{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "is_view": false, "human_description_en": "where party = \"Democrat\", state = \"TN\" and year = 2013 sorted by date descending", "rows": [["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-more-13-million-help-prepare-shelby-county-children-school", "Cohen Announces More Than $13 Million to Help Prepare Shelby County Children for School", "2013-12-23", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that Shelby County has been awarded a $13,161,380 grant from the Department of U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) to support Head Start projects that help promote school readiness of children from birth until the age of 5 by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development.\n\u201cToday\u2019s funding is an investment in our children, an investment in our families, and an investment in our future,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cBecause of this important funding, children from low-income families throughout Shelby County\u2019s will be healthier and better prepared to learn when they enter school. We will see countless benefits down the line as today\u2019s children grow into tomorrow\u2019s entrepreneurs, doctors, scientists, and productive members of our society. This is an important program that I am proud to support.\u201d\nHead Start is a federal program that provides comprehensive services to enrolled children and their families, which include health, nutrition, social services and other services determined to be necessary by family needs assessments, in addition to education and cognitive development services. Shelby County Head Start provides these services to over 3,000 children in Memphis and Shelby County.\nToday\u2019s funding will complete the funding needed for the school year that ends in May 2014. An announcement about who will administer the Head Start grant for the 2014-1015 school year is expected within the next few months, along with additional funding for this vital program.\nThe Head Start program was founded as part of Lyndon B. Johnson\u2019s War on Poverty in 1965 as an eight-week demonstration project. Since its founding, Head Start has served over 30 million children and their families in urban and rural areas in every corner of the nation and has grown to include full day as well as year services and numerous program options.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-putin-made-right-decision-free-imprisoned-musicians-and-other-political", "Cohen: Putin Made Right Decision To Free Imprisoned Musicians and Other Political Prisoners", "2013-12-20", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today reiterated that the imprisoned members of Russian punk music group \u201cPussy Riot\u201d should never have been incarcerated for an artistic performance and expressed approval of news that Russian President Vladimir Putin would\u2014at long last\u2014grant them their freedom. Congressman Cohen had\u00a0written to President Vladimir Putin\u00a0multiple times since the sentencing of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina last year urging a pardon for their so-called crimes of \u201chooliganism.\u201d\n\u201cMs. Tolokonnikova and Ms. Alyokhina are not criminals, but artists who received neither fair trials nor humane sentences,\u201d\u00a0said Congressman Cohen.\u00a0\u201cTwo years in prison for a performance that\u2014at worst\u2014would be described as \u2018disorderly conduct\u2019 here in America is outrageous and inappropriate. And while they are among the best known political prisoners in Russia, there are thousands more incarcerated for things such as political speech, \u2018hooliganism,\u2019 and\u00a0other so-called \u2018crimes.\u2019 In granting amnesty to thousands of political prisoners, Russia and President Putin made the right decision. It is an important step towards correcting these injustices and furthering the cause of human rights\u2014but it must not be the last. I sincerely hope these actions are not simply window-dressing in advance of the 2014 Olympics, but reflect a shift in Russian policy regarding free expression. I look forward to seeing Ms. Tolokonnikova and Ms. Alyokhina perform with their band soon in the United States.\u201d\nPresident Putin yesterday\u00a0announced that he would pardon both Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, several environmental activists, and Mikhail Khodorovsky\u2014who many feel was imprisoned because of political opposition to Putin\u2014as part of a mass amnesty that could affect more than 20,000 prisoners in Russia.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-send-guest-book-memphis-nelson-mandela-memorial-late-south-african-presidents", "Cohen to Send Guest Book From Memphis Nelson Mandela Memorial to the Late South African President's Family", "2013-12-20", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 After attending last weekend\u2019s memorial service for the late Nelson Mandela at R.S. Lewis & Sons Funeral Home, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that he will send the service\u2019s guest book to the late President\u2019s family in South Africa. A photo of the guest book from the R.S. Lewis Funeral Home, the same funeral home where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s body was taken for public viewing in April of 1968, is available here.\n\u201cAt the memorial service over the weekend, I reflected on the late Nelson Mandela\u2019s enduring spirit and his many honorable accomplishments,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cI will make sure that his family in South Africa receives this guest book from the same funeral home where Dr. King was taken for public viewing, the R.S. Lewis & Sons Funeral Home.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-president-obama-right-track-can-and-should-do-more-bring-fairness-our-justice", "Cohen: President Obama on the Right Track, But Can and Should Do More to Bring Fairness to Our Justice System", "2013-12-19", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 After President Obama commuted the sentences of 8 Americans serving unfair crack cocaine sentences and pardoned 13 others, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) positively acknowledged the use of executive clemency but noted that thousands more like these Americans remain incarcerated, serving sentences that would not be ordered today and that have been repudiated by Congress and by the United States. For years, the Congressman has repeatedly called on the President to make broader use of his pardon and commutation powers to address these injustices, including repeatedly urging Attorney General Holder to address the issue, in a letter sent to the President in June, in an August speech on Capitol Hill and in a column that appeared in The Nation.\n\u201cPresident Obama took a step in the right direction with the commutation of a small number of Americans that he acknowledged were \u2018sentenced under an unfair system,\u2019\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cBut he also acknowledged that there are \u2018thousands\u2019 more still serving unfair sentences, and that this \u2018must not be the last\u2019 step towards restoring justice and fairness in our judicial system\u2014I could not agree more. President Obama can and should use his Constitutional power to help bring all of these inmates the justice they deserve, not just 8 of them.\u201d\nThe Fair Sentencing Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by the President in 2010, marked a turning point in our nation\u2019s approach to drug policy and took a critical step towards eliminating the dramatic and unfair disparity between crack and cocaine mandatory minimum sentences. But, as the President mentioned today, it \u201ccame too late\u201d for thousands of people who were sentenced before the law was passed are still serving sentences that have been repudiated by Congress and the President. Now that the United States government has declared these sentences to be void against public policy, the President can and should use his commutation power to remedy this injustice for all of those still incarcerated under outdated sentences.\nCongressman Cohen continued: \u201cWhile the country remains light years behind the United States when it comes to human rights and free expression, reports today indicate that even Russia and Vladimir Putin are taking steps to change their ways by granting amnesty to thousands of prisoners incarcerated for things such as expressing their right to free speech, \u2018hooliganism,\u2019 and other political \u2018crimes.\u2019 The United States must change its ways and reconsider its incarceration and sentencing policies as well. The President has shown that he is willing to help in that process with today\u2019s commutations, but he must do more to release people who are simply draining our economy.\u201d\nToday\u2019s announcement only highlights how much more the President can do. The pardon and commutation powers are, in addition to being the speediest method of bringing needed justice to thousands of people incarcerated under outdated crack cocaine sentences, one of the few actions that the President can take without being blocked or delayed by an obstructionist Congress.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/remember-get-covered-december-23rd", "Remember to Get Covered by December 23rd", "2013-12-19", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,\nI\u2019m glad to be home in Memphis for the holidays after a long and frustrating year in Congress. I hope that you and your loved ones have a wonderful holiday season. Keep reading to learn what else happened this week.\nHonoring the Late Nelson Mandela  Helping Memphians Get Covered by December 23rd  Extending Coverage to Those Most\u00a0in Need  Opposing Telephone Calls on Airplanes  Senator Elizabeth Warren Joins My Effort to Ensure All Job Seekers Are Treated Fairly  Reining In the FISA Court and NSA Surveillance  2014 U.S. Capitol Historical Society Calendars Are Available  White House Internships  Grant Announcements\nHonoring the Late Nelson Mandela\nIn the last week, I attended a memorial service for the late Nelson Mandela at the R.S. Lewis and Sons Funeral Home\u2014the same funeral home where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s body was taken for public viewing in April of 1968. At the memorial service this week, I signed the guest book and reflected on his great spirit and accomplishments. I will make sure that the guest book gets to the Mandela family in South Africa.\nHelping Memphians Get Covered by December 23rd\nAll Memphians should have quality health coverage and the President\u2019s landmark Affordable Care Act\u2014also known as Obamacare\u2014is making affordable, higher-quality coverage available to people who have not had access to it in the past. Luckily, many who have been unable to afford quality coverage in the past are now eligible to enroll in Tennessee\u2019s Health Insurance Marketplace, though\u00a0the deadline to enroll for coverage that starts on January 1st is just 4 days away. If you do not have health insurance coverage, you may also be eligible to save money on your health care premiums\u00a0in the Marketplace.\nIf you are on Medicare or your employer is going to offer qualified health insurance next year that you will enroll in, you\u2019re already covered and won\u2019t need to enter the Marketplace for your health coverage. If you aren\u2019t sure whether or not you will need to use the Marketplace to get insurance, call the Marketplace Hotline at 1-800-318-2596 or visit www.HealthCare.gov. You can also call my office or the Marketplace Hotline to find out if TennCare (Tennessee\u2019s Medicaid program) is a coverage option for you. If you are one of the millions of Americans who need health insurance, you can sign up\u00a0for coverage that will take effect January 1, 2014 until December 23, 2013. Enrollment in the marketplace will remain open until March 31, 2014 if you miss the deadline for coverage starting in January. Visit www.healthcare.gov\u00a0 today to look at your options.\nThe Affordable Care Act is already working for families across the Ninth District and the recent government shutdown didn\u2019t change that. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 147,000 individuals in the district now have health insurance that covers preventive services without co-pays, $3.1 million in insurance premiums have been returned to consumers, and more than 5,000 seniors on Medicare paid a total of $5.9 million less for their prescription medications as we continue to close the \u2018donut hole.\u2019 Also, health insurance companies can no longer discriminate against patients with pre-existing conditions and young adults up to age 26 can now stay on their parents\u2019 insurance plan.\nMany of the Marketplace website issues that have been in the news recently have been resolved.\u00a0However, the Marketplace website is only one tool that you can use to sign up for coverage. If you are having trouble accessing the website, please do not hesitate to call the Marketplace Hotline at 1-800-318-2596 or attend one of Seedco Mid-South\u2019s enrollment events for in-person help. Seedco\u2019s Navigators will be at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library today and tomorrow to help provide information and assist with in-person enrollment in Marketplace health insurance options. They will be in the library\u2019s Meeting Room B from 4:00 \u2013 6:30 PM tonight (Thursday), in Meeting Room A from 10:00 AM\u00a0\u2013 1:00 PM tomorrow (Friday), and Room L-56 from 2:00 \u2013 4:00 PM tomorrow (Friday). You do not need to preregister to attend any of these sessions. If you cannot make any of these sessions, you can also visit the Seedco Mid-South office at 22 North Front Street (Suite 900), and they can be reached by phone at 901-528-8341. If you have any other questions, you should also feel free to call my office at 901-544-4131.\nExtending Coverage to Those Most in Need\nWhile the technical problems with the health insurance Marketplace\u2019s website are largely resolved, a political problem with another important tool to help people access health care remains: TennCare has not been expanded to include everyone that the Affordable Care Act allows it to include. And sadly, our governor has failed to expand it\u2014making health insurance completely unattainable for some of the most vulnerable Tennesseans. This week, I wrote a column in the Commercial Appeal about why we must expand TennCare. You can read it here.\nOpposing Telephone Calls on Airplanes\nYesterday, I led a bipartisan group of 15 Members of Congress in urging the FAA to keep the ban on in-flight calls in place. I, along with my Congressional colleagues, share the concerns of the flying public and the many professionals in the aviation industry that such a change to the current rules disallowing the use of cell phone voice networks could result in not only a markedly less pleasant flying experience, but a less safe one as well.\nAllowing passengers to make phone calls while in flight would disrupt the right of consumers to enjoy the quiet comfort of their flight. Simply put, the flying experience in the United States would be forever changed for the worse if voice calls are allowed on flights. I hope that the FAA considers our concerns and makes the right decision.\nSenator Elizabeth Warren Joins My Effort to Ensure All Job Seekers Are Treated Fairly\nUsing a job applicant\u2019s credit history to deny employment is not fair because personal credit history is not an accurate predictor of job performance. And worse still, without a job the chances of improving one\u2019s credit rating can be significantly diminished, meaning that using credit ratings to deny employment only perpetuates these cyclical problems. According to TransUnion, Greater Memphis residents have among the lowest average credit ratings in America.\nMy Equal Employment for All Act would help those with less-than-stellar credit reports by prohibiting employers from using consumer credit checks and bankruptcy filings in the hiring or firing processes. This week, my bill got a big boost when U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren introduced it in the Senate.\u00a0Having Senator Warren and other consumer champions like her on our side is great news. I look forward to working with her in the coming session of Congress to pass this important bill that will help Americans who are looking for work.\nReining In the FISA Court and NSA Surveillance\nThis week, a federal judge originally appointed by President George W. Bush ruled that some of the methods used by the National Security Agency (NSA) to spy on American citizens were likely unconstitutional. On Monday night, I spoke with Chris Hayes on MSNBC about some of the ways we can help protect our rights\u2014including my bill to change how members of the FISA court, which oversees the NSA, are appointed. You can watch my interview with Chris here.\n2014 U.S. Capitol Historical Society Calendars Are Available\nMy office currently has a limited number of 2014 U.S. Capitol Historical Society calendars available. If you would like to receive next year\u2019s calendar, please complete this short form on my website \u00a0Due\u00a0to the rules of the House, I am only able to mail calendars to residents of Tennessee\u2019s Ninth District. Please feel free to share this email with other citizens of the Ninth District who may be interested in receiving one but who do not receive my eNewsletter.\nWhite House Internships\nThe White House Internship Program is currently accepting applications from young people who are interested in government and devoted to public service. If you\u2014or anyone you know\u2014 would like to spend some time working at the White House, gaining valuable professional experience and building leadership skills, I would like to take this opportunity to urge you to apply. The application deadline is January 5th, 2014. Click here\u00a0for more information.\nGrant Announcements\nI regularly release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others. These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th District. The announcements are\u00a0updated regularly on my website.\nMerry Christmas and Happy New Year,\n  \n\tSteve Cohen  \n\tMember of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/gaining-momentum-cohen-bill-prevent-employers-using-credit-checks-hiring-process", "Gaining Momentum, Cohen Bill to Prevent Employers from Using Credit Checks in Hiring Process Introduced in the Senate", "2013-12-18", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Greater Memphis residents have among the lowest average credit ratings in America \n[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today commended U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA) on introducing his legislation, the Equal Employment for All Act, in the United States Senate. The legislation, which is cosponsored by 6 other Senators and 31 U.S. Representatives in the House, would help protect job applicants from unfair discrimination from employers based on less-than-stellar or inaccurate credit ratings.\n\u201cUsing a job applicant\u2019s credit history to deny employment is not fair because personal credit history is not an accurate predictor of job performance,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cWe should be doing everything in our power to help people find jobs during these tough economic times \u2013 not hinder them. Having Senator Warren and other consumer champions on our side is great news and I look forward to working with her to pass our Equal Employment for All Act.\u201d\nCongressman Cohen originally introduced the Equal Employment for All Act in 2009 to prohibit employers from using credit checks and bankruptcy filings in the hiring process unless the position sought involves national security, FDIC clearance or tremendous financial responsibility.\n\u201cA bad credit rating is far more often the result of unexpected medical costs, unemployment, economic downturns, or other bad breaks than it is a reflection on an individual's character or abilities,\u201d Senator Warren said. \u201cFamilies have not fully recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, and too many Americans are still searching for jobs. This is about basic fairness -- let people compete on the merits, not on whether they already have enough money to pay all their bills.\u201d\nAccording to the Society for Human Resource Management, the number of U.S. employers conducting pre-employment credit checks is on the rise, up from 36 percent to 43 percent. It was previously thought that credit history may provide insight into an individual's character, but research has shown that an individual's credit rating has little to no correlation with his or her ability to be successful in the workplace.\nNot only are credit ratings a poor indicator of performance, but they are often inaccurate in the first place. Earlier this year, a study from the Federal Trade Commission suggested that errors in credit reports are common and, in many cases, have been difficult to correct.\u00a0\nThe Equal Employment for All Act has been endorsed by more than 40 organizations, including 9to5, AFGE Women's and Fair Practices Departments, American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA), American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Relations (AFL-CIO), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Americans for Financial Reform, Asian American Justice Center, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Black Women's Roundtable, Campaign for Community Change, Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Consumer Action, D\u0113mos, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), Disability Rights Legal Center, Job Opportunities Task Force, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Legal Action Center, MFY Legal Services, NAACP, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, National Association of Consumer Advocates, National Black Justice Coalition, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients), National Council of La Raza, National Council on Independent Living, National Employment Law Project, National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), National Fair Housing Alliance, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund, National Network to End Domestic Violence, National Organization for Women, National Partnership for Women and Families, National Women's Law Center, National Workrights Institute, Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project (NEDAP), New York Legal Assistance Group, PolicyLink, Poverty and Race Research Action Council, Public Citizen, Public Justice Center, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and U.S. PIRG.\nU.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) joined Senator Warren in cosponsoring the Senate bill. Congressman Cohen\u2019s companion legislation in the House has 31 cosponsors.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-leads-bipartisan-congressional-letter-urging-faa-not-allow-cell-phone-calls", "Cohen Leads Bipartisan Congressional Letter Urging FAA to Not Allow Cell Phone Calls In Flight", "2013-12-17", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 After the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened the door to a proposal that would allow for voice calls from cell phones during domestic air travel, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) sent a bipartisan Congressional letter to Michael Huerta, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), strongly urging him to maintain the ban on cell phone calls in flight. The letter, which is cosigned by 14 Members of Congress and available here, also expresses concerns about disruptions to passengers\u2019 flight experience as well as for consumer safety.\n\u201cWe share the concerns of the flying public and the many professionals in the aviation industry that such a change to the current rules disallowing the use of cell phone voice networks could result in not only a markedly less pleasant flying experience, but a less safe one as well,\u201d wrote the Representatives. \u201cAllowing passengers to make phone calls while in flight would disrupt the right of consumers to enjoy the quiet comfort of their flight. In addition, we have strong concerns about the effect such a change may have on safety. Simply put, the flying experience in the United States would be forever changed for the worse if voice calls are allowed on flights. We hope that you will consider our concerns and those of the industry\u2019s experienced professionals as you consider how to proceed.\u201d\nShould the FCC change its current rules, the FAA would have to approve changes to in-flight policies made by individual airlines. Last month, the Association of Flight Attendants released a statement explaining: \u201cAny situation that is loud, divisive, and possibly disruptive is not only unwelcome but also unsafe.\u201d\nRepresentatives Michael Capuano (MA-07), Jim Cooper (TN-05), Peter DeFazio (OR-04), Keith Ellison (MN-05), Elizabeth Esty (CT-05), Sam Farr, (CA-20), Raul Grijalva (AZ-03), Michael Honda (CA-17), Walter Jones (NC-03), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Thomas Petri (WI-06), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Allyson Schwartz (PA-13), and Eric Swalwell (CA-15) joined Congressman Cohen in signing this letter.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/honoring-nelson-mandelas-memory", "Honoring Nelson Mandela's Memory", "2013-12-13", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend, \nThis week, the late Nelson Mandela was on my mind quite a bit. The life he led and his steadfast dedication to the principles of forgiveness and reconciliation stand alone in their impact on the world as we know it today. The importance and priority that he placed on those principles played a role in my introducing the first Congressional apology for slavery and Jim Crow laws to pass in the U.S. House of Representatives five years ago. Apologizing for past wrongs is the first step towards forgiveness and reconciliation, and it was an important step for Congress to take that helped bring people with different backgrounds and historical experiences together. I spoke with Joie Chen on \u201cAmerica Tonight\u201d about what Mandela\u2019s death means for us and how we can move closer to the goal of true reconciliation. My interview will air in the coming days on \"America Tonight,\" which airs at 8PM CT. While the channel depends on your television provider,\u00a0you can click here\u00a0to learn where\u00a0it airs for you. Keep reading to learn more about what went on in Washington this week. \nPassing a Bipartisan Budget Compromise  Helping Memphians Get Covered  Fully Funding the National Institutes of Health  Hope Scholarships  2014 U.S. Capitol Historical Society Calendars Are Available  Grants to Memphis  White House Internships  Grant Announcements\nPassing a Bipartisan Budget Compromise \nAmerica is tired of government by crisis and of a Congress that lurches from one shutdown threat to the next. Last night, I voted for a two-year bipartisan budget compromise that will provide the stability both the business community and the American people need and deserve. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 passed the House by a 332 to 94 vote, putting us on course to pass the first budget through a divided Congress since 1986. You can watch me discussing the budget deal on \u201cAmerica Tonight\u201d by clicking here. \nWhile I don\u2019t agree with everything in the bill, I joined President Obama in supporting it because it is a significant step in the right direction. This budget will also alleviate some of the crippling effects of sequestration by restoring $25 billion for non-defense discretionary programs like Meals on Wheels, LIHEAP, and research at the National Institutes of Health that could lead to cures for debilitating and fatal diseases. \nStill, I am disappointed that this agreement does nothing to help the more than one million Americans at risk of losing unemployment benefits just days after Christmas. Before the budget passed yesterday, I voted to ensure this agreement extended a lifeline to those Americans looking for work, but Speaker Boehner and his colleagues did not join me and the vote failed. I will continue to urge the Speaker to keep the House in session until an extension of the unemployment compensation program is passed. \nHelping Memphians Get Covered \nAll Memphians should have quality health coverage and the President\u2019s landmark Affordable Care Act\u2014also known as Obamacare\u2014is making affordable, higher-quality coverage available to people who have not had access to it in the past. Luckily, many who have been unable to afford quality coverage in the past are now eligible to enroll in Tennessee\u2019s Health Insurance Marketplace, though the deadline to enroll for coverage that starts on January 1st is just 10 days away. If you do not have health insurance coverage, you may also be eligible to save money on your health care premiums\u00a0in the Marketplace. \nIf you are on Medicare or your employer is going to offer qualified health insurance next year that you will enroll in, you\u2019re already covered and won\u2019t need to enter the Marketplace for your health coverage. If you aren\u2019t sure whether or not you will need to use the Marketplace to get insurance, call the Marketplace Hotline at 1-800-318-2596 or visit www.HealthCare.gov. You can also call my office or the Marketplace Hotline to find out if TennCare (Tennessee\u2019s Medicaid program) is a coverage option for you. If you are one of the millions of Americans who need health insurance, you can sign up\u00a0for coverage that will take effect January 1, 2014 until December 23, 2013. Enrollment in the marketplace will remain open until March 31, 2014 if you miss the deadline for coverage starting in January. Visit www.healthcare.gov\u00a0 today to look at out your options. \nThe Affordable Care Act is already working for families across the Ninth District and the recent government shutdown didn\u2019t change that. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 147,000 individuals in the district now have health insurance that covers preventive services without co-pays, $3.1 million in insurance premiums have been returned to consumers, and more than 5,000 seniors on Medicare paid a total of $5.9 million less for their prescription medications as we continue to close the \u2018donut hole.\u2019 Also, health insurance companies can no longer discriminate against patients with pre-existing conditions and young adults up to age 26 can now stay on their parents\u2019 insurance plan. \nMany of the Marketplace website issues that have been in the news recently have been resolved.\u00a0However, the Marketplace website is only one tool that you can use to sign up for coverage. If you are having trouble accessing the website, please do not hesitate to call the Marketplace Hotline at 1-800-318-2596 or visit Seedco Mid-South for in-person help. Seedco is located at 22 North Front Street (Suite 900), and they can be reached by phone at 901-528-8341. If you have any other questions, you should also feel free to call my office at 901-544-4131. \nFully Funding the National Institutes of Health \nOn Wednesday, the House debated a bill called the Kids First Research Act. Supporters of the legislation claim the bill will redirect the spending of the tax dollars that fund political conventions\u2014which amount to a mere $13 million dollars, or less than 1% of the $1.5 billion cut from the NIH this year through sequestration\u2014to raise funding for pediatric research, though in reality the bill does not guarantee that funding will be used for research at all. \nThe NIH is our nation\u2019s true Department of Defense\u2014it defends us from cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer\u2019s, AIDS and diabetes. And its budget for research into new cures is being decimated by sequestration.\u00a0The $13 million in research funding this bill proposes doesn\u2019t replace even 1% of the cuts made by sequestration. I spoke out about this attempt to distract America from these cuts on the House floor. You can watch my speech here. \nMemphis is home to the world\u2019s best pediatric cancer center, St. Jude Children\u2019s Research Hospital. They deserve to be protected from these cuts, as do the countless kids who will be stricken with diseases and illnesses that research projects could cure if adequately funded. Those kids\u2014and all of those suffering with a disease or illness that could be cured with adequate funding\u2014need more than just the window-dressing this bill would provide. And while the bipartisan budget deal that the House passed yesterday gets us closer than this distraction, we need to do more to ensure the NIH is fully funded. \nHope Scholarships \nThe Commercial Appeal reported this week\u00a0that the Tennessee Lottery is projecting enough revenue to fund Hope Scholarships and other financial aid for as many as 102,000 Tennessee students. I worked for nearly two decades to establish the lottery when I was in the Tennessee Senate because it would help young people afford college. For more information about the Tennessee Lottery Scholarship and other financial aid options available through the State of Tennessee, visit www.tennessee.gov/tsac. \n2014 U.S. Capitol Historical Society Calendars Are Available \nMy office currently has a limited number of 2014 U.S. Capitol Historical Society calendars available. If you would like to receive next year\u2019s calendar, please complete this short form on my website.\u00a0Due to the rules of the House, I am only able to mail calendars to residents of Tennessee\u2019s Ninth District. Please feel free to share this email with other citizens of the Ninth District who may be interested in receiving one but who do not receive my eNewsletter. \nGrants to Memphis \nThis week, I announced almost $220,000 to help St. Jude Children\u2019s Research Hospital continue providing training for the world\u2019s first class doctors who choose to pursue the path of children\u2019s medicine. You can read more about the grant here. \nWhite House Internships \nThe White House Internship Program is currently accepting applications from young people who are interested in government and devoted to public service. If you\u2014or anyone you know\u2014 would like to spend some time working at the White House, gaining valuable professional experience and building leadership skills, I would like to take this opportunity to urge you to apply. The application deadline is January 5th, 2014. Click here\u00a0for more information. \nGrant Announcements \nI regularly release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others. These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th District. The announcements are\u00a0updated regularly on my website. \nAs always, I remain.\u00a0  \n\tMost sincerely,    \n\tSteve Cohen  \n\tMember of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-chairman-lamar-smith-introduce-bipartisan-bill-protect-consumers-unfair-taxes", "Cohen, Chairman Lamar Smith Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Protect Consumers From Unfair Taxes on Digital Goods", "2013-12-13", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) joined Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (TX-21) this week to introduce legislation that would protect consumers from unfair taxes on digital goods, like those purchased over the Internet or on a smartphone. The Digital Goods and Services Tax Fairness Act of 2013, H.R. 3724, ensures that digital goods are not taxed at a higher rate than their tangible counterparts.\n\u201cDigital goods and services are quickly becoming a driving force in our national economy,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cWe need to establish a uniform framework for the taxation of digital goods and services so consumers won\u2019t be double-taxed.\u00a0 Our Digital Goods and Services Tax Fairness Act would accomplish such a goal.\u201d\nChairman Smith said: \u201cIn our modern economy, more and more consumers are buying digital goods and services rather than tangible goods. While books are still sold in stores across the country, readers can now download hundreds of digital books, newspapers and magazines instantaneously with the click of a mouse from the comfort of their home.\u00a0 But as technology advances, it is important that tax policies do not unfairly penalize consumers who choose to download digital goods rather than purchase their tangible counterparts. This legislation promotes tax fairness and ensures that consumers are not discouraged from purchasing digital goods.\u201d\nThis legislation would prevent the taxation of mp3 and software downloads, for example, at a higher rate than the tax on music and software CDs.\u00a0 The bill would also make sure that consumers do not suffer tax discrimination because they choose to purchase a good in digital rather than tangible form.\u00a0\nThe Digital Goods and Services Tax Fairness Act of 2013 is also cosponsored by Representatives Spencer Bachus (AL-06), Steve Chabot (OH-01), and Howard Coble (NC-06). Companion legislation was introduced in the Senate earlier this year by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and John Thune (R-SD).", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-statement-house-passage-bipartisan-budget-act-2013", "Cohen Statement on House Passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013", "2013-12-12", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 After the United States House of Representatives passed the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 to alleviate some of sequestration\u2019s crippling effects, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) made the following statement:\n\u201cAmerica is tired of government by crisis and of a Congress that lurches from one shutdown threat to the next. I voted for the Bipartisan Budget Act because this compromise will provide the stability both the business community and the American people need and deserve. While I don\u2019t agree with everything in the bill, I joined President Obama in supporting it because it is a significant step in the right direction.\u201d\n\u201cTonight\u2019s vote means we are on course to pass the first budget through a divided Congress since 1986. The agreement will also alleviate some of the crippling effects of sequestration by restoring $25 billion for non-defense discretionary programs like Meals on Wheels, LIHEAP, and research at the National Institutes of Health that could lead to cures for debilitating and fatal diseases.\u201d\n\u201cStill, I am disappointed that this agreement does nothing to help the more than one million Americans at risk of losing unemployment benefits just days after Christmas. Earlier today, I voted to ensure this agreement extended a lifeline to those Americans looking for work, but Speaker Boehner and his colleagues did not join me and the vote failed. I will continue to urge the Speaker to keep the House in session until an extension of the unemployment compensation program is passed.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-165-house-dems-call-speaker-boehner-help-nations-unemployed-taking-his-christmas", "Cohen, 173 House Dems Call on Speaker Boehner to Help the Nation's Unemployed Before Taking His Christmas Vacation", "2013-12-11", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 On the heels of the announcement of a 2-year budget agreement that does nothing to prevent more than a million Americans from losing unemployment benefits while they look for work, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today joined 173 of his House Democratic colleagues in calling on Speaker Boehner to keep the House of Representatives in Washington and working until an extension of the unemployment compensation program is passed.\n\u201cWithout swift Congressional action, 1.3 million jobless workers will have their benefits cut off on December 28th, and nearly another 1.9 million will lose their unemployment benefits over the first half of next year,\u201d the Representatives wrote today in a letter to the Speaker. \u201cThis would not only be a devastating blow for millions of Americans who are already struggling, but it would also hurt our economy.\u201d\nThe Representatives continued: \u201cNow is certainly not the time to further decimate vital federal assistance to workers who have lost their job through no fault of their own and who must actively seek work in order to be eligible for unemployment benefits\u2026 We write to urge you to address the looming expiration of unemployment benefits for millions of Americans before adjourning Congress for the remainder of the year.\u201d\u00a0 \nThe federal unemployment insurance program is scheduled to expire December 28, immediately cutting of all jobless aid to 1.3 million Americans. An additional 1.9 million Americans who are estimated to be eligible for federal unemployment insurance in the first half of 2014 would lose access to that coverage.\nThe text of the letter sent by House Democrats to Speaker Boehner today follows:\nDear Speaker Boehner:\nWe write to urge you to address the looming expiration of unemployment benefits for millions of Americans before adjourning Congress for the remainder of the year.\u00a0 Without swift Congressional action, 1.3 million jobless workers will have their benefits cut off on December 28th, and nearly another 1.9 million will lose their unemployment benefits over the first half of next year.\u00a0\u00a0 This would not only be a devastating blow for millions of Americans who are already struggling, but it would also hurt our economy.\nThe Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program is scheduled to immediately and completely stop at the end of 2013, during the holiday season, with the last payable week ending on December 28th.\u00a0 All current EUC beneficiaries will lose their benefits, and individuals exhausting their limited state unemployment benefits will no longer be eligible for EUC benefits in 2014.\u00a0 This cutoff will affect over 3 million Americans over the next six months, and thereby also negatively impact our economic growth. In fact, recent estimates indicate that the expiration of the EUC program would cost our economy 310,000 jobs and drain roughly four-tenths of a percentage point from first-quarter economic growth.\nWhile unemployment benefits remain a critical lifeline for dislocated workers and their families, these benefits have recently been significantly scaled back.\u00a0 According to the Congressional Research Service, the total amount of weeks of unemployment benefits has dropped by more than a third across the states, and by more than 50 percent in some states, compared to two years ago.\u00a0\u00a0 Furthermore, the recipients have seen their weekly benefit payment provided by the EUC program cut under sequestration.\nEven with the progress our economy has seen since the depths of the recession, there are still 1.3 million fewer jobs today than when the recession started six years ago. Additionally, approximately 4 million Americans are considered long-term unemployed, and have been looking for work for more than six months. Now is certainly not the time to further decimate vital federal assistance to workers who have lost their job through no fault of their own and who must actively seek work in order to be eligible for unemployment benefits.\u00a0\u00a0 We therefore strongly urge you to immediately bring up a one-year extension of the current EUC program.\nThank you for your attention to this critical issue.