Introducing Resolution Recognizing the 50th Anniversary of the Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike
Dear Friend,
This week, I introduced a Congressional Resolution recognizing the 50th anniversary of the Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike, condemned the threatened release of a Republican House Intelligence Committee memo, boycotted Donald Trump's first State of the Union address, commemorating Black History Month, announced my upcoming Telephone Town Hall, commended the deputy director of the FBI for his service, talked with MSNBC's Alex Witt about my bill to protect special prosecutors, urged the Medicaid administrator to reverse guidance allowing states to impose work requirements on recipients, objected to Judiciary Committee Republicans' efforts to skirt state construction safely laws, and warned against carbon monoxide poisoning during winter power failures. Keep reading to learn more about my week and follow me on Twitter and Facebook to see more updates as they happen.
Introducing Resolution Recognizing the 50th Anniversary of the Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike
Condemning Release of Republican Intelligence Committee Memo
Boycotting Donald Trump's First State of the Union Speech
Commemorating Black History Month
Announcing Upcoming Telephone Town Hall
Commending FBI Deputy Director McCabe for His Service
Talking About Protecting the Special Prosecutor with MSNBC
Urging Reversal of Guidance Allowing States to Impose Work Requirements on Medicaid Recipients
Objecting to Judiciary Committee Republicans' efforts to Skirt State Construction Safety Laws
2018 U.S. Capitol Historical Society Calendars Are Still Available
Weekly Health Tip
Quote of the Week
Introducing Resolution Recognizing the 50th Anniversary of the Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike
On Tuesday, I introduced a bipartisan Congressional Resolution commemorating the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The resolution, co-sponsored by the entire Tennessee delegation of the House of Representatives states that, 50 years ago, 1,300 African American Sanitation Workers stood up for their rights and dignity by striking against a City of Memphis unwilling to treat them as men. Their struggle summoned Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis on their behalf, where he was killed by an assassin's bullet. Ultimately, with the integration of the labor and Civil Rights movements and the nation watching, the Sanitation Workers prevailed.
My resolution, co-sponsored by more than 65 bipartisan members of the House, lays out the dramatic history of mistreatment, scorn, bravery, determination, sacrifice, soaring oratory and monumental loss concentrated in the days between late January and early April of that revolutionary year. It points out specific heroic efforts made by the Sanitation Workers and those working in their behalf, including a handful of conscientious lawyers, union officials and ministers* from across the denominational spectrum who saw that, as King told the strikers and their supporters on the last night of his life, ‘something is happening in Memphis; something is happening in our world.'
As the whole world turns its eyes to Memphis for the April 4 remembrance of Dr. King's sacrifice, it is altogether fitting and proper to remember that supporting Memphis sanitation workers striking for a living wage and recognition was the cause for which he ultimately gave his life.
Condemning Release of Republican Intelligence Committee Memo
Before I left Washington for Memphis, I went to a secure location in the U.S. Capitol to read the controversial Republican House Intelligence Committee's memo ascribed to California Rep. Devin Nunes and the Democratic response memo.
The memo was made public on Friday afternoon but the Democratic memo was not. The Nunes memo is propaganda aimed at discrediting Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of the Trump campaign's links to Russian meddling in the 2016 election.See my interview with Ali Velshi of MSNBC this afternoon explaining why the release of the memo endangers the country and was done for purely political purposes. You cancompare them here.
I concur with the intelligence community, including the FBI and its Republican-appointed Director, Christopher Wray, that release of the Nunes memo will be harmful. Doing so for purely political reasons is totally irresponsible, especially since it appears that it is being done at the direction of the Trump White House in an effort to muddy the growing evidence of connections between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia.
Boycotting Donald Trump's First State of the Union Speech
I've spent 38 years in elected public office, helping make government work and speaking out against corruption because I believe, as President John F. Kennedy believed, that politics is an honorable profession. President Trump is the antithesis of that sensibility: a man who appears determined to tear government down, harm the most vulnerable, benefit the rich and destroy foundational institutions such as the Department of Justice and the FBI.
For that reason, I joined Rep. John Lewis and ten of my colleagues in boycotting Trump's speech to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, instead flying home to my district to hear the last of it, and the Democratic response by Massachusetts Rep. Joe Kennedy III.
It's also why I introduced H. Res. 621, the impeachment resolution, which gained momentum this week with the announced support of Minnesota Rep. Betsy McCollum.
Of course, I paid attention to what the President said and read analyses of it afterward, including The Washington Post's fact-checking of the speech. About Trump's claim that African American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded, The Post wrote:
"The African American unemployment rate has been on a relatively steady decline since it hit a peak of 16.8 percent in March 2010, during the Great Recession. The rate had already fallen to 7.7 percent when Trump took the oath of office — it is now 6.8 percent — so Trump taking credit for this is like a rooster thinking the sun came up because he crowed."
Commemorating Black History Month
On Thursday in Memphis, I laid a wreath at Sea Isle Road and Colonial Road in Colonial Acres, the spot where Sanitation Workers Echol Cole and Robert Walker died exactly 50 years earlier after being crushed in a garbage truck. That incident was one of the tragic events that sparked the Sanitation Workers Strike later that month. It was a solemn start to Black History Month. So many Memphians have played a role in advancing American history. See a press release I put out to celebrate Black History Month here.
