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
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today joined his colleagues in a bipartisan vote overriding the President's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act. The measure contains vital provisions for our service members, addresses Vietnam-era veterans dealing with exposure to Agent Orange, and begins the process for removing the names of Confederate officials in the Civil War from our military installations, among its important provisions.
The vote, which required a two-thirds majority, was 322 to 87.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today congratulated former Tennessee General Assembly Speaker Beth Harwell and Eastern Tennessee State University President Brian Nolan on their Senate confirmations as the newest members of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today sent a letter to coronavirus relief negotiators expressing his support for an extension of the December 30, 2020 spending deadline for financial assistance to states, tribes and local governments.
The letter reads in part:
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today wrote to House and Senate negotiators considering a possible coronavirus relief bill, urging them to include language that would keep President Trump's name from appearing on a second round of Economic Impact Payment (EIP) stimulus checks. A similar prohibition was included in the Heroes Act that passed in May.
The letter reads in part:
MEMPHIS -- Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, today was pleased to see the Water Resources Development Act pass the House, a measure which includes his language transferring the operation and maintenance of the Memphis flood control system to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
MEMPHIS -- Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today introduced the Emergency Eviction Enforcement Act of 2020 to protect vulnerable tenants from evictions during a public health crisis.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today read with concern press accounts suggesting that Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans were directed to the tenants of properties owned by President Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner and renewed his request to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin for details on PPP loans and loan forgiveness.
Twenty-five loans worth $3.65 million reportedly went to Trump or Kushner property tenants to pay for rent (to Trump and Kushner properties).
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee and a longtime member of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, today voted for the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, removing marijuana from the list of scheduled substances under the Controlled Substances Act. The bill would also establish a method of expunging criminal records for marijuana-related offenses which are often an impediment to employment.
The vote on passage was 228 to 164.
In a statement released after the vote, Congressman Cohen said:
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today wrote to General Service Administration Administrator Emily Murphy, reminding her of longstanding document requests he made about the Old Post Office in Washington now operating as The Trump International Hotel. Murphy has declined to declare that Joe Biden is the President-elect, preventing the transition to a new administration to begin.
The letter reads in part:
MEMPHIS – Congressman Cohen (TN-09) is pleased to see that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have won the required Electoral College votes to become President and Vice President, and made the following statement: