump's second nominee for this position after initial nominee Vincent Viola withdrew from consideration.[23]

Green drew some opposition based on public comments directed at transgender people.[24] A statement that Green made which brought wide attention to him in the media was made before a Tea Party group in September 2016 at a gathering in Chattanooga, Tennessee. At that event Green said, "If you polled the psychiatrists, they're going to tell you that transgender is a disease."[25] As well as his support for a state law which defined access to public restrooms for transgender individuals matching their legal sex, rather than gender identity.

In an internet radio talk show with CJ Porter, Green also stated that his duty as a state senator is to "crush evil."[25] Green said this in the context of his support for a bill to prohibit transgender individuals from entering the restrooms for the gender they identified with.[26][25]

Green also stated that if school districts "want to have a bathroom that's separate for all of the, you know, guys or gals with question marks" but were concerned the "AFL-CIO is going to sue you, well I got your back." It is assumed Green meant the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) not the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO).[27] Green has also said that he would "not tolerate" students learning about Muslim beliefs and practices.[28] Green added later that he doesn't "think we should teach the Lord’s Prayer" in schools either. In a call for separation of church and state, he said: "Leave that to the churches, the synagogues, and the mosques."[29]

Green withdrew his nomination on May 5, 2017.[30]

On January 4, 2017, Green officially filed paperwork to run for Governor as a Republican candidate for the 2018 gubernatorial election.[31] However, in late 2017 when 7th District congresswoman Marsha Blackburn announced she was running for the United States Senate, Green announced he was running for the open congressional seat.[32] His state senate district includes almost all of the northeastern portion of the congressional district.

Green became the Republican nominee for the 2018 U.S. House of Representatives election in Tennessee's 7th congressional district after running unopposed for the Republican nomination.[33] His State Senate district included much of the northern portion of the congressional district. Green won the general election in November and took office in January 2019.

After incumbent U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander announced he would not seek reelection in 2020, Green was considered a likely candidate for the seat. However, Green announced on July 11, 2019, that he would not be a candidate.[34]

• Committee on Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism
  • Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security
• Committee on Oversight and Reform
  • Subcommittee on National Security
  • Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis[35]

• House Freedom Caucus [36]
• Republican Study Committee
• Special Operations Forces Caucus
• GOP Doctor's Caucus
• Pro-Life Caucus
• Prayer Caucus
• Military Family Caucus
• Military Veterans Caucus
• Congressional Army Caucus
• House Republican Israel Caucus
• Songwriters Caucus
• Values Action Team
• Congressional Recording Arts and Sciences Caucus

Green opposes abortion. In a 2019 op-ed, Green claimed that "modern science has revealed that mother and baby are, in fact, two separate persons -- long before the baby is born" and argued that "a child becomes a child at conception."[39]

Green rejects the scientific consensus that human activity plays a key role in climate change.[40]

Green rejects the theory of evolution which is consensus within biology; in a 2015 lecture he used creationist reasoning such as "irreducible complexity".[41]

In December 2019, Green voted against the articles of impeachment regarding the Impeachment of Donald Trump.[42]

In December 2020, Green was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who signed an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden prevailed[43] over incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of the election held by another state.[44][45][46]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." Additionally, Pelosi reprimanded Green and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[47][48] New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell, citing section three of the 14th Amendment, called for Pelosi to not seat Green and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit. Pascrell argued that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[49]

In 2018, as a congressman-elect, Green stated at a constituent meeting that "there is some concern that the rise in autism is the result of the preservatives that are in our vaccines," a claim that has been repeatedly debunked by scientific studies and rejected by medical organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics.[50]