Government Reform
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today voted for legislation to remove all Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol and to replace the bust of Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney with a bust of Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court. Taney wrote the majority opinion in the Dred Scott v. Sanford case on March 6, 1857, which argued that African Americans were not citizens and that Congress had no power to prevent the spread of slavery.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation, today wrote to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Chairman Peter DeFazio of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Rick Larsen to express his concern about the misguided formula for airport relief authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act that went into effect in late March.
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, today condemned President Trump's commutation of Roger Stone's sentence on seven felony convictions. Stone was convicted of making false statements to Congress, obstruction of justice and witness tampering. He was scheduled to surrender Tuesday to begin a 40-month sentence.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee and Chairman of its Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, today introduced a Congressional Resolution seeking an inquiry into whether the House of Representatives should impeach Attorney General William P. Barr. The resolution has 35 co-sponsors.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today voted for H.R. 51, Washington, D.C. Admission Act, making 66 of the 68 square miles of the present federal district a state.
The vote on passage was 232 to 180.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee that voted to advance the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to a floor vote last week, today said he intends to vote for the measure. Congressman Cohen participated in the debate on the bill this afternoon. The vote is expected this evening.
In his floor debate remarks, Congressman Cohen said:
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee and Chairman of its Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, will return to Washington to participate in a hearing examining the unprecedented politicization of the Department of Justice under Attorney General William Barr. The hearing on interference and threats to prosecutorial independence will include prominent whistleblowers in recent high-profile cases as witnesses.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee and Chairman of its Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, today urged his colleagues to focus on police overuse of force against African Americans, and not misleading and distracting narratives, in its consideration of the Justice in Policing Act.
The Committee voted to send the measure to the House floor after a day-long markup.
During debate on the measure, Congressman Cohen made a speech in which he said in part:
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee and Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, questioned witnesses today about police reform measures at a hearing on Police Practices and Law Enforcement Accountability.
Returns to Washington to Conduct Judiciary Committee Oversight
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee and Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, will return to Washington to participate in Wednesday's Judiciary oversight hearing on Policing Practices and Law Enforcement Accountability.