Government Reform
In Congress, Congressman Cohen has taken numerous steps to begin to change the way we do business in Washington and to restore accountability and transparency to government.
He has voted for and passed legislation that banned gifts from lobbyists, prohibited the use of corporate jets, and required full disclosure of earmarks. He has supported legislation banning pensions for Members of Congress convicted of certain crimes, and to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act by increasing government transparency.
Congressman Cohen has also taken the lead on important structural reforms, like non-partisan redistricting with the John Tanner and Jim Cooper Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act, and the rigorous, nonpartisan agency oversight with the Independent Acting Inspectors General Act.
More on Government Reform
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Representatives Steve Cohen (TN-09) and Anna G. Eshoo (CA-18) released the following statement after the White House released just 1,500 documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, leaving more than 10,000 documents either partially redacted or withheld entirely:
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, today called attention to the Committee's release of a report on the General Services Administration's (GSA) handling of the lease of the Old Post Office in Washington to former President Donald Trump.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) tonight applauded the Senate's passage of his bill renaming the Memphis federal building exclusively for the late Judge Odell Horton. The measure, which removes the name of the late Congressman and segregationist Clifford Davis, now goes to President Biden to be signed into law.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today voted for the Protecting Our Democracy Act, a comprehensive measure aimed at preventing presidential abuses of power and protecting elections from foreign interference. The measure contains his amendment to require Congressional oversight when the President grants self-pardons or pardons family members, administration officials, or paid campaign staffers.
WASHINGTON – Representatives Steve Cohen (TN-09) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) led a letter to President Biden today urging his administration to begin accepting applications for commutations from all detainees released to home confinement due to the coronavirus pandemic.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Co-Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, better known as the Helsinki Commission, today questioned expert witnesses at a commission hearing entitled "Confronting Kremlin and Communist Corruption."
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Co-Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, better known as the Helsinki Commission, along with Ranking Member Joe Wilson of South Carolina, today introduced a Congressional Resolution to end recognition of Vladimir Putin as president of Russia after May 7, 2024, if the autocrat remains in power.
WASHINGTON – Congressmen Steve Cohen (TN-09) and Kelly Armstrong (N.D., at large) today applauded the Judiciary Committee vote advancing their bill, the Prohibiting Punishment for Acquitted Conduct Act, to the full House. The measure would end the unjust practice of judges increasing sentences based on conduct for which a defendant has been acquitted by a jury.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, today questioned expert witnesses at a hearing entitled "Silenced: How Forced Arbitration Keeps Victims of Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment in the Shadows." Victims of sexual harassment testified about being denied an opportunity to tell their stories in public after sometimes unwittingly signing forced arbitration agreements with employers.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Judiciary and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees, today voted for the rule for consideration of the Build Back Better Act, historic legislation investing in the nation's social safety net.