Tennessee GOP leader threatens tax hike on companies that oppose anti-trans bathroom bill

Tennessee House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick (R) on Tuesday threatened to financially punish companies which opposed a bathroom bill aimed at transgender people by stripping their tax breaks.

Although McCormick agreed that the House "did the right thing" by shelving the bill on Monday, he defended the intent of the bill, which would have forced students at public schools and colleges to use bathrooms corresponding with the gender on their birth certificate, according to the Times Free Press.

During a floor debate on Tuesday, McCormick blasted business leaders for focusing on the bathroom bill instead of "a full-fledged gang war going on in Chattanooga."

"This weekend we had four people shot in Chattanooga," McCormick said. "But "our Chamber of Commerce is writing us letters about the bathroom bill. Now the reason they're not all fired up about the city of Chattanooga's handling of the gang problem is because the city of Chattanooga sends them money and funds their budget. And we don't. Guess what. We ain't gonna."

"All these companies who tried to blackmail us over this thing, when they come for their corporate welfare checks [economic incentives] next year, we need to have a list out and keep an eye on it," the majority leader added.