Shelby County
As a fourth-generation Memphian, I have dedicated my life to public service in Memphis and Shelby County. My work has defined my life and affected the lives of people in Memphis, across Tennessee and now across America throughout my career in national, state and local politics.
More on Shelby County

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) joined 125 Congressional colleagues calling on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to ensure desperately needed humanitarian aid reaches Gazan civilians. Nearly one month into the ceasefire agreement, there are still no details from the Trump administration on what aid is allowed into Gaza and what role the United States will play in aid delivery.

MEMPHIS -- Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) will observe Veterans Day on Tuesday’s November 11 national holiday. He made the following statement:

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) made the following statement after learning that Congresswoman and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will not seek re-election:
“My first vote in Congress, in January 2007, was to elect Nancy Pelosi the first woman Speaker of the House, and it was one of the votes I’m most proud to have cast. Nancy called me the ‘conscience’ of my freshman class of lawmakers elected in 2006. She is the reason we have the Affordable Care Act, which I dubbed Pelosicare. I wish her well in retirement.”

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), until recently the ranking member of the Aviation Subcommittee, responded to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s decision to reduce air traffic by 10 percent in 40 major markets, including Memphis International Airport, with the following statement:

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) expressed guarded optimism that rulings by federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island will keep Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits flowing, at least in the short term. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had planned to withhold payments for the program, arguing it could no longer fund it because of the government shutdown, despite previously pointing to the available contingency funds as a way to maintain the program.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative on Political Prisoners, and Congressman Joe Wilson (SC-2), Co-Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, will introduce on Friday a House resolution supporting the designation of October 30 – today – as the International Day of Political Prisoners.
The resolution reads:

On the occasion of the International Day of Political Prisoners, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) General Rapporteur for political prisoners, Azadeh Rojhan (Sweden, SOC) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly Special Representative on Political Prisoners, Steve Cohen (United States), made the following statement:

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today wrote to Governor Bill Lee urging him to use state emergency reserve funds to extend benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) if they would otherwise lapse because of the ongoing federal government shutdown.
The letter reads:

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, today wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem urging them to discontinue targeting local law enforcement officers nationally, including those in Memphis, for recruitment to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The letter reads in part:

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-) swiftly and forcefully condemned President Trump’s attacks on “Democrat programs” he is closing down as the government shutdown entered its third week. He also addressed press reports that young Republican state leaders used racist, antisemitic and homophobic language in thousands of a group chat messages earlier this year that have now been made public. He made the following statement:
