Delta Continues Breaking Its Promises
Dear Friend,
This week, the House passed the Water Resources and Reform Development Act, a major piece of legislation to 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.
Delta Lets Us Down Again
Protecting the Right of All Tennesseans to Vote
Who Is Unwilling to Compromise?
Keeping Memphians Healthy
Medicare Open Enrollment
Improving Human Rights on the Helsinki Commission
Tribute to Late Congressman Bill Young
Grants to Memphis
Congratulating One of the Nation’s Best Educators
Grant Announcements
Despite Delta's promises, this week they let Memphis down once again by ending our city’s 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.
As 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.
Since 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’s poor decisions, I will continue doing everything I can to bring more flights, routes, and airlines to Memphis International Airport.
Protecting the Right of All Tennesseans to Vote
Last week, the Tennessee Supreme Court upheld our state’s restrictive and burdensome voter ID law, which requires Tennesseans to present selected photographic identification—including gun permits and hunting licenses but excluding photographic library cards—in order to vote. The goal of laws like these is—plain and simple—to 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.
Supporters of laws like these—which are being implemented by conservatives across the nation—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 ‘cure’ is worse than the imagined disease.
On Wednesday, I introduced the Voter 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’s voter ID mandate and offer them the opportunity to obtain suitable identification free of charge.
The history of our nation is one of expanding access to voting, not restricting it—and voter ID laws are steps in the wrong direction. My Voter ID Accessibility Act would put our country back on the right path and help the citizens of Tennessee—as well as every state with restrictive and burdensome voting laws—exercise their right to vote by providing better access to the information and documentation needed to do so.
Who Is Unwilling to Compromise?
Over the weekend, a well-written Jane Mansbridge column appeared 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 “Obamacare.”
That accusation is misleading. As Ms. Mansbridge writes, “Obamacare is inherently a compromise because it is a health insurance reform law rather than an overhaul of the structure of our nation’s 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)… The Democrats have compromised over and over again. Now it’s the Republicans’ turn to play fair.” I think that is a very important point to keep in mind. I’d encourage everyone to read her column here.
All 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 Tennessee’s Health Insurance Marketplace thanks to Obamacare. If you do not have health insurance coverage, you may be eligible to save money on your health care premiums in the Marketplace.
If you are on Medicare or your employer is going to offer qualified health insurance next year, you’re already covered and won’t need to enter the Marketplace for your health coverage. If you aren’t 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’s 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 for 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 today to check out your options.
The Affordable Care Act is already working for families across the Ninth District and the government shutdown didn’t 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 ‘donut hole.’ Young adults up to age 26 can now stay on their parents’ insurance plan and health insurance companies can no longer discriminate against patients with pre-existing conditions.
In 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.
Medicare 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’s 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, please click here. Details about November’s workshops are available here.
Improving Human Rights on the Helsinki Commission
Earlier 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.
Tribute to Late Congressman Bill Young
On Wednesday afternoon, I spoke on the House Floor to 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.
On 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’s skilled researchers. You can read more about the grants here.
Congratulating One of the Nation’s Best Educators
I want to take a moment to congratulate Sharon McNary, principal of Richland Elementary School in Shelby County, on receiving the National Association of Elementary School Principals’ 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.
I 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.
As always, I remain.
Most sincerely,
Steve Cohen
Member of Congress