\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-blasts-house-gop-effort-distract-cuts-medical-research-are-preventing-new-cures", "Cohen Blasts House GOP Effort to Distract From Cuts to Medical Research That Are Preventing New Cures For Fatal Illnesses", "2013-12-11", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 One of the most outspoken advocates in Congress for medical research programs and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to lambast a Republican proposal meant to distract from sequestration\u2019s very real and crippling effects on the NIH\u2019s efforts to find cures for debilitating diseases like cancer, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer\u2019s and AIDS. Video of the Congressman\u2019s remarks on the House Floor is available here.\n\u201cThe NIH is our nation\u2019s true Department of Defense\u2014it defends us from cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer\u2019s, AIDS and diabetes,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cAnd their budget for research into new cures is being decimated by sequestration. \u00a0The $13 million in research funding this bill proposes doesn\u2019t replace even 1% of sequestration\u2019s cuts. Memphis, the city I live in, is home to the world\u2019s best pediatric cancer center, St. Jude Children\u2019s Research Hospital. They deserve to be protected from these cuts, as do the countless kids who will be stricken with diseases and illnesses that research projects could cure if adequately funded. They need more than the window-dressing that this bill provides. I urge my colleagues to support full funding for the NIH, not just smoke and mirrors.\u201d\nThe Congressman was speaking out about the Kids First Research Act which was debated by the House today. Supporters of the legislation claim the bill will redirect the spending of the tax dollars that fund political conventions\u2014which amount to a mere $13 million dollars, or less than 1% of the $1.5 billion cut from the NIH this year through sequestration\u2014to raise funding for pediatric research, but the bill does not guarantee that funding will be used for such research.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-nearly-220000-st-jude-childrens-research-hospital", "Cohen Announces Nearly $220,000 For St. Jude Children's Research Hospital", "2013-12-10", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $218,775 to St. Jude Children\u2019s Research Hospital for a graduate medical education payment program.\n\u201cThis funding will help St. Jude continue to provide the best training for the world\u2019s first-class doctors who choose to pursue the path of children\u2019s medicine,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.\nThis funding comes through HHS\u2019 Children's Hospitals Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) Payment Program, which provides federal funds to freestanding children's hospitals to help them maintain their graduate medical education (GME) programs that train resident physicians. GME follows graduation from medical school and can take between three and seven years to complete, depending on the specialty track chosen.\nFounded in 1962, St. Jude is one of the world\u2019s leading children\u2019s cancer research hospitals and is focused on finding cures for and saving children from cancer and other life-threatening diseases.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/welcoming-holiday-season", "Welcoming the Holiday Season", "2013-12-06", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,\nI hope you and your loved ones had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are enjoying the holiday season. This week, Congress returned to Washington for the last weeks of the year. This current Congress has so far been the least productive in history, but I hope that after the shutdown battles of the last few months, we can all come together to deal with the issues before us. We should pass a budget that averts yet another shutdown early next year, roll back the cuts that are hurting the middle class, and extend unemployment benefits and the food stamp program so that the least among us can live with dignity. Keep reading to learn more about what went on this week.\nHelping Memphians Get Covered  Remembering Nelson Mandela  Promoting Immigration Reform  Working for a Living Wage  Celebrating Hannukah  Promoting American Innovation and Ingenuity  Grants to Memphis  White House Internships  Grant Announcements\nHelping Memphians Get Covered\nAll Memphians should have quality health coverage and the President\u2019s landmark Affordable Care Act\u2014also known as Obamacare\u2014is making affordable, higher-quality coverage available to people who have not had access to it in the past. Luckily, many who have been unable to afford quality coverage in the past are now eligible to enroll in Tennessee\u2019s Health Insurance Marketplace. If you do not have health insurance coverage, you may be eligible to save money on your health care premiums\u00a0in the Marketplace.\nOn Monday evening, I hosted a telephone town hall with Anton Gunn, the Director of External Affairs for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to answer questions about the law and discuss the law\u2019s benefits. During the hour-long town hall, more than 7,000 citizens of the Ninth District participated and I enjoyed the opportunity to speak with them.\nIf you are on Medicare or your employer is going to offer qualified health insurance next year that you will enroll in, you\u2019re already covered and won\u2019t need to enter the Marketplace for your health coverage. If you aren\u2019t sure whether or not you will need to use the Marketplace to get insurance, call the Marketplace Hotline at1-800-318-2596or visit www.HealthCare.gov. You can also call my office or the Marketplace Hotline to find out if TennCare (Tennessee\u2019s Medicaid program) is a coverage option for you. If you are one of the millions of Americans who need health insurance, you can sign up\u00a0for coverage that will take effect January 1, 2014 until December 23, 2013. Enrollment in the marketplace will remain open until March 31, 2014 if you miss the deadline for coverage starting in January. Visit www.healthcare.gov\u00a0 today to look at out your options.\nThe Affordable Care Act is already working for families across the Ninth District and the recent government shutdown didn\u2019t change that. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 147,000 individuals in the district now have health insurance that covers preventive services without co-pays, $3.1 million in insurance premiums have been returned to consumers, and more than 5,000 seniors on Medicare paid a total of $5.9 million less for their prescription medications as we continue to close the \u2018donut hole.\u2019 Also, health insurance companies can no longer discriminate against patients with pre-existing conditions and young adults up to age 26 can now stay on their parents\u2019 insurance plan.\nMany of the Marketplace website issues that have been in the news recently have been resolved.\u00a0However, the Marketplace website is only one tool that you can use to sign up for coverage. If you are having trouble accessing the website, please do not hesitate to call the Marketplace Hotline at 1-800-318-2596 or visit Seedco Mid-South for in-person help. Seedco is located at 22 North Front Street (Suite 900), and they can be reached by phone at 901-528-8341. If you have any other questions, you should also feel free to call my office at 901-544-4131.\nRemembering Nelson Mandela\nAs a fighter for both human and civil rights, no one was greater than Nelson Mandela. Much like Martin Luther King Jr., President Mandela had a dream for his people that fundamentally changed society for the better. And much like Abraham Lincoln, President Mandela understood the virtue of reconciliation and the value of making peace with one\u2019s enemies for the betterment of their country. This understanding helped unify a divided people and heal the wounds of apartheid.\nSadly, the world lost him yesterday. After hearing of his passing, I looked at the statue of President Mandela that sits on my Capitol Hill desk with great sadness, but with many fond memories of the humility, self-sacrifice, and enduring warmth shown by one of the world\u2019s most revered and respected people. The loss that his passing represents to the world community can only be offset by his countless good deeds and the transformative example that he set for each of us.\nIn the 1980\u2019s, I joined with my former Democratic colleagues in the Tennessee State Senate in voting for sanctions against the apartheid regime. As I reflect on Mandela\u2019s passing, I am especially proud of that vote. He was such a great leader and I remain deeply affected by his steadfast moral rectitude. I also recall his visit to Memphis in 2000, where he was awarded the National Civil Rights Museum\u2019s International Freedom Award. As President Obama eloquently said last night: \u201cWe have lost one of the most influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this Earth.\u00a0He no longer belongs to us\u2014he belongs to the ages.\u201d\nPromoting Immigration Reform\nToday, I joined my friend Representative Keith Ellison from Minnesota in a fast to show our support for comprehensive immigration reform. Bend the Arc\u2014a Jewish group\u2014asked me to participate today and the Muslim Public Affairs Committee asked Congressman Ellison. You can read about our fast in today\u2019s Commercial Appeal. Representative Ellison and I are both members of the 2006 freshman class in Congress, and we often work together to further the cause of justice. When we do, it reflects the racial progress this country has made: his Minnesota district is mostly white though he is not, and mine is mostly African American though I am not. Since early November, a group of advocates for immigration reform have been on a hunger strike just steps away from the Capitol in Washington, but few on the other side of the aisle have been swayed. This issue is too important to families across our nation for Congress to ignore it any longer\u2014and I hope that Speaker Boehner brings a comprehensive plan to the floor as soon as possible.\nWorking for a Living Wage\nThis week, the University of Tennessee announced that it will raise the minimum wage for its employees to $9.50 an hour. I commend the University and its leadership for setting this positive example.\nThroughout my career, I have fought to raise the minimum wage to ensure that hard-working Americans can earn a living wage and won\u2019t have to struggle to provide for themselves and their families. I was proud to vote for an increase in the federal minimum wage in 2007 and am honored to be a co-sponsor of H.R. 1010, the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013, which would increase the federal minimum wage to $10.10.\nI urge the Tennessee Board of Regents and my colleagues in the House of Representatives to follow the lead of the University of Tennessee and ten states across the nation that have raised the minimum wage this year. Raising the minimum wage would help thousands of Memphians and millions of Americans, reduce income inequality and strengthen American families.\nCelebrating Hannukah\nYesterday evening, I attended a Hannukah party hosted by President Obama at the White House. While there, I met Larry David (the head writer of Seinfeld and creator of HBO\u2019s Curb Your Enthusiasm). I mentioned to him that of all the events I\u2019ve been to at the White House, I was struggling to think of a Jewish person that was as revered by the people attending the event\u2014only Sandy Koufax came to mind. He told me that was the nicest compliment he\u2019d ever received. I\u2019ve long been a fan of his and it was very nice to meet him.\nPromoting American Innovation and Ingenuity\nYesterday, I voted for the Innovation Act, a bipartisan jobs bill that will reform the patent system to unleash creativity and promote entrepreneurship in our country. I was glad to see the legislation receive the support of a majority of both Democrats and Republicans when it passed by a vote of 325-91. I also supported several amendments, which unfortunately failed, to further guarantee due process. Although it is not a perfect bill, it would help protect inventors from abusive litigation by so-called \u201cpatent trolls\u201d and make other needed reforms to the patent system. As it moves through the legislative process, I hope it can be improved even further.\nOur patent system helps keep the United States on the forefront of innovation and creativity. We must do everything we can to ensure that inventors can continue to forge breakthroughs that will lead to economic growth and jobs. I\u2019m glad that Republicans and Democrats could work together on this important legislation that promotes innovation, just like we did with the America Invents Act in 2011, which was introduced in the House by then-Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Lamar Smith from Texas and passed in a bipartisan manner.\nGrants to Memphis\nThis week, I announced almost $400,000 to help St. Jude Children\u2019s Research Hospital continue its important research. You can read more about the grant here.\nWhite House Internships\nThe White House Internship Program is currently accepting applications from young people who are interested in government and devoted to public service. If you\u2014or anyone you know\u2014 would like to spend some time working at the White House, gaining valuable professional experience and building leadership skills, I would like to take this opportunity to urge you to apply. The application deadline is January 5th, 2014. Click here\u00a0for more information.\nGrant Announcements\nI regularly release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others. These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th District. The announcements are\u00a0updated regularly on my website.\nAs always, I remain.\u00a0  \n\tMost sincerely,\n  \n\tSteve Cohen  \n\tMember of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-nearly-400000-st-jude-childrens-research-hospital", "Cohen Announces Nearly $400,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital", "2013-12-05", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that St. Jude Children\u2019s Research Hospital in downtown Memphis was awarded $393,750 in grant funding for a research project regarding LC3-Associated Phagocytosis. The grant comes through the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services\u2019 (HHS) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).\n\u201cThis funding will be used to continue important research at St. Jude, one of the world\u2019s finest health care institutions,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.\nThe NIAID conducts research to better understand, treat, and prevent disease. For over 60 years, research funded by the NIAID has led to innovations in therapy, new vaccines, diagnostics tests, and other technologies that have improved the quality of health for millions of people in the United States and around the world.\nFounded in 1962, St. Jude is one of the world\u2019s leading children\u2019s cancer research hospitals and is focused on finding cures for and saving children from cancer and other life-threatening diseases.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-statement-passing-nelson-mandela", "Cohen Statement on the Passing of Nelson Mandela", "2013-12-05", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] - Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) released the following statement upon learning of the passing of civil and human rights leader His Excellency Nelson Mandela:\n\u201cAs a fighter for both human and civil rights, no one was greater than Nelson Mandela,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cMuch like Martin Luther King Jr., President Mandela had a dream for his people that fundamentally changed society for the better. And much like Abraham Lincoln, President Mandela understood the virtue of reconciliation and the value of making peace with one\u2019s enemies for the betterment of their country. This understanding helped unify a divided people and heal the wounds of apartheid.\u201d\n\u201cAfter hearing of his passing, I looked at the statue of President Mandela that sits on my Capitol Hill desk with great sadness, but with many fond memories of the humility, self-sacrifice, and enduring warmth shown by one of our generation\u2019s most revered and respected statesmen. The loss that his passing represents to the world community can only be offset by his countless good deeds and the transformative example that he set for each of us.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-commends-ut-raising-its-minimum-wage", "Cohen commends UT for raising its minimum wage", "2013-12-03", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) released the following statement in response to the announcement that the University of Tennessee will raise the minimum wage for its employees.\n\u201cI commend the University of Tennessee for setting this example to raise the minimum wage for its employees to $9.50 an hour.\u00a0 Throughout my career, I have fought to raise the minimum wage to ensure that hard-working Americans can earn a living wage and won\u2019t have to struggle to provide for themselves and their families.\u00a0 I was proud to vote for an increase in the federal minimum wage in 2007 and am honored to be a co-sponsor of H.R. 1010, the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013, which would increase the federal minimum wage to $10.10.\n\u201cI urge the Tennessee Board of Regents and my colleagues in the House of Representatives to follow the lead of the University of Tennessee and ten states across the nation that have raised the minimum wage this year.\u00a0 Raising the minimum wage would help thousands of Memphians and millions of Americans, reduce income inequality and strengthen American families.\u201d\n#\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 #\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-hosts-telephone-town-hall-affordable-care-act-0", "Cohen Hosts Telephone Town Hall on Affordable Care Act", "2013-12-02", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) tonight hosted a Telephone Town Hall with U.S. Health and Human Services Director of External Affairs Anton Gunn to discuss the Affordable Care Act (ACA).\n\u201cTown halls give constituents an opportunity to discuss issues and concerns about laws that have a daily impact on their lives,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.\u00a0 \u201cToday we discussed how the Affordable Care Act is already helping constituents in the Ninth District and answered many questions about the law.\u201d\nThe Telephone Town Hall meeting began at 6:35 p.m. CST and lasted approximately one hour.\u00a0 More than 7,000 District 9 constituents participated in the call and asked questions about the Affordable Care Act.\u00a0 Since being elected to the House of Representatives in 2006, Congressman Cohen has hosted dozens of town hall meetings in his Congressional district and via telephone from Washington, D.C.\nAdditional information about the Affordable Care Act, including information about the health insurance plans made available through the health insurance marketplace, can be found online at https://HealthCare.gov (en Espa\u00f1ol: https://CuidadoDeSalud.gov).\u00a0 The website provides information and offers online web chats with trained specialists.\u00a0 A 24-hour hotline with translation services for 150 languages is available at (800) 318-2596.\u00a0 Additionally, the local non-profit Seedco offers trained experts to help walk Memphians and Shelby County residents through the application process and help them enroll in insurance plans. Seedco's Mid-South office is located at 22 North Front Street (Suite 900), and they can be reached by phone at (901) 528-8341.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-commemorates-50th-anniversary-assassination-president-john-f-kennedy", "Cohen Commemorates 50th Anniversary of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy", "2013-11-22", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 Congressman Cohen (TN-09) today commemorated the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States:\n\u201cPresident Kennedy inspired me to pursue a legislative career and dedicate my life to public service,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cPresident Kennedy came to Memphis when I was 11 years old.\u00a0 He was campaigning in Memphis and turned toward me near the Methodist Church on Union and I was able to take a photo of him that hangs on my wall in Washington and is one of my most prized possessions, as well as one of my most prized memories. I was 14 years old when he was assassinated, but his death left an indelible mark on me and on millions of others. President Kennedy saw that politics could be an honorable profession and famously spurred countless Americans to serve their nation with the immortal words: \u2018ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.\u2019\u201d\n\u201cPresident Kennedy gave his life to this country; his assassination was a great loss for our nation. As we remember the life he lived as well as the sad occasion of his death 50 years ago today, I hope my fellow Americans will take a moment to think back on the good that he did while he was with us: working for a more just society and fighting for both our civil rights as well as our human rights. He remains greatly missed.\u201d\nA photo of the Congressman with the many photos and posters of the Kennedy family he has in his Capitol Hill office is available here, and video of the Congressman speaking on the House floor about President Kennedy\u2019s assassination is available here. Congressman Cohen also visited Arlington National Cemetery this week to pay his respects to President Kennedy at the site where the President is buried. A photo of the Congressman at the Kennedy gravesite is available here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-passenger-experience-would-be-changed-worse-if-faa-allows-cell-phone-calls", "Cohen: Passenger Experience Would Be \"Changed for the Worse\" If FAA Allows Cell Phone Calls In Flight", "2013-11-22", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 With the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reportedly considering a rule proposal that could allow for voice calls from cell phones during domestic air travel, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today drafted a letter to Michael Huerta, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), strongly urging the FAA to maintain the ban on cell phone calls in flight. The letter also expresses concerns about disruptions to passengers\u2019 flight experience as well as for consumer safety.\n\u201cI share the concerns of the flying public and many aviation industry professionals that the flying experience would be not only markedly less pleasant, but less safe as well, if the ban on cell phone calls during flight were lifted\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cAllowing these calls would disrupt the right of consumers to enjoy the quiet comfort of their flight and potentially puts their safety at risk as well. Simply put, the flying experience in the United States would be forever changed for the worse if voice calls are allowed on flights. I hope the FAA considers these important safety and comfort concerns and makes the right decision.\u201d\nYesterday, the Association of Flight Attendants released a statement explaining: \u201cAny situation that is loud, divisive, and possibly disruptive is not only unwelcome but also unsafe.\u201d\nCongressman Cohen\u2019s letter is currently being circulated among his colleagues in the House of Representatives and will then be sent to Administrator Huerta.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/remembering-president-kennedy", "Remembering President Kennedy", "2013-11-22", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,\n50 years ago today, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. This week, I visited President Kennedy\u2019s grave at Arlington National Cemetery to pay my respects. Keep reading to learn more about this week in Washington.\nRemembering President John F. Kennedy  Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Gettysburg Address  Helping Families Travel with Their Pets  Promoting American Innovation and Ingenuity  Protecting Human Rights Abroad  Helping Memphians Get Covered  2014 U.S. Capitol Historical Society Calendars Are Available  White House Internships  Grant Announcements\nRemembering President John F. Kennedy\nPresident John F. Kennedy inspired me to pursue a legislative career and dedicate my life to public service. When I was 11, JFK campaigned in Memphis and I was on the street with my camera hoping to see him and get a photo.\u00a0As the motorcade passed me near the Methodist Church on Union, John Kennedy, sitting up on the backseat of the convertible in which he rode, turned backed toward me and waved and I snapped the photo which I\u2019ve cherished as one of my most prized possessions, as well as one of my most prized memories.\u00a0The photo hangs on the wall in Washington D.C., near my desk, and I look at it often.\nI was 14 years old when President Kennedy was assassinated, but his death left an indelible mark on me as it did on millions of other Americans. President Kennedy was a statesman who believed that politics could be an honorable profession and famously inspired countless Americans to serve their nation with the immortal words: \u201cask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.\u201d\nPresident Kennedy gave his life to this country; his assassination was a great loss for our nation. As we remember the life he lived, as well as the sad occasion of his death 50 years ago today, I hope my fellow Americans will take a moment to think back on the good that he did while he was with us: working for a more just society and fighting for both our civil rights as well as our human rights.\nBefore the House of Representatives adjourned for the week, I spoke on the House floor to commemorate his life. You can watch my speech here. This week, I was also reminded of one of the favorite records listened to in the Kennedy White House: the original cast recording of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe\u2019s Camelot. The recording of the musical included a line that Jacqueline Kennedy wanted her husband and his Presidency to be known for: \u201cDon't let it be forgot that once there was a spot, for one brief, shining moment that was known as Camelot.\u201d\nCommemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Gettysburg Address\nThis week also marked the 150th anniversary of President Lincoln\u2019s Gettysburg Address. Most of us likely remember Lincoln\u2019s famous \u201cfour score and seven years ago\u201d line, but perhaps less well remembered are the words that came later in his address.\u00a0However\u00a0they are just as powerful:\n\u201cThe world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what [the soldiers] did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us\u2014that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion\u2014that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain\u2014that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom\u2014and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.\u201d\nOne hundred and fifty years later, I am proud to serve in the same legislative body where Abraham Lincoln once served and I remain dedicated to working hard on the great tasks before us today: ensuring equality, freedom, and fairness for all.\nHelping Families Travel with Their Pets\nOn Wednesday morning, I joined dog trainer and television personality Laura Nativo and Congressman Jeff Denham from California at Washington\u2019s Union Station for a press conference in support of the Pets on Trains Act of 2013. Earlier this year, Congressman Denham and I introduced the bill to allow families and passengers to travel with domesticated cats and dogs on certain Amtrak trains\u2014something Amtrak\u2019s current policies do not allow.\nThose of us lucky enough to have pets are greatly blessed with their companionship. When travelling on Amtrak, families should be able to bring their pets along.\u00a0Our bill would establish a pet policy on Amtrak trains so pets \u2013 which are a part of the family \u2013 won\u2019t be left at home to fend for themselves this holiday season.\nPromoting American Innovation and Ingenuity\nOn Wednesday, I supported bipartisan patent reform legislation in the House Judiciary Committee that would unleash creativity and create jobs. Although it\u00a0is not a perfect bill, it would help protect inventors from abusive litigation by so-called \u201cpatent trolls\u201d and make other needed reforms to the patent system. As it moves through the legislative process, I hope it can be improved even further. Our patent system helps keep the United States on the forefront of innovation and creativity. We must do everything we can to ensure that inventors can continue to forge breakthroughs that will lead to economic growth and jobs. I\u2019m glad that Republicans and Democrats could work together on this important legislation that promotes innovation, just like we did with the America Invents Act in 2011, which was introduced in the House by then-Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Lamar Smith from Texas and passed in a bipartisan manner.\nProtecting Human Rights Abroad\nOn Monday, I joined with my colleagues in the Congressional Caucus on Turkey to welcome a delegation of Turkish officials to Capitol Hill. While Turkey is one of our most valued allies, I feel we must always hold our friends and allies to the goals of justice and equality to which the United States aspires.\u00a0With that in mind, I asked the Turkish Foreign Minister about reports of antisemitism coming out of their country. These reports are disturbing, and we must do everything we can to promote tolerance of all people, in our country and beyond our borders.\nHelping Memphians Get Covered\nAll Memphians should have quality health coverage and the President\u2019s landmark Affordable Care Act\u2014also known as Obamacare\u2014is making affordable, higher-quality coverage available to people who have not had access to it in the past. Luckily, many who have been unable to afford quality coverage in the past are now eligible to enroll in Tennessee\u2019s Health Insurance Marketplace. If you do not have health insurance coverage, you may be eligible to save money on your health care premiums\u00a0in the Marketplace.\nIf you are on Medicare or your employer is going to offer qualified health insurance next year that you will enroll in, you\u2019re already covered and won\u2019t need to enter the Marketplace for your health coverage. If you aren\u2019t sure whether or not you will need to use the Marketplace to get insurance, call the Marketplace Hotline at 1-800-318-2596 or visit www.HealthCare.gov. You can also call my office or the Marketplace Hotline to find out if TennCare (Tennessee\u2019s Medicaid program) is a coverage option for you. If you are one of the millions of Americans who need health insurance, you can sign up\u00a0for coverage today that will take effect January 1, 2014. Enrollment in the marketplace will remain open until March 31, 2014, but you can go online to www.healthcare.gov\u00a0 today to check out your options.\nThe Affordable Care Act is already working for families across the Ninth District and the recent government shutdown didn\u2019t change that. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 147,000 individuals in the district now have health insurance that covers preventive services without co-pays, $3.1 million in insurance premiums have been returned to consumers, and more than 5,000 seniors on Medicare paid a total of $5.9 million less for their prescription medications as we continue to close the \u2018donut hole.\u2019 Also, health insurance companies can no longer discriminate against patients with pre-existing conditions and young adults up to age 26 can now stay on their parents\u2019 insurance plan.\nMany of the Marketplace website issues that have been in the news recently have been resolved.\u00a0However, the Marketplace website is only one tool that you can use to sign up for coverage. If you are having trouble accessing the website, please do not hesitate to call the Marketplace Hotline at 1-800-318-2596 or visit Seedco Mid-South for in-person help. Seedco is located at 22 North Front Street (Suite 900), and they can be reached by phone at 901-528-8341. If you have any other questions, you should also feel free to call my office at 901-544-4131.\n2014 U.S. Capitol Historical Society Calendars Are Available\nMy office currently has a limited number of 2014 U.S. Capitol Historical Society calendars available. If you would like to receive next year\u2019s calendar, please complete this short form on my website . Due to the rules of the House, I am only able to mail calendars to residents of Tennessee\u2019s 9th District. Please feel free to share this email with other citizens of the Ninth District who may be interested in receiving one but who do not receive my eNewsletter.\nWhite House Internships\nThe White House Internship Program is currently accepting applications from young people who are interested in government and devoted to public service. If you\u2014or anyone you know\u2014 would like to spend some time working at the White House, gaining valuable professional experience and building leadership skills, I would like to take this opportunity to urge you to apply. The application deadline is January 5th, 2014. Click here\u00a0for more information.\nGrant Announcements\nI regularly release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others. These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th District. The announcements are\u00a0updated regularly on my website.\nAs always, I remain.\u00a0  \n\tMost sincerely,\n  \n\tSteve Cohen  \n\tMember of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/meeting-moroccan-delegation-cohen-and-fedex-promote-international-trade-path-towards", "In Meeting with Moroccan Delegation, Cohen and FedEx Promote International Trade as Path Towards Memphis Job Growth", "2013-11-21", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) this week joined American business leaders including David Short, Memphis-based FedEx\u2019s International Director, in meeting a delegation of Moroccan business leaders accompanying His Majesty, the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI on his visit to the United States. At the Wednesday meeting, Congressman Cohen discussed how expanding trade with nations like Morocco can help grow jobs both in Memphis and abroad.\n\u201cGreat American companies like FedEx already operate throughout Africa and around the globe,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cI enjoyed this opportunity to discuss with Moroccan leaders how we can expand trade in North Africa and improve our standing and relations with other nations, which will help create good-paying jobs right here in America.\u201d\nRepresenting the Moroccan business community at the meeting were Maroc Telecom CEO Abdessalam Ahizoune, Attijariwafa Bank DEO Mohamed El Kettani, Casablanca Stock Exchange CEO Karim Hajji, and Moroccan Finance Board CEO Said Ibrahimi. Among the American business leaders attending the meeting with Congressman Cohen and Mr. Short were representatives from JP Morgan Chase, Citi, Bank of America, and Chevron.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-joins-denham-and-tv-host-laura-nativo-support-bipartisan-legislation-allow", "Cohen Joins Denham and TV Host Laura Nativo in Support of Bipartisan Legislation to Allow Families to Travel on Amtrak With Their Pets", "2013-11-20", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today spoke in support of H.R. 2066, the Pets on Trains Act of 2013, at a press conference held in front of Washington\u2019s Union Station. He was joined at the press conference by Congressmen Jeff Denham (CA-10) and Michael Grimm (NY-11), as well as dog trainer and television personality Laura Nativo. The Pets on Trains Act, which Congressmen Cohen and Denham introduced together in May, would allow families and passengers to travel with domesticated cats and dogs on certain Amtrak trains.\n\u201cThose of us lucky enough to have pets are greatly blessed with their companionship,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cWhen travelling on Amtrak, families should be able to bring their pets along.\u00a0 Our bill would establish a pet policy on Amtrak trains so pets \u2013 which are a part of the family \u2013 won\u2019t be left at home to fend for themselves this holiday season.\u201d\n\u201cAlmost half of American families own a cat or dog, and millions of them will be visiting friends and family this holiday season,\u201d said Congressman Denham. \u201cPets on Trains would allow those families traveling with pets to choose Amtrak, generating much-needed revenue for the rail provider and saving time and money for pet owners. As a pet owner, I know firsthand how being able to bring our French bulldog, Lily, aboard a train would simplify our travel planning.\u201d\nCurrent Amtrak policy does not permit pets on trains or Thruway services, in passenger areas of train stations or in checked baggage, with the exception of specially-trained service animals for the benefit of a person with a disability.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/helping-memphians-keep-their-plans-and-get-covered", "Helping Memphians Keep Their Plans and Get Covered", "2013-11-15", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,\u00a0\nThis week, President Obama announced a plan to help Americans keep their health insurance even if their insurance companies have cancelled their plans or pushed them into more expensive plans, an extremely intelligent, hard-working and dedicated Memphian who I recommended to the President moved one step closer to being confirmed as a federal judge, and I introduced a bill in the House that would help prevent unscrupulous for-profit colleges from taking advantage of veterans and taxpayers. Keep reading to learn more.\nHelping Memphians Keep Their Plans and Get Covered  Sheryl Lipman Moves a Step Closer to the Federal Bench  Honoring Our Veterans  Protecting Our Students, Veterans, and Taxpayers  U of M Distinguished Alumnus Award  Fighting for Consumers\u2019 and Victims\u2019 Rights  Promoting Competition Among Airlines  Reducing Infant Mortality  Medicare Open Enrollment  White House Internships  Grant Announcements\nHelping Memphians Keep Their Plans and Get Covered\nYesterday, President Barack Obama announced a plan to help Americans who had received cancellation notices from their health insurance companies keep those plans. This will give those people who had their policies cancelled by their insurers or whose insurers had tried to push them into more expensive plans the opportunity to maintain their coverage. While this is a positive step to help those who are concerned about their coverage, the truth is that many of the plans were cancelled because they were inferior, insufficient plans. Some of them didn\u2019t even cover hospitalization, something most of us would consider an essential part of health insurance. The President\u2019s new plan would also require insurance companies to let their customers know that their coverage wouldn\u2019t protect them in these kinds of situations, and it would require them to inform their customers that better, more affordable coverage is available to them in the Affordable Care Act\u2019s Marketplace.\nTomorrow morning just after 7:00AM, I will be on MSNBC\u2019s Up with Steve Kornacki and I will also be on MSNBC Live again tomorrow afternoon at 2:00PM to discuss the President\u2019s plan and how we can help Americans maintain their current coverage or get better coverage. I hope you will tune in.\nAll Memphians should have quality health coverage and the President\u2019s landmark Affordable Care Act\u2014also known as Obamacare\u2014is making affordable, higher-quality coverage available to people who have not had access to it in the past. Luckily, many who have been unable to afford quality coverage in the past are now eligible to enroll in Tennessee\u2019s Health Insurance Marketplace. If you do not have health insurance coverage, you may be eligible to save money on your health care premiums\u00a0in the Marketplace.\nIf you are on Medicare or your employer is going to offer qualified health insurance next year, you\u2019re already covered and won\u2019t need to enter the Marketplace for your health coverage. If you aren\u2019t sure whether or not you will need to use the Marketplace to get insurance, call the Marketplace Hotline at 1-800-318-2596 or visit www.HealthCare.gov. You can also call my office or the Marketplace Hotline to find out if TennCare (Tennessee\u2019s Medicaid program) is a coverage option for you. If you are one of the millions of Americans who need health insurance, you can sign up\u00a0for coverage today that will take effect January 1, 2014. Enrollment in the marketplace will remain open until March 31, 2014, but you can go online to www.healthcare.gov today to check out your options.\nThe Affordable Care Act is already working for families across the Ninth District and the recent government shutdown didn\u2019t change that. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 147,000 individuals in the district now have health insurance that covers preventive services without co-pays, $3.1 million in insurance premiums have been returned to consumers, and more than 5,000 seniors on Medicare paid a total of $5.9 million less for their prescription medications as we continue to close the \u2018donut hole.\u2019 Also, health insurance companies can no longer discriminate against patients with pre-existing conditions and young adults up to age 26 can now stay on their parents\u2019 insurance plan.\nMany of the Marketplace website issues that have been in the news recently have been resolved.\u00a0However, the Marketplace website is only one tool that you can use to sign up for coverage. If you are having trouble accessing the website, please do not hesitate to call the Marketplace Hotline at 1-800-318-2596 or visit Seedco Mid-South for in-person help. Seedco is located at 22 North Front Street (Suite 900), and they can be reached by phone at 901-528-8341. If you have any other questions, you should also feel free to call my office at 901-544-4131.\nSheryl Lipman Moves a Step Closer to the Federal Bench\nOn Wednesday, President Obama\u2019s nominee to fill a vacancy on the District Court for the Western District of Tennesseee, Ms. Sheryl Lipman, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is tasked with reviewing nominations to the federal bench. I recommended her to the President after convening a diverse and bipartisan screening committee to conduct interviews of nine potential candidates for the position.\nSheryl Lipman has proven herself a stellar attorney and I am confident that she will be a superb judge. Her breadth of experience, strong work ethic, and unimpeachable integrity easily made her the overwhelming first choice of the screening committee of local attorneys.\nI am glad the President took my recommendation into consideration and nominated such a skilled Memphis attorney to the federal bench, and I am glad that the Senate Judiciary Committee took a step towards her confirmation. When confirmed, she will serve the Western District of Tennessee with distinction and the people of Memphis well.\nHonoring Our Veterans\nOn Monday, I hosted my 5th annual Veterans Day luncheon in Memphis, and was glad to see more than 300 veterans from our great city in attendance. They and their families have sacrificed a great deal for each of us, and I appreciated the opportunity to say thank you to them and give them the respect they deserve.\nProtecting Our Students, Veterans, and Taxpayers\nFor-profit colleges can receive overwhelming majorities of their revenue \u2014up to 90%\u2014from federal sources such as student loans. But too often, these schools fail in their duty to adequately prepare graduates for jobs that will allow them to repay those loans, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill. Even worse, a loophole in current law allows unscrupulous colleges to receive even more federal funds by enrolling veterans and servicemembers. This loophole encourages bad behavior that weighs down our nation\u2019s veterans with mountains of debt and few career prospects while lining the pockets of wealthy for-profit investors with taxpayer money. Simply put, this is unacceptable. We are entrusted with spending our monies efficiently and wisely, but too many for-profit colleges do not meet that test. This week, I introduced the Protecting our Students and Taxpayers (POST) Act in the House to eliminate the loophole and help prevent for-profit colleges from taking advantage of veterans and taxpayers. Senators Dick Durbin of Illinois and Tom Harkin of Iowa have also introduced the legislation in the Senate, and I am glad to be working with these two distinguished Senators to close this loophole, encourage for-profit colleges to provide better educations, and protect American taxpayers.\nU of M Distinguished Alumnus Award\nLast weekend, I was honored to be awarded the 2013 Distinguished Alumnus award by the U of M Alumni Association. The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law helped prepare me for a long and successful career in public service, and I will always be grateful for the education I received there. Being named the 2013 Distinguished Alumnus is a great honor, and I thank the U of M Alumni Association for this award. All of my life, I have supported and loved the University as I know so many Memphians do.\nFighting for Consumers\u2019 and Victims\u2019 Rights\nYesterday, House Republicans delivered a harsh blow to victims of asbestos and mesothelioma. In an attempt to find non-existent fraud, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle designed legislation that prevents victims from receiving the benefits that they deserve. Furthermore, not a single victim\u2019s advocacy group was allowed to testify during the hearings on this legislation.\nBy silencing victims, transparency in the hearing process was irreparably damaged. I introduced an amendment that would have helped fix their bill, but unfortunately it did not pass because nearly all House Republicans voted against it.\nPromoting Competition Among Airlines\nAt a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing this morning, I spoke with a Justice Department official about how the recently-approved merger of American Airlines and U.S. Airways will impact competition in the air travel industry and if it will help consumers. In Memphis, we have seen first-hand how poor oversight and enforcement can have harmful effects on competition, flight availability, and consumer prices with the merger of Delta and Northwest. I hope that the Department of Justice does everything it can to ensure that the American/US Airways merger promotes innovation in the industry and offers consumers\u2014especially those in Memphis\u2014more choices and better prices instead of reducing the incentives to be competitive.\nReducing Infant Mortality\nThis week, I urged my colleagues in the House to support the PREEMIE Act, which was introduced in the Senate by Tennessee\u2019s senior Senator Lamar Alexander and would help reduce the rate of infant mortality in our country. Until recently, our local infant mortality rate in Memphis rivaled that of some third world countries. The United States still has a long way to go in fighting infant mortality\u2014our current rate is 6.1 deaths per thousand while Portugal\u2019s is 2.5 and Japan\u2019s is 2.3 per thousand. The PREEMIE Act will help achieve our goal of bettering the health of our nation\u2019s future and I was proud to vote in favor of it when it passed the House.\nMedicare Open Enrollment\nMedicare Part D enrollment for 2014 is now open and will run until December 7th. The Aging Commission of the Mid-South will be sponsoring several enrollment workshops in the 9th District to assist seniors in enrolling in next year\u2019s plans. Those attending should bring their Medicare card and prescriptions. Be sure not to miss out on this great opportunity to lower your monthly pharmacy costs. For dates, times, and locations of the workshops please click here.\nWhite House Internships\nThe White House Internship Program is currently accepting applications from young people who are interested in government and devoted to public service. If you\u2014or anyone you know\u2014 would like to spend some time working at the White House, gaining valuable professional experience and building leadership skills, I would like to take this opportunity to urge you to apply. The application deadline is January 5th, 2014. Click here\u00a0for more information.\nGrant Announcements\nI regularly release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others. These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th District. The announcements are\u00a0updated regularly on my website.\nAs always, I remain.  \n\tMost sincerely,    \n\tSteve Cohen  \n\tMember of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-durbin-harkin-congress-should-end-loophole-encourages-profit-colleges-target", "Cohen, Durbin, Harkin: Congress Should End Loophole that Encourages For-Profit Colleges To Target Veterans & Servicemembers", "2013-11-14", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives that would help put an end to the for-profit college industry\u2019s predatory marketing campaigns and aggressive recruiting of veterans, servicemembers and their families.\u00a0The\u00a0Protecting Our Students and Taxpayers (POST) Act, which U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) have also introduced in the Senate, would eliminate the loophole that allows these proprietary companies to receive more than 90% of their revenue from the federal government.\u00a0\n\u201cFor-profit colleges can receive overwhelming majorities of their revenue \u2014up to 90%\u2014from federal sources such as student loans,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cToo often, these schools fail in their duty to adequately prepare graduates for jobs that will allow them to repay those loans, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill. Even worse, a loophole in current law allows unscrupulous colleges to receive even more federal funds by enrolling veterans and servicemembers. This loophole encourages bad behavior that weighs down our nation\u2019s heroes with mountains of debt and few career prospects while lining the pockets of wealthy for-profit investors with taxpayer money. Simply put, this is unacceptable. We are entrusted with spending our monies efficiently and wisely, but too many for-profit colleges do not meet that test. I am glad to be working with Senators Durbin and Harkin to close this loophole, encourage for-profit colleges to provide better educations, and protect American taxpayers.\u201d\n\u201cIn the United States, for-profit colleges account for a disproportionate share of the students who have trouble paying back their loans (a measure of value in education),\u201d said Senator Durbin. \u201cThey enroll only about 12% of all college students yet account for almost half of all student loan defaults. By law, for-profit college companies are allowed to receive no more than 90% of their revenue from federal financial aid programs.\u00a0 This high threshold allows far too much federal money to funnel to an industry that often provides a greater return on taxpayer investment to its administrators and investors than it does to its students.\u00a0 But there\u2019s another catch.\u00a0 Money from the new Post 9/11 GI Bill and from Department of Defense tuition assistance programs isn\u2019t counted which leaves hundreds of millions of taxpayers\u2019 dollars virtually unregulated. Consequently, these schools aggressively target veterans and servicemembers who too often don\u2019t receive the quality of education they deserve.\u00a0 We can\u2019t let this continue.\u201d\n\u201cThe Department of Defense\u2019s Tuition Assistance program and the Post-9/11 GI Bill are intended to help servicemembers and veterans\u2014who have sacrificed so much for our country\u2014obtain a quality education,\u201d Senator Harkin said. \u201cInstead, because of a loophole in the law, some for-profit colleges use predatory and deceptive tactics to target servicemembers and veterans for enrollment in order to tap into the benefits they and their families receive. Our servicemembers and veterans deserve better, and this common-sense bill will help protect taxpayer dollars and put the focus back on giving these men and women the degree and skills they need to build a brighter future.\u201d\nThe current federal 90/10 rule is a provision in the law that bars for-profit colleges and universities from deriving more than 90% of their revenue from the U.S. Department of Education\u2019s federal student aid programs.\u00a0 The other 10% needs to come from sources other than the federal government.\u00a0 The purpose of this rule is to ensure that schools are not counting on taxpayer dollars to be their sole source of revenue.\u00a0\nBecause of the way the legislation was written, veterans\u2019 and active duty service members\u2019 federal student aid \u2013 such as G.I. bill benefits and the Department of Defense\u2019s tuition assistance funds \u2013 does not currently count toward the 90%.\u00a0 As a result, for-profit educational institutions have been aggressively recruiting and enrolling veterans, service members and their families to their programs as a way to comply with\u00a0the 90/10 rule.\u00a0\nThe POST Act would re-instate the original ratio of 85/15\u2014which was only loosened to 90/10 in 1998\u2014and change the definition of what counts as federal revenue so that it includes all federal funds.\u00a0This new definition would eliminate the powerful incentive for-profit schools to aggressively recruit service members and veterans and ensure that all schools are complying with the law as it was intended.\nAdditionally, the Cohen-Durbin-Harkin POST Act would:\n Increase penalties for noncompliance with the new 85/15 rule \u2013\u00a0Under the legislation, for-profit colleges\u00a0would lose eligibility to participate in federal student aid programs after one year of noncompliance with the new rule (currently, for-profit colleges must be noncompliant for two years before they lose eligibility).\n  Eliminate accounting tricks that inflate non-federal funding sources \u2013 Currently, for-profit colleges that issue private loans directly to students are allowed to calculate a large portion as revenue for the purposes of 90/10 rule compliance before any of the loan is paid back.\u00a0 This accounting trick has led to for-profit colleges issuing private loans to students with little expectation of that loan being paid back.\u00a0 Today\u2019s legislation would only allow actual payments that students make to be counted as revenue.\n Organizations that have endorsed the POST Act include: The Education Trust, the National Association of College Admission Counseling, the Military Officers Association of America and the Young Invincibles.\nFor-profit institutions of higher education enroll about 12% of all college students, but take in 25% of the Department of Education\u2019s federal student aid funds and account for 47% of student loan defaults.\u00a0 For-profit colleges have much a higher three year student loan cohort default rate of 22.7%, compared with 11% at public schools and 7.5% at private, non-profit schools.\nSimilarly, while for-profit schools are a minority of the institutions involved in the Tuition Assistance program, they take in a disproportionate share of Tuition Assistance funding.\u00a0 A Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee investigation found that 41% of Tuition Assistance in FY2011 went to just six for-profit colleges: American Public Education, Inc. which includes American Military University; Bridgepoint Education, Inc.; TUI Learning LLC; Apollo Group Inc.; Columbia Southern University; and Grantham University.\u00a0\nThe Tuition Assistance program has been growing rapidly with more than 286,000 servicemembers enrolled in over 874,000 courses.\u00a0 In FY2012, the Defense Department spent $660 million on Tuition Assistance \u2013 half of which went to for-profit schools.\u00a0 More than 36,000 military spouses access courses through the MyCAA program and, in FY2012, the Defense Department spent $66 million on MyCAA \u2013 60% of which went to for-profit schools.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/senate-holds-confirmation-hearing-cohen-recommended-judicial-nominee-sheri-lipman", "Senate Holds Confirmation Hearing for Cohen-Recommended Judicial Nominee Sheri Lipman", "2013-11-13", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013Sheryl Lipman, who Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) recommended to President Obama to fill a vacancy on the District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, today appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is tasked with reviewing nominations to the federal bench. Ms. Lipman currently serves as Chief of Staff to University of Memphis Interim President R. Brad Martin and formerly served as University Counsel. Congressman Cohen, who recommended her after convening a diverse and bipartisan screening committee to conduct interviews of nine potential candidates for the position, submitted a statement in support of Ms. Lipman\u2019s nomination to the Senate committee.\n\u201cSheri Lipman has proven herself a stellar attorney and I am confident that she will be a superb judge,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.\u00a0 \u201cHer breadth of experience, strong work ethic, and unimpeachable integrity easily made her the overwhelming first choice of the screening committee of local attorneys. I commend President Obama for taking my recommendation into consideration and nominating such a skilled Memphis attorney to the federal bench, and I am glad that the Senate Judiciary Committee is moving forward with her nomination. When confirmed, she will serve the Western District of Tennessee with distinction and the people of Memphis well.\u201d\nBefore recommending Ms. Lipman to the President, Congressman Cohen interviewed all nine candidates for this judicial vacancy with his bipartisan committee of thirteen local attorneys. This screening panel was not only unique in its distinguished composition, but in its diversity as well. It included attorneys from the Memphis Bar Association, the Women\u2019s Bar Association, the Federal Public Defender\u2019s office in Memphis, and other prominent local attorneys. Sheri Lipman was the screening committee\u2019s clear choice, receiving nine first place votes, and the Congressman promptly recommended her to President Obama to fill this vacancy.\nSheri Lipman has been an attorney since 1987 and has a wealth of legal experience. After attending the University of Michigan for her undergraduate degree, Ms. Lipman received her J.D. from the New York University School of Law. She first clerked for the Honorable Julia S. Gibbons, who now sits on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, when Judge Gibbons was a District Court Judge. Ms. Lipman was an attorney at the Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs law office in Memphis for more than 4 years before practicing at the venerable Burch, Porter and Johnson law firm from 1997 to 1999. She also served as Vice President of Comprehensive Services at the Memphis Race Relations & Diversity Institute from 1996 to 1997. For nearly 14 years, she has worked at the University of Memphis\u2014first as Senior Attorney, then serving as University Counsel for more than a decade before being named Chief of Staff to Interim President R. Brad Martin.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-urges-house-help-reduce-infant-mortality", "Cohen Urges House to Help Reduce Infant Mortality", "2013-11-12", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 On the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today urged his colleagues in Congress support the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act. Along with the Congressman\u2019s NEWBORN Act and President Obama\u2019s landmark Affordable Care Act, the PREEMIE Act would help achieve the goal of improving our nation\u2019s health outlook and reducing infant mortality rates that remain higher than rates in much of industrialized world. In Memphis, the local infant mortality rate, until recently, even rivaled some third-world countries. Video of the Congressman\u2019s remarks on the House floor is available here.\nThe Congressman\u2019s remarks as prepared for delivery follow:\nI rise in support of the PREEMIE Act reauthorization up for consideration in the House today.\nI am grateful to support my fellow Tennessean, Senator Lamar Alexander, by voting in favor of this legislation and co-sponsoring the House version of the bill.\nI am also the sponsor of the NEWBORN Act, a bill aimed at reducing infant mortality rates that I am set to reintroduce soon.\nMy interest in the issue of reducing infant mortality stems from my representation of Memphis, Tennessee and its local rate of infant mortality that, until recently, rivaled that of some third world countries.\nThe PREEMIE Act\u2019s many provisions aimed at reducing the rate of infant mortality in our country are vital to achieve our goal of bettering the health of our nation\u2019s future.\nLike the PREEMIE Act, the Affordable Care Act has made great strides in advancing this agenda by requiring maternity coverage in all health plans.\nThe United States still has a long way to go in fighting infant mortality\u2014our current rate is 6.1 deaths per thousand while Portugal\u2019s is 2.5 and Japan\u2019s is 2.3 per thousand.\nBut legislation like the PREEMIE Act, the NEWBORN Act, and the Affordable Care Act put the United States on the right track towards lowering our rates of premature births and infant mortality.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/honoring-our-veterans", "Honoring Our Veterans", "2013-11-08", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,\u00a0\nMonday, November 11th, is Veterans Day, when we recognize the sacrifices made by our nation\u2019s more than 22 million living Americans who have distinguished themselves through their service in uniform and honor all of the heroes who have served this country throughout the years. The bravery and devotion that they have shown throughout our history have helped build this great country, and each of us owes them\u2014and their families\u2014a debt of gratitude.\nAnnual Veterans Day Luncheon  Bringing More Competition to the Memphis Airport  Recovering from 2011\u2019s Severe Floods  Helping Memphis Get Covered  Remembering JFK  Medicare Open Enrollment  Keeping More Newborns Alive  Electronics Recycling Drive  Grant Announcements\nAnnual Veterans Day Luncheon\nAs in years past, I will be hosting my annual Veterans Day luncheon from 11AM to 1PM on Monday at BRIDGES in Memphis. BRIDGES is located at 477 N. 5th Street. If you are a Ninth District veteran, I would like to invite you to attend my luncheon and I hope to see you there for good company, good food, and to receive the respect and thanks that you deserve. Also, just before my luncheon on Monday, I will attend the Memphis VA Medical Center\u2019s Veterans Day Parade.\nBringing More Competition to the Memphis Airport\nThis Monday, I visited Memphis International Airport to celebrate the beginning of Southwest Airlines\u2019 new service in our city. The airline is bringing six new non-stop routes to Memphis and will offer more than 80 connecting destinations\u2014that means more competition, better options, and hopefully lower prices for Mid-South consumers. While our city\u2019s relationship with Delta Airlines has been a source of disappointment and frustration in recent years, things are beginning to look up for Memphis travelers.\nRecovering from 2011\u2019s Severe Floods\nOur community sustained terrible damage in the severe storms of 2011, and many Ninth District citizens still need help rebuilding their lives. On Tuesday, the Department of Housing and Urban Development approved Shelby County\u2019s disaster recovery plan, paving the way for the County to receive more than $7.4 million in federal funding for its recovery efforts. This funding will go a long way towards helping our city and the rest of Shelby County recover from the natural disaster that still affects many families in our region.\nHelping Memphis Get Covered\nAll Memphians should have quality health coverage. Luckily, many who have been unable to afford quality coverage in the past are now eligible to enroll in\u00a0Tennessee\u2019s Health Insurance Marketplace\u00a0thanks to the President\u2019s landmark Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. If you do not have health insurance coverage, you\u00a0may be eligible to save money on your health care premiums\u00a0in the Marketplace.\nIf you are on Medicare or your employer is going to offer qualified health insurance next year, you\u2019re already covered and won\u2019t need to enter the Marketplace for your health coverage. If you aren\u2019t sure whether or not you will need to use the Marketplace to get insurance, call the Marketplace Hotline at\u00a01-800-318-2596 or visit www.HealthCare.gov. You can also call my office or the Marketplace Hotline to find out if TennCare (Tennessee\u2019s Medicaid program) is a coverage option for you. If you are one of the millions of Americans who need health insurance, you can sign up\u00a0for coverage today that will take effect January 1, 2014. Enrollment in the marketplace will remain open for six months, but you can go online to www.healthcare.gov\u00a0 today to check out your options.\nThe Affordable Care Act is already working for families across the Ninth District and the government shutdown didn\u2019t change that. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 147,000 individuals in the district now have health insurance that covers preventive services without co-pays, $3.1 million in insurance premiums have been returned to consumers, and more than 5,000 seniors on Medicare paid a total of $5.9 million less for their prescription medications as we continue to close the \u2018donut hole.\u2019 Health insurance companies can no longer discriminate against patients with pre-existing conditions and young adults up to age 26 can now stay on their parents\u2019 insurance plan.\nIn recent weeks, there have been reports of citizens having difficulty successfully using the Marketplace website. Many of these reported problems have already been resolved and there are people working around the clock to fix the problems that remain on the website. But the Marketplace website is only one tool that you can use to sign up for coverage. If you are having trouble accessing the website, please do not hesitate to call the Marketplace Hotline at 1-800-318-2596 or visit Seedco Mid-South for in-person help. Seedco is located at 22 North Front Street (Suite 900), and they can be reached by phone at 901-528-8341.\nNext week, Seedco will also be hosting two town hall meetings with Mayor A C Wharton to answer questions about the Marketplace and help Memphians enroll in it. On Tuesday from 5:30 to 7:00 PM, they will host a town hall meeting at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library on Poplar and from 5:30\u00a0to 7:00PM on Thursday, you can attend their town hall meeting at Golden Gate Cathedral, located at 3240 James Road. If you have any other questions, you should also feel free to call my office at 901-544-4131.\nRemembering JFK\nNext week, WKNO Public Television will air \u201cAmerican Experience: JFK,\u201d a two-part profile of one of our nation\u2019s most beloved presidents. Last week in Washington, I had the opportunity to see an advance screening of the film with John Seigenthaler who, in addition to being a well-respected Tennessean, was a close friend of the Kennedys. If you are interested in the life and times of President John F. Kennedy, I recommend you taking the time to watch or record this profile next week. The first part will air at 8PM on Monday night, and part two will air at 8PM Tuesday.\nMedicare Open Enrollment\nMedicare Part D enrollment for 2014 is now open and will run until December 7th. The Aging Commission of the Mid-South will be sponsoring several enrollment workshops in the 9th District to assist seniors in enrolling in next year\u2019s plans. All that you have to bring is your Medicare card and prescriptions. Be sure not to miss out on this great opportunity to lower your monthly pharmacy costs. For dates, times, and locations of the workshops\u00a0please click here.\nKeeping More Newborns Alive\nA few days ago, the New York Times ran a story about one aspect of the Affordable Care Act that many people don\u2019t know about: the landmark health care reform law could help prevent the deaths of infants around the country. Though our nation once lost fewer infants than most other industrialized nations,\u00a0in 2010 we fell behind most of the industrialized world. Because the Affordable Care Act now ensures broader access to prenatal care for pregnant women in this country, many women at higher risk of premature births\u2014who are often minorities\u2014will have improved health care and we could see a quantifiable decrease in our nation's infant mortality soon.\u00a0The New York Times story\u00a0is definitely worth a read.\nElectronics Recycling Drive\nNext Friday between 3 and 6:30 PM, an electronics recycling drive will be held at the Central Station pavilion\u00a0at Front and G.E. Patterson. If you have any electronics that you need to dispose of but that should not be recycled or thrown in the trash (such as computers, TVs, cell phones, DVDs and other items), I hope you will bring them to the recycling drive next week.\nGrant Announcements\nI regularly release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others. These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th District. The announcements are\u00a0updated regularly on my website.\nAs always, I remain.  Most sincerely,    Steve Cohen  Member of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-honored-u-m-distinguished-alumnus-award", "Cohen Honored With  U of M Distinguished Alumnus Award", "2013-11-08", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 This evening, Congressman Steve Cohen received the 2013 Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Memphis Alumni Association as part of the \u201cEnshrinement of 1912\u201d celebrations taking place throughout U of M\u2019s homecoming weekend.\n\u201cThe University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law helped prepare me for a long and successful career in public service, and I will always be grateful for the education I received there,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cBeing named the 2013 Distinguished Alumnus is a great honor, and I thank the U of M Alumni Association for this award. All of my life, I have supported and loved the University which gave me a profession that is an incredibly rewarding way to earn a living, and my love and support for the University will continue even after I am gone.\u201d\nAfter tonight\u2019s award presentation, the Congressman will be recognized in an on-court ceremony at this evening\u2019s Memphis vs. Christian Brothers men\u2019s basketball game, participate in tomorrow\u2019s Homecoming Parade, and be recognized during tomorrow\u2019s Memphis vs. UT-Martin football halftime show.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-praises-approval-nearly-75-million-disaster-recovery-funding-shelby-county", "Cohen Praises Approval of Nearly $7.5 Million in Disaster Recovery Funding for Shelby County", "2013-11-06", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) made the following statement after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved a disaster recovery plan that will provide $7,464,000 to help Shelby County recover from the severe storms and flooding that wrought havoc on the region in May of 2011:\n\u201cOur community sustained terrible damage in the severe storms of 2011, and many Memphians still need help rebuilding their lives,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cThe millions of dollars in disaster relief funding approved today will go a long way towards helping our city and the rest of Shelby County recover from the natural disasters we experienced.\u201d\nThe recovery plan approved today is funded through HUD\u2019s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013, which was passed with Congressman Cohen\u2019s vote in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, included $16 billion in CDBG-Disaster Recovery funding.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/memphis-native-interns-congressman-cohens-washington-dc-office", "Memphis Native Interns in Congressman Cohen's Washington, DC Office", "2013-11-05", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Memphis native and Christian Brothers High School graduate David Carpenter is spending 5 months this fall and winter interning for Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), working behind the scenes in the Congressman\u2019s Capitol Hill office. In addition to several other responsibilities, interns help the Congressman with constituent requests, assist with his legislative duties, attend hearings and briefings, perform important research, and give tours of the U.S. Capitol building to Shelby County residents visiting Washington. Each year, roughly a dozen interns serve the citizens of the Ninth District in the Congressman\u2019s Washington, D.C., office.\n\u201cDavid has been an asset to my office and has done good work for the citizens of the Ninth District,\u201d Congressman Cohen said. \u201cI am glad that he has had this opportunity to get a close-up view of how Congress works, and am always impressed with the drive and passion for government shown by Memphis\u2019 young people.\u201d\nDuring Mr. Carpenter\u2019s time in Washington, he has acquired firsthand knowledge of the legislative process, developed valuable research skills that have made him more competitive in the job market, and gained insight into the inner-workings of the federal government.\n\u201cI\u2019m very appreciative I had the opportunity to intern for Congressman Cohen,\u201d said Carpenter. \u201cHaving grown up in Memphis, I can\u2019t imagine a better Member of Congress to work for and with. Congressman Cohen is one of America\u2019s best elected officials and I\u2019m glad I was able to serve in his office.\u201d\nMr. Carpenter is a graduate of the American University where he majored in Political Science and History. He is a veteran of several political campaigns, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid\u2019s 2010 re-election campaign, and has served as a campaign manager in state-level races during the 2012 elections. As an intern in Congressman Cohen\u2019s Washington office, Mr. Carpenter is especially interested in assisting with legislation.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/helping-memphis-get-covered", "Helping Memphis Get Covered", "2013-11-01", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,\u00a0\nThis afternoon, I joined Mayor A C Wharton in welcoming U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius to Memphis. While she was here, we met with local partners, like Seedco Mid-South, who are helping enroll uninsured Memphians in high-quality, affordable coverage and participated in an Affordable Care Act outreach and education session at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library with area residents who are interested in enrolling in the Tennessee Marketplace.\u00a0\nHelping Memphis Get Covered  Protecting Consumers from Unreasonable Harassment  Working to Prevent Hunger and Poverty  Ending the School-to-Prison Pipeline  Improving Downtown Memphis  Grants to Memphis  Medicare Open Enrollment  Grant Announcements\nThe fight to reform our nation's health care system is in many ways similar to\u00a0my 18 year struggle to\u00a0create the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship program.\u00a0Many of the people who fought most vehemently against me\u00a0then are now some of the first in line\u00a0for the\u00a0benefits the program provides their children. At the time\u00a0when the lottery launched, there were even some computer\u00a0issues that caused problems. But today, there aren't many left who would say the lottery is anything but a success. Just as the opponents of the lottery were wrong during the long fight to help improve our education system, the opponents trying to delay and prevent improvements to our health care system today are wrong. And just as the lottery's opponents failed, the opponents of health care reform will fail\u00a0as well. Keep reading to learn what else happened this week.\nHelping Memphis Get Covered\nI\u2019m glad that Secretary Sebelius was able to visit our city today and help Memphians get covered.\u00a0Whether or not you were able to make it to the library today, I think we can all agree that everyone should have quality health coverage. Luckily, many who\u00a0have been unable to afford quality coverage in the past are now eligible to enroll in\u00a0Tennessee\u2019s Health Insurance Marketplace\u00a0thanks to the President\u2019s landmark Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. If you do not have health insurance coverage, you\u00a0may be eligible to save money on your health care premiums\u00a0in the Marketplace.\nIf you are on Medicare or your employer is going to offer qualified health insurance next year that you will enroll in, you won\u2019t need to enter the\u00a0Marketplace for your health coverage. If you aren\u2019t sure whether or not you will need to use the Marketplace to get insurance, call the Marketplace Hotline at\u00a01-800-318-2596\u00a0or visit\u00a0www.HealthCare.gov. You can also call my office or the Marketplace Hotline to find out if TennCare (Tennessee\u2019s Medicaid program) is a coverage option for you. If you are one of the millions of Americans who need health insurance, you can\u00a0sign up\u00a0for coverage today that will take effect January 1, 2014. Enrollment in the marketplace will remain open for six months, but you can go online to\u00a0www.healthcare.gov\u00a0 today to check out your options.\nThe Affordable Care Act is already working for families across the Ninth District and the government shutdown didn\u2019t change that. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 147,000 individuals in the district now have health insurance that covers preventive services without co-pays, $3.1 million in insurance premiums have been returned to consumers, and more than 5,000 seniors on Medicare paid a total of $5.9 million less for their prescription medications as we continue to close the \u2018donut hole.\u2019 Health insurance companies can no longer discriminate against patients with pre-existing conditions and young adults up to age 26 can now stay on their parents\u2019 insurance plan.\nIn recent weeks, there have been reports of citizens having difficulty successfully using the Marketplace website. Many of these reported problems have already been resolved and there are people working around the clock to fix the problems that remain on the website. But the Marketplace website is only one tool that you can use to sign up for coverage. If you are having trouble accessing the website, please do not hesitate to call the Marketplace Hotline at 1-800-318-2596 or visit Seedco Mid-South for in-person help. Seedco is located at 22 North Front Street (Suite 900), and they can be reached by phone at 901-528-8341. You should also feel free to call my office at 901-544-4131 if you have any additional questions.\nProtecting Consumers from Unreasonable Harassment\nJust like the United States government, consumers should pay the debts they owe, but they still deserve protection from harassment and the abusive and predatory tactics used by some debt collectors. On Wednesday, I introduced the\u00a0Fair Debt Collection Improvement Act to ensure that some of the worst tactics of debt collectors are no longer used.\nMy legislation would explicitly bar debt collectors from bringing legal action against consumers on a debt for which the statute of limitations has expired. While this predatory practice is not currently illegal, most courts hold that creditors may not sue to collect such debts. And because many creditors sell time-barred debts to secondary debt collection agencies with unsavory collection practices, my bill would also prevent those agencies from hiding or obscuring the legal rights of consumers when seeking to collect the debt.\nThe\u00a0Fair Debt Collection Improvement Act would require collectors who have purchased time-barred debt on the secondary market to inform consumers that: the debt collector (not the original creditor) now holds the debt, the debt collector cannot sue for the debt, and that\u2014if applicable under state law\u2014any payment made towards the debt by the consumer could restart the statute of limitations on the entire debt. I believe that people should pay the debts that they owe, but debt collectors shouldn\u2019t be able to bully and harass consumers.\nWorking to Prevent Hunger and Poverty\nThis morning, millions of Americans woke up to some tough news: the SNAP benefits they rely on the keep food on their tables are going to be smaller from now on. And House Republicans recently passed legislation that would cut even more from this critical part of our social safety net. Last night,\u00a0I went on Al Jazeera\u2019s\u00a0Consider This TV show\u00a0\u00a0to discuss the cuts and what they mean for children, families, and seniors in Memphis.\nInstead of cutting benefits to families and taking food out of the mouths of hungry children, I believe we should work to keep Americans out of poverty. That is why I have co-sponsored Rep. John Conyers\u2019\u00a0Extend Not Cut SNAP Benefits Act, to prevent even more citizens from going hungry.\nEnding the School-to-Prison Pipeline\nUnless dealt with early and effectively, young perpetrators of minor, non-violent offenses can unnecessarily fall into a pattern of violent conduct later in life. But instead of focusing on conflict resolution methods that could cut short this cycle, schools in Memphis and across the country often involve the police in non-violent incidents on school property, which helps feed the \u201cschool-to-prison\u201d pipeline that is both expensive and harmful to our community\u2019s youth.\nThis week, I introduced the Restorative Justice in Schools Act, which would help reduce youth incarceration by helping to provide educators valuable training in innovative \u201crestorative justice\u201d methods. Restorative justice can serve as a\u00a0cost-effective and useful alternative to the more punitive conflict resolution methods used by many schools to resolve minor student conflicts. These victim-centered methods hold offenders accountable to their victims and their communities, help offenders understand the impact of their actions, and give the wronged party an opportunity to have a voice in resolving the conflict\u2014which can assist in the healing process and prevent victims from becoming aggressors.\nBy training educators in alternative conflict resolution methods that yield better results for everyone, we can keep our young people out of jail, provide better outcomes and improved healing for victims, and save the country money.\nImproving Downtown Memphis\nThe Commercial Appeal\u00a0reported today\u00a0that work to make Downtown Memphis more walkable will soon begin as the first part of the Main Street to Main Street\u00a0project, a project which I helped secure a $15 million\u00a0federal TIGER grant for last year. While the TIGER grant includes the bicycle path over the Harahan Bridge, at least half of the funding will go to long-needed but little-noted improvements to local infrastructure.\u00a0\nIn addition to other improvements, the City will be putting people to work repairing and improving Downtown sidewalks and the Main Street Mall. Once these streets and sidewalks are improved, more people will come Downtown\u2014as will more jobs.\u00a0I\u2019m glad that this program is getting off the ground and bringing jobs to our city, and I look forward to the new upgrades to Downtown Memphis.\nGrants to Memphis  \n\tOn Tuesday, I announced that the Department of Health and Human Services awarded nearly $100,000 to the Shelby Country Health Care Corporation. The funds will be used by The MED to help keep Memphis healthy.\nMedicare Open Enrollment\nMedicare Part D enrollment for 2014 is now open and will run until December 7th. The Aging Commission of the Mid-South will be sponsoring several enrollment workshops in the 9th District to assist seniors in enrolling in next year\u2019s plans. All that you have to bring is your Medicare card and prescriptions. Be sure not to miss out on this great opportunity to lower your monthly pharmacy costs. For dates, times, and locations of the workshops\u00a0please click here.\nGrant Announcements\nI regularly release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others. These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th district. The announcements are\u00a0updated regularly on my website.\nAs always, I remain.  \n\tMost sincerely,    \n\tSteve Cohen  \n\tMember of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-introduces-legislation-prevent-unreasonable-harassment-debt-collectors", "Cohen Introduces Legislation to Prevent Unreasonable Harassment from Debt Collectors", "2013-10-31", "2013", "2013-10", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] - Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) this week introduced legislation, the Fair Debt Collection Improvement Act, to protect Americans from the predatory and abusive tactics of debt collectors. The Congressman\u2019s proposal would prevent debt collectors from threatening legal repercussions when none are available or tricking consumers into paying more than they would otherwise be legally obligated to pay.\n\u201cJust like the United States government, consumers should pay the debts they owe, but they still deserve protection from harassment and the abusive and predatory tactics used by some debt collectors,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.\nThe Fair Debt Collection Improvement Act would clarify the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act of 1977 to explicitly bar debt collectors from bringing legal action against consumers on a debt for which the statute of limitations has expired. While this predatory practice is not currently illegal, most courts hold that creditors may not sue to collect such debts.\nBecause many creditors sell time-barred debts to secondary debt collection agencies with unsavory collection practices, Congressman Cohen\u2019s legislation would also prevent those agencies from hiding or obscuring the legal rights of consumers when seeking to collect the debt. His bill would require collectors who have purchased time-barred debt on the secondary market to inform debtors that: the debt collector (not the original creditor) now holds the debt, the debt collector cannot sue for the debt, and that\u2014if applicable under state law\u2014any payment made towards the debt by the consumer could restart the statute of limitations on the entire debt.\nThe Fair Debt Collection Improvement Act is cosponsored by Representatives John Conyers (MI-13), Gwen Moore (WI-04), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC).", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-introduces-bill-help-end-school-prison-pipeline", "Cohen Introduces Bill to Help End School-to-Prison Pipeline", "2013-10-30", "2013", "2013-10", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today introduced legislation, the Restorative Justice in Schools Act, to reduce youth incarceration in America by helping train school personnel such as teachers and counselors in innovative conflict resolution methods that are less likely to result in non-violent juveniles entering the penal system. Currently, many school systems involve the police in non-violent incidents on school property, which helps feed the \u201cschool-to-prison\u201d pipeline that is both expensive and harmful to America\u2019s youth.\n\u201cUnless dealt with early and effectively, young perpetrators of minor, non-violent offenses can unnecessarily fall into a pattern of violent conduct later in life,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cInstead of focusing on conflict resolution methods that could cut short this cycle, too often our schools rely on overly harsh punishments like incarceration that simply continue it and feed the \u2018school-to-prison\u2019 pipeline. By training educators in alternative conflict resolution methods that yield better results for everyone, we can keep our young people out of jail, provide better outcomes and improved healing for victims, and save the country money.\u201d\nCongressman Cohen\u2019s legislation allows local education agencies and school districts to use their current federal funding to provide training in \u201crestorative justice\u201d methods. Restorative justice can serve as cost-effective and useful alternatives to the more punitive conflict resolution methods used by many schools to resolve minor student conflicts, such as involving the police.\nThe victim-centered restorative justice process holds offenders accountable to their victims and their communities, helps offenders understand the impact of their actions, and gives the wronged party an opportunity to have a voice in resolving the conflict\u2014which can assist in the healing process and prevent victims from becoming aggressors.\nThe Restorative Justice in Schools Act is cosponsored by Representatives Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Keith Ellison (MN-05), Barbara Lee (CA-13), Gregory Meeks (NY-05), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC).", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-nearly-100000-med", "Cohen Announces Nearly $100,000 for The MED", "2013-10-29", "2013", "2013-10", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced today that The MED will receive $98,000 in funding through a U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) grant to the Shelby County Health Care Corporation.\n\u201cThis funding will help The MED keep Memphis healthy,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/delta-continues-breaking-its-promises", "Delta Continues Breaking Its Promises", "2013-10-25", "2013", "2013-10", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,\u00a0\nThis week, the House passed the Water Resources and Reform\u00a0Development Act, a\u00a0major piece of legislation\u00a0to help boost our economy and grow jobs, Delta continued its long string of broken promises to Memphis, and I introduced legislation to protect your right to vote. Keep reading to learn more about what happened this week.\nDelta Lets Us Down Again  Protecting the Right of All Tennesseans to Vote  Who Is Unwilling to Compromise?  Keeping Memphians Healthy  Medicare Open Enrollment  Improving\u00a0Human Rights\u00a0on the Helsinki Commission  Tribute to Late Congressman Bill Young  Grants to Memphis  Congratulating One of the Nation\u2019s Best Educators  Grant Announcements\nDelta Lets Us Down Again\nDespite Delta's promises, this week they\u00a0let Memphis down once again\u00a0by ending our city\u2019s status as a base for flight attendants, cutting as many as 126 jobs in the city, and further reducing the number of their departing Memphis International Airport flights from 64 to 40.\u00a0\nAs a member of both the Antitrust Task Force of the House Judiciary Committee and the Aviation Subcommittee of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I have worked to exercise available Congressional oversight authorities over the 2008 merger of Delta and Northwest. When I spoke with representatives from Northwest and Delta, they assured me that Memphis would lose neither jobs nor flights as a result of the merger, two promises that have now been repeatedly broken. I have also reached out to Attorney General Eric Holder to discuss the growing evidence that Delta is violating the assurances made to the Department when seeking antitrust immunity for their merger.\u00a0\nSince they have basically left the Delta region, the airline should change its name to FIDA (\"Formerly Interested in the Delta\" Airlines) or Forked Tongue Air or Wings over Atlanta. While I am both disheartened and disappointed by Delta\u2019s poor decisions, I will continue doing everything I can to bring more flights, routes, and airlines to Memphis International Airport.\nProtecting the Right of All Tennesseans to Vote\nLast week, the Tennessee Supreme Court upheld our state\u2019s restrictive and burdensome voter ID law, which requires Tennesseans to present selected photographic identification\u2014including gun permits and hunting licenses but excluding photographic library cards\u2014in order to vote. The goal of laws like these is\u2014plain and simple\u2014to make it harder for minorities, the elderly, and young people to exercise a Constitutional right that we in this country hold sacred: the right to participate in the democratic process by casting a ballot.\nSupporters of laws like these\u2014which are being implemented by conservatives across the nation\u2014claim they are necessary to prevent fraud, though little evidence of voter fraud exists and the few cases that do pale in comparison to the thousands of voters at risk of being disenfranchised because of the new laws. This \u2018cure\u2019 is worse than the imagined disease.\nOn Wednesday, I introduced the\u00a0Voter ID Accessibility Act, a bill that would help mitigate the harmful and disenfranchising effects of the Tennessee Voter ID law and other laws like it by ensuring that state and federal offices that provide public assistance (which already offer visitors the opportunity to register to vote) notify individuals of their state\u2019s voter ID mandate and offer them the opportunity to obtain suitable identification free of charge.\nThe history of our nation is one of expanding access to voting, not restricting it\u2014and voter ID laws are steps in the wrong direction. My\u00a0Voter ID Accessibility Act would put our country back on the right path and help the citizens of Tennessee\u2014as well as every state with restrictive and burdensome voting laws\u2014exercise their right to vote by providing better access to the information and documentation needed to do so.\nWho Is Unwilling to Compromise?\nOver the weekend, a well-written\u00a0Jane Mansbridge column\u00a0appeared in the Commercial Appeal about the recent government shutdown. Her column made several good points, but one of the strongest addresses a talking point that those on the other side of the aisle have been bludgeoning Democrats and President Obama with for years: that we are unwilling to compromise on the Affordable Care Act, also known as \u201cObamacare.\u201d\nThat accusation is misleading. As Ms. Mansbridge writes, \u201cObamacare is inherently a compromise because it is a health insurance reform law rather than an overhaul of the structure of our nation\u2019s health care system. A significant contingent of Democratic voters and activists has always supported a single-payer health care system, in which the government, not private insurance companies, covers health care costs for all Americans (think Medicare for all)\u2026 The Democrats have compromised over and over again. Now it\u2019s the Republicans\u2019 turn to play fair.\u201d I think that is a very important point to keep in mind. I\u2019d encourage everyone to read her column\u00a0here.\nKeeping Memphians Healthy\nAll Memphians should have quality health coverage. Luckily, many who have been unable to afford quality coverage in the past are now eligible to enroll in\u00a0Tennessee\u2019s Health Insurance Marketplace\u00a0thanks to Obamacare. If you do not have health insurance coverage, you\u00a0may be eligible to save money on your health care premiums\u00a0in the Marketplace.\nIf you are on Medicare or your employer is going to offer qualified health insurance next year, you\u2019re already covered and won\u2019t need to enter the Marketplace for your health coverage. If you aren\u2019t sure whether or not you will need to use the Marketplace to get insurance, call the Marketplace Hotline at 1-800-318-2596 or visit\u00a0www.HealthCare.gov. You can also call my office or the Marketplace Hotline to find out if TennCare (Tennessee\u2019s Medicaid program) is a coverage option for you. If you are one of the millions of Americans who need health insurance, you can\u00a0sign up\u00a0for coverage today that will take effect January 1, 2014. Enrollment in the marketplace will remain open for six months, but you can go online to\u00a0www.healthcare.gov\u00a0 today to check out your options.\nThe Affordable Care Act is already working for families across the Ninth District and the government shutdown didn\u2019t change that. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 147,000 individuals in the district now have health insurance that covers preventive services without co-pays, $3.1 million in insurance premiums have been returned to consumers, and more than 5,000 seniors on Medicare paid a total of $5.9 million less for their prescription medications as we continue to close the \u2018donut hole.\u2019 Young adults up to age 26 can now stay on their parents\u2019 insurance plan and health insurance companies can no longer discriminate against patients with pre-existing conditions.\nIn recent weeks, there have been reports of citizens having difficulty successfully using the Marketplace website. Many of these reported problems have already been resolved and there are people working around the clock to fix the problems that remain on the website. But the Marketplace website is only one tool that you can use to sign up for coverage. If you are having trouble accessing the website, please do not hesitate to call the Marketplace Hotline at 1-800-318-2596 or visit Seedco for in-person help. Seedco is located at 22 North Front Street (Suite 900), and they can be reached by phone at 901-528-8341. You should also feel free to call my office at 901-544-4131 if you have any additional questions.\nMedicare Open Enrollment\nMedicare Part D enrollment for 2014 is now open and will run until December 7th. The Aging Commission of the Mid-South will be sponsoring several enrollment workshops in the 9th district to assist all seniors in enrolling in next year\u2019s plans. All that you have to bring is your Medicare card and prescriptions. Be sure not to miss out on this great opportunity to lower your monthly pharmacy costs. For dates, times, and locations of the remaining workshops in October,\u00a0please click here. Details about November\u2019s workshops\u00a0are available here.\nImproving Human Rights on the Helsinki Commission\nEarlier this week, the Speaker of the House reappointed me to the Commission of Security and Cooperation in Europe, known also as the U.S. Helsinki Commission. The Commission has a long influential history when it comes to international affairs, human rights and promoting democracy. It has been a privilege and an honor to serve on it for the last two years, and I am glad to have the opportunity to keep serving. I look forward to continuing my work of helping the Commission improve relations between countries across the world.\nTribute to Late Congressman Bill Young\nOn Wednesday afternoon,\u00a0I spoke on the House Floor\u00a0to pay tribute to the late Congressman Bill Young of Florida. Representative Young, the longest-serving Republican member of the House, passed away last Friday. He was an advocate for peace in Afghanistan and for NIH funding, which he more than doubled during his time as Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. He also joined with me as a founding member of the Congressional Tourette Syndrome Caucus earlier this year. I was proud to know him, and this country was fortunate to have a leader like him serve in the House.\nGrants to Memphis\nOn Tuesday, I announced that the Department of Health and Human Services awarded more than $500,000 to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center for two different projects that will help continue the important work being done by the school\u2019s skilled researchers. You can read more about the grants\u00a0here.\nCongratulating One of the Nation\u2019s Best Educators\nI want to take a moment to congratulate Sharon McNary, principal of Richland Elementary School in Shelby County,\u00a0on receiving the National Association of Elementary School Principals\u2019 highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, in Washington today. I am proud of Principal McNary and all of the talented and hardworking educators who spend their days working to improve the lives of our young people.\nGrant Announcements\nI regularly release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others. These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th district. The announcements are\u00a0updated regularly on my website.\nAs always, I remain.  Most sincerely,    Steve Cohen  Member of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-reappointed-helsinki-commission", "Cohen Reappointed to Helsinki Commission", "2013-10-25", "2013", "2013-10", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) this week was reappointed by the Speaker of the House to the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission. The Commission is an independent U.S. Government agency created in 1976 to monitor and encourage compliance with the Helsinki Final Act and other Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) commitments in 57 participating States across Europe, Central Asia and North America.\nWhen Congressman Cohen was first appointed to the Helsinki Commission in 2011, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said: \u201cCongressman Steve Cohen is a leader in promoting civil rights and opportunity of all Americans, and he brings this same passion to the promotion of human rights and democracy around the world. The Helsinki Commission is a focal point for security and cooperation among nations and leaders, and Congressman Cohen\u2019s voice is sure to strengthen and advance the commission\u2019s work.\u201d\n\u201cIt is a privilege and an honor to serve on the Helsinki Commission,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.\u00a0 \u201cThe Commission has a long influential history when it comes to international affairs, human rights and promoting democracy.\u00a0 I look forward to continuing my work of helping the Commission improve relations among countries across the world.\u201d\nThe Commission consists of nine members from the United States Senate, nine members from the U.S. House of Representatives, and one member each from the Departments of State, Defense, and Commerce.\u00a0 The positions of Chair and Co-Chair are shared by the House and Senate and rotate every two years, when a new Congress convenes.\u00a0 A professional staff assists the Commissioners in their work.\nThe Commission convenes public hearings and briefings with expert witnesses on OSCE-related issues including democratization and human rights developments as well as energy, economic and security objectives in OSCE States.\u00a0 The Commission issues public reports concerning implementation of OSCE commitments in OSCE States and organizes official delegations to participating States and OSCE meetings to address and assess OSCE initiatives firsthand.\u00a0 Through this work and regular contact with parliamentarians, government officials, NGOs, and private individuals from OSCE States, the Commission also contributes to the formulation and execution of U.S. policy on the OSCE.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-introduces-legislation-protect-voting-rights-tennesseans", "Cohen Introduces Legislation to Protect Voting Rights of Tennesseans", "2013-10-23", "2013", "2013-10", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today introduced the Voter ID Accessibility Act to mitigate the harmful and potentially disenfranchising effects of the unfair, burdensome and restrictive Tennessee voter ID law. Late last week, the Tennessee Supreme Court upheld the law, which requires Tennesseans to present selected photographic identification\u2014including gun permits and hunting licenses but excluding photographic library cards\u2014in order to cast a ballot. The state\u2019s list of acceptable IDs has been called \u201cunfair and deliberately unequal\u201d by civil rights leaders.\n\u201cThe goal of restrictive state voter ID policies, like our Tennessee law, is\u2014plain and simple\u2014to make it harder for minorities, the elderly, and young people to exercise a Constitutional right that we in this country hold sacred: the right to participate in the democratic process by casting a ballot,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cSupporters of laws like these claim they are necessary to prevent fraud, though little evidence of voter fraud exists and the few cases that do pale in comparison to the thousands of voters at risk of being disenfranchised because of the new laws. This \u2018cure\u2019 is worse than the imagined disease.\u201d\nThe Voter ID Accessibility Act would mitigate some of the unfair effects of restrictive state voter ID laws by amending the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, commonly referred to as the \u201cMotor Voter Law,\u201d to expand access to photo identification in states that require it for voting. Congressman Cohen\u2019s legislation would ensure that state and federal offices that provide public assistance\u2014which already offer visitors the opportunity to register to vote\u2014also notify individuals of their state\u2019s voter ID mandate and offer them the opportunity to obtain suitable identification free of charge.\n\u201cThe history of our nation is one of expanding access to voting, not restricting it\u2014and voter ID laws are steps in the wrong direction,\u201d the Congressman continued.\u00a0\u201cMy Voter ID Accessibility Act will put our country back on the right path and help the citizens of Tennessee\u2014as well as every state with restrictive and burdensome voting laws\u2014exercise their right to vote by providing better access to the information and documentation needed to do so.\u201d\nEarlier this month, the federal judge who wrote the majority opinion in a ruling that is widely credited with allowing restrictive state voter ID laws to go forward stated that the decision was wrong and the law it was based on is \u201cnow widely regarded as a means of voter suppression rather than of fraud prevention.\u201d Congressman Cohen has long worked to mitigate the effects of these laws, both in Tennessee and around the nation. After the U.S. Supreme Court eviscerated portions of the landmark Voting Rights Act earlier this year, he urged the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to use its authorities to ensure that the voting rights of all Americans remained protected. The DOJ has since challenged the newly-passed laws in North Carolina and Texas voting laws in federal court.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-more-500000-ut-health-science-center-memphis", "Cohen Announces More Than $500,000 for UT Health Science Center in Memphis", "2013-10-22", "2013", "2013-10", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced today that the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) in Memphis has been awarded a total of $519,911 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for two projects.\n\u201cThese funds will help continue the important work being done by the skilled researchers at the UT Health Science Center in Memphis,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.\nThe following grant awards are included under today\u2019s announcement:\n HHS\u2019 National Institute on Aging awarded $219,911 in grant funding to UTHSC for the \u201cEffect of Dementia Caregiver Interventions on Healthcare Cost\u201d project.\n  HHS\u2019 National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases awarded $300,000 in grant funding to UTHSC for the \u201cNovel Biosynthetic Pathway for Secosteroids and the Skin\u201d project.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-delta-lets-down-memphis-once-again", "Cohen: Delta Lets Down Memphis Once Again", "2013-10-22", "2013", "2013-10", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Just months after Delta cut a third of its Memphis departures in June, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today made the following statement after learning that the airline was continuing its string of broken promises by ending Memphis\u2019 status as a base for flight attendants, cutting as many as 126 cargo and ticketing jobs in the city, and further reducing the number of their departing Memphis International Airport flights from 64 to 40.\n\u201cDelta has once again let Memphis down with their decision to eliminate jobs as well as even more flights from our city,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cSince they have basically left the Delta they should change the name of the airline to FIDA (Formerly Interested in the Delta Airlines) or Forked Tongue Air or Wings over Atlanta.\u201d\nAs a member of both the Antitrust Task Force of the House Judiciary Committee and the Aviation Subcommittee of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Congressman Cohen has worked to exercise available Congressional oversight authorities over the 2008 merger of Delta and Northwest.\u00a0 When Congressman Cohen spoke with representatives from Northwest and Delta, they assured him that Memphis would lose neither jobs nor flights as a result of the merger, two promises that have now been repeatedly broken.\n\u201cIn 2008, Delta CEO Richard Anderson said in a Congressional hearing that the Delta/Northwest merger would not impact flights in and out of Memphis and even hinted at the addition of a possible Paris flight,\u201d the Congressman continued. \u201cWe now know that wasn\u2019t true.\u201d\nCongressman Cohen also reached out to Attorney General Eric Holder to discuss the growing evidence that Delta is violating the assurances made to the Department when seeking antitrust immunity for their merger. He spoke to Holder during a House Judiciary Committee about possible anti-competitive practices by Delta Air Lines in Memphis. The Congressman encouraged the Attorney General to examine Delta\u2019s inflated ticket prices in Memphis and possible monopolistic practices.\u00a0\nCongressman Cohen concluded: \u201cWe are no longer a hub city, we have zero regular international flights, and today we host less than half of the Delta domestic flights we once did. Today\u2019s news puts the flying public at a disadvantage, hurts Memphis and the Mid-South, and continues Delta\u2019s long string of broken promises. While I am both disheartened and disappointed by Delta\u2019s poor decisions, I will continue doing everything I can to bring more flights, routes, and airlines to Memphis International Airport.\u201d\nThe Congressman has additionally encouraged other airlines including Southwest Airlines and JetBlue to establish or expand their operations in Memphis. Memphis International Airport is a world-class facility that today serves more than 6 million passengers a year. Dedicated in 1929 as the Memphis Municipal Airport with just two major carriers, the airport now hosts several national carriers as well as the FedEx \u201cSuper Hub.\u201d Memphis International has grown into the busiest cargo airport in the country, and is the second-busiest in the world \u2014behind only Hong Kong.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/end-shutdown-madness", "An End to the Shutdown Madness", "2013-10-18", "2013", "2013-10", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,\u00a0\nThis week, our nation turned the page on a sad chapter in its history when President Obama signed a consensus agreement to re-open the federal government and prevent our nation from defaulting on our debts for the first time in history.\nAn End to the Shutdown Madness  Repaying Our Debts to Our Veterans  Protecting Your Right to Vote  Delta Grassroots Caucus  LeMoyne-Owen Residence Hall Dedication  Keeping Memphians Healthy  White House Tours Available Once Again  Grant Announcements\nAn End to the Shutdown Madness\nJust after the House voted to pass the agreement late Wednesday evening,\u00a0I discussed the last two weeks and how this shutdown has affected our country on Bloomberg Television. After 16 days of the Tea Party\u2019s unnecessary, reckless, and irresponsible shutdown, Speaker Boehner finally allowed the House to vote to re-open all of the government\u2014something Democrats and even many Republicans had been calling for since the shutdown began.\nI was not pleased with everything that was in the agreement passed by Congress this week, but our nation could not afford another day of the shutdown\u2014a new report shows that the 16 days it lasted cost our country $24 billion dollars. That\u2019s billion\u2014with a \u201cB.\u201d It was too important to put our government back to work for the American people.\nI remain concerned about the damage that has been done to America\u2019s reputation as well as the shaken confidence in the dollar, but I hope that this agreement pushes both parties to work together to repair our economy. We have too many important issues facing us to not have a government working for us. Congress must refocus on those issues\u2014everything from immigration to jobs to transportation and infrastructure. It\u2019s time we get back to work.\u00a0I stopped by Channel 3 this morning\u00a0and talked with Alex Coleman and Marybeth Conley about how we should move forward, and will be on MSNBC\u2019s Up with Steve Kornacki tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM as well. I hope you\u2019ll tune in!\nRepaying Our Debts to Our Veterans\nNow that the shutdown has ended, I am glad that I\u2019ve been able to get back to work in Memphis. I joined the Catholic Charities of West Tennessee (CCWTN) today as they launched their St. Sebastian Veteran Service Program to provide supportive services to Memphis-area veterans and their families. Earlier this year,\u00a0I announced a $907,000 grant\u00a0to help them get the St. Sebastian Veteran Service Program off the ground. CCWTN\u00a0is one of the largest nonprofit, multi-social service providers in the Mid-South with special emphasis in the areas of homelessness, immigration services, Veterans Services and emergency services.\nThe Catholic Charities are doing good work, but today, the cuts to federal programs caused by sequestration is hurting services like the ones they provide around the country\u2014everything from veterans\u2019 services to a program that helps low-income families heat their homes in the winter and from Meals on Wheels to Head Start programs for our children are seeing drastic cuts. These cuts are also making our country\u00a0weaker both domestically and around the globe. We must do everything we can to reverse sequestration\u2019s cuts and restore funding to the critical services that millions of Americans rely on.\nProtecting Your Right to Vote\nYesterday, the Tennessee Supreme Court made an unfortunate decision in upholding our state\u2019s new and restrictive voting law. The law is another attempt by the far right wing to suppress the vote and make it harder for minorities and the elderly to exercise their Constitutional rights.\nWhile I will continue to do everything I can at both the federal and local levels to see this law overturned as well as protect everyone\u2019s right to vote, as long as this law stands it is critically important that each and every Memphian ensure they possess proper identification if they wish to participate in the democratic process. This week\u2019s ruling means that photo IDs issued by the City of Memphis Public Library are no longer valid for voting purposes. If you do not have a state-issued photo ID, you can get one today at one of the\u00a0Tennessee Driver Services Centers in Shelby County. Click\u00a0here\u00a0to learn what documentation you will need to bring with you.\nDelta Grassroots Caucus\nThis afternoon, I gave a keynote address at the Delta Grassroots Caucus\u2019 annual regional conference. I spoke about the agreement that ended the government shutdown and ensured our nation pays its bills, the damage that cuts to the SNAP food-stamp program would cause to our community, my efforts to help create good-paying jobs right here in Memphis, and the Affordable Care Act. The Delta Grassroots Caucus is known for working on behalf of some of the most frequently forgotten and disadvantaged constituencies in our nation, and I was pleased to be able to be there today.\nLeMoyne-Owen Residence Hall Dedication\nThis morning, I attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for LeMoyne-Owen College\u2019s new residence hall. The College is helping minorities and women succeed in the high-paying, high-skilled science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields\u2014and earlier this year I\u00a0announced\u00a0a $1.7 million grant to help them expand their efforts. Their new residence hall is the first major construction project LeMoyne-Owen has undertaken in forty years. It will include as many as 336 beds, state of the art technology, and other amenities. This new residence hall is a testament to the future of LeMoyne-Owen College as well as to the many years of hard work by both Board Chairman Robert Lipscomb and President Johnnie B. Watson, who have helped resurrect the college like a phoenix rising from the ashes.\nKeeping Memphians Healthy\nAll Memphians should have quality health coverage. Luckily, many who have been unable to afford quality coverage in the past are now eligible to enroll in\u00a0Tennessee\u2019s Health Insurance Marketplace\u00a0thanks to the President\u2019s landmark Affordable Care Act\u2014also known as Obamacare. If you do not have health insurance coverage, you\u00a0may be eligible to save money on your health care premiums\u00a0in\u00a0the Marketplace.\nIf you are on Medicare or your employer is going to continue offering health insurance\u00a0next year, you\u2019re already covered and won\u2019t need to enter the\u00a0Marketplace for your health coverage. If you aren\u2019t sure whether or not you will need to use the Marketplace to get insurance, call the Marketplace Hotline at1-800-318-2596 or visit www.HealthCare.gov. You can also call my office or the Marketplace Hotline to find out if TennCare (Tennessee\u2019s Medicaid program) is a coverage option for you.\nThe Affordable Care Act is already working for families across the Ninth District and the government shutdown didn\u2019t change that. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 147,000 individuals in the district now have health insurance that covers preventive services without co-pays, $3.1 million in insurance premiums have been returned to consumers, and more than 5,000 seniors on Medicare paid a total of $5.9 million less for their prescription medications as we continue to close the \u2018donut hole.\u2019 Young adults up to age 26 can now stay on their parents\u2019 insurance plan and health insurance companies can no longer discriminate against patients with pre-existing conditions.\nIf you are one of the millions of Americans who need health insurance, you can\u00a0sign up\u00a0for coverage today that will take effect January 1, 2014. Enrollment in the marketplace will remain open for six months, but you can go online to\u00a0www.healthcare.gov\u00a0 today to check out your options. Feel free to call my office at 901-544-4131 if you have any additional questions.\nWhite House Tours Available Once Again\nJust hours ago, we learned that the White House will be re-opening for limited public tours starting on November 5th. If you are visiting Washington after November 5th and would like to see the White House, please let me know by submitting a tour request using this form. If you have already submitted a request for a White House tour to my office, those requests have been received by the White House tour office. My office will inform you of the status of those requests as soon as an update is available from the White House.\nGrant Announcements\nI regularly release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others. These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th district. The announcements are\u00a0updated regularly on my website.\nAs always, I remain.  \n\tMost sincerely,    \n\tSteve Cohen  \n\tMember of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-statement-bipartisan-agreement-end-government-shutdown-and-avert-economic", "Cohen Statement on Bipartisan Agreement to End Government Shutdown and Avert Economic Shutdown", "2013-10-16", "2013", "2013-10", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] - Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) made the following statement as Congress appeared to have reached an agreement to re-open the federal government and prevent the United States from defaulting on its debts. The Congressman also recorded a video statement regarding the agreement, which is available here.\n\u201cThis agreement is good news for our country because it will re-open the government and prevent an economic catastrophe,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cFor 17 days, I\u2019ve eagerly awaited the opportunity to vote on consensus legislation to fund our government and I\u2019m glad that opportunity has finally arrived. While I\u2019m not pleased with everything in the agreement, it\u2019s a relief that we will put our government back to work for the American people.\u00a0 I\u2019m concerned about the damage that has been done to America\u2019s reputation, as well as the shaken confidence in the dollar, but it is my hope that with today\u2019s agreement both political parties can work together to repair our economy.\u00a0 Congress must refocus on a myriad of issues, from immigration to jobs to transportation and infrastructure and it\u2019s time we get back to work on those important issues.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/still-no-shutdown-breakthrough", "Still No Shutdown Breakthrough", "2013-10-11", "2013", "2013-10", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,\nToday is the 11th day of this unnecessary government shutdown and,\u00a0while there have been some hopeful signs, there has been no breakthrough yet. In less than a week, we face an even bigger crisis: the global economy could unravel if Congress fails to allow the nation to pay its bills. If the Tea Party refuses to drop their irresponsible and reckless demands and forces our nation to default on its debts\u2014debts that Congress had already voted to incur\u2014the world\u2019s economy could pay a heavier price than it did during the 2008 financial crisis. Every reputable economist agrees: the effects of not extending the debt limit would be catastrophic.\nAmerica Pays Its Debts  Ready to Negotiate to Get our Government Back to Work  Keeping Memphians Healthy  Bringing More Service to the Memphis Airport  Grant Announcements\nAmerica Pays Its Debts\nIn recent days, some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have claimed that allowing the country to pay its bills would increase our debt\u2014but they are trying to mislead the public with inaccurate claims. When they say that Congress should not extend the debt limit because it increases our nation\u2019s debt, it is no truer than a family refusing to pay a credit card bill because it costs the family money. It\u2019s the spending that costs the family, not paying the bill.\nIt is not an example of fiscal restraint to miss a payment that is owed; it just hurts the family\u2019s credit rating and makes it harder for them to buy a car or a house in the future. If the U.S. fails to pay its bills, the Tea Party won\u2019t be saving our nation any money\u2014but they will guarantee that those who trusted America think long and hard about doing it again.\nA surprising number of Tea Party extremists have also tried their best in recent weeks to downplay the catastrophic impact of not paying our bills and not extending the debt limit. Those doing that could not be more wrong. Merely the threat of not paying our bills is already damaging our economy and jobs in America. If creditors stop trusting the United States government to repay its debts, the impact would be devastating. The price of gasoline would increase if the dollar loses value, interest rates for home loans and credit cards would skyrocket, and Americans could lose their retirement savings. Make no mistake: failing to pay our nation\u2019s bills would be a disaster for American families and for the middle class. You can read\u00a0Paul Krugman\u2019s column in today\u2019s New York Times\u00a0to learn more.\nReady to Negotiate to Get our Government Back to Work\nPrior to the federal government shutting down last week, the Tea Party made their position clear: they would not fund the government unless they could take away health benefits from millions of Americans, including more than 100,000 Ninth District constituents. There have been more than 40 votes in the House of Representatives to repeal the President\u2019s landmark Affordable Care Act, which is known to many as \u201cObamacare.\u201d Not a single vote has gone anywhere. Now they have taken our nation\u2019s government and economy hostage to get their way\u2014even though they already got the budget numbers that Speaker Boehner demanded. If he could take \u201cyes\u201d for an answer and let the House vote on the funding levels that he had previously agreed to, the Speaker could re-open the government today.\nThe Affordable Care Act is the law of the land. It was passed by both houses of Congress, signed by the President, upheld by the Supreme Court, and then ratified by President Obama\u2019s re-election last year. Today, it\u2019s helping millions of Americans afford quality health coverage, ensuring that no one can be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition, saving seniors money on their prescription drugs, and keeping young people insured. Republicans have shut down the government and are holding our economy hostage in an attempt to take that all away. These tactics are wrong, and they must stop. This week,\u00a0I appeared on MSNBC\u2019s Jansing & Co.\u00a0and\u00a0spoke on the House floor\u00a0about how we ended up here what we can do now.\nOur nation, our economy, and the middle-class should not be held for ransom by an extreme faction of one party in one house of Congress. Today, that faction isn\u2019t even sure what they are holding our nation hostage for. First, they wouldn\u2019t keep the government open unless the President dropped his signature legislative achievement. Then they wouldn\u2019t reopen the government unless the Affordable Care Act was delayed. Since the shutdown started their demands have shifted almost every day. And while some brave Republicans have stepped forward and shown that they are willing to cooperate and get the government back to work, Tea Party Senator Ted Cruz of Texas is telling his extremist colleagues to dig in even further and keep the nation at a standstill.\nThe President and Democrats are ready to negotiate as soon as Republicans put the government back to work and pay the bills that they helped rack up. All we are asking for is a simple vote to end the government shutdown and to pay our bills so that we can avert an economic shutdown. We are ready to negotiate, but real negotiations cannot occur with the government shut down and the threat of default hurting our economy and killing jobs.\nKeeping Memphians Healthy\nEarlier this week, well-respected Memphis physician\u2014and my friend\u2014Dr. Manoj Jain wrote in the Commercial Appeal\u00a0that \u201cillnesses do not look at political preference. It does not matter if you are a Democrat or a Republican, you favor Obamacare or don\u2019t favor Obamacare, getting health insurance is not about your ideology; rather, it is about your health.\u201d Dr. Jain couldn\u2019t be more right, and his words are an effective reminder that it doesn\u2019t matter what side of the political aisle we sit on\u2014all Memphians should have quality health coverage for their own benefit. Luckily, many who have been unable to afford quality coverage in the past are now eligible to enroll in\u00a0Tennessee\u2019s Health Insurance Marketplace\u00a0thanks to Obamacare.\nIf you are on Medicare or your employer is going to continue offering health insurance next year, you\u2019re already covered and won\u2019t need to enter the Marketplace for your health coverage. If you aren\u2019t sure whether or not you will need to use the Marketplace to get insurance, call the Marketplace Hotline at 1-800-318-2596 or visit\u00a0www.HealthCare.gov. It\u2019s important to note that you\u00a0may be eligible to save money on your health care premiums\u00a0in the Marketplace. You can also call my office or the Marketplace Hotline to find out if TennCare (Tennessee\u2019s Medicaid program) is a coverage option for you.\nThe Affordable Care Act is already working for families across the Ninth District and the government shutdown doesn\u2019t change that. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 147,000 individuals in the district now have health insurance that covers preventive services without co-pays, $3.1 million in insurance premiums have been returned to consumers, and more than 5,000 seniors on Medicare paid a total of $5.9 million less for their prescription medications as we continue to close the \u2018donut hole.\u2019 Young adults up to age 26 can now stay on their parents\u2019 insurance plan and health insurance companies can no longer discriminate against patients with pre-existing conditions.\nIf you are one of the millions of Americans who need health insurance, you can\u00a0sign up\u00a0for coverage today that will take effect January 1, 2014. Enrollment in the marketplace will remain open for six months.\u00a0Even though the federal government remains shut down, my staff and I are still here working for you. So go online to\u00a0www.healthcare.gov\u00a0to check out your options and feel free to call my office at 901-544-4131 if you have any questions.\nBringing More Service to the Memphis Airport\nThe Memphis airport is a critical transportation link for the Mid-South as well as a world-class facility that serves more than 6 million passengers a year. While in recent years the airport has lost many flights and routes, things have started looking up in past months: Southwest Airlines announced new routes and UPS announced a large expansion at the airport. This week, we got even more good news when Frontier Airlines announced that it will be bringing new flights to the Memphis airport. This Frontier Airlines service will bring more competition to the airport, improve flight affordability, and help our city and our economy grow. I will continue doing everything I can to bring more flights, routes, and airlines to Memphis International Airport.\n\u00a0Grant Announcements\nI regularly release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others. These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th district. The announcements are\u00a0updated regularly on my website.\nAs always, I remain.  