Tennessee

[MEMPHIS, TN] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today highlighted a new report from Oxfam America showing that an estimated 60,000 citizens in the Ninth District will get a raise if Congress increases the national minimum wage to $10.10 per hour. The esteemed international relief and development organization’s new report also showed that roughly 548,000 Tennesseans, about 22% of the state’s workforce, stand to benefit from an increased national minimum wage.

[MEMPHIS, TN] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced 5 federal grants totaling $4,605,108 in funding for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This funding comes through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and will be used for a variety of programs and research projects.

“This funding will be used to continue important work at St. Jude, one of the world’s finest health care institutions,” said Congressman Cohen.

Today’s announcement includes funding for the following St. Jude projects:

[WASHINGTON, DC] – The U.S. House of Representatives today passed on a voice vote Congressman Steve Cohen’s (TN-09) amendment to the Agriculture appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2015 that will help prevent children around the country from going hungry during the summer when free school lunch programs are not in effect. The amendment adds $3 million in funding to the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children program, which is a pilot program focused on helping provide meals to low income children during summer months when school lunch programs are not in effect.

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that President Obama’s move to give certain borrowers the ability to cap their student loan payments at 10% of their monthly income will help an estimated 103,736 citizens of Tennessee burdened with student loan debt, according to a new report released today by the Domestic Policy Council and the Council of Economic Advisers.

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that his annual Federal Procurement Fair will be held on Monday, June 30^th at the FedEx Institute of Technology at The University of Memphis. Since 2010, Congressman Cohen has hosted his Federal Procurement Fair annually in an effort to ensure that Memphis-area minority-owned businesses, small businesses, and entrepreneurs are well-informed and poised to compete with others across the nation when trying to win contracts with the federal government.

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today reiterated his strong support for expanding TennCare, Tennessee’s Medicaid system, and once again offered to help Governor Bill Haslam swiftly extend health coverage to those who cannot afford coverage and are unable to take advantage of important protections of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) because of the Republican Governor’s inaction.

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Following widespread, well-founded reports calling into question the management of and care provided at Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMC) in several states including Tennessee, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today reiterated his commitment to our nation’s veterans and pledged to support President Obama’s efforts to ensure that veterans receive the highest quality of care at the Memphis VAMC and other facilities.