Happy Holidays

Dear Friend,

I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a Happy Holiday Season. These are tough economic times in Memphis and families are doing more with less to celebrate this holiday season. That is why I am working hard in Memphis and Washington to create jobs.

Happy Holidays
Gun Violence Prevention
Fiscal Cliff and Defense Authorization
DOJ Agreement with Juvenile Court
Protecting Social Security
Remembering Sen. Daniel Inouye
FAFSA
Congressional Calendars
Grant Announcements

Happy Holidays

I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a Happy Holiday Season. These are tough economic times in Memphis and families are doing more with less to celebrate this holiday season. That is why I am working hard in Memphis and Washington to create jobs – to help ensure that every child has the opportunity to have a happy and prosperous future. The photo above is from the White House. I hope you have a Happy and Safe Holiday Season.

Gun Violence Prevention
My heart goes out to those who lost loved ones in the senseless gun tragedies last week -- in both Memphis and Newtown, Connecticut. I know that everyone is coming together to help our communities in their time of need and I support President Obama’s call for meaningful action to try to prevent such events from taking place in the future. But I also call on Speaker Boehner to join Democrats in pursuing a comprehensive approach when we return in January to passing crucial gun violence prevention legislation.

On Wednesday night I appeared on Current TV’s “The Young Turks” show to discuss President Obama’s new effort to reduce gun violence. Click here to see my remarks. And today I issued a statement on the NRA and their recent remarks. The NRA isn’t going far enough to curb gun violence in America. I own a firearm – I support the 2nd Amendment – and I authored the concealed carry law in Tennessee. But I do not support having assault weapons or high-capacity magazines on our streets. We must do a better job of screening those who want to purchase firearms and also invest more in mental health to better prevent gun violence.

The NRA is powerful because of ultra-conservative Republicans who refuse to compromise on legislation that prevents gun violence and increases the safety of everyone, including those who do not own a gun. The suggestion by the NRA that we should have armed security guards in schools does not address the Tucson shooting where Gabbie Giffords was shot. Nor does it address the shooting in Portland. Does the NRA want armed guards at every shopping center in America too? Wayne LaPierre's suggestion for more guns and bullets sounds like Robert Heinlein who said "An armed society is a polite society."

If the NRA truly wants to increase gun safety in America, then they will work with Democrats and the President’s task force to pass reasonable, logical and workable protections for the benefit of the public. Tonight at 5 p.m. CT, I will be on MSNBC with Rev. Al Sharpton to discuss the NRA. On Sunday, I will be on MSNBC at 3 p.m. CT with Milissa Rehberger to talk about the NRA and the fiscal cliff. Please tune in.

Fiscal Cliff and Defense Authorization

Yesterday I spoke on the House floor about the “fiscal cliff” and the “physical cliff.” The legislation Republicans are pushing forward to address the fiscal cliff would make drastic cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – our physical cliff. The NIH provides funding to places like the Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute in Memphis so people like Dr. James Eason can continue to do their life saving work. Click here to see my remarks.

I was planning to vote against Speaker Boehner’s “Plan B” measure because it punishes the middle class and provides an average tax cut of $50,000 to those earning over $1 million – that’s 3 percent of all American households, but the legislation was pulled at the last minute because there was no support for it. Under the Speaker’s plan, 25 million working middle-class families would pay an average $1,000 more in taxes; 11 million families would lose a tax credit that helps pay for college; 2 million Americans looking for work would be cut off from unemployment insurance; and devastating budget cuts would be enacted that cripple investments in education, research and economic growth. The President said he was willing to compromise and tax those who earned $400,000 and more but the Speaker refused to accept anything under $1 million because the Speaker wants to give tax breaks to the super wealthy. Unfortunately, Republicans are more interested in catering to their base and scoring political points than they are to compromising and preventing the fiscal cliff.

Yesterday I voted against the Defense Authorization bill because it is full of appropriations that benefit contractors more than it does our military and security. Even the Pentagon was against the measure. Click here to read a short New York Times article on the subject.