Most sincerely,    Steve Cohen  Member of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-democrats-president-ready-negotiate-not-while-economy-jobs-are-held-hostage", "Cohen: Democrats, President Ready to Negotiate, But Not While Economy & Jobs Are Held Hostage", "2013-10-10", "2013", "2013-10", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] - Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) spoke on the floor of the United States House of Representatives this morning about how the federal government shutdown started and how we can cooperate to help the middle class, pay our country\u2019s bills, stabilize our economy, and create jobs. Video of the Congressman\u2019s remarks is available here.\n\u201cIf the Tea Party refuses to reopen the government unless they can take away health benefits from millions of Americans, where does it stop?\u201d asked Congressman Cohen, before continuing: \u201cWill they threaten government or economic shutdown unless the President repeals fair labor standards? Or unless the President and the Vice President resign? These tactics are wrong and they must stop.\u201d\n\u201cOur nation, our economy, and the middle-class should not be held for ransom by an extreme faction of one party. The President and Democrats are ready to negotiate as soon as Republicans put the government back to work and pay the bills that they helped rack up. All we are asking for is a simple vote to end the government shutdown and to pay our bills so that we can avert an economic shutdown. We are ready to negotiate, but real negotiations cannot occur while the threat of default is hurting our economy and killing jobs.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-frontier-airlines-will-help-memphis-grow", "Cohen: Frontier Airlines Will Help Memphis Grow", "2013-10-09", "2013", "2013-10", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today released the following statement regarding Frontier Airlines offering new service at Memphis International Airport:\n\u201cThe Memphis airport is a critically important transportation link in the Mid-South,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cThis reasonably-priced Frontier Airlines service\u2014as well as the recently announced new Southwest Airlines routes and UPS expansion\u2014will help our city and our economy grow. I will continue doing everything I can to bring more flights, routes, and airlines to Memphis International Airport.\u201d\nMemphis International Airport is a world-class facility that today serves more than 6 million passengers a year. Dedicated in 1929 as the Memphis Municipal Airport with just two major carriers, the airport now hosts several national carriers as well as the FedEx \u201cSuper Hub.\u201d Memphis International has grown into the busiest cargo airport in the country, and is the second-busiest in the world \u2014behind only Hong Kong.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/republican-shutdown-continues", "The Republican Shutdown Continues", "2013-10-06", "2013", "2013-10", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,\u00a0 \nIn his 1996 State of the Union Address, President Bill Clinton drew the attention of the nation to a man sitting in the House gallery watching that night. Richard Dean was a Vietnam veteran who had worked at the Social Security Administration for more than two decades. Mr. Dean was at work in the Federal Building in Oklahoma City when a car-bomb that ultimately killed 169 people exploded just outside. He ran back into the building not once, not twice, but four times and saved the lives of three women.\nRepublicans and Democrats sitting in the House Chamber that night alike rose to applaud the American hero.\u00a0They continued applauding for almost a full minute.\u00a0President Clinton, speaking just days after Republicans forced the federal government to shut down, continued: \u201cBut Richard Dean's story doesn't end there. This last November, he was forced out of his office when the government shut down. And the second time the government shut down he continued helping Social Security recipients, but he was working without pay.\u201d\nAfter providing a clear and powerful example of how the 1995 and 1996 Republican shutdowns hurt our nation\u2019s heroes and countless others, the President urged Congress to \u201cnever, ever shut the federal government down again.\u201d\nLessons Not Learned  Republican Shutdown Problems  Fighting for Critically Important Programs  Standing with Federal Employees  Preventing Future Shutdowns  Affordable Health Care for Uninsured Memphians  Grant Announcements\nLessons Not Learned\nSadly, on Monday night, it became all too obvious that Congressional Republicans did not learn their lesson then. That night, Republicans in the House of Representatives\u2014along with Texas Senator Ted Cruz\u2014pushed our economy and our government over the edge of the cliff and forced the government to shut down yet again.\nAnd they did it even after Democrats in Congress agreed to their budget numbers. They couldn\u2019t take \u201cyes\u201d for an answer\u2014they had another eleventh-hour demand: now they would only keep the government open if they could also block millions from access to high-quality, affordable care. I was on CNN yesterday to talk about how we got to this point.\nFor the last six months, Democrats in both the House and the Senate have called on Speaker Boehner to appoint members to a conference committee so that the parties can work out their differences\u2014but he has consistently refused.\nMonths passed, and when we realized that Republicans were not only willing to allow the government to shut down\u2014that they actually wanted to shut it down\u2014Democrats agreed to accept every single cut the Republicans proposed just to keep the government running.\nAfter refusing to negotiate with Democrats\u2014and winning the budget they wanted\u2014Republicans are trying to take access to affordable, high-quality health coverage away from millions of Americans including more than 100,000 Ninth District residents. They are holding the government and our economy hostage to achieve the goals they couldn\u2019t achieve through the democratic process.\nAll Speaker Boehner and the Republicans need to do to get back up and running is take \u201cyes\u201d for an answer. If they would just let the House vote on a bill with their own funding numbers, it would pass overwhelmingly and this shutdown would end.\nAs we approach the second week of this shutdown, they still refuse\u2014that\u2019s irresponsible, reckless, and it hurts our economy, the middle class, as well as those who rely on benefits like the SNAP food stamp program, WIC assistance\u2014which I talked to Channel 3 about earlier this week\u2014and other government services just to keep their heads above water.\nRepublican Shutdown Problems\nAmericans are already feeling the pain that this Republican shutdown is causing. National parks have closed down, low-income women and children are being pushed further into poverty and hunger, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are turning children with cancer away from potentially life-saving treatments.\nInstead of working in a bipartisan manner to get the government back up and running, Republicans chose a politically-motivated piecemeal approach. They want to selectively restore partial funding to some agencies\u2014but, coincidentally, only to the agencies where the shutdown is causing them bad publicity.\nJust like when they stood up to clap for Richard Dean in 1996, Republicans want to look like they care about government services and employees when people are looking. But if you look past the surface, the facts prove otherwise.\nFighting for Critically Important Programs\nOn Wednesday night, Republicans went to the floor of the United States House of Representatives and cried crocodile tears over how much the shutdown they wanted\u2014and got\u2014is hurting the NIH. They\u2019re not wrong that the shutdown is causing big problems, but before it started Republicans had already cut $1.55 billion dollars from the NIH\u2019s budget\u2014and those cuts are also causing big problems.\nI spoke out on the House floor against their emotional and politically-motivated stunt, because I know first-hand just how important the NIH is to our country. In 1954, I came down with polio, and it still affects me to this day. It wasn\u2019t until six months later that the polio vaccine was made available\u2014with the help of the NIH.\nIf Republicans truly cared about the NIH, where were they when\u00a0I introduced legislation to save it from the devastating effects of their budget? The cuts they have kept in place for the last six months have already stopped countless research programs and crippled research into life-saving cures for diseases like cancer, Alzheimer\u2019s, Parkinson\u2019s, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and AIDS. Like it did for me, six months can make a difference\u2014a big difference. But those programs have remained shuttered in the face of Republican indifference.\nSince Republican cuts went into place a full half-year ago, I have spoken on the House floor, I have written editorials, and I have asked my Republican colleagues to adequately fund the NIH. Not once have Republicans said that they will. Not once.\nFor them to use this emotional PR stunt now to score political points when they have consistently ignored the pleas of the ill and dying should offend every American.\nStanding with Federal Employees\nEven though their pay remained a question, many federal employees continued working and continued serving their country over the last week. Two of those employees, a Secret Service member and a Capitol Police officer, were injured during a frightening incident in Washington, D.C. on Thursday. They both reported to work and performed their duties, just like countless other hardworking federal employees, even though they didn\u2019t know when they would see their next paycheck.\nStill more federal employees were forced out of their offices when the shutdown took effect on Tuesday morning and, though they want to work, they remain unable to serve their nation. And even worse, though this Republican shutdown came about through no fault of their own they are at risk of losing the pay they rely on to pay their bills unless Congress acts. That\u2019s not right, and I will work to ensure these good, hardworking Americans don\u2019t lose out because of the irresponsible and reckless demands of Congressional Republicans.\nThis week, I wrote to the official in charge of paying Members of Congress and asked that he withhold my pay until this government shutdown is resolved. Throughout the shutdown, I have been focused on reopening the government and have worked to make that happen as quickly as possible\u2014but as long as the government remains closed and other federal employees are not being paid, I will not accept my salary.\nPreventing Future Shutdowns\nYesterday afternoon, I appeared on MSNBC to talk about my plan to help prevent future shutdowns. Part of the reason the government has shut down is because today, Congress is so polarized that we\u2019re unable to find common ground on major issues\u2014for instance, funding our government. Instead of solving our nation\u2019s problems, Congress often grinds to a halt because some in Congress are unwilling to compromise.\nMany Representatives in Congress today don\u2019t have any reason to compromise, because they represent districts that are drawn by partisan commissions or state legislatures to ensure they are elected each and every time they run. It\u2019s called \u201cgerrymandering.\u201d The more extreme they vote, the more they are rewarded by their constituents\u2014and the more they compromise, the less likely they are to be re-elected.\nThat\u2019s not right, and it\u2019s time to take politics out of the redistricting process. Earlier this year, I introduced the\u00a0John Tanner Fairness and Independence in Redistricting (FAIR) Act to place the redistricting process in the hands of independent, non-partisan commissions. I hope that as soon as this shutdown ends, Congress takes up my bill and passes it. I believe that if we eliminate the gerrymandering of districts we will help get more accomplished for our country.\nAffordable Health Care for Uninsured Memphians\nDespite the Republican shutdown, one of the signature benefits of the Affordable Care Act\u2014also known as Obamacare\u2014came into effect on Tuesday: the new health insurance Marketplace, which is now open nationwide. On Friday afternoon, I joined via teleconference more than 40 Memphis-area pastors who had gathered in my Memphis office to discuss the implementation of the new health care law and answer questions on how uninsured members of their congregations and communities can enroll in the new Marketplace.\nI had planned to meet with the pastors in person, but the shutdown kept me in Washington. Nevertheless, the meeting was very beneficial. Seedco Senior Vice President Lisa Pote, whose organization offers trained experts to help walk Memphians through the process and help them enroll in insurance plans through the new Marketplace, was on hand in my district office to share her expertise as well. If you have any questions or need help with the new Marketplace, Seedco\u2019s experts are available to help you too. Their Mid-South Mid-South office is located at 22 North Front Street (Suite 900), and they can be reached by phone at (901) 528-8341.\nI\u2019m glad that I was able to engage with our community leaders in this important conversation on Friday, and I look forward to continuing my work of helping citizens in the Ninth District get the benefits of the Affordable Care Act.\nThe law is already working for Memphis families and the government shutdown doesn\u2019t change that. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 147,000 individuals in the district now have health insurance that covers preventive services without co-pays, $3.1 million in insurance premiums have been returned to consumers, and more than 5,000 seniors on Medicare paid a total of $5.9 million less for their prescription medications as we continue to close the \u2018donut hole.\u2019 Young adults up to age 26 can now stay on their parents\u2019 insurance plan and health insurance companies can no longer discriminate against patients with pre-existing conditions.\nYou can access the Tennessee Marketplace at\u00a0www.HealthCare.gov\u00a0to apply for coverage, compare plans, learn whether you qualify for lower costs, and enroll. If you are on Medicare or your employer is going to continue offering health insurance next year, you\u2019re already covered and won\u2019t need to enter the Marketplace for quality health coverage. If you aren\u2019t sure whether or not you will need to use the Marketplace to get insurance, call the Marketplace Hotline at (800) 318-2596 or visit\u00a0www.HealthCare.gov. It\u2019s important to note that you may be eligible to save money on your health care premiums in the Marketplace. You can also call my office at (901) 544-4131 or the Marketplace Hotline to find out if TennCare (Tennessee\u2019s Medicaid\u00a0program) is a coverage option for you.\nIf you are one of the millions of Americans who need health insurance, you can sign up for coverage today that will take effect January 1, 2014. Enrollment in the Marketplace will remain open for six months.\nGrant Announcements\nI regularly release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others. These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th district. The announcements are\u00a0updated regularly on my website.\nAs always, I remain.   Most sincerely,    Steve Cohen   Member of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-answers-memphis-pastors-questions-about-affordable-care-act-marketplace", "Cohen Answers Memphis Pastors' Questions About Affordable Care Act Marketplace", "2013-10-04", "2013", "2013-10", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 In a live video teleconference this afternoon, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) joined more than 40 Memphis-area pastors who had gathered in his Memphis office to discuss implementation of the President\u2019s landmark Affordable Care Act and answer questions on enrollment in the new health insurance marketplace that opened to uninsured Ninth District residents on Tuesday. Video of the Congressman discussing his meeting with the pastors on the floor of the United States House of Representatives is available here.\n\u201cToday\u2019s meeting was very beneficial for our community,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cI\u2019m glad that I was able to engage with our community leaders in this important conversation, and I look forward to continuing my work of helping citizens get the benefits of the Affordable Care Act.\u201d\nCongressman Cohen had been scheduled to meet with the group of pastors in person, but the shutdown of the federal government required him to remain in Washington. Seedco Senior Vice President Lisa Pote, whose organization offers trained experts to help walk Memphians through the process and help them enroll in insurance plans through the new marketplace, was on hand in Memphis to share her expertise as well. Seedco's Mid-South office is located at 22 North Front Street (Suite 900), and they can be reached by phone at (901) 528-8341.\nMemphians and Ninth District residents interested in finding more information about the health insurance plans made available through the marketplace and those with questions or seeking help choosing the right plan have a number of options available to them. The https://HealthCare.gov website (en Espa\u00f1ol: https://CuidadoDeSalud.gov) provides information and offers online web chats with trained specialists, a 24-hour hotline with translation services for 150 languages is available at (800) 318-2596. Ninth District residents should also feel free to call Congressman Cohen\u2019s Memphis office at (901) 544-4131.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-asks-not-be-paid-during-federal-government-shutdown", "Cohen Asks Not To Be Paid During Federal Government Shutdown", "2013-10-04", "2013", "2013-10", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 A spokesman for Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today made the following statement regarding the status of the Congressman\u2019s salary:\n\u201cCongressman Cohen remains focused on reopening the federal government and is steadfastly working to make that happen as quickly as possible, but he will not accept his pay until this shutdown is resolved,\u201d said the spokesman. \u201cThe Congressman has asked the official responsible for paying Members of Congress to withhold his salary as long as this shutdown of the federal government continues.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.cooper.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=757:cooper-endorses-solution-to-end-shutdown&catid=38&Itemid=177", "Cooper Endorses Solution to End Shutdown", "2013-10-03", "2013", "2013-10", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Jim Cooper", "C000754", "www.cooper.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Please note: Due to security screening measures, all paper mail will experience a significant delay. We recommend fax or email for faster service.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-republicans-crying-crocodile-tears-over-nih-funding", "Cohen: Republicans Crying \"Crocodile Tears\" Over NIH Funding", "2013-10-02", "2013", "2013-10", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today lambasted a politically-motivated effort by House Republicans to save face after forcing the federal government to shut down by selectively restoring partial funding to their favored agencies\u2014including agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that they have historically ignored. Footage of the Congressman criticizing the House Republicans\u2019 most recent effort on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives is available here.\n\u201cIn 1954, I came down with polio\u2014and it affects me to this day,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t until 6 months later that the polio vaccine was made available, and it might never have been without the National Institutes of Health.\u201d\n\u201cOver the last 6 months, I have asked my Republican colleagues, I have spoken on this floor, I have written editorials\u2014all to get this Congress to adequately fund the NIH so that it can find cures for diseases like cancer, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and AIDS. Not once have Republicans said that they will fund it at the level it should be. Not once.\u201d\n\u201cBut today, they are crying crocodile tears, they are playing politics. They aren\u2019t trying to cure people, they aren\u2019t trying to stop illness, they\u2019re just trying to save face. I object to them using the NIH to score political points, it\u2019s too important for that. I know that first-hand.\u201d\nOver the last year, Congressman Cohen has repeatedly called on House Republicans to save the NIH from the crippling effects of sequestration\u2014but his calls have consistently fallen on deaf ears. In July, the Congressman even introduced the Research First Act to prevent and reverse the disastrous effects of sequestration cuts on critically important NIH research projects that could one day lead to cures for diseases that plague people around the globe. Even today, with House Republicans claiming that the government shutdown is harming the NIH, not a single one has signed on to co-sponsor the legislation.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-celebrates-launch-new-affordable-health-insurance-marketplace", "Cohen Celebrates Launch of New, Affordable Health Insurance Marketplace", "2013-10-01", "2013", "2013-10", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that uninsured Memphians now have access to high-quality, affordable health insurance through the marketplace created in the President\u2019s landmark Affordable Care Act\u2014also known as Obamacare. The Congressman also encouraged all uninsured Memphians to visit https://www.HealthCare.gov to apply for coverage, compare plans, learn whether they qualify for lower costs, and enroll.\n\u201cThe Affordable Care Act is already working for families in the Ninth District and the government shutdown doesn\u2019t change that,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201c147,000 Ninth District residents now have insurance that covers preventive care, Memphis consumers can no longer be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition and, starting today, uninsured individuals across the nation have access to high-quality, affordable coverage options for the first time. I hope that every uninsured Memphian visits www.HealthCare.gov to compare plans, learn if they qualify for lower rates, and enroll in the health insurance plan that is right for them.\u201d\nIn the new online Marketplace, residents of Tennessee\u2019s Ninth District looking for coverage will be able to shop among affordable choices, explained in easy-to-understand language.\u00a0 It is estimated that substantially more than half of those shopping in the new Marketplace will qualify for discounts on their monthly premium, based on their income, which will make the premiums even more affordable.\nIn this new online Marketplace, there is no denial for pre-existing conditions, no annual or lifetime limits on coverage, and no higher rates for women compared to men. The open enrollment period for the first year of the Marketplaces runs from October 1, 2013 through March 31, 2014.\u00a0 Enrollment is a six-month process and will build over time.\nIf residents have questions about the Marketplace, they can call 1-800-318-2596, a toll-free hotline open 24 hours a day, seven days a week or visit local non-profit Seedco, which offers trained experts to help walk Memphians through the process and help them enroll in insurance plans, at 22 North Front Street, Suite 900, or by phone at (901) 528-8341.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-speaks-out-against-republican-government-shutdown", "Cohen Speaks Out Against Republican Government Shutdown", "2013-10-01", "2013", "2013-10", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 After House Republican leaders made good on their threat to shut down the federal government if their reckless, unreasonable, and irresponsible demands were not met, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) spoke out against the Republican\u2019s manufactured, harmful, and unnecessary shutdown of our nation\u2019s government. Video of the Congressman\u2019s remarks is available here.\n\u201cShutting down the government is wrong, it is bad for our economy, and it should not happen in America,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cMore than ever, people need SNAP payments, they need Meals on Wheels, and they need the countless other services that our government provides. Republicans have said they care about the debt\u2014but a government shutdown costs our country millions of dollars each day, all while citizens experience reduced government services. Instead of being willing to compromise, Republicans have shut down this government with their irresponsible, reckless, and purely ideological demands. I hope they come to their senses quickly and work in a bipartisan manner to get this country back up and running.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-720000-federal-funds-memphis-housing-authority", "Cohen Announces $720,000 in Federal Funds for Memphis Housing Authority", "2013-09-30", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that the Memphis Housing Authority has been awarded $720,000 in grant funding to coordinate supportive services designed to help residents achieve economic and housing self-sufficiency.\n\u201cThis funding will help improve the lives of Memphians,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-applauds-doj-lawsuit-prevent-voter-suppression-and-racial-discrimination-north", "Cohen Applauds DOJ Lawsuit to Prevent Voter Suppression and Racial Discrimination in North Carolina", "2013-09-30", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today applauded a new U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit seeking to prevent racial discrimination in North Carolina\u2019s new voting rules. In addition to other restrictions that will make it harder for North Carolina residents to exercise their Constitutionally-protected right to vote, the state\u2019s new law imposes tough voter identification requirements that are expected to adversely affect minority groups more than others.\n\u201cMake no mistake, the recent ruling by the Supreme Court that gutted an essential provision of the landmark Voting Rights Act was an affront to civil rights in this country,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cWhile Congress works to address the Supreme Court\u2019s decision, I am glad that Attorney General Holder is not waiting for even more discrimination against minorities before using every tool at his disposal to aggressively fight for the civil and human rights that we fought for decades to obtain.\u201d\nAdvocates of North Carolina\u2019s new voting restrictions argue that the measures are necessary to combat voting fraud, though the Associated Press reports that \u201csuch crimes are infrequent.\u201d Additionally, while voter fraud remains a rare occurrence, a North Carolinian without the identification required under the law is much more common: a recent state survey found that hundreds of thousands of registered voters in the state, including many poor, elderly, or African American voters, did not possess the necessary state-issued identification.\nThe DOJ\u2019s lawsuit challenges provisions of the North Carolina law that limit the number of early voting days, end same-day voter registration, prevent the counting of certain provisional ballots, and require voters to present identification at the polls before being allowed to cast their ballot. This move by the DOJ carries additional weight in light of a recent Supreme Court ruling that left important provisions of the Voting Rights Act in limbo and raised questions about whether the civil rights of millions of Americans\u2014including minority groups who have historically been oppressed\u2014would remain protected. Last month, the DOJ also filed a lawsuit challenging the Constitutionality of a new Texas voter photo identification law (SB 14).", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/government-hostage-taking", "Government by Hostage-Taking?", "2013-09-28", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,\nUnless Congress acts, funding for the federal government will expire at midnight on Monday night. If the Republican Conference\u00a0continues to\u00a0be held captive by Tea Party extremists and refuses to work with Democrats on a common-sense compromise, the government could shut down completely. The effects of a shutdown would be disastrous: Social Security checks could be delayed, veterans who risked their lives to keep us safe would have a harder time getting the care they need, and a number of other important services would shut down.\u00a0And that doesn\u2019t even begin to cover what a shutdown would mean for our economy or the jobs that would be lost.\nRepublicans should not hold the federal government, America\u2019s credit rating, social security checks, or veterans\u2019 benefits hostage to unrealistic demands like defunding the President\u2019s health care reform law. The Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, it has been upheld as constitutional by the Supreme Court, and next week Americans will be able to enroll in the law\u2019s signature benefit.\nThose in Congress who would rather see the government shut down than let more than 800,000 uninsured Tennesseans enjoy better access to affordable care will fail\u2014just as they have in their 42 previous attempts. These continued efforts by Republicans to make things harder for the middle class simply waste time and put our economy at risk. I hope that common-sense and sanity prevail, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to avert a shutdown.\nHealth Care For Uninsured Memphians  U of M Intermodal Conference  Honeywell Tour  Getting the Delta Queen Back in Operation  Helping Minority-Owned Small Businesses Thrive  Grants to Memphis  Healthy Memphis Common Table  Grant Announcements\nHealth Care for Uninsured Memphians\nTry as Republicans might to prevent the signature benefit of Obamacare from reaching consumers, open enrollment in the Affordable Care Act\u2019s marketplace begins on Tuesday. When that happens, thousands of Ninth District residents will have the opportunity to enroll in high-quality, affordable health plans for the first time in their lives.\nOn Wednesday, a new report\u00a0showed that uninsured Memphians will pay even less than expected for plans in the insurance marketplace than previously expected. A 27-year-old living in Tennessee and making $25,000 per year will pay only $103 each month for the lowest cost insurance plan, and a Tennessee family of four with an income of $50,000 could pay as little as $128 per month for their insurance. This week\u2019s report is yet more evidence that the landmark Affordable Care Act will help give those in our society who need it most\u2014as well as the middle class\u2014a better chance at the American Dream.\nMemphians and Ninth District residents interested in finding more information about the health insurance plans made available through the marketplace and those with questions or seeking help choosing the right plan have a number of options available to them. I have posted a new page on my website\u00a0with information about the enrollment process, the https://HealthCare.gov\u00a0website provides information and offers online web chats with trained specialists, a 24-hour hotline with translation services for 150 languages is available at (800) 318-2596, and local non-profit Seedco will offer trained experts to walk Memphians through the process and help them enroll in insurance plans. Seedco's Mid-South office is located at 22 North Front Street (Suite 900), and they can be reached by phone at (901) 528-8341.\nIf you have any questions about the Marketplace or other aspects of implementation of the Affordable Care Act, I hope you will also feel free to call my District Office in Memphis at 901-544-4131.\nU of M Intermodal Conference\nOn Tuesday, I attended and spoke at the University of Memphis\u2019 seventh annual Intermodal Freight Conference, held at the FedEx Institute of Technology. I was able to share information on how federal dollars have a real impact on local Tennessee projects. As a member of the House Committee on Transportation, I recognize the importance of well-maintained, efficient, and safe roads, bridges, and highway systems\u2014but, unfortunately, sequestration is threatening important safety projects. I will continue to fight to end the sequester and to ensure adequate funding for our transportation and infrastructure system.\nHoneywell Tour\nEarlier this week, I also had the opportunity to visit Honeywell International\u2019s Memphis site, where dozens of hardworking Memphians repair airplane tires and brakes. Honeywell International is in Memphis because of FedEx,\u00a0it is a strong contributor to our local economy, and I thank them for providing me with the opportunity to see the good work that they do.\nGetting the Delta Queen Back in Operation\nOn Wednesday night, I helped lead the effort to pass a bill that would allow the Delta Queen to resume operations on the Mississippi through the House of Representatives. After the bill passed, I spoke on the floor of the House to promote the local icon. In the Delta Queen\u2019s 80 years of continuous operation, it was a vital part of the local tourist industry in Memphis as well as cities and towns along the Mississippi River. It attracted countless visitors to the Delta region for generations and still has the magnetism and fortitude to continue its voyages for generations to come.\u00a0Earlier in my Congressional career\u00a0I worked with the Great American Steamboat Company\u00a0and was able to bring the American Queen back to Memphis and create\u00a0good-paying jobs in our city.\u00a0I hope the Senate passes\u00a0our legislation and look forward to the day that the Delta Queen can once again sail the Mississippi.\nHelping Minority-Owned Small Businesses Thrive\nOn Thursday, I introduced legislation in Congress to help woman- and minority-owned business get off the ground and thrive in our 21st century economy. Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy\u2014but those owned by women, minorities, and veterans often have more difficulty accessing the capital that they need to get off the ground and expand.\nThe Expanding Opportunities to Underserved Businesses Act would increase the resources available to underserved small businesses through the U.S. Small Business Administration\u2019s microloan program and help ensure they have the capital necessary for inventory, supplies, and other necessities. My common-sense legislation would help those businesses succeed and help create good-paying, private-sector jobs in Memphis and around the country.\nGrants to Memphis\nWhen it comes to federal funding for local projects and organizations in the Ninth District, this has been a good week. Since Monday, I have announced more than $8.4 million dollars for Memphis organizations. The Economic Development Growth Engine for Memphis & Shelby County\u2014or EDGE\u2014received more than $3.6 million to help spur job growth and small business development, and MATA received $2.2 million in federal funds\u00a0to refurbish and enhance the Main Street Line. In addition to that funding, the University of Memphis was awarded more than $1.8 million in grant funding\u00a0for several different research projects, and yesterday I announced nearly $750,000 in grants for St. Jude Children\u2019s Research Hospital.\u00a0\nHealthy Memphis Common Table\nThis week, I\u2019d like to highlight the work of Healthy Memphis Common Table, a local non-profit committed to improving Memphians\u2019 health. Dedicated to fighting childhood obesity, improving the quality of primary care, reducing diabetes rates, and eliminating food deserts, Healthy Memphis Common Table is doing important work in our community. I encourage each of you to visit their website to learn more about their work.\nGrant Announcements\nI regularly release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others. These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th district. The announcements are\u00a0updated regularly on my website. As always, I remain.  Most sincerely,    Steve Cohen  Member of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-nearly-750000-federal-funding-st-jude-childrens-research-hospital", "Cohen Announces Nearly $750,000 in Federal Funding for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital", "2013-09-27", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced today that St. Jude Children\u2019s Research Hospital has been awarded a total of $748,125 in grant funding for two different projects. The funding announced today is from the Department of Health & Human Services.\n\u201cThis funding shows our commitment to the medical research community and the health of health of our citizens,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.\nThe following grant awards are included under today\u2019s announcement:\n Alessandra D\u2019Azzo, PhD, was awarded $332,500 in grant funding a research project examining the relationship between excessive lysosomal exocytosis and the triggering of pathogenic mechanisms in sialidosis mice. \u00a0\n  Philip M. Potter, PhD, was awarded $415,625 in grant funding for research project examining the modulation of drug metabolism.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-more-36-million-spur-job-creation-and-small-business-shelby-county", "Cohen Announces More Than $3.6 Million to Spur Job Creation and Small Business in Shelby County", "2013-09-26", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced today that the Economic Development Growth Engine for Memphis & Shelby County\u2014commonly known as EDGE\u2014was awarded $3,655,504 in federal funding to help create jobs, support economic diversification, and encourage entrepreneurship. The funding comes through the U.S. Department of Commerce\u2019s Economic Development Administration (EDA).\u00a0\n\u201cThe American economy is built on small business,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cThanks to this funding, small businesses throughout Memphis and Shelby County will benefit from better access to the capital they need to grow and create jobs.\u201d\nThis investment from the EDA, along with EDGE-contributed funding, will help create a multi-million dollar loan fund to provide Memphis-area small- and medium-sized businesses flexible financing and low cost capital to spur entrepreneurship, innovation, and job creation in Shelby County.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-proposes-bill-help-woman-and-minority-owned-businesses-thrive", "Cohen Proposes Bill to Help Woman- and Minority-owned Businesses Thrive", "2013-09-26", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today introduced legislation to help woman- and minority-owned small businesses get off the ground and thrive in our modern economy. The Expanding Opportunities to Underserved Businesses Act would increase the resources available to underserved small businesses through the U.S. Small Business Administration\u2019s microloan program and help ensure they have the capital necessary for inventory, supplies, and other necessities.\n\u201cSmall businesses are the backbone of the American economy\u2014but those owned by women, minorities, and veterans often have more difficulty accessing the capital that they need to get off the ground and expand,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.\u00a0\u201cThis common-sense legislation would help those businesses succeed and help create good-paying, private-sector jobs in our communities.\u201d\nThe Small Business Administration\u2019s Microloan program currently provides marketing, management, and technical assistance in addition to small loans of up to $50,000 to small business owners, entrepreneurs, and non-profit child care centers. The Expanding Opportunities to Underserved Businesses Act increases the maximum loan amount from $50,000 to $75,000.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-over-18-million-federal-funding-university-memphis", "Cohen Announces Over $1.8 Million in Federal Funding for the University of Memphis", "2013-09-25", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced today that the University of Memphis and its faculty have been awarded a total of $1,838,172 in grant funding for four different projects. The funding announced today is from the National Science Foundation (NSF).\n\u201cThis funding underscores the important role that University of Memphis scholars play in areas of national importance including science and education,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cIt will also help the University of Memphis prepare 100 more young people each year for good-paying, 21st century jobs in the high-paying STEM fields that will keep our economy moving in the right direction.\u201d\nThe following grant awards are included under today\u2019s announcement:\n U of M\u2019s Alfred Hall was awarded $1,342,970 in grant funding from the NSF\u2019s Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings to establish the Memphis Virtual STEM Academy at East High School. The Academy aims to help 100 Memphis high school students each year understand pre-engineering concepts and principles as well as develop an interest in and motivation to pursue advanced careers in the STEM fields: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.\n  U of M\u2019s Robert Kozma was awarded $428,744 in grant funding from the NSF\u2019s Division of Mathematical Sciences to help improve mankind\u2019s understanding of cognitive strategic change, or the ability of the brain to modify actions and action planning while maintaining an overarching goal. For more information, please contact Dr. Robert Kozma at rkozma@memphis.edu.\n  U of M\u2019s Judith Simon was awarded $34,200 in grant funding from the NSF\u2019s Division of Undergraduate Education to help diversify and increase the number of women in the cybersecurity workforce.\n  U of M\u2019s Bob Smalley was awarded $32,258 in grant funding from the NSF\u2019s Division of Polar Programs for a research project involving the Antarctic currents.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-highlights-expanded-choice-low-cost-health-insurance-new-obamacare-marketplace", "Cohen Highlights Expanded Choice, Low Cost of Health Insurance in New Obamacare Marketplace", "2013-09-25", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today touted a new report showing that uninsured Memphians will pay even less than expected for quality health insurance when Tennessee\u2019s health insurance marketplace begins a six-month open enrollment period on October 1st. The insurance marketplace, a signature benefit of President Obama\u2019s landmark Affordable Care Act, will also give consumers throughout Tennessee significantly more choice in selecting the health insurance plan that is right for them, allow Memphians to compare plan benefits, costs and quality side by side, as well as inform residents of the tax rebates and premium assistance that they qualify for in real-time.\n\u201cToday\u2019s report is yet more evidence that the landmark Affordable Care Act will help give those in our society who need it most as well as the middle class a better chance at the American Dream,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cAs the wealth gap continues to widen, we must remember that what we do to \u2018the least of these\u2019 demonstrates who we are as human beings and as a nation. Republicans continue to let the extremists in their party dominate their legislative agenda.\u00a0 Their efforts will not succeed.\u201d\nToday\u2019s report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found that, taking into account tax credits that will be made available when an insurance plan is selected, a 27-year old living in Tennessee and making $25,000 per year will pay only $103 each month for the lowest cost insurance plan, and that a Tennessee family of four with an income of $50,000 could pay as little as $128 per month for their insurance. Nationally, the report also found that the average mid-level plan available through the health insurance marketplaces will cost 16% less than earlier projections.\n\u201cEvery American deserves adequate health care and these continued efforts to repeal, defund or delay the Affordable Care Act are folly.\u00a0 Obamacare as enacted is very close to health care legislation proposed throughout the years by many Republicans from President Nixon to Bob Dole and is modeled on the Massachusetts law that was enacted under Governor Mitt Romney. Republicans must put these games aside and focus on growing our economy to help our citizens.\u201d\nThose interested in finding more information about the health insurance plans made available through the marketplace and those with questions or seeking help choosing the right plan have a number of options available to them. The https://HealthCare.gov website (en Espa\u00f1ol: https://CuidadoDeSalud.gov) provides information and offers online web chats with trained specialists, a 24-hour hotline with translation services for 150 languages is available at (800) 318-2596, and local non-profit Seedco will offer trained experts to help walk Memphians through the process and help them enroll in insurance plans.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-22-million-funding-improvements-matas-main-street-trolley-line", "Cohen Announces $2.2 Million in Funding for Improvements to MATA's Main Street Trolley Line", "2013-09-24", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced today the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) will receive $2.2 million in federal funds to help refurbish and enhance the Main Street Trolley Line. Today\u2019s funding comes through the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).\n\u201cThese new federal funds will help improve livability in downtown Memphis, increase tourism, drive economic development and create good-paying jobs right here in our city,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.\nThe funds awarded today will support improvements in conjunction with the Memphis Main2Main Project, which Congressman Cohen helped secure a nearly $15 million TIGER grant for last year.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-polis-blumenauer-farr-pocan-call-president-obama-bring-sanity-drug-policy-new", "Cohen, Polis, Blumenauer, Farr & Pocan Call on President Obama to Bring Sanity to Drug Policy with New Drug Czar Nomination", "2013-09-24", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Following recent announcements that President Obama\u2019s Administration will respect state marijuana laws and seek smarter sentences when prosecuting low-level drug offenses, U.S. Representatives Steve Cohen (TN-09), Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Sam Farr (CA-20), Mark Pocan (WI-02), and Jared Polis (CO-02) urged the President to take another step towards common-sense drug policy by nominating a new \u201cDrug Czar\u201d who will bring reason, science, and facts to the soon-to-be-vacant position.\n\u201cWe commend you and your Administration on the recent steps you have taken to pursue smarter sentencing and policies that respect state laws regarding marijuana,\u201d wrote the Congressmen. \u201cWe urge you to nominate a new Director of ONDCP who will develop policies based on science rather than ideology and move away from the failed policy of criminalizing marijuana. The new Director should promote fact-based education and use medical science and behavioral research to end the questionable practice of equating marijuana with dangerous drugs like heroin, crack, and methamphetamine.\u201d\nThe position of Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), commonly referred to as the \u201cDrug Czar,\u201d has historically been filled by individuals with law enforcement backgrounds who have viewed drug policy as a matter of criminal enforcement rather than as a matter of public health\u2014regardless of the medical science and public research available. The current Director, Gil Kerlikowke, was recently nominated to be Director of U.S. Customs and Border Protection by President Obama. If Kerlikowke is confirmed for that position, the ONDCP will need a new Director.\nThe text of Congressmen\u2019s letter to the President follows:\nThe Honorable Barack Obama  \n\tPresident of the United States  \n\tThe White House  \n\t1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW  \n\tWashington, DC 20500\nDear President Obama:\nWe applaud the recent announcements by Attorney General Holder that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will seek smarter sentences when prosecuting low level drug offenses and will respect the laws of those states that have enacted frameworks for taxing and regulating marijuana.\u00a0 With your nomination of Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), to be Director of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, we urge you to continue these promising steps by seizing the opportunity to replace Mr. Kerlikowske with someone whose policies toward marijuana are guided by common sense and science, and consistent with the recently-released DOJ guidance, rather focusing on failed policies of prohibition.\u00a0 The new Director should promote fact-based education and use medical science and behavioral research to end the questionable practice of equating marijuana with dangerous drugs like heroin, crack, and methamphetamine.\nHistorically, the Director of ONDCP has had a law enforcement background and has been referred to by the unfortunate nickname of \u201cDrug Czar.\u201d\u00a0 As this moniker implies, past Directors have viewed drug policy as a matter of criminal enforcement rather than as a matter of public health.\u00a0 We ask that you break from this tradition and nominate someone with a background in science.\u00a0 Particularly in light of the rapidly growing public support for marijuana legalization and broader drug policy reform, it would be a mistake for you to appoint someone who merely continues to prosecute the failed War on Drugs.\nInstead, the new Director of ONDCP should promote scientific research into the benefits and risks of marijuana legalization and be guided by the results of those findings.\u00a0 He or she should take note of the growing movement at the state level to make marijuana legal for medical or personal use and help shape national policies based on the lessons learned in those states.\u00a0 At a minimum the new Director should urge strict adherence to the recent DOJ guidelines regarding criminal enforcement in those states.\nWe also hope that the next Director of ONDCP will build on the important steps that Director Kerlikowske took to recognize the collateral consequences of conviction for a minor drug offense.\u00a0 His replacement should continue to advocate alternatives to incarceration and reducing barriers to reentry for incarcerated individuals.\u00a0 Promoting these policies will not only help keep thousands of Americans on the path to success, it will also save this nation the precious resources it cannot afford to waste on prosecution of minor drug offenses.\nWe commend you and your Administration on the recent steps you have taken to pursue smarter sentencing and policies that respect state laws regarding marijuana.\u00a0 We hope that these measures signal a strong shift toward a more rational drug policy.\u00a0 To further this goal, we urge you to nominate a new Director of ONDCP who will develop policies based on science rather than ideology and move away from the failed policy of criminalizing marijuana.\u00a0 We look forward to working with you as you consider candidates for this important post.\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/keeping-country-running-and-helping-middle-class", "Keeping the Country Running and Helping the Middle Class", "2013-09-20", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,\u00a0\nI know we are all shocked, stunned, and saddened by the tragic events that unfolded on Monday morning at the Navy Yard in Washington. I have spent much of this week thinking of the victims and all those affected by the horrors\u2014but I simply cannot imagine the horror they must have experienced and the grief felt by their families. I hope we keep them all in our thoughts and prayers as they begin the recovery process.\nFighting for Children and Middle Class Families  Preventing Another Government Shutdown  Protecting Memphis Consumers  Holding the NSA Accountable  Raising Awareness\u00a0Of Tourette Syndrome  Fighting Human Trafficking and Organ Harvesting  Grants for Memphis  Saving Americans Money on Health Insurance  Grant Announcements\nAfter the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, the NRA\u2019s CEO said that \u201cthe only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.\u201d On Monday, there were a lot of good guys with guns that weren\u2019t able to stop this madman from ending 12 innocent lives. But less than a month ago, a good woman with a heart was able to prevent another school shooting in Georgia\u2014she was able to save countless young lives that day. I don\u2019t agree with the NRA that the only way to protect people is by making more guns available. I think there\u2019s more we can do. I support the 2ndAmendment\u2014I even wrote Tennessee\u2019s concealed carry legislation\u2014but we clearly need to pass some reasonable reforms.\nSome have said that it is too soon after Monday\u2019s tragedy to begin talking about gun violence and how to fix it. When isn\u2019t it \u201ctoo soon\u201d though? Next week? Next month? Next year? Senseless mass shootings like Monday\u2019s are happening more and more frequently\u2014each day we wait to talk about this is one day closer to the next one, unless we do something about it. That starts with talking about it. We simply cannot wait for shootings to stop before we are allowed to talk about how to stop them\u2014that\u2019s obviously backwards. I spoke with Alex Wagner on MSNBC about some reasonable reforms I hope that Congress considers; you can watch my interview here. Keep reading to learn what else has happened this week.\nFighting for Children and Middle Class Families\nLast night, House Republicans rushed through a bill that cuts $40 billion from a critical part of our nation\u2019s safety net, the SNAP food-stamp program. I urged my colleagues to vote against these cuts on the floor of the House just before the vote, but unfortunately the legislation passed 217-210. SNAP is a vital tool to fight hunger and help struggling Americans feed their families as they seek new employment, send their children to school, and get themselves back on their feet.\nWith 1 in 5 children in this country struggling with hunger, Republicans voted to take food out of the mouths of nearly 4 million Americans next year\u2014all in the name of so-called \u201cfraud.\u201d Where is their outrage over the billions in fraud at the Pentagon and with defense contractors? Instead of focusing on helping people get out of poverty, Republicans once again chose to make things harder for our middle class families. The cuts included in the bill that passed\u2014narrowly\u2014last night will devastate the 68,000 Ninth District residents and millions of Americans who see SNAP as a lifeline during a difficult time.\nPreventing Another Government Shutdown\nWith funding for the federal government set to expire in less than two weeks, Congress must pass a new budget resolution or risk yet another government shutdown that would harm our economy and kill jobs. This morning, Speaker Boehner and House Republicans pushed the nation even closer to the brink by passing a budget that they know will die in the Senate, which will put us right back at square one.\nThey could have worked with us to come up with a compromise budget resolution that would have averted a shutdown, but the Tea Party demanded a vote on a politically-motivated resolution that cannot pass Congress. They know that their legislation has no chance of passing the Democrat-controlled Senate, and they also know that if it somehow did pass that chamber, the President would veto it. But they are willing to shut down the government to jam through their unreasonable, unrealistic policies that will just end up hurting the middle-class.\nInstead of working with us to stop a shutdown, House Republicans are willing to cut off pay to our troops. They are willing to stop social security beneficiaries from receiving the checks they rely on. I hope they come to their senses and work in a bipartisan manner to keep the government running.\nProtecting Memphis Consumers\nLast year, I asked the Department of Justice to help address the problems Memphians were having with the tax preparation firm Mo\u2019 Money. In addition to other problems, Ninth District residents had received checks for tax refunds from the firm that bounced and had seen the company deduct excessive fees from their refunds. Earlier this week, a federal court permanently barred the owners and a former manager of Mo\u2019 Money Taxes from preparing tax returns for others and owning or operating a tax return preparation business.\nThis court order against Mo\u2019 Money sends a striking message that businesses cannot take advantage of Memphians or victimize America through tax fraud. Those perpetrating tax preparation scams that prey on the poor and the middle class should be punished as severely as possible under the law, and I\u2019m glad the Department of Justice responded to the concerns of my constituents and took action against these individuals.\nHolding the NSA Accountable\nOn Wednesday, I attended a classified briefing on Congressional oversight of the use of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act\u2014which Administrations have used to protect America from the threat of terrorism. As we learned earlier this year, the NSA may have also used the law as a basis for improperly and unfairly spying on American citizens without suspecting them of ties to terrorism.\nThat\u2019s unacceptable, and the NSA should be held accountable for these violations. But so far, the only court with the authority to reign in the NSA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (or FISA Court), has done little to protect American citizens. I have introduced a bill that could help. My FISA Court Accountability Act\u00a0would change the way that members of the court are appointed by giving the American people, through their elected representatives, a say in who ends up on the court and also addresses several other issues.\nThe FISA Court should act as a check on violations and overreaches from the federal government, but it is unlikely to effectively prevent and fix violations if the vast majority of its members share similar views on personal privacy. My legislation won\u2019t resolve all of our concerns about the FISA Court or NSA surveillance of American citizens, but it\u2019s a start. It will bring accountability and transparency to the FISA Court, and hopefully lead to stronger enforcement of privacy rules meant to protect American citizens.\nRaising Awareness\u00a0Of Tourette Syndrome\nI\u00a0started\u00a0and now co-chair the Congressional Tourette Syndrome\u00a0Caucus, and on Tuesday, I hosted a\u00a0Congressional briefing to raise awareness of the Syndrome and help people understand it. Jazz Pianist and former Musical Director for the Arsenio Hall show Michael Wolff, who lives with Tourette Syndrome, spoke\u00a0to a standing room only crowd at the briefing. \u00a0\nFighting Human Trafficking and Organ Harvesting\nI attended a\u00a0hearing of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, earlier this week where\u00a0I discussed the\u00a0urgent need to combat human trafficking and\u00a0how we can work to\u00a0end organ harvesting. I was appointed to the important Commission by Leader Nancy Pelosi in 2011 and am honored to serve on it.\nGrants for Memphis\nThis week, I announced more than $3.5 million in federal funding to help Shelby County. The County itself was awarded $977,334 for crime prevention and safety programs, and Southwest Tennessee Community College was awarded $2.66 million to develop and expand innovative training programs. You can read more about SWTCC\u2019s funding here.\nSaving Americans Money on Health Insurance\nOn Tuesday, USA Today published a new report\u00a0showing that 6.4 million Americans who are eligible to purchase insurance through the new Affordable Care Act Marketplaces will pay $100 or less per month for their insurance plans. This is just one more example of how the President\u2019s landmark health care reform law, also known as Obamacare, will save consumers like you money on your health care while improving quality and accessibility of care.\nGrant Announcements\nI regularly release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others. These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th district. The announcements are\u00a0updated regularly on my website.\nAs always, I remain.  \n\tMost sincerely,    \n\tSteve Cohen  \n\tMember of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-more-25-million-job-training-programs-southwest-tennessee-community", "Cohen Announces More Than $2.5 Million for Job Training Programs at Southwest Tennessee Community College", "2013-09-19", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced today that Southwest Tennessee Community College was awarded a $2.66 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for the development and expansion of innovative training programs. Southwest Tennessee Community College is also a member of two different multi-college partnerships that were additionally awarded just over $5.76 million in funding for training programs under today\u2019s announcement.\n\u201cThese funds will help Southwest Tennessee Community College prepare Memphians for jobs in the high-paying, advanced fields that will drive our economy into the future,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.\nThe funding announced today is part of the DOL\u2019s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant Program, which awards funding to promote skills development and employment opportunities in fields such as advanced manufacturing, transportation, health care, as well as the so called \u201cSTEM\u201d fields: science, technology, engineering, and math. The DOL coordinates this grant program with the U.S. Department of Education.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-calls-republicans-drop-plans-push-millions-americans-hunger", "Cohen Calls on Republicans to Drop Plans to Push Millions of Americans into Hunger", "2013-09-19", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 As House Republican leaders rushed through a bill that cuts $40 billion from a critical part of our nation\u2019s safety net, the SNAP food-stamp program, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) took to the floor of the House of Representatives and called on his colleagues to reject the draconian cuts and not push millions of Americans into hunger. Video of his remarks is available here.\n\u201cThese cuts will devastate the 68,000 Ninth District residents and millions of Americans who see SNAP as a lifeline during a difficult time,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201c$40 billion in draconian cuts to this critical program would take food right out of their mouths, all in the name of so-called \u2018fraud.\u2019 Where is the Republican outrage over the billions in fraud at the Pentagon and with defense contractors? Instead of focusing on helping people get out of poverty, Republicans are again choosing to make things harder for our middle class families.\u201d\nSNAP is a vital tool to fight hunger and help struggling Americans feed their families as they seek new employment, send their children to school, and get themselves back on their feet. As 1 in 5 children in this country struggles with hunger, the $40 billion in cuts included in today\u2019s bill would take the food out of the mouths of nearly 4 million Americans next year, particularly harming children, seniors, veterans, and Americans living in urban and suburban communities with chronically high unemployment.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-statement-court-order-against-mo%E2%80%99-money", "Cohen Statement on Court Order Against Mo\u2019 Money", "2013-09-18", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 After a federal court permanently barred the owners and a former manager of Mo\u2019 Money Taxes from preparing tax returns for others and owning or operating a tax return preparation business, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) issued the following statement:\n\u201cThis court order against Mo\u2019 Money sends a striking message that businesses cannot take advantage of Memphians or victimize America through tax fraud,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cThose perpetrating tax preparation scams that prey on the poor and the middle class should be punished as severely as possible under the law, and I\u2019m glad the Department of Justice responded to the concerns of my constituents and took action against these individuals. This is good news for consumers and taxpayers in Memphis.\u201d\nMo\u2019 Money had been the subject of a U.S. Department of Justice Tax Division lawsuit seeking to shut the business down. The suit also accused its owners of creating and maintaining a business environment that encourages the preparation of fraudulent federal income tax returns. The civil injunction order announced today against Mo\u2019 Money owners Markey Granberry and Derrick Robinson, as well as former manager Eumora Reese, was signed by Judge S. Thomas Anderson of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.\nIn March 2012, Congressman Cohen met with Congressman Robert \u201cBobby\u201d Scott (VA-03) and a senior Justice Department official to follow up on their February 7, 2012 letter to Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., requesting his office\u2019s assistance in addressing the problems their constituents were having with the Mo\u2019 Money tax preparation firm. They also called on the House Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing on Mo\u2019 Money, which shed light on the company\u2019s business practices when the Committee met on June 28, 2012.\nIn January 2012, both members\u2019 Congressional offices began receiving complaints from constituents regarding Mo\u2019 Money.\u00a0 In addition to other problems, the complaints alleged:\n bounced checks issued by Mo\u2019 Money for tax refunds;\n\tfailure by Mo\u2019 Money to provide refunds the IRS had sent it for constituents who had filed their taxes through the company; and\n\texcessive fees deducted by the company from refunds.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-nearly-1-million-crime-prevention-and-safety-shelby-county", "Cohen Announces Nearly $1 Million for Crime Prevention and Safety in Shelby County", "2013-09-16", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced today that Shelby County has been awarded two grants totaling $997,334 for crime prevention and safety programs. This funding comes through the United States Department of Justice (DOJ).\n\u201cThese funds will help ensure Shelby County law enforcement agencies have the resources they need to keep us safe and bring offenders to justice,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.\nShelby County will receive a $797,334 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) from the DOJ\u2019s Bureau of Justice Assistance. Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grants support a broad range of activities and law enforcement initiatives.\nShelby County will also receive $200,000 in funding for its Blueprint for Safety Demonstration project from the DOJ\u2019s Office of Violence Against Women to help ensure swift consequences for domestic abuse, send a message of help and accountability, and reduce unintended consequences. The funding, which comes through the Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders Program, will be used for the planning, implementation, and compliance evaluation phases of the project.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-more-15-million-university-tennessee-health-science-center-memphis", "Cohen Announces More Than $1.5 Million for University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis", "2013-09-13", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced today that the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) in Memphis has been awarded a total of $1,535,129 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for four different projects.\n\u201cThese funds will help continue the important work being done by the skilled researchers at the UT Health Science Center in Memphis,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.\nThe following grant awards are included under today\u2019s announcement:\n HHS\u2019 National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases awarded $652,004 in grant funding to UTHSC for the \u201cPathobiology and Reversibility of Prediabetes in a Biracial Cohort\u201d project.\n  HHS\u2019 National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded $270,000 in grant funding to UTHSC for the \u201cMechanisms of transcription coregulator usage by the target of rapamycin pathway\u201d project.\n\tHHS\u2019 National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke awarded $328,125 in grant funding to UTHSC for the \u201cGenetics and Biology of CIZ1 in Cervical Dystonia\u201d project.\n\tHHS\u2019 National Institute on Drug Abuse awarded $285,000 in grant funding to UTHSC for the \u201cCocaine addiction: neuropharmacological mechanisms of compulsive cocaine use\u201d project.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-statement-passing-evie-horton", "Cohen Statement on the Passing of Evie Horton", "2013-09-13", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] - Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) released the following statement upon learning of the passing of community activist and wife of the late Judge Odell Horton, Evie R. Horton:\n\u201cEvie Horton was a beautiful and thoughtful lady who exuded goodness and grace,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cShe loved her husband deeply and, after 50 years of marriage, honored his memory each day following his passing in 2006. Memphis has truly lost one of its most beautiful citizens. Evie Horton will be sorely missed by all.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/remembering-911-0", "Remembering 9/11", "2013-09-13", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,\nWednesday marked the 12th anniversary of the unspeakable acts of evil perpetrated against innocent civilians on 9/11. It was a day for each and every one of us to take time to reflect on the heroism of firefighters, policemen, and other first responders from across the nation, thank those who continue the fight to keep us safe, and honor the victims of the awful terrorist attacks of September 11th. As each year passes, I remember the thousands of innocent lives lost, but I also look back on the stunning selflessness shown by our nation\u2019s first responders and the countless other heroes that were forged that day. I spoke about them on the floor of the House this week\u2014you can watch my remarks here.\nKeeping 9/11 Victims in our Hearts  Pumping the Brakes on Syria  Honoring Those Lost in the Fight for Civil Rights  Preventing Another Government Shutdown  Holding the NSA Accountable  Affordable Care Act Update  Grants for Memphis  Remembering Evie Horton  Grant Announcements\nKeeping 9/11 Victims in our Hearts\nIf you have a moment to spare, I hope you will watch one of the most moving tributes to the victims of 9/11 that I have seen, the Young People\u2019s Chorus of New York City singing my friend Warren Zevon\u2019s \u201cKeep Me In Your Heart\u201d at Ground Zero on September 11th, 2010. I know the terrible events of that day deeply affected Warren, as it did each and every one of us, and I will continue to keep those we lost in my heart.\nWhile the cowardice of the 9/11 bombers fades further and further into our collective memory, the shared sense of national unity and purpose that flourished in the aftermath continues to shine. We must not forget that the indomitable American spirit continues to live on as well.\nPumping the Brakes on Syria\n  \n\tAs we stand this week with the families and loved ones of the victims of 9/11, we also honor and remember victims of terrorism around the globe in all its forms\u2014whether perpetrated by al Qaeda or by despotic regimes with little regard for their citizens.\nThis historically significant week also marked a turning point for the situation in Syria. The threat of military action by President Obama appears to have pushed the Assad regime back to the negotiating table and increased the chances for a diplomatic resolution.\nAfter numerous classified briefings with senior Obama Administration officials, including a nearly three-hour meeting with Vice President Biden at the White House, I am convinced that Bashar al Assad\u2019s regime is behind the use of chemical weapons in an attack on Syrian civilians that violated international law as well as basic human decency.\nWhile I am convinced that these weapons were used, the American people must have a voice in how the United States responds to these violations. I am glad that the President has delayed his request for a Congressional vote on the authorization for the use of military force in Syria. I will continue to listen to the concerns of the people of the Ninth District, weigh the classified intelligence made available by the President and his Administration, and consider the vast geopolitical consequences of military action\u2014or inaction\u2014before deciding on the best path forward. I am hopeful that a diplomatic resolution to this humanitarian crisis can be achieved.\nHonoring Those Lost in the Fight for Civil Rights\nWhile 9/11 and the recent abhorrent attacks in Syria are on our minds this week, it is worth remembering that terrorism can take many shapes and does not always look the same\u2014nor is it always from a foreign source. Our nation has a sad history of domestic terrorism as well.\nNearly 50 years ago in 1963, four young African-American girls were brutally killed in an explosion at a church in Birmingham, Alabama\u2014from a bomb that had been planted by white supremacists. The bombers\u2019 goal, like all terrorists, was to frighten the community but the church bombing had the opposite effect. Along with the March on Washington, the loss of these four innocent children had a galvanizing effect on America and within two years, both the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act had passed Congress and been signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson.\nOn Tuesday, leaders from both the House and the Senate\u2014and from both parties\u2014gathered in the United States Capitol to award Congress\u2019 highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, to those four girls: Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, and Denise McNair. It shouldn\u2019t have taken 50 years, but I\u2019m glad that we\u2019ve recognized their sacrifice and honored them in this way\u2014it was the right thing to do.\nPreventing Another Government Shutdown\nWith funding for the federal government set to expire at the end of the month, Congress must pass a new budget resolution or risk yet another government shutdown that would harm our economy and kill jobs.\nUnfortunately\u2014and sadly unsurprisingly\u2014Speaker Boehner and Republican House Leadership were forced to delay a vote on a compromise resolution to avert a shutdown because the Tea Party demanded yet another doomed vote to defund and repeal the Affordable Care Act. Essentially, the Tea Party has decided that holding another vote to repeal, defund, and delay President Obama\u2019s Health Care Reform law is more important than keeping the government running. This is in spite of the fact that each of the previous 41 votes, including this week\u2019s attempt which I voted against, have gone nowhere and stand no chance of having any effect on the law.\nI hope House Republicans come to their senses and work in a bipartisan manner to keep the government running.\nHolding the NSA Accountable\nEarlier this week, and only after lawsuits were filed by privacy groups, the Director of National Intelligence revealed that the National Security Agency (NSA) violated its own rules and misled the court tasked with overseeing it for nearly three years. In that time, the NSA admits it may have spied on American citizens without legal authorization and even without suspecting them of ties to terrorism. According to Bloomberg News, this isn\u2019t even the first time the NSA has admitted to violating surveillance rules or misleading the court.\nThat\u2019s unacceptable, and the NSA should be held accountable for these violations. But so far, the only court with the authority to reign in the NSA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (or FISA Court), has done little to protect American citizens. I have introduced a bill that could help. My FISA Court Accountability Act\u00a0would change the way that members of the court are appointed by giving the American people, through their elected representatives, a say in who ends up on the court and also addresses several other issues.\nThe FISA Court should act as a check on violations and overreaches from the federal government, but it is unlikely to effectively prevent and fix violations if the vast majority of its members share similar views on personal privacy. My legislation won\u2019t resolve all of our concerns about the FISA Court or NSA surveillance of American citizens, but it\u2019s a start. It will bring accountability and transparency to the FISA Court, and hopefully lead to stronger enforcement of privacy rules meant to protect American citizens.\nAffordable Care Act Update\nYesterday, the United States Department of Health and Human Services released a new report\u00a0showing just how much President Obama\u2019s landmark Affordable Care Act saved consumers across the nation last year. Because of a provision in the Health Care Reform law that requires that rate increases are reviewed before going into effect, 6.8 million Americans saved an estimated $1.2 billion in 2012. And that\u2019s on top of the estimated $3.4 billion saved on insurance premiums because of protections that ensure more of what you pay for insurance actually goes into paying for health care, rather than advertising, overhead, and profit.\nGrants for Memphis\nThis morning, I announced more than $1.5 million in grant funding for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. The Department of Health and Human Services awarded the funds for four different projects, which you can read more about here.\nRemembering Evie Horton\nI was saddened to learn that Evie Horton, a lifelong educator and civic worker, passed away this week. Evie was a beautiful and thoughtful lady who exuded goodness and grace. She was married to Judge Odell Horton, Memphis\u2019 first African American federal judge who is now memorialized at the building in which he held court\u2014which was renamed the Clifford Davis/Odell Horton Federal Building by an Act of Congress that I sponsored. Here\u2019s a photo of Sen. Alexander and I presenting Mrs. Horton and the Horton family with a copy of the Congressional Resolution in 2007.\nShe loved her husband deeply and, after 50 years of marriage, honored his memory each day following his passing in 2006. Memphis has lost one of its most beautiful citizens. Evie Horton will be sorely missed by all.\nGrant Announcements \u00a0\u00a0\nI regularly release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others. These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th district. The announcements are\u00a0updated regularly on my website.\nAs always, I remain.   Most sincerely,    Steve Cohen   Member of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-cosponsors-bipartisan-bill-protect-americans-regressive-internet-taxes", "Cohen Cosponsors Bipartisan Bill to Protect Americans from Regressive Internet Taxes", "2013-09-12", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), today joined Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (VA-06), Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (CA-14), Subcommittee Chairman Spencer Bachus (AL-06) and Congressman Steve Chabot (OH-01) in introducing H.R. 3086, the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act. The legislation makes permanent a moratorium on the imposition of new taxes to internet access by state and local governments, which was originally enacted in 1998. A Senate companion was introduced by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and John Thune (R-SD) earlier this year.\n\u201cThe internet has become a driving force in our economy, but regressive taxes on internet access could have a chilling effect that ripples throughout the nation,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cDuring these tough economic times, state and local governments are understandably looking to raise revenue needed to provide critical services, but unfair and unnecessary taxes on internet access\u2014a cornerstone of our 21st century lives\u2014are not the right way to do it. The Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act will help prevent unreasonable price increases for consumers that ultimately harm our businesses and stunt our economic growth.\u201d\nChairman Goodlatte said: \u201cThe Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act ensures that Americans can continue to access the Internet tax-free. In this increasingly digital age, Americans rely on access to the Internet to apply for employment, to seek and share innovative ideas, to keep governments accountable, to run small businesses, and to communicate with their families and friends. This legislation will help ensure more Americans have access to this tremendous medium by reducing cost barriers.\u201d\nCongresswoman Eshoo said: \u201cAccess to the Internet has transformed the lives of millions of Americans, businesses and schools. It has driven us to new heights of innovation and led to billions of dollars in economic growth. Unfortunately, consumers will be faced with new state and local taxes to get online unless Congress permanently extends a ban on Internet access taxation. No one should pay a tax just to access the Internet, and the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act rightfully ensures just that. Its passage would be marked progress toward ensuring the Internet remains universally accessible and encourage its use by all.\u201d\nSubcommittee Chairman Bachus said: \u201cThe Internet is a vital part of our economy and our daily lives, and there should not be a tax imposed for the simple act of using it. The Internet Tax Freedom Act has had my support since its initial adoption and I am pleased to be a cosponsor of legislation to extend it.\u201d\nCongressman Chabot said: \u201cWhen we first enacted the Internet tax moratorium back in 1998, the rapid growth of the Internet had made it an enticing target for hundreds of taxing jurisdictions across the country. In the years since, the Internet has continued to grow and to thrive free from the stifling effects of overtaxation, and is now an indispensable tool for commerce, education and social interaction. Making the Internet tax moratorium permanent will ensure that this valuable tool remains accessible and affordable for millions of American families now and in the future. I thank Chairman Goodlatte for working with me and my colleagues to draft this important legislation.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-commemorates-12th-anniversary-september-11th-terrorist-attacks", "Cohen Commemorates 12th Anniversary of September 11th Terrorist Attacks", "2013-09-11", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today issued the following statement on the 12th anniversary of the deadly terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001:\n\u201cSeptember 11th is a day for each and every one of us to take time to reflect on the heroism of firefighters, policemen, and first responders from across the nation, thank those who continue the fight to keep us safe, and honor the victims of the awful terrorist attacks of 9/11. Memphians in particular should remember and honor Gary Lasko and keep his family in their thoughts. Gary Lasko was a Memphis native who died in the collapse of the first World Trade Center building\u2014along with the nearly 3,000 other innocent people who perished that day.\u201d\n\u201cToday, as we stand with the families and loved ones of those lost on 9/11, we also honor and remember victims of terrorism around the globe in all its forms, whether perpetrated by al Qaeda or despotic regimes with little regard for their citizens.\u201d\n\u201cOn the anniversary of the deadliest attack on domestic soil in our nation\u2019s history, all Americans should come together and remember the thousands of innocent lives lost\u2014but we should also look back on the stunning selflessness shown by our nation\u2019s first responders and the countless other heroes forged that day. While the cowardice shown by the 9/11 bombers fades with each passing year, the shared sense of national unity and purpose that flourished in the aftermath continues to shine. As we live on, let us remember that the indomitable American spirit lives on as well.\u201d\nCongressman Cohen also commemorated the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the Floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. Video of the Congressman\u2019s remarks is available here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-reacts-president-obamas-syria-address", "Cohen Reacts to President Obama's Syria Address", "2013-09-10", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Following President Obama\u2019s address to the nation regarding the situation in Syria, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) tonight made the following statement:\n\u201cFollowing numerous briefings with senior Administration officials and today\u2019s nearly three-hour meeting with Vice President Biden at the White House, I paid close attention to President Obama\u2019s address this evening.\u201d\n\u201cWhile I am convinced that the Assad regime used chemical weapons in an attack on Syrian civilians that violated international law in addition to basic human decency, the American people must have a voice in how the U.S. responds to these violations.\u201d\n\u201cI will continue to listen to the concerns of the people of the Ninth District, weigh the classified intelligence made available by the President and his Administration, and consider the vast geopolitical consequences of military action\u2014or inaction\u2014before deciding on the best path forward. I am hopeful that a diplomatic resolution to this humanitarian crisis can be achieved.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-10-million-memphis-international-airport", "Cohen Announces $10 Million for Memphis International Airport", "2013-09-06", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced today that Memphis International Airport will receive $10 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for improvements. This funding will support the third phase of the Memphis airport\u2019s passenger terminal apron reconstruction.\n\u201cThe Memphis airport is a critically important transportation link in the Mid-South region,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cThis funding will help ensure our airport can continue serving travelers safely and efficiently for many years to come.\u201d\nMemphis International Airport is a world-class facility that today serves more than 6 million passengers a year. Dedicated in 1929 as the Memphis Municipal Airport with just two major carriers, the airport now hosts several national carriers as well as the FedEx \u201cSuper Hub.\u201d Memphis International has grown into the busiest cargo airport in the country, and is the second-busiest in the world \u2014behind only Hong Kong.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/weighing-action-syria", "Weighing Action in Syria", "2013-09-06", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear friend,\nAs you likely know, much attention this week has been focused on the growing turmoil in Syria\u2014and whether or not the United States should use its military power in an effort to lessen the Syrian regime\u2019s ability to use chemical weapons against its own people. I will continue listening to the people of the Ninth District and make sure that we know all the facts before deciding on this important issue. Keep reading for more information on Syria and to learn about what else has been happening this week.\nMore About Syria  Holding Delta Accountable  Celebrating Labor Day  Keeping Health Care Affordable  Celebrating Bishop Brandon B. Porter  Improving the Memphis Airport  More Grants for Memphis  Grant Announcements\nMore About Syria\nLast week, I joined with Congresswoman Barbara Lee of California and 52 of my Democratic colleagues in sending a letter to the President urging that the U.N. be allowed time to finish its job and that Congress be allowed to weigh in before any further action on Syria is taken. You can read the full letter here.\nI was glad that the President decided to seek Congressional approval before involving our military in Syria. Over the weekend, I attended a classified briefing with top officials from the Obama Administration and asked that the resolution authorizing the use of military force be curtailed to ensure that the President cannot put boots on the ground. Throughout this week, I have also paid close attention as House and Senate Committees have questioned both Secretary of State John Kerry as well as Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. I also appeared on Fox 13 earlier this week to talk about our options at this point.\u00a0And just minutes ago, I spoke again with the White House to receive more information and an update on the situation. Next Tuesday evening, President Obama will address the American people from the White House\u2014I look forward to hearing what he has to say.\nI am very concerned about going into Syria, but I am also very concerned about the message it sends if we do nothing. We are just getting out of two wars\u2014one we should not have started and one where we lost our focus and have stayed too long\u2014but the international community must make its voice heard in light of these horrific acts. I have spent the last week weighing all the information I\u2019ve received at classified briefings as well as your thoughts, and I will continue to do so.\nWhen Congress returns to Washington next week, it will begin debating a resolution authorizing the President to use military force in Syria. We don\u2019t know just yet when the House will be called to vote, but I will continue pressing the Administration for answers and information\u2014as well as continue listening to you\u2014before I cast a vote on this matter.\nHolding Delta Accountable\nOn Monday, Delta Airlines did what they had previously promised not to do and downgraded Memphis International Airport\u2019s hub status while cutting 29 more flights. Delta now only runs 64 flights each day, down from 240 at the time of the merger between Delta and Northwest. When I questioned Delta CEO Richard Anderson during a House Judiciary Committee Hearing about the merger, he told me that Memphis would benefit from his company\u2019s merger. He said we might even get a flight to Paris and that we\u2019d be able to keep the flight to Amsterdam.\nDelta lied to us. I have asked the Justice Department to examine Delta\u2019s anticompetitive practices and I\u2019ve expressed my concern about how future mergers will negatively impact consumers. I hope the Justice Department looks at what has happened with the Delta merger and\u00a0sees it for what it is: monopolistic conduct that doesn\u2019t benefit consumers or travelers.\nEarlier this week, I talked with Fox 13\u2019s Darrell Greene about Delta\u2019s disappointing and disingenuous move. I will keep working to do whatever I can to hold Delta accountable for their broken promises to Memphis. I also look forward to working with Southwest, JetBlue, other airlines and our business community to bring more carriers, routes, and flights to the Memphis airport.\nCelebrating Labor Day\nAfter a classified Syria briefing on Monday, I took a plane from Washington and went straight to a Labor Day Picnic at the Trinity Methodist Church on the corner of Galloway and Evergreen. Understandably, many people there were interested with the situation in Syria and I was happy to discuss how I felt about it as well as listen to their concerns.\nLabor Day celebrates America\u2019s hard-working, middle-class men and women, and I have been a longtime supporter of policies that will help them, like Social Security, child labor restrictions, and a fair minimum wage. I will continue to fight in Washington to ensure that all working men and women have a living wage and a fair working environment. I am a proud cosponsor of the Fair Minimum Wage Act, which would raise the minimum wage to $10.10 within three years, and would ensure that it rises with the cost of living in the years after that. With unemployment still too high, I hope that the House Republican Leadership will put partisan politics aside and bring legislation to the floor that will create jobs and move this country forward.\nKeeping Health Care Affordable\nThe Kaiser Family Foundation, a well-respected source of unbiased information about health care and health insurance, released a new report this week\u00a0that revealed what I\u2019ve known for several years: health insurance plans available through the Affordable Care Act\u2019s insurance marketplaces will be affordable for individuals and families across the country. According to the report, a 25-year old making $25,000 a year in New York City would pay as little as $62/month and a 60-year old couple making $30,000 could pay nothing out of pocket depending on where they live.\nWhile the Kaiser report did not include our state, it covered 17 others\u2014including both those that will operate their own marketplaces and those, like Tennessee, that will let the federal government run their marketplace. According to Bloomberg News, the report is \u201cthe broadest look yet at what consumers will pay for health insurance when the Affordable Care Act takes effect next year.\u201d I am glad that this information is now available, and I hope it will encourage more people to sign up for health insurance when the marketplace opens on October 1st.\nCelebrating Bishop Brandon B. Porter\nTuesday evening, I spoke at the inaugural service celebrating the historical ascension of the distinguished Jurisdictional Prelate, Bishop Brandon B. Porter, to the General Board of the Church of God in Christ. The ceremony was impressive and I am glad I was able to be there in person. Mrs. Ida M. Porter, the Supervisor of Women, Tennessee Central Jurisdiction (as well as Bishop Porter\u2019s mother), also sung at the ceremony and was clearly\u2014and justifiably\u2014proud of her son.\nImproving the Memphis Airport\nThis morning, I announced that Memphis International Airport will receive $10 million\u00a0in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for improvements and upgrades. The Memphis airport is a critically important transportation link in the Mid-South region and this funding will help ensure it can continue serving travelers safely and efficiently for many years to come. Delta may have lied to us about their plans for the airport, but it\u2019s critical to maintain its world-class standards as we work to attract additional airlines and routes.\nMore Grants for Memphis\nYesterday, I also announced that the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis was awarded more than $1.4 million\u00a0for three different projects. You can read more about the projects at the link above, but the funding will help the UT Health Science Center, and its skilled researchers, continue their important work.\nGrant Announcements \u00a0\u00a0\nI regularly release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others. These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th district. The announcements are\u00a0updated regularly on my website.\nGo Tigers! Beat Duke!\nAs always, I remain.   Most sincerely,    Steve Cohen   Member of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-more-14-million-university-tennessee-health-science-center-memphis", "Cohen Announces More Than $1.4 Million for University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis", "2013-09-05", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced today that the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) in Memphis has been awarded a total of $1,411,317 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for three different projects.\n\u201cThese funds will help continue the important work being done by the skilled researchers at the UT Health Science Center in Memphis,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.\nThe following grant awards are included under today\u2019s announcement:\n HHS\u2019 National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease awarded $941,115 in grant funding to UTHSC for the Action for Health in Diabetes Continuation (Look Ahead) project.\n\tHHS\u2019 National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases awarded $395,202 in grant funding to UTHSC for the Preclinical Diagnostic Imaging of Amyloid project.\n\tHHS\u2019 National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke awarded $75,000 in grant funding to UTHSC for the supersensitive dopamine D2 receptor inhibition of striatopallidal projection project.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/50th-anniversary-march-washington", "The 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington", "2013-08-30", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend, This week marked the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington that inspired a generation of Americans to act for justice and helped lead to both the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. I came to Washington last Friday and have been honored to be able to attend a number of events surrounding the 50th anniversary over the last few days. This week, I also signed on to a letter urging the President to allow the U.N. the time it needs to do its job and give Congress the chance to weigh in before acting on Syria. Keep reading to learn what else happened this week. Welcoming Memphians to Washington  Continuing the Fight for Civil Rights   Reigniting the Fierce Urgency of Now Weighing in on Syria Listening to Memphis Fighting for Immigration Reform Working to Protect Law-Abiding Citizens Providing a Second Chance to Ex-Offenders Reigning in For-Profit Colleges Grants for Memphis Labor Day  Grant Announcements\u00a0\u00a0 \nWelcoming Memphians to Washington   Last Friday, I was glad to welcome a large group of Memphians, including legendary civic activist and leader Velma Lois Jones, who had driven through the night from Tennessee. They were in Washington to attend a weekend march that retraced the route taken by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. down the National Mall some 50 years ago. When they arrived, I gave the group a private tour of the Capitol building. I attended Saturday\u2019s march as well, where my friend and civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis\u2014who spoke at the march in 1963\u2014gave a moving speech about the continuing fight for justice.\nContinuing the Fight for Civil Rights   August 28th was the actual 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, and that afternoon I watched as our first African American President, Barack Obama, spoke on the same steps of the Lincoln Memorial that Dr. King gave his \u201cI Have a Dream\u201d speech five decades ago. On the same day five years ago, then-Senator Obama accepted the Democratic Party\u2019s nomination for our nation\u2019s highest office.\nThe President was joined on Wednesday by President Jimmy Carter and President Bill Clinton.\u00a0 President Clinton reflected on the Supreme Court\u2019s recent ruling that eviscerated parts of the Voting Rights Act and said \u201ca great democracy does not make it harder to vote than to buy an assault weapon.\u201d I couldn\u2019t agree with him more.\nWe cannot forget that our work for justice and equality is not done or that our fight continues, but the President\u2019s speech this week was an important reminder of all the strides this society has made since August 28th, 1963.\nReigniting the Fierce Urgency of Now   On Tuesday, I held a press conference on Capitol Hill and urged the President to heed the words of Dr. King\u2019s speech from the March and recognize the \u201cfierce urgency of now.\u201d I called on the President to commute the sentences of non-violent, low-level drug offenders still incarcerated in federal prisons who would not be in prison if sentenced under today\u2019s laws.\u00a0\nI was pleased to be a leading force in Congress to change outdated sentencing laws, and was glad to hear the President say on Wednesday that \u201cthe criminal justice system is not just a pipeline from underfunded schools to overcrowded jails.\u201d\nCongress and the American people have recognized that their sentences are unfair, and the President can and should do everything he can do to deliver them justice. I wrote an op-ed that appeared in The Nation magazine a few days ago on this subject, as well as one that appeared in the Tri-State Defender earlier this month, if you are interested in learning more.\nWeighing in on Syria  \n\tYesterday, I joined with Congresswoman Barbara Lee of California and 52 of my Democratic colleagues in sending a letter to the President urging that the U.N. be allowed time to finish its job and that Congress be allowed to weigh in before any further action on Syria is taken. You can read the full letter here.\nListening to Memphis  \n\tOn Wednesday night, I hosted a telephone town hall meeting to answer questions about the issues facing our nation and the Ninth District. Town halls give us the opportunity to discuss the issues and concerns that matter most to Memphians.\nDuring Wednesday\u2019s telephone town hall, we discussed the importance of bringing jobs to Memphis, the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington and the continuing fight to ensure all Americans enjoy the same civil and human rights, as well as the many benefits of the Affordable Care Act, which I was proud to support.\nWhether working to grow our economy and create jobs or fighting to protect the voting rights of all Americans and ensure each of us has access to affordable health care, the opinions and ideas of Ninth District constituents help us move forward with legislation in Congress.\nFighting for Immigration Reform  \n\tLast night I attended a forum in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington to discuss the progress we still need to make on ensuring civil rights for all Americans.\u00a0 Among the topics we covered was the need to enact comprehensive immigration reform so that people who have come to this nation in search of a better life can come out of the shadows and fully participate in our society.\nWorking to Protect Law-Abiding Citizens  \n\tI have consistently urged the President and Attorney General to allow states to determine their own marijuana laws and to respect those determinations. I was pleased that the Department of Justice yesterday announced new guidelines that\u2014while not fully protecting businesses and individuals that comply with state and local laws\u2014appear to reduce risk of federal prosecution for those individuals and businesses.\nSupreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously said that states are the laboratories of democracy. He was right\u2014but if those laboratories are to make any sort of breakthrough, the federal government must give them that chance. Yesterday\u2019s move by Attorney General Holder that means those who comply with relevant state and local laws are less at risk of overzealous federal prosecution is a step in the right direction, and it continues this Administration\u2019s recent strides towards a smarter, more just approach to federal drug policy.\nPresident Obama\u2019s Administration is making incremental progress to address the basic unfairness of our federal drug policy and law enforcement policy, and I appreciate that it has started to work on these important issues. I look forward to working with the President and the Attorney General to finish the work that has been started, to make sure our sentencing laws are equally applied and reflect American ideals, and that law-abiding citizens of states like Colorado and Washington do not live in fear of their federal government.\nProviding a Second Chance to Ex-Offenders  \n\tThis morning I spoke to Shifting Gears Community Outreach for their event \u201cThe Key Turns Twice: Is the Sentence Ever Done?\u201d\u00a0 I described my strong support for programs that help ex-offenders reintegrate into society and get back on their feet.\u00a0 Second Chance programs represent one of the best investments we can make because research shows that providing access to jobs, housing, substance abuse treatment and other supportive services help keep ex-offenders from returning to crime.\nI also discussed my bill, the Fresh Start Act, which would allow certain non-violent offenders to have their offense expunged from their criminal records.\u00a0\u00a0 For too many people, a conviction for even a minor offense can effectively doom them to a life sentence because jobs, housing, and education can all be denied to them on the basis of their conviction.\u00a0 My bill would offer people who have served their time and lived a clean life since the opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start their lives over.\nReigning in For-Profit Colleges   On Monday night, I had a chance to talk with Chris Hayes on MSNBC about the problems in our higher education sector\u2014specifically among for-profit colleges that make most of their money from federal student loans and often don\u2019t provide high-quality educations that prepare graduates for jobs that will allow them to pay back those loans.\nStudents, especially those at for-profit schools, who find themselves unable to get enough government aid to pay their high tuition are turning to private loans to fill the gap. Unlike federal student loans, there are few consumer protections available for these private student loans leaving some students stuck with this debt for the rest of their lives. I have introduced legislation to restore some fairness in student lending, by allowing financially distressed borrowers of private student loans to discharge those loans in bankruptcy, just as other types of private debt can be discharged.\nGrants for Memphis  \n\tThis week, I announced more than $1 million in federal grant funding for organizations in Memphis.\u00a0Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region was awarded $265,000 in funding to expand and enhance its HIV prevention program, and the\u00a0University of Memphis received grants totaling almost $900,000 for three different projects.\nLabor Day  \n\tOn Monday, we observe Labor Day, which celebrates the hard-working men and women of our country. I hope that you will join me for a Labor Day Picnic hosted by Trinity Methodist Church, taking place from 11:00am \u2013 1:00pm at Trinity Methodist on the corner of Galloway and Evergreen.\nI will continue to fight in Washington to ensure that all working men and women have a living wage and a fair working environment. I am a proud cosponsor of the Fair Minimum Wage Act, which would raise the minimum wage to $10.10 within three years, and would ensure that it rises with the cost of living in the years after that. With unemployment still too high, I hope that the House Republican Leadership will put partisan politics aside and bring legislation to the floor that will create jobs and move this country forward.\nGrant Announcements\u00a0\u00a0  \n\tI regularly release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others. These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th district. The announcements are updated regularly on my website.\u00a0Again, thank you for your\u00a0interest.\u00a0 As always, I remain.  \n\tMost sincerely,    \n\tSteve Cohen  \n\tMember of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-nearly-900000-funding-university-memphis", "Cohen Announces Nearly $900,000 in Funding for the University of Memphis", "2013-08-29", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced today that the University of Memphis and its faculty have been awarded a total of $895,398 in grant funding for three different projects. The funding announced today is from the National Science Foundation (NSF).\n\u201cThis funding underscores the important role that University of Memphis scholars play in areas of national importance including science and education,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.\nThe following grant awards are included under today\u2019s announcement:\n The University of Memphis was awarded $464,800 in grant funding for the acquisition of a new high resolution (HR) field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The microscope, which is expected to be installed next spring, will be housed in the University\u2019s shared research facility, alongside a recently opened materials fabrication and characterization lab and class 1000 clean room. In addition to supporting U of M researchers working in materials science, cell biology, geosciences, and civil engineering, the instrument will be accessible to other academic and industry researchers.\n\t\t\u00a0\n\tProfessor Andrew Olney was awarded $163,830 in grant to develop and evaluate a conversational computer program that learns from students while teaching them to read more effectively. The program is designed to work with any e-book and over time will learn enough to be able to tutor future students on the e-book topics. More information is available at the following link: https://www.memphis.edu/iis\n  Earth Scientist Bob Smalley was awarded $266,768 in grant funding to study the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Using GPS and other technologies, Smalley\u2019s team is working to understand how the Antarctic continent and its glaciers interact, how they are impacted by climate change, and the potential effects of that impact. More information is available at the following link: www.ceri.memphis.edu", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-joins-congresswoman-lee-and-52-democrats-calling-president-allow-congress-weigh", "Cohen Joins Congresswoman Lee and 52 Democrats in Calling on President to Allow Congress to Weigh in Before Acting on Syria", "2013-08-29", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) joined Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13) and 52 Members of the House Democratic Caucus today in sending a letter to the President urging that the U.N. be allowed time to finish its job and that Congress be allowed to weigh in before any further action on Syria is taken.\n\u201cWhile we understand that as Commander in Chief you have a constitutional obligation to protect our national interests from direct attack, Congress has the constitutional obligation and power to approve military force, even if the United States or its direct interests (such as its embassies) have not been attacked or threatened with an attack,\u201d the 54 Members of Congress wrote in the letter. \u201cAs such, we strongly urge you to seek an affirmative decision of Congress prior to committing any U.S. military engagement to this complex crisis.\u201d\nThe letter continues: \u201cWhile the ongoing human rights violations and continued loss of life are horrific, they should not draw us into an unwise war\u2014especially without adhering to our own constitutional requirements. We strongly support the work within the United Nations Security Council to build international consensus condemning the alleged use of chemical weapons and preparing an appropriate response; we should also allow the U.N. inspectors the space and time necessary to do their jobs, which are so crucial to ensuring accountability.\u201d\nA copy of the letter along with a full list of cosigners is available here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-statement-new-doj-guidelines-better-protect-businesses-and-individuals-comply", "Cohen Statement on New DOJ Guidelines that Better Protect Businesses and Individuals that Comply with State and Local Marijuana Laws", "2013-08-29", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 After Congressman Cohen urged Attorney General Holder to allow states to determine their own marijuana laws and to respect those determinations, the Department of Justice today announced new guidelines for federal prosecutors that\u2014while not fully protecting businesses and individuals that comply with state and local laws\u2014appear to reduce risk of federal prosecution for those individuals and businesses. The Congressman made the following statement:\n\u201cSupreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously said that states are the laboratories of democracy,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cHe was right\u2014but if those laboratories are to make any sort of breakthrough, the federal government must give them that chance. Today\u2019s move by Attorney General Holder that means those who comply with relevant state and local laws are less at risk of overzealous federal prosecution is a step in the right direction, and it continues this Administration\u2019s recent strides towards a smarter, more just approach to federal drug policy.\u201d\n\u201cPresident Obama\u2019s Administration is making incremental progress to address the basic unfairness of our federal drug policy and law enforcement policy, and I appreciate that it has started to work on these important issues. I look forward to working with the President and the Attorney General to finish the work that has been started, to make sure our sentencing laws are equally applied and reflect American ideals, and that law-abiding citizens of states like Colorado and Washington do not live in fear of their federal government.\u201d\nEarlier this year, Congressman Cohen also introduced legislation to create a National Commission on Federal Marijuana Policy. The Commission would undertake a comprehensive review of the federal government\u2019s current policies toward marijuana, particularly in light of the growing number of states where marijuana is already legal for medicinal or personal use. The Congressman has also\u00a0called on the Attorney General to help reduce unfairness and injustice in our criminal justice system for several years.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-talks-over-6000-ninth-district-constituents-during-tonights-telephone-town-hall", "Cohen Talks to Over 6,000 Ninth District Constituents During Tonight's Telephone Town Hall", "2013-08-29", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) hosted a telephone town hall this evening to answer his constituents\u2019 questions about the issues facing the Ninth District and the nation. On the telephone town hall, the Congressman discussed a variety of issues including today\u2019s commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, the urgent need to bring justice to those serving outdated deferral sentences, his work bringing jobs to Memphis, the upcoming agenda in Congress, and how sequestration is hurting families across the country.\n\u201cTown halls give us the opportunity to discuss the issues and concerns that matter most to Memphians,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.\u00a0 \u201cThis evening, we discussed the importance of bringing jobs to Memphis, the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington and the continuing fight to ensure all Americans enjoy the same civil and human rights, as well as the many benefits of the Affordable Care Act, which I was proud to support. Whether working to grow our economy and create jobs or fighting to protect the voting rights of all Americans and ensure each of us has access to affordable health care, the opinions and ideas of Ninth District constituents help us move forward with legislation in Congress.\u201d\nThe Telephone Town Hall meeting began at 6:05PM CT and lasted approximately one hour.\u00a0 More than 6,000 Ninth District constituents participated in the call and asked questions about the Affordable Care Act.\u00a0 Since being elected to the House of Representatives in 2006, Congressman Cohen has hosted dozens of town hall meetings in his Congressional district and via telephone from Washington, D.C.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-mlks-fierce-urgency-now-demands-president-obama-act-now-reduce-racial", "Cohen: MLK's \"Fierce Urgency of Now\" Demands President Obama Act Now to Reduce Racial Disparities in Our Justice System", "2013-08-27", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington which led to the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today called on President Obama to heed the \u201cfierce urgency of now\u201d and take immediate steps to reduce unfair racial disparities in our judicial system, cut prison overcrowding, reduce the deficit, and further the cause of justice.\n\u201cAs he reminded the nation of the \u2018fierce urgency of now\u2019 from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial fifty years ago, Dr. King inspired a generation of Americans \u2018to make justice ring out for all of God\u2019s children,\u2019\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cThe people serving unjust, cruelly lengthy, and outright wrong sentences know all too well the fierce urgency of now. I hope the President will heed Dr. King\u2019s reminder and act on their behalf as soon as possible\u2014right now.\u201d\nWhile the Obama Administration has made important moves to reduce racial disparities, including a recent change to Department of Justice prosecution policies that Congressman Cohen has for years been calling for, the President has several other powers at his disposal\u2014like pardons and commutations\u2014that, in addition to quickly bringing needed justice to thousands of people incarcerated under outdated and unfair mandatory minimum sentences, cannot be blocked by an obstructionist Congress.\u00a0\nCongressman Cohen\u2019s remarks as prepared for delivery follow:\nThe Fierce Urgency of Now: Reducing Racial Inequality in Our Justice System\nRep. Steve Cohen (TN-09)\nAugust 27, 2013\nThank you very much for being here today.\nAs we prepare for the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington tomorrow, we would all be well served to remember the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.\nFrom the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28th, 1963, Dr. King inspired a generation of Americans \u201cto make justice ring out for all of God\u2019s children.\u201d\u00a0He told us he had come to our capital \u201cto remind America of the fierce urgency of now.\u201d\u00a0\nAnd, at the time, America heeded his words: less than two years later, both the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act were the law of the land, each having been passed through Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson.\nI stand before you today, however, because\u2014sadly\u2014over the past 5 decades, the fierce urgency that Dr. King spoke of appears to have faded.\nJustice seems too far away for too many.\nFor all the strides towards binding up the wounds of racial injustice and important steps towards greater equality that we have made as a society, there remain thousands\u2014disproportionately low-income minorities and people of color\u2014whose liberty has been taken from them through unjust and unequally applied mandatory minimum sentences for low-level, non-violent drug offenses.\nToday, I am calling on President Obama to do more to deliver those individuals the justice they deserve. The fierce urgency of now demands that the President commute the sentences of those who would not still be incarcerated if convicted of their crimes today.\nDoing so is not a novel idea. While the President has so far used his pardon and commutation power far less than many of his predecessors, his Administration has taken important steps that show a desire to resolve these basic injustices.\nAttorney General Eric Holder\u2019s recent overhaul of the Department of Justice\u2019s draconian prosecution policies that regularly resulted in excessively long mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders is one of those steps.\nWe need smarter, more just approaches like Attorney General Holder\u2019s as we continue to reduce the racial disparities of our current system.\u00a0\nThe three-year-old Fair Sentencing Act was a rare time in history when Congress reduced sentences thereby enunciating a sharp turn in public policy.\nAfter being signed by President Obama, the law now ensures that those arrested with crack\u2014mostly young, African American men\u2014are no longer subject to a 100-to-1 sentencing disparity compared to those arrested with essentially the same drug in powder form, who are more likely to be Caucasian. But the law is not retroactive.\nSo while the nation\u2019s views on drug policy are rapidly changing, countless prisoners sentenced prior to 2013 remain locked up, serving sentences that no longer align with our national values.\nBoth Congress and Attorney General Holder have shifted public policy for the future to better reflect our priorities, but\u2014for those still spending every day in a prison cell\u2014now only the President can correct the injustices of the past.\nIf, as Dr. King wrote, \u201cjustice too long delayed is justice denied,\u201d then every day they continue to sit in prison serving sentences that policymakers\u2014and the American people\u2014believe no longer fit their crime is another day that justice is denied.\nI continue to call on President Obama to use his commutation power to correct these injustices today.\nWhen it comes to addressing the inherent racial injustice of our nation\u2019s drug policy, the American people are now ahead of their leaders in Washington.\nA recent ACLU report revealed that despite using marijuana at the same rate as Caucasians, African-Americans were arrested for marijuana at a rate four times higher than whites. And a recent poll shows that 52% of Americans now support legalization of marijuana.\nWith opposition to the failed policies of criminalization and prohibition growing every day, Congress should immediately act to catch up with the American people. In the interim, the President should not let anyone suffer one more day for the mistakes of outdated policy.\u00a0 He should be guided by the fierce urgency of now.\nI want to be clear on another front: for as important as this is from a justice perspective, it is just as important from an economic perspective.\nReducing prison overcrowding by commuting excessively long sentences is the fiscally prudent path, especially in the face of sequestration.\u00a0\nWe spend an estimated $30,000 per year to house each and every inmate in a federal prison. Keeping Americans locked up when they would not be under current law is, put simply, a foolish waste of money.\nWith across-the-board cuts being felt in every corner of the country, that money could undoubtedly be better spent.\nThe National Institutes of Health, our nation\u2019s true Department of Defense, faces cuts of $1.6 billion that will stop research into potentially life-saving cures.\n57,000 fewer children will be enrolled in Head Start programs this year, reducing their chances of success.\nInstead of preventing or reducing the impact of these cuts, our increasingly limited resources are spent incarcerating people who no longer pose a danger to society and have already served long sentences.\nIn some cases, we are incarcerating Americans who are now elderly or incapacitated. I am glad that one of the steps this Administration has taken is a stronger program of compassionate release for those elderly prisoners.\nBut there is more that the President can\u2014and should\u2014do, because nowhere is the urgency of now more fierce than for people who have repaid their debt to society and pose little danger of recidivism as they enter the waning days of their life.\nCommutation of non-violent offenders is a significant step the President can take immediately\u2014and it is one of the few on offer that cannot be obstructed by the Tea Party.\nBut he has until now chosen to use the power sparingly.\nThis may be\u2014in part\u2014because the Department of Justice official responsible for reviewing applications and making recommendations to the President is a holdover from the previous Administration who has been admonished by the DOJ\u2019s Inspector General for withholding and misrepresenting information.\u00a0\nThe President should not rely on untrustworthy or biased information to make these important, life-changing decisions.\nIt is past time to reinvigorate the Pardon office with new leadership \u2013 with someone highly respected in the legal community who would see the position as an opportunity to deliver justice to those who deserve it, not one whose mission appears to be keeping people in prison unnecessarily.\nAnd the President should also establish a board to undertake a systematic review of non-violent offenders and recommend worthy candidates for commutations.\nIf Congress has determined that countless sentences are unjust, the President should not hesitate to use his pardon and commutation power, as past Presidents have, to resolve these broad injustices.\nDrug policy reform has not always been politically popular.\nAt many points in past decades, I have found it a lonely pursuit, but today it is an issue that unites the left and the right.\nAmericans of all political persuasions are coming out of the woodwork.\nAs a nation, we are beginning to recognize how misguided policies prop up injustice and waste our dwindling resources.\nIt\u2019s time for the President to take the next step and right these wrongs.\nThe people serving unjust, cruelly lengthy, and outright wrong sentences know all too well the fierce urgency of now.\u00a0\nI hope the President will heed Dr. King\u2019s reminder and act on their behalf as soon as possible\u2014right now.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-265000-planned-parenthood-greater-memphis-region", "Cohen Announces $265,000 for Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region", "2013-08-26", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region (PPGMR) was awarded $265,000 by the U.S. Department of Health and Services (HHS).\u00a0 This funding will help PPGMR expand and enhance its existing High Impact HIV Prevention program, as well as allow PPGMR to expand its outreach to the Spanish-speaking community.\n\u201cPlanned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region has been helping Memphis and Shelby County residents get the health care they need to lead happier, healthier lives for years,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.\u00a0 \u201cThese new federal funds will help PPGMR proactively prevent the spread of HIV and protect Memphians from the debilitating effects of this deadly disease.\u201d\nPPGMR is one of Tennessee\u2019s oldest and largest private, non-profit health care agencies. Since 1938, PPGMR has remained committed to providing high-quality, affordable reproductive services and education to women and men throughout the Mid-South, regardless of their ability to pay.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/celebrating-50th-anniversary-march-washington", "Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington", "2013-08-23", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,\u00a0 \nI am writing to you today from Washington, DC. After spending the week in Memphis, I came back to attend many events surrounding the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington taking place in our nation\u2019s capital over the next week, including a breakfast with Dr. C.T. Vivian tomorrow.\nThis afternoon, I was glad to be able to meet with a large group of Memphians who spent last night driving from Memphis to DC\u00a0to attend tomorrow\u2019s march that will retrace the route taken by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and so many others\u2014including several members of this group from Memphis\u2014down the National Mall some 50 years ago. I am looking forward to joining them tomorrow to hear my friend and civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis speak at the end of the march.\nNext Week in Washington, DC  Protecting the Voting Rights of All Americans  Preparing Children for Success in School  Helping Make College More Affordable  Reforming our Broken Immigration System  Increasing Graduation Rates and Helping Young People in Memphis  Helping Treat and Prevent HIV/AIDS  Grant Announcements\nNext Week in Washington, DC\nIn addition to tomorrow\u2019s commemoration, another ceremony will be held on Wednesday, August 28th. At Wednesday\u2019s ceremony, Barack Obama\u2014who accepted the Democratic Party\u2019s nomination for President on the same day five years ago\u2014will address the nation from the same steps that Dr. King stood\u00a0on in\u00a01963. President Obama will be joined by President Jimmy Carter and President Bill Clinton.\nIf you are planning to be in Washington during Wednesday\u2019s ceremony, my office, located in room 2404 of the Rayburn House Office Building, will be open from 9:00am to 6:00pm. I will be at the Lincoln Memorial during the afternoon ceremony, but please feel free to stop in\u2014both my staff and I would be happy to welcome you. If you are having trouble finding the office, please don\u2019t hesitate to call us at (202) 225-3265\nProtecting the Voting Rights of All Americans\nThe March on Washington spurred our nation into action and led to both the Voting Rights Act and Civil Rights Act within just two years. Sadly, a recent Supreme Court ruling left important provisions of the Voting Rights Act in limbo and raised questions about whether the civil rights of millions of Americans\u2014including minority groups who have historically been oppressed\u2014would remain protected.\nOne of the first tests of the Supreme Court\u2019s ruling on the Voting Rights Act is a recently-passed Texas voter ID law, SB 14, which threatens to disenfranchise countless voters. While the Court\u2019s ruling gutted certain provisions of the Voting Rights Act, the Department of Justice announced on Thursday that it will continue to aggressively defend our civil rights and that it had filed suit against the State of Texas because SB 14 violates other Voting Rights Act provisions as well as the 14th and 15th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.\nCongress still needs to address the Supreme Court\u2019s\u00a0ruling and strengthen the protections in the Act\u2014and we should do so as soon as possible. But while we work to do that, I am pleased that the Department of Justice and Attorney General Holder aren\u2019t waiting for more discrimination against minorities to occur before using every tool at their disposal to protect the civil rights and human rights that we fought for so long to obtain.