Hosting a Telephone Town Hall
I'm pleased invite you to participate in my upcoming Telephone Town Hall, taking place on Tuesday, February 6th, from 6:00pm – 7:00pm CT. Telephone Town Hall meetings are a great way for me to hear directly from Memphians and citizens of the Ninth District about what's important to them. On the call I'll take questions directly from participants and will cover a wide range of issues, including health care and social security, transportation and education, criminal justice reform and economic development, and more.
To sign up to participate in next week's Telephone Town Hall, please register your information with my office here. If you're unable to join by phone, you can also follow along at my website, www.cohen.house.gov, where you can listen in and submit questions of your own.
I look forward to hearing from you on Tuesday, February 6th at 6:00pm.
Commending FBI Deputy Director McCabe for His Service
It's a sad day for democracy and public service when a dedicated professional is forced out of his or her job. It's clear to me that Deputy Director Andrew McCabe decided to step down because of the outrageous political pressure brought to bear by President Trump. If press accounts are to be believed, President Trump, once again violating accepted norms, asked McCabe who he voted for in 2016 and vented that McCabe's wife, a candidate for the state Senate in Virginia in 2015 and a Democrat, received money from Hillary Clinton supporters.
There was a time not long ago when such behavior would have been universally condemned. McCabe served loyally under two previous FBI directors, Robert Mueller and James Comey, who were nominated as Republicans. McCabe owed his loyalty to the Constitution and the laws of the United States, not to this fickle president. It's high time the President accepted that he's not running a mafia.
Talking About Protecting the Special Prosecutor with MSNBC
Last Saturday, in New York for a Judiciary Committee field hearing, I went on "MSNBC Live with Alex Witt" to talk about reports that Trump ordered the firing of Special Counsel Robert Mueller last June but was stymied by the White House counsel. I noted that my bipartisan bill, H.R. 4669, the Special Counsel Integrity Act, would ensure that a special counsel could only be disciplined or removed for misconduct, dereliction of duty, conflict of interest or other good causes; that the cause be presented in writing; and that any removal is reviewable by the courts. As Mueller continues to probe possible connections between the Trump campaign and Russia, I told Witt I believe his job is in jeopardy. See the interview here.
Urging Reversal of Guidance Allowing States to Impose Work Requirements on Medicaid Recipients
Also Tuesday, I wrote a letter, joined 21 colleagues, to Seema Verma, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, urging her to reconsider guidance allowing states to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients. In the letter, we noted that health care is often necessary for low-income Americans to be able to find and participate in work and that cutting off access to health care is a counter-productive way to incentivize employment.
Objecting to Judiciary Committee Republicans' efforts to Skirt State Construction Safety Laws
Also on Tuesday, I spoke at a Judiciary Committee markup against a Republican-inspired attempt to shield construction firms operating in New York from liability when their workers are injured in falls. I said supporters' claim that the so-called Infrastructure Expansion Act, would create more jobs was "baloney." In fact, it would overrule a New York State law that holds construction developers liable for injury when a project uses federal money. This bill, which passed the committee on a party-line vote, would encroach on state sovereignty and set a dangerous precedent for future federal intrusion on state laws. Click here to see my remarks.
2018 U.S. Capitol Historical Society Calendars Are Still Available
My office currently has a limited number of 2018 U.S. Capitol Historical Society calendars available. If you would like to receive a calendar, please complete this form on my website. Due to the rules of the House, I am only able to mail calendars to residents of Tennessee's 9th District. Please feel free to share this email with other residents of the 9th District who may be interested in receiving one but who do not receive my eNewsletter
Weekly Health Tip
Each week, I share a health tip in the hopes of promoting a healthy lifestyle for residents of the 9th Congressional District. As always, it is best to check with your doctor before making any changes to your diet, exercise routine or lifestyle.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are pointing out that, when power failures occur during severe winter storms, odorless carbon monoxide from gasoline-powered generators and other sources can build up and lead to accidental poisoning. Such incidents sent more than 50,000 people to emergency rooms last year, the CDC noted. Read about what you can do to prevent accidental carbon monoxide poisoning here. Additional information from the Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division, including emergency contacts, can be found here.
*Quote of the Week
The day after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, members of the Memphis Ministerial Association marched on City Hall and confronted Mayor Henry Loeb. The association's president, Rabbi James A. Wax of Temple Israel, spoke as the nation watched on all three television networks:
"We come here with a great deal of sadness and frankly also with a great deal of anger. What has happened in this city is the result of oppression and injustice, the inhumanity of man to man, and we have come to appeal to you for leadership in ending the situation. There are laws greater than the laws of Memphis and Tennessee and these are the laws of God. We fervently ask you not to hide any longer behind legal technicalities and slogans but to speak out at last in favor of human dignity." – April 5, 1968.
As always, I remain,
Most sincerely,
Steve Cohen
Member of Congress