DOJ Agreement with Juvenile Court
I issued a statement supporting the comprehensive memorandum of agreement between the Department of Justice and the Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County that seeks to resolve findings of serious and systemic failures in the juvenile court that violate children’s due process and equal protection rights. Our legal system must protect the fundamental rights of all people, especially juveniles. I was disturbed by the DOJ’s findings that due process and equal protection have routinely been violated at the Juvenile Court.

However, like a phoenix, out of the ashes of these serious concerns will emerge important reforms that will give us the opportunity to turn our Juvenile Court into a model for the nation. I appreciate Attorney General Holder and all the members of his staff who crafted this important agreement. I also appreciate the leadership of Commissioner Henri Brooks, who first brought concerns about the Court to my attention, which I was pleased to forward to the Department of Justice, and who has provided valuable input throughout this process. I look forward to working with all of the stakeholders and outside monitors to continue improving the administration of justice in our community.

Protecting Social Security
Recent news reports indicate that the fiscal cliff negotiations might include a proposal that would slow the growth of Social Security benefits. Social Security is more than just a retirement program – it is a lifeline that keeps millions of Americans out of poverty. Many seniors in Memphis and across the country rely on Social Security for the majority of their household income. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law in 1935 and it remains a successful, strong program today. There is no need to fundamentally alter Social Security during fiscal cliff negotiations because the program is built soundly enough to pay full benefits through 2033 without changes. During these tough economic times it is vital that Congress protect those who are most vulnerable, and that includes seniors who rely on Social Security.

Remembering Sen. Daniel Inouye

Yesterday we honored the life of the late Sen. Daniel Inouye -- who was the second-longest serving member of the Senate -- in the Capitol Rotunda. Sen. Inouye’s passing marks the end of an era – for the people of Hawaii, the country, and the United States Senate. He led a life of principle, service and sacrifice. He was the highest ranking Asian American in our country. His story – as an Asian American who lived the American Dream, a soldier who served with bravery and courage, an elected representative who served with dignity – reflects the best of America.

He lived a remarkable life well lived. Sen. Inouye enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 17 shortly after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. He helped recover bodies at Pearl Harbor and experienced racism against Asian Americans. He was a World War II hero who fought in Italy and lost his arm while repeatedly charging enemy machine gun nests. Following statehood in 1959, Dan Inouye served as Hawaii’s first Congressman. He ran for the Senate in 1962 where he served for 50 years and also served as Senate President Pro Tempore. I was honored to pay my respects to the late Senator and sign the book as he was lying in state.

FAFSA

As an advocate of making higher education more affordable, most notably through the establishment of the Tennessee Lottery, I wanted to remind students that the Federal Student Aid Information Center operates a toll-free hotline to provide information about federal student aid programs; help completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form; help making corrections to a student’s aid report (SAR); providing information about the process of determining financial need and awarding aid; as well as providing information about federal student loans. The Information Center can be reached at 800-433-3243 and through Studentaid.ed.gov. Students are encouraged to file their FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1st of their senior year in high school. Returning students and nontraditional students should file their FAFSA after January 1st of the year they plan to enroll in college. That number again is 800-433-3243.

Also, eligible borrowers of federal student loans can enroll in President Obama’s “Pay as You Earn” program starting today -- December 21. The new income-based repayment plan caps monthly loan payments at 10 percent of a borrower’s discretionary income. After 20 years of payments, the government will forgive the loans. Now the Education Department’s income-based repayment program caps monthly loan payments at 15 percent of discretionary income, with loan forgiveness after 25 years. The program will accept enrollees who were new borrowers after October 1, 2007, and who also took out a loan on or after October 1, 2011. Click here to learn more.

Congressional Calendars
There are a limited number of 2013 Congressional Calendars available through my office. If you’d like to receive one of these free calendars, please click here to fill out a short form. I have already received a number of requests from some who are not residents of District 9. 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 constituents who may be interested in receiving a calendar.

Grant Announcements
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.

Wishing you a happy and safe weekend,

As always, I remain,

Most sincerely,

Steve Cohen
Member of Congress