\nPreparing Children for Success in School\nOn Tuesday, I announced that\u00a0Shelby County was awarded more than $3.6 million dollars to support Head Start programs that help prepare young children to learn at school by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development. Tuesday\u2019s announcement completes the current year\u2019s funding for a total of $23,249,312.\nOur Head Start programs are an investment in our children, an investment in our families, and an investment in our future. They help ensure that children from low-income families throughout Shelby County will be healthier and better prepared to learn when they enter school. We will see countless benefits down the line as today\u2019s children grow into tomorrow\u2019s entrepreneurs, doctors, scientists, and productive members of our society. Head Start is an important program that I am proud to support.\nHelping Make College More Affordable\nYesterday, President Obama kicked off a bus tour of colleges to highlight his new agenda that puts the interests of middle class families and students first to help combat rising college costs. I am glad the President laid out his new vision. Throughout my career, whether leading the fight to create the HOPE Scholarship program\u2014which I talked about on Channel 5 News earlier this week\u2014or working to keep student loan rates down, I have always believed that we need to do all that we can to keep higher education within reach for our students and for middle class families. If we price our students out of a quality education, the whole country risks missing out on the contributions they could make to our economy\u2014and that is not an acceptable risk for us to take. \nReforming our Broken Immigration System\nEarlier this week, the conservative American Action Network released a report\u00a0highlighting just how much fixing our broken immigration system will help our economy. According to their report, over the next 10 years the Ninth District would gain 11,527 new jobs and Tennessee would gain more than 40,000. There are a lot of reasons to support comprehensive immigration reform, but I\u2019m glad that some Republicans are now realizing the important economic benefits it could have. I continue to call on Speaker Boehner and the House Republican leadership to bring a comprehensive immigration reform plan to a vote as soon as possible.\nIncreasing Graduation Rates and Helping Young People in Memphis\nAt a lunch hosted by the Greater Memphis Chamber on Wednesday, I spoke with Bill Strickland, the founder and CEO of the Manchester Bidwell Corporation. Manchester Bidwell is a Pittsburgh-based non-profit organization that helps teach at-risk youth and the unemployed important job skills so that they can lift themselves up and succeed. The program has helped increase high school graduation rates, college admissions rates, and job preparedness in his community, and it should be emulated across the nation. When Congress returns to session next month, I will co-sponsor the National Program for Arts and Technology Act to help make that happen. Once we pass the bill, I look forward to welcoming Bill Strickland back to Memphis and working with him to help young people in our community learn the skills they need to find and keep jobs.\nHelping Treat and Prevent HIV/AIDS\nOn Thursday, I announced that\u00a0Serenity Recovery Centers in Memphis was awarded $520,000 in funding to expand and enhance substance abuse and HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention services for low-income African American women through its Memphis Substance-Using Women\u2019s Action Team (SWAT) program.\nThe Memphis SWAT program is a collaborative effort that aims to capitalize on a unique citywide coalition to expand substance abuse treatment and outreach capacity as well as enhance treatment services for low income African American women who are infected with, or at risk for, HIV/AIDS but have multiple barriers to accessing substance abuse treatment and other support services. The funding will help Serenity, in collaboration with Friends for Life and CHOICES, continue providing important health services throughout Memphis.\nGrant Announcements\u00a0\u00a0\nI regularly release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others. These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th district. The announcements are updated regularly on my website.\nWishing you a happy and safe weekend,\nAs always, I remain,   Most sincerely,    Steve Cohen   Member of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://web.archive.org/web/20140130001032/http://cohen.house.gov:80/event/telephone-town-hall-august-28-2013", "Telephone Town Hall - August 28, 2013", "2013-08-23", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "Start: \n         \t  August 28, 2013 6:05 pm\n\n         \t  \nEnd: \n         \t    August 28, 2013 7:05 pm", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-more-half-million-dollars-memphis-area-womens-services", "Cohen Announces More Than Half a Million Dollars for Memphis-area Women's Services", "2013-08-22", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] -- Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that Serenity Recovery Centers in Memphis has been awarded $520,000 in funding to expand and enhance substance abuse and HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention services for low-income African American women. The grant comes through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and will be used on Serenity\u2019s collaborative Memphis Substance-Using Women\u2019s Action Team (SWAT) project.\n\u201cThis funding will help Serenity Recovery Centers and other local organizations continue providing important health services to low-income African American women throughout Memphis,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.\nThe Memphis Substance-Using Women\u2019s Action Team (SWAT), a collaborative effort that in addition to Serenity includes Friends for Life and CHOICES, aims to capitalize on a unique citywide coalition to expand substance abuse treatment and outreach capacity as well as enhance treatment services for low income African American women who are infected with, or at risk for, HIV/AIDS but have multiple barriers to accessing substance abuse treatment and other support services. The program involves community based outreach, pretreatment, and the delivery as well as implementation of key services at times and locations where high-risk activity occurs.\nSerenity Recovery Centers began as \u201cSerenity House\u201d in 1971 when a group of recovering alcoholics founded a safe haven for alcoholics seeking treatment. For 40 years, the organization has offered counseling, education and advocacy to more than 15,000 individuals and families in the Memphis community who are struggling with addiction \u2014 regardless of their ability to pay.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-applauds-doj-lawsuit-challenging-constitutionality-texas-voter-id-law", "Cohen Applauds DOJ Lawsuit Challenging Constitutionality of Texas Voter ID Law", "2013-08-22", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced his support of the U.S. Department of Justice\u2019s (DOJ) new lawsuit challenging the Constitutionality of a recently-passed Texas law that threatens to disenfranchise countless voters. This move by the DOJ carries exceptional weight in light of a recent Supreme Court ruling that left important provisions of the Voting Rights Act in limbo and raised questions about whether the civil rights of millions of Americans\u2014including minority groups who have historically been oppressed\u2014would remain protected. The Congressman made the following statement:\n\u201cMake no mistake, the recent ruling by the Supreme Court that gutted important provisions of the landmark Voting Rights Act was an affront to civil rights in this country,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cWhile Congress works to fix the Supreme Court\u2019s mistake, I am glad that Attorney General Holder is not waiting for even more discrimination against minorities before using every tool at his disposal to aggressively fight for the civil and human rights that we fought for decades to obtain.\u201d\n\u201cAs we approach the 50th anniversary of the Great March on Washington that led to the Voting Rights Act, protecting the right of every American to vote is especially important. Thankfully, today\u2019s move by the Department of Justice to protect our citizens is a win for civil rights and a win for all Americans.\u201d\nEarlier today, the DOJ announced that it will file a new lawsuit against the State of Texas, the Texas Secretary of State, and the Director of the Texas Department of Public Safety over the State\u2019s strict voter photo identification law (SB 14). The United States\u2019 complaint seeks a declaration that SB 14 violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, as well as the voting guarantees of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. Separately, the Department is filing a motion to intervene as a party and a complaint in intervention against the State of Texas and the Texas Secretary of State in the ongoing case of Perez v. Perry (W.D. Tex.), which concerns the state\u2019s redistricting laws.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-highlights-record-making-college-more-affordable-president-obama-kicks-college", "Cohen Highlights Record of Making College More Affordable As President Obama Kicks Off College Bus Tour", "2013-08-22", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 After President Obama announced a new agenda to fight rising college costs and keep higher education within reach for middle class families this morning, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) highlighted his work to make college more affordable for Memphians and Tennesseans. When he served in the Tennessee Senate, Congressman Cohen led the fight to create the HOPE Scholarship program and in Washington he has fought to keep student loan rates down as well as to treat private student loan debt the same as other types of private loan debt.\n\u201cI fought for nearly two decades while I was in the Tennessee State Senate to establish the Tennessee Lottery and the HOPE Scholarship program that has helped reduce college costs for hundreds of thousands of students across Tennessee,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cI am glad that President Obama laid out an ambitious new agenda that puts the interests of middle class families and students first to combat rising college costs. If we price our students out of a quality education, the whole country risks missing out on the contributions they could make to our economy\u2014and that is not an acceptable risk to take.\u201d\nBefore he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Cohen\u00a0 became known throughout the state as the \u201cFather of the Tennessee Lottery,\u201d after leading the referendum effort that instituted arguably the most successful education initiative in Tennessee history. Since the inception of the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship program in 2004, over $2.7 billion has gone to students continuing their education at the college level. Countless students have benefited from Congressman Cohen's tireless efforts to provide Tennesseans with access to affordable, quality, post-secondary education.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-more-82000-help-reduce-veteran-homelessness-memphis", "Cohen Announces More Than $82,000 to Help Reduce Veteran Homelessness in Memphis", "2013-08-21", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that the Memphis Housing Authority has been awarded $82,732 in grant funding to provide rental assistance to homeless veterans. This funding comes through the Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program.\n\u201cIt is a tragedy that so many of our veterans in Memphis and throughout the country are homeless,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cThese grants are just one way we can give back to the veterans who gave so much for us.\u201d\nAs a critical part of the Obama Administration\u2019s commitment to end veteran and long-term chronic homelessness in 2015, the HUD-VASH Program combines rental assistance from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) with case management and clinical services provided by VA. Since 2008, the program has awarded more than 48,000 rental assistance and vouchers helped place more than 42,500 formerly homeless veterans in homes. HUD\u2019s annual \u201cpoint in time\u201d estimate of the number of homeless persons and families for 2012 found that Veteran homelessness fell by 7.2 percent (or 4,876 people) since January 2011 and by 17.2 percent since January 2009.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-more-35-million-help-prepare-shelby-county-children-school", "Cohen Announces More Than $3.5 Million to Help Prepare Shelby County Children for School", "2013-08-20", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that Shelby County has been awarded a $3,629,895 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support Head Start projects that help promote school readiness of children from birth until the age of 5 by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development. This announcement completes the current year\u2019s funding for a total of $23,249,312.\n\u201cToday\u2019s funding is an investment in our children, an investment in our families, and an investment in our future,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cBecause of this important funding, children from low-income families throughout Shelby County\u2019s will be healthier and better prepared to learn when they enter school. We will see countless benefits down the line as today\u2019s children grow into tomorrow\u2019s entrepreneurs, doctors, scientists, and productive members of our society. This is an important program that I am proud to support.\u201d\nHead Start is a federal program that provides comprehensive services to enrolled children and their families, which include health, nutrition, social services and other services determined to be necessary by family needs assessments, in addition to education and cognitive development services. Shelby County Head Start provides these services to over 3,000 children in Memphis and Shelby County.\nThe Head Start program was founded as part of Lyndon B. Johnson\u2019s War on Poverty in 1965 as an eight-week demonstration project. Since its founding, Head Start has served over 30 million children and their families in urban and rural areas in every corner of the nation and has grown to include full day as well as year services and numerous program options.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-more-300000-university-memphis-research-project", "Cohen Announces More than $300,000 for University of Memphis Research Project", "2013-08-16", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced today that the University of Memphis has been awarded a $311,662 research grant that will spur computer software research to help make software development less time-consuming and easier. The funding will be used by the University to conduct research to improve the methods with which software developers use code to obtain information.\n\u201cThe students and researchers at the University of Memphis are one of our city\u2019s greatest resources,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cToday\u2019s funding will help keep U of M at the forefront of computer research and spur improvements in computer software development.\u201d\nToday\u2019s grant, awarded through the National Science Foundation\u2019s Division of Computer and Communications Foundations Program, supports a collaborative research project involving researchers at the University of Memphis.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-over-12-million-help-people-take-advantage-affordable-care-act", "Cohen Announces Over $1.2 Million to Help People Take Advantage of the Affordable Care Act", "2013-08-16", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced today that the Memphis-based Structured Employment Economic Development Corporation (Seedco) Mid-South has been awarded $1,216,013 in grant funding to help provide in-person assistance to area residents who want additional help in shopping for and enrolling in plans available through the health insurance Marketplaces that will open this fall. This funding comes through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services\u2019 Navigator grant program.\n\u201cSeedco\u2019s Navigators will be an important resource to help Memphis consumers understand their coverage options in the Marketplace,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.\u00a0 \u201cThere will also be many other resources to assist with enrollment.\u00a0\u00a0 Community health centers are preparing to help enroll consumers in coverage.\u00a0 In addition, HHS has also begun training other individuals who will be providing in-person assistance, such as agents and brokers and certified application counselors.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\nSeedco\u2019s Navigators, in partnership with other local organizations, will be trained to provide unbiased information to consumers about the Health Insurance Marketplaces, qualified health plans, and public programs such as Medicaid and the Children\u2019s Health Insurance Program. They will also be trained on adhering to strict security and privacy standards \u2013 including how to safeguard a consumer\u2019s personal information \u2013 and will be required to meet these standards. They will be subject to federal criminal penalties for violations of privacy and fraud statutes, on top of any relevant state law penalties.\n\u201cThese grants build on the progress that has already been made in outreach and education about the new Marketplaces that will open on October 1st,\u201d Congressman Cohen continued.\u00a0 \u201cConsumers can now learn about the Marketplaces through www.HealthCare.gov and a 24-hour consumer call center at 1-800-318-2596. When the Marketplaces open in just 6 weeks, millions of Americans will have better access to affordable health insurance coverage, and Seedco\u2019s Navigators will be there to help Memphians with their questions.\u201d\nSeedco is a national organization with its Mid-South office based in Memphis that helps low-income households and communities move toward economic prosperity. Residents interested in learning more about Seedco can visit www.seedco.org/tennesseenavigator or call 901.528.8341.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-highlights-need-refocus-american-priorities-instead-overseas-spending", "Cohen Highlights Need to Refocus on American Priorities Instead of Overseas Spending", "2013-08-15", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 After a dozen organizations from across the political spectrum thanked him for leading a successful effort to curb wasteful and risky spending in the Fiscal Year 2014 Defense Department Appropriations bill, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today highlighted his work to rein in our overgrown defense sector and protect taxpayers as well as critically important projects, programs and agencies\u2014from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and early childhood education to infrastructure and food stamps\u2014from the disastrous effects of thoughtless sequestration cuts.\n\u201cWe need to better align our nation\u2019s priorities with those of our nation\u2019s people\u2014and that means winding down our outsized overseas spending and reprioritizing projects here at home,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cPentagon leaders admit they do not need as much money as Congress continues to give them\u2014but sequestration\u2019s impact on NIH research projects affects all Americans, cuts to the SNAP program threaten the more than 1 in 4 Shelby County residents who rely on food stamps to adequately feed their families, and bridges and roads across the country are deteriorating. Instead of funding wars, we should be focused on finding cures, feeding and educating our children, and rebuilding America.\u201d\nCongressman Cohen has long been an ardent supporter of reining in our defense budget, protecting taxpayer dollars and pushing for smarter spending here at home. During the House of Representatives\u2019 recent debate on the FY2014 Defense Department Appropriations bill, the Congressman authored an amendment to cut the deficit and help limit the risk of taxpayer dollars being wasted or stolen in Afghanistan by reducing funding to the Afghan Infrastructure Fund by $139 million. His amendment passed by a bipartisan vote of 249-173.\nIn July, Congressman Cohen also introduced the Research First Act to prevent and reverse the disastrous effects of sequestration cuts on critically important NIH research projects that could one day lead to cures for diseases that plague people around the globe. The legislation would replace more than $1.5 billion in crippling cuts to the NIH with Department of Defense funding that Pentagon leaders admit they don\u2019t need. Despite the good work and accomplishments of NIH scientists, researchers, and doctors throughout the nation, the NIH is already seeing its funding slashed through sequestration and without Congressional action stands to lose as much as $1.55 billion. Cuts of this magnitude could cripple or completely stop countless research projects that could one day lead to cures.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-over-185000-university-tennessee-health-science-center-memphis", "Cohen Announces Over $185,000 for University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis", "2013-08-14", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced today that the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis has been awarded a total of $187,500 in funding to study emotional disorders related to traumatic brain injury. This grant funding comes through the Department of Health and Human Services\u2019 (HHS) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.\n\u201cThese funds will help continue the important work being done by the skilled researchers at the UT Health Science Center in Memphis,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-delauro-house-democratic-caucus-call-speaker-boehner-not-push-more-americans", "Cohen, DeLauro, House Democratic Caucus Call on Speaker Boehner Not To Push More Americans Into Hunger", "2013-08-14", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN]\u00a0 \u2014 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) joined Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) and more than 200 of his House colleagues in calling on Speaker Boehner not to push more Americans into hunger. In a letter, they urged the Speaker to include funding for nutrition programs in any future Farm Bill that comes before the House of Representatives. Nearly 270,000 residents of Shelby County, Tennessee, rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)\u2014more than double any other county in the state.\n\u201cThe Republican leadership recently forced through a Farm Bill reauthorization, H.R. 2642, which did not include the nutrition title, a major part of the Farm Bill that would reauthorize SNAP,\u201d the Members of Congress wrote. \u201cWe voted against this bill in large part because of this intentional omission. We strongly believe in the critical importance of SNAP. Given the essential nature of this program to millions of American families, the final language of the Farm Bill or any other legislation related to SNAP must be crafted to ensure that we do not increase hunger in America.\u201d\nAll the representatives and delegates who wrote to the Speaker opposed the version of the Farm Bill that passed the House of Representatives last month and did not include nutrition programs, as the Farm Bill traditionally has. The full text of the letter follows:\nAugust 13, 2013\nThe Honorable John Boehner \u00a0  \n\tThe Speaker \u00a0 \u00a0  \n\tH-232, The Capitol \u00a0 \u00a0  \n\tWashington, DC\u00a0 20515 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\nDear Speaker Boehner,\nThe Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is our country\u2019s most critical anti-hunger program, helping more than 47 million Americans meet their basic food needs at a time when more than 50 million Americans face the threat of food insecurity.\u00a0 Nearly half of SNAP enrollees are children, and the program helps feed roughly one in three children in America.\u00a0 Additionally, almost 75 percent of SNAP participants are in households with children, seniors, or a disabled individual.\nMore than half of the average household\u2019s SNAP allocation is used within 7 days, and by the third week of the month 90 percent of SNAP benefits have been redeemed, leaving many families without the resources they need to buy food.\u00a0 This inadequacy causes an added burden on food banks, as nearly 60 percent of the households receiving SNAP and using food banks have to rely on food banks at least 6 months a year.\u00a0 In addition, under current law each household participating in SNAP will see a benefit reduction when the temporary increase from the Recovery Act expires.\u00a0 This means that, beginning November 1st, each SNAP enrollee will see a cut to their benefit that is, on average, less than $1.50 per meal.\u00a0\nUnfortunately, the Republican leadership recently forced through a Farm Bill reauthorization, H.R. 2642, which did not include the nutrition title, a major part of the Farm Bill that would reauthorize SNAP. We voted against this bill in large part because of this intentional omission. We strongly believe in the critical importance of SNAP. Given the essential nature of this program to millions of American families, the final language of the Farm Bill or any other legislation related to SNAP must be crafted to ensure that we do not increase hunger in America.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-applauds-new-approach-federal-drug-crime-sentencing", "Cohen Applauds New Approach to Federal Drug Crime Sentencing", "2013-08-12", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a national leader in the effort to reduce prison overcrowding and reform federal mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenses that unfairly and unequally affect people of color and minority communities, today applauded United States Attorney General Eric Holder\u2019s announcement that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will overhaul its draconian prosecution policies for non-violent drug offenders.\n\u201cBy announcing a new approach to the prosecution of non-violent drug offenses, Attorney General Holder renewed the Obama Administration\u2019s dedication to making sure our nation\u2019s policies better align with our ideals, the goals of our judicial system, and our laws,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u201cWe can no longer continue hoping that imprisoning the most number of people for the longest amount of time will keep our streets safe or help rehabilitate non-violent offenders\u2014we already know that it doesn\u2019t work, and we know that our current policies unfairly harm African American and minority communities. I am glad our government is taking this important step towards a smarter, more fair, and more just approach to addressing drugs in America.\u201d\nCongressman Cohen has a long history of working to reduce prison overcrowding and unfair sentencing practices. At a recent hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, he questioned Attorney General Holder about the DOJ\u2019s prosecution of non-violent drug offenders and the role it plays in the overcrowding of federal prisons. The Congressman has also raised these issues directly with President Barack Obama and followed up, in writing, to both the President and Attorney General Holder urging a program of compassionate release through broader use of the pardon power as a method of cutting overcrowding, saving taxpayer money, and providing justice to those serving unnecessarily long sentences.\nThe Congressman also co-sponsored the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, which reduced the 100-to-1 sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine. Prior to President Obama signing the bill into law, those arrested for crack offenses\u2014mostly young, African American men\u2014were subject to far harsher penalties than those arrested for powder cocaine offenses, who are more likely to be Caucasian. An offender arrested with a mere 5 grams of crack-cocaine would have faced the same five-year mandatory minimum sentence as an offender arrested with 500 grams of powder cocaine. Thanks to Congressman Cohen\u2019s leadership, that is no longer the case. More information about the Fair Sentencing Act is available here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/busy-week-memphis", "A Busy Week in Memphis", "2013-08-09", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,\u00a0\nAfter Republicans spent another week in Washington infighting and working as hard as possible to keep Congress stuck in reverse, they recessed last Friday for the entire month of August without adequately funding the food stamp (SNAP) program, advancing comprehensive immigration reform, or fixing the devastating cuts caused by sequestration. But, before they left town with so much left to do, they were able to fit in a 40th useless vote to repeal President Obama\u2019s landmark Affordable Care Act\u2014even though they know it will go nowhere in the Senate. While House Republicans refuse to do their jobs in Washington, I\u2019ve been hard at work in Memphis all week. Keep reading to learn what I\u2019ve been up to.\nSecretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx in Memphis  LeMoyne-Owen College Grant to Help Students  48th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act  50th Anniversary of the Great March on Washington  Speech at the Memphis Rotary Club  Remembering Speaker Pro Tempore Emeritus Lois DeBerry  National Nights Out  Helping Keep College Affordable with HOPE Scholarships  Grants to Memphis  Business Resources for the Affordable Care Act  Morning Television  Grant Announcements\nSecretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx in Memphis\nOn Wednesday, I joined Mayor A.C. Wharton in welcoming Anthony Foxx, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, to Memphis. Before the Mayor and I sat down to discuss local transportation priorities and other important projects with the Secretary, we showed him around our city\u2014including the BNSF rail yard and the FedEx late night hub operation\u2014and took him on a bus tour that ended at Harahan Bridge. After I worked for years to secure funding for the project, the Department of Transportation finally awarded a TIGER Grant last year that gave the project life.\u00a0Having Secretary Foxx in Memphis provided a great opportunity for him to see where DOT funding has helped Memphis and to have him see firsthand how Memphis can benefit from future projects.\u00a0Thanks to Mayor Wharton, his Chief of Staff Bobby White and the Mayor\u2019s team for their hard work in making the Secretary\u2019s visit a success.\nLeMoyne-Owen College Grant to Help Students\nJust this morning, I visited LeMoyne-Owen College to highlight a $1.7 million competitive grant that I announced for a project that will help prepare students for postgraduate education and careers in high-paying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields\u2014the so-called \u201cSTEM\u201d fields. This important investment will build on the College\u2019s long history and its proven successes helping prepare students with the skills and knowledge they need to compete for the high-paying, advanced STEM jobs of our modern economy. This is good news, not just for LeMoyne-Owen and Memphis but for our nation\u2019s economy.\n48th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act\nThis week marked the 48th anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson signing the landmark Voting Rights Act in 1965. Earlier this year, however, a Supreme Court ruling struck down important protections in the law that have helped secure the right to vote for all Americans for nearly 5 decades.\nWith the 50th anniversary of the Great March on Washington that led to the Voting Rights Act only weeks away, it is sad that the Supreme Court decided to gut some of the law\u2019s most important provisions. While the Department of Justice works to ensure that the civil rights protections that remain in the law are fully enforced, Congress must act quickly to fix the Supreme Court\u2019s mistake, return the Voting Rights Act to full strength, and protect the civil and human rights that we fought for decades to obtain.\n50th Anniversary of the Great March on Washington\nA public ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington will be held in DC on August 24th. If you are planning to be in our nation\u2019s capital the week of the 24th, please let my office know\u2014there may be additional events you will want attend and I want to make sure you are aware of them. Just call my Washington, DC office at 202.225.3265 or send an email to patrick.cassidy@mail.house.gov.\nSpeech at the Memphis Rotary Club\nOn Tuesday, I spoke to members of the Memphis Rotary Club and held a question and answer session. The members of the Rotary Club and I talked about a wide variety of issues\u2014everything from Secretary of Transportation Foxx\u2019s visit to health care reform and from Presidential judicial nominations to how we can work together to bring more good-paying jobs to Memphis. I really enjoyed having the chance to talk with so many Rotarians and local business owners.\nRemembering Speaker Pro Tempore Emeritus Lois DeBerry\nSpeaker Pro Tempore Emeritus Lois DeBerry, the longest serving member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, passed away last week. She was a respected and effective African American legislator as well as a great orator and a go-to leader on everything from civil rights to children's and women's issues and on all things Memphis.\nLois DeBerry was fearless, breaking through barriers to become the first African American female to be elected to the General Assembly from Shelby County and the first female as well as the only African American to serve as Speaker Pro Tempore of the House. At her funeral on Sunday, I presented a flag that I had flown above the United States Capitol in her honor. The flag flew above the Capitol on the same day that Congress commemorated the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington in which Lois DeBerry participated in 1963.\nNational Nights Out\nOn Tuesday night, I joined Memphians across the city in standing up to crime and violence at 7 different National Night Out events. It was great to see so many people working to keep their communities and their families safe\u2014it\u2019s a goal that we should all share.\nHelping Keep College Affordable with HOPE Scholarships\nThe Tennessee Lottery, which I worked for nearly two decades to establish when I was in the Tennessee Senate, raised more than enough to fund the HOPE Scholarships\u00a0and other financial aid options that are available for students and families. As the new school year begins, students and parents should do all they can to obtain the financial aid that is available to them and do everything they can to make sure they remain eligible or become eligible for as much aid as possible. This week I spoke with a student who has a 2.9 GPA. If that student maintains a slightly-higher GPA for her senior year of high school, she can raise her overall GPA to the 3.0 required to earn a HOPE Scholarship. With college costs on the rise, there\u2019s no reason not to put in the extra effort when as much as $5,500 per year is available from the state to help pay for school. For more information about the Tennessee Lottery Scholarship and other financial aid options available through the State of Tennessee, visit www.tennessee.gov/tsac.\nGrants to Memphis\nI announced more than $1.5 million in federal grant funds to Memphis organizations this week. St. Jude Children\u2019s Research Hospital was awarded $411,250\u00a0and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis was awarded more than $885,000\u00a0for important research projects. Two local organizations that are working to reduce homelessness were also awarded a total of $373,888\u00a0in funding to support their work.\nBusiness Resources for the Affordable Care Act\nPresident Obama\u2019s Administration recently launched a new online tool \u2013 Business.USA.gov/healthcare \u2013 to give employers of all sizes to access a one-stop-shop of educational and background materials on how implementation of the landmark Affordable Care Act affects businesses, both large and small. The tool will provide information that is customizable based a company\u2019s location, size, and their plans for offering health benefits to their workers next year. The website is a user-friendly hub for information and content, including a timeline of key implementation dates, a glossary of healthcare terms, information about health care marketplaces and tax credit eligibility, and other resources. The online tool is another example of the Administration reaching out and engaging the business community as it implements health care reform.\nMorning Television\nThis morning, I appeared live on both Channel 3\u2019s Live At 9 and Fox 13\u2019s Good Morning Memphis to talk about this week\u2019s work. Watch my interview on Channel 3 here\u00a0and my FOX 13 interview here.\nGrant Announcements \u00a0\u00a0\nI regularly release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others. These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th district. The announcements are\u00a0updated regularly on my website.\nAs always, I remain.   Most sincerely,    Steve Cohen   Member of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-more-400000-st-jude-childrens-research-hospital", "Cohen Announces More Than $400,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital", "2013-08-09", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that St. Jude Children\u2019s Research Hospital in downtown Memphis was awarded $411,250 in grant funding to investigate the role of a specific protein in autoimmunity and the immune system. The grant comes through the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services\u2019 (HHS) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.\n\u201cThis funding will be used to continue important research at St. Jude, one of the world\u2019s finest health care institutions,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.\nProteins called cytokines are produced by cells of the immune system and regulate immune function. In this proposal, researchers will study a cytokine called interleukin 10 that generally limits inflammation and diseases associated with excessive inflammation, though may occasionally also promote immune responses.\nFounded in 1962, St. Jude is one of the world\u2019s leading children\u2019s cancer research hospitals and is focused on finding cures and saving children from cancer and other deadly diseases.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-over-885000-university-tennessee-health-science-center-memphis", "Cohen Announces Over $885,000 for University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis", "2013-08-08", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced today that the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis has been awarded a total of $885,004 in funding for two important research projects. These grants come from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).\n\u201cThese funds will help continue the important work being done by the skilled researchers at the UT Health Science Center in Memphis,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.\nThe University of Tennessee Health Science Center will receive $528,004 from HHS\u2019 National Institute on Aging to investigate translational systems genetics of mitochondria, metabolism, and aging.\u00a0 The Health Science Center in Memphis was also awarded $357,000 under today\u2019s announcement from HHS\u2019 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for heart and vascular diseases research.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cohen.house.gov/press-release/cohen-announces-more-370000-funding-help-reduce-homelessness-ninth-district", "Cohen Announces More Than $370,000 in Funding to Help Reduce Homelessness in the Ninth District", "2013-08-07", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[MEMPHIS, TN] \u2013 Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced today that two local organizations have been awarded a total of $373,888 in grant funding to help reduce homelessness in Memphis. The Community Alliance for the Homeless will receive $157,418 in two separate grants and the Friends for Life Corporation will receive for $216,470 from a single grant.\n\u201cThis funding will help local communities and organizations work to reduce\u2014and eventually eliminate\u2014homelessness in Memphis,\u201d said Congressman Cohen.\nThese grants are part of a larger package of more than $1 million awarded to organizations across Tennessee through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development\u2019s (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC) Program, which aims to end homelessness and provide funding for efforts to ameliorate homelessness and its effect on people's lives.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "truncated": false, "filtered_table_rows_count": 166, "expanded_columns": [], "expandable_columns": [], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "units": {}, "query": {"sql": "select url, title, date, year, month, party, chamber, state, member_name, bioguide_id, domain, scraper, source, date_source, text, has_text, collected_at, updated_at from releases where \"party\" = :p0 and \"state\" = :p1 and \"year\" = :p2 order by date desc limit 101", "params": {"p0": "Democrat", "p1": "TN", "p2": "2013"}}, "facet_results": {"party": {"name": "party", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=TN&year=2013", "results": [{"value": "Democrat", "label": "Democrat", "count": 166, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=TN&year=2013", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "chamber": {"name": "chamber", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=TN&year=2013", "results": [{"value": "House", "label": "House", "count": 166, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=TN&year=2013&chamber=House", "selected": false}], "truncated": false}, "state": {"name": "state", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=TN&year=2013", "results": [{"value": "TN", "label": "TN", "count": 166, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&year=2013", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "year": {"name": "year", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=TN&year=2013", "results": [{"value": "2013", "label": "2013", "count": 166, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=TN", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}}, "suggested_facets": [], "next": "2013-08-07,http~3A~2F~2Fcohen~2Ehouse~2Egov~2Fpress-release~2Fcohen-announces-more-370000-funding-help-reduce-homelessness-ninth-district", "next_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=TN&year=2013&_next=2013-08-07%2Chttp~3A~2F~2Fcohen~2Ehouse~2Egov~2Fpress-release~2Fcohen-announces-more-370000-funding-help-reduce-homelessness-ninth-district&_sort_desc=date", "private": false, "allow_execute_sql": true, "query_ms": 221.1829898878932, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}