{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://cohen.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cohen-applauds-state-decision-spend-down-732-million-tanf", "Congressman Cohen Applauds State Decision to Spend Down   $732 Million TANF Surplus", "2019-11-19", "2019", "2019-11", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today applauded the Tennessee Department ofHuman Services announcement that it would begindistributingsome of the $732 million in unspent block grant funding for the Temporary Assistance to Needy Family programsthat support Tennesseefamilies.But he expressed disappointment that $342 million will still be retained as a reserve surplus.\nCongressman Cohen wrote Governor Bill Lee on November 6 demanding answers about why funding for low-income workers was being held in reserve. In a state ranked 10thin the nation for its high poverty rate, Congressman Cohen said the decision was either mismanagement of federal dollars or a deliberate choice not to help needy families. See that letter here.\nCongressman Cohen made the following statement:\nI was extremely disappointed when I learned that money intended for families in need was instead being kept as a rainy day fund. I met with Governor Lee in Washington last week and he told me some action would be taken by DHS, and I commend him for taking a step in the right direction. Today's announcement isa welcome, although a belated and only partial correction of a very big mistake and should be a lesson: every day is a rainy day for Tennessee families who struggle to makes ends meet.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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"], "primary_key_values": ["https://cohen.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cohen-applauds-state-decision-spend-down-732-million-tanf"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8854980114847422, "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"}