Government Reform
In Congress, I have taken numerous steps to begin to change the way we do business in Washington and to restore accountability and transparency to government. I have voted for and passed legislation that banned gifts from lobbyists, prohibited the use of corporate jets, and required full disclosure of earmarks. Also I have passed legislation banning pensions for Members of Congress convicted of certain crimes; and strengthening the Freedom of Information Act to increase government transparency.
More on Government Reform

WASHINGTON -- Today, U.S. Representatives Steve Cohen (TN-09), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), Mike Quigley (IL-05), and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) led a bicameral group of 58 members of Congress in a letter to the General Services Administration (GSA) in response to the agency’s potential rulemaking focused on reducing unnecessary single-use plastics in government purchases.

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee who was in the House chamber when insurrectionists attempted to disrupt certification of the Electoral College vote on January 6, 2021, today voted for the Presidential Election Reform Act.
The vote on passage was 229 to 203.

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, today spoke in favor of and then voted for the Respect for Marriage Act.

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, today presided at a hearing examining the potential reforms of the 1976 National Emergencies Act and presidential emergency powers.

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, today questioned National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy on several traffic safety issues.

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and its Subcommittee on Aviation, expressed his disappointment at a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) study of airplane seat sizes as it relates to the emergency evacuations of passengers.

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, today presided at the first in a series of hearings on reforming civil rights litigation by reviewing the doctrine of qualified immunity.

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today led a letter to President Biden asking him to release the remaining records related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The letter was signed by Representatives Anna Eshoo (CA-18) and James McGovern (MA-03).
The letter reads in part:

WASHINGTON – Representatives Steve Cohen (TN-09) and Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44) today led a letter to the leaders of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and its Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment urging them to include various environmental justice provisions in the upcoming 2022 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA).
The letter reads in part:

WASHINGTON -- Congressmen Steve Cohen (TN-09), a member of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, and Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), a co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, today sent a letter to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and released the following statement