{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://cohen.house.gov/taxonomy/story-type/enewsletters/joining-president-obama-israel-funeral-shimon-peres", "Joining President Obama in Israel for the Funeral of Shimon Peres", "2016-09-30", "2016", "2016-09", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,\nThis week, I joined President Obama in Israel for the funeral of former Israeli President and Prime Minister Shimon Peres, commemorated the 25th anniversary of the National Civil Rights Museum, welcomed Alfreda Ferrell, the granddaughter of Ida B. Wells, and her granddaughter Tiana Ferrell\u00a0to my Washington office, continued my call for justice in the Darrius Stewart case, discussed issues facing Congress on C-SPAN, expressed disappointment in Blue Cross Blue Shield\u2019s decision to pull out of the federal healthcare marketplace in Memphis, praised President Obama for nominating the first U.S. Ambassador to Cuba in 50 years, celebrated National Voter Registration Day, and congratulated two Shelby County Schools for being named Blue Ribbon Schools. Keep reading to learn more about my week and follow me on Twitter\u00a0and\u00a0Facebook\u00a0to see these updates as they happen.\nJoining President Obama in Israel for the funeral of Shimon PeresCommemorating the 25th Anniversary of the National Civil Rights MuseumWelcoming the Family of Ida B. Wells to My Washington Office Fighting for Justice in the Darrius Stewart CaseRecessing Congress with Work Left to Do\u00a0 Discussing Issues Facing Congress on C-SPANStriving to Make Healthcare More AffordableNominating the First U.S. Ambassador to Cuba in 50 YearsCelebrating National Voter Registration DayCongratulating Two Shelby County SchoolsJanuary-March 2017 Timed Passes for NMAAHC Available Monday September is Suicide Prevention MonthBringing Congress to your Corner\nJoining President Obama in Israel for the funeral of Shimon Peres\n  Congressman Cohen and Shimon Peres in Israel in 2007\nI was deeply saddened by the death of former Israeli President and Prime Minister Shimon Peres. Mr. Peres was one of the greatest leaders I\u2019ve ever met. He had a storied career as one of the founders of Israel, Defense Minister during Operation Entebbe, Prime Minister, President and Nobel laureate for his role in negotiating the Oslo Accords peace agreement. It was a privilege to be invited by President Obama to help represent the United States at this historic funeral to remember the life of such an illustrious man. A giant has fallen in Israel.\u00a0\n  President Obama speaks at the funeral of Shimon Peres\nCommemorating the 25th Anniversary of the National Civil Rights Museum\nWednesday marked the 25th anniversary of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. I encourage everyone who has the opportunity to go tour the museum and pay tribute to the civil rights soldiers who strove to make America what it was intended to be: a more perfect union. You can watch my remarks on the House floor commemorating the anniversary here.\u00a0\nWelcoming the Family of Ida B. Wells to My Washington Office\u00a0\nOn Monday, I welcomed Alfreda Ferrell (front), the granddaughter of civil rights leader Ida B. Wells, as well as her granddaughter\u00a0Tiana Ferrell (back) to my Washington, D.C. office. We discussed the opening of the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and the impact her grandmother had on the struggle for civil rights and women\u2019s rights. I also shared with her that I would be sending a letter this week to Mayor Jim Strickland and the Memphis City Council about renaming Memphis Park (formerly Confederate Park) to Ida B. Wells Park and having a statue of Ida B. Wells commissioned for the park.\u00a0\nIda B. Wells poster hanging in the front office of my Washington, D.C. office\nFighting for Justice in the Darrius Stewart Case\nOn Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it would not bring civil rights charges against Memphis Police Officer Connor Schilling for the shooting of Darrius Stewart, an unarmed, African-American teenager killed during a routine traffic stop in Memphis last year. Read my statement on DOJ\u2019s decision here.\nRecessing Congress with Work Left to Do\u00a0\nOn Wednesday night, Republican leadership recessed the House of Representatives for the next six weeks, following a record eight week recess in July and August, after passing a Continuing Resolution (CR) that would fund the government until\u00a0only December 9. While the CR included funding to combat the Zika virus and Congressional leadership struck a deal to provide funding for those affected by contaminated water in Flint, Michigan, Congress has yet to restore voting rights or prevent those on the terrorist watch list from purchasing guns. The Senate has taken no action to confirm Merrick Garland for the vacant Supreme Court seat or on confirming any other district court judges. Memphian and U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton III, the nominee I recommended to President Obama to serve as District Court Judge for the Western District of Tennessee, is next on the list of judges to be confirmed by the Senate yet his confirmation still awaits Senate action. As District Court Judge, Ed Stanton would continue to serve our country in an outstanding fashion, and I will continue to urge my colleagues in the Senate to move swiftly towards his final confirmation.\nDiscussing Issues Facing Congress on C-SPAN\nOn Wednesday, I was on C-SPAN\u2019s Washington Journal morning show to discuss a variety of issues facing Congress and took phone calls from listeners. You can watch my segment here.\u00a0\nStriving to Make Healthcare More Affordable\nOn Monday, I was disappointed to learn that Blue Cross Blue Shield would be pulling out of the Affordable Care Act federal marketplace in Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville. Republicans in Congress have been doing everything in their power to dismantle the Affordable Care Act since it began, and the Tennessee General Assembly has refused to accept additional Medicaid funding from the federal government. This has created a more uncertain and riskier environment for health insurance providers. Read my statement about their decision here.\nNominating the First U.S. Ambassador to Cuba in 50 Years\nOn Tuesday, President Obama nominated Jeffrey DeLaurentis to be the first U.S. Ambassador to Cuba in more than 50 years. Mr. DeLaurentis has served as the U.S. Chief of Mission in Havana since August 2014 and has extensive experience in Cuba and Latin America. I hope the Senate does its job and confirms Mr. DeLaurentis.\nCelebrating National Voter Registration Day\u00a0\nTuesday was National Voter Registration Day, which celebrates one of our most fundamental rights as an American citizen: the right to vote. Information on how to register to vote can be found here. In Tennessee, you have until October 11 to either mail in your voter registration forms or register to vote in person if you have not already done so. Early voting for the November 8th election runs from October 19 through November 3.\nCongratulating Two Shelby County Schools\u00a0\nCongratulations to Jackson Elementary School and John P. Freeman Optional School for being awarded the U.S. Department of Education\u2019s Blue Ribbon School Award. Only 329 schools across the country were honored with this achievement. I appreciate the work the teachers at these outstanding schools do preparing our students for a bright future.\nJanuary-March 2017 Timed Passes for NMAAHC Available Monday\nTimed entry passes for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture for January, February and March 2017 will be made available online at 9:00 am ET Monday, October 3, 2016. They will be available at https://nmaahc.si.edu/visit/passes.\nSeptember is Suicide Prevention Month\nSeptember is Suicide Prevention Month. Be there for the Veterans and Service members in your life by letting them know that you care. Learn more about the resources available during Suicide Prevention Month and year-round\u00a0here.\u00a0\nBringing Congress to your Corner\nIf you have questions or problems with Social Security, Medicare, FHA, the VA or any other federal agencies, my staff will be on hand at\u00a0the Ed Rice Community Center (2907 N. Watkins St.) on Friday, October 14th from 12pm-2pm to answer questions and provide assistance. Please visit my website at\u00a0https://cohen.house.gov for more information on Congress on your Corner events.\nGo Tigers! Make it 4-0 in Oxford!\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"]], "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/taxonomy/story-type/enewsletters/joining-president-obama-israel-funeral-shimon-peres"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6739799864590168, "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"}