Dear Friend, This week, I convened a meeting in my Washington office with Tennessee Department of Transportation officials and Memphis stakeholders to discuss a proposal to replace the Interstate 55 bridge. I also questioned the leader of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) at an oversight hearing about aircraft manufacturers’ accountability and emergency evacuation safety standards, voted against a baseless impeachment of the Homeland Security Secretary, voted against a partisan ploy to provide aid to Israel without addressing humanitarian aid and other critical national security concerns, spoke out on the failure of Tennessee state lawmakers to address the needs of their residents living in poverty, introduced a measure to reauthorize a program for identifying victims of human trafficking in health care settings, attended a Rhodes College lecture by Jason Isbell, met with constituents in my Memphis office, sought the prohibition of body-gripping traps on federal lands, offered guidance in the selection of tax-preparation services, and offered a heart-healthy tip prior to Valentine’s Day. Keep reading and follow me on Twitter (X), Facebook and Instagram to see what I am doing as it happens. Advocating New Mississippi River Bridge with Stakeholders Urging FAA Administrator to Assure Accountability in Aircraft Safety Voting Against Sham Impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Voting Against Politicizing Aid to Israel Addressing Income Inequality and Poverty Appreciating a Conversation with Jason Isbell Introducing SOAR to Health and Wellness Act Meeting with Constituents Seeking to End Use of Body-Gripping Animal Traps Cautioning Care in Choice of Tax-Preparation Service Weekly Health Tip Quote of the Week
Advocating New Mississippi River Bridge with Stakeholders
On Tuesday, a big group of Memphians met in my D.C. office with Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) officials to discuss the joint TDOT and Arkansas Department of Transportation grant application for the Bridge Investment Program to replace the 75-year-old Interstate 55 bridge over the Mississippi River with a new bridge, America’s River Crossing, that will be earthquake-resistant, modern and safe, with greater traffic capacity. In addition to TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley, among those attending were Lydia Holmes Sokoll, Mayor Paul Young’s Chief Policy Advisor; Greater Memphis Chamber President and CEO Ted Townsend; Chamber Government Relations Director Bobby White; and Chamber Board members Bill Dunavant of Dunavant Enterprises, Michael Symonanis of Louis Dreyfus, John Dudas of Belz Enterprises (Chairman of the Chamber’s Transportation Committee), and Jackie M. Kelly Jr. of FedEx Federal Affairs. We all expressed hope and confidence that DOT’s Federal Highway Administration will come through with $500 million for the project soon. Urging FAA Administrator to Assure Accountability in Aircraft Safety
Also Tuesday, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Whitaker appeared before the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation on which I serve as the Ranking Member. While I commended Whitaker’s appointment and decisive leadership, I stressed the need to hold companies like Boeing, with its recent spate of safety issues, more accountable, and to keep safety upper most as a priority. I also continued to urge for swift Senate action on the FAA reauthorization bill. See my release, including my opening statement and questions to Whitaker, here. Later the same day, I joined the three other Transportation and Infrastructure Aviation Subcommittee leaders at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for a briefing on its preliminary findings in the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 involving a Boeing 737 MAX 9. This is the plane that lost its door plug mid-flight on January 5. We learned that the door plug was attached to the fuselage without the required bolts, a terrible and colossal failure on the part of Boeing to ensure the safety of the plane. We are working with the FAA and others to see that there is better oversight of airplane manufacturing, at Boeing in particular. Voting Against Sham Impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary
Republican partisans were dead set on impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday despite lacking any evidence supporting their claim he committed high crimes or misdemeanors. They simply disagree with him on how to implement Biden Administration policies. That isn’t a legitimate reason for an impeachment vote. A few Republicans understood that and put Constitution before party. Thankfully, the impeachment measure failed by a vote of 216 to 214. See my release on the vote here. Voting Against Politicizing Aid to Israel
Speaker Johnson also decided to play politics with much-needed aid to Israel and accommodated Donald Trump’s chaotic campaign messaging by bringing a bill to the floor without humanitarian aid for Gaza or assistance to Ukraine or Taiwan. I voted against the measure, which failed when it didn’t get the two-thirds vote required. See my release, including a floor speech I made after the vote, here. Addressing Income Inequality and Poverty
This week on the House floor, I addressed growing income inequality and poverty. I talked about child poverty in Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District and the Tennessee legislature’s failure to expand Medicaid or support other programs that help the poor. See my release including the speech here. Appreciating a Conversation with Jason Isbell On Wednesday night, I attended the Rhodes College Springfield Music Lecture Series to hear four-time Grammy Award-winning recording artist Jason Isbell in conversation with Dr. Charles L. Hughes, music historian and director of the Lynne and Henry Turley Memphis Center at Rhodes. Isbell reflected on various songwriters’ influences on life and culture and was humorous to the delight of the large crowd. He also spoke of the influence of Memphis on his life as he attended the University of Memphis and, this past year, received his degree. He said he saw Jackson Brown and Shawn Colvin perform while in college and how that influenced his career. He also talked about his acting career and his role in Martin Scorsese’s Academy Award-nominated “Flowers of the Killer Moon.” It was an enriching evening. Introducing SOAR to Health and Wellness Act
In 2016, I introduced the Stop, Observe, Ask and Respond (SOAR) to Health and Wellness Act to help medical professionals identify human trafficking victims appearing in health care settings. It was signed into law in 2018 and has proven effective. On Tuesday, I introduced a bill to reauthorize the program. See my release here. Meeting with Constituents
Congressman Cohen with Diana Comes (Executive Director, Community Legal Center), Heal 901’s Atlanta Ellington (Executive Assistant) and K. Durell Cowan (Executive Director), and Erik Houston, new Executive Director of the Wolf River Conservancy On returning to Memphis, I had a series of meetings with constituents. On Thursday morning, I discussed the Community Legal Center’s efforts to assist working-class constituents with their legal problems with Diana Comes, met with Erik Houston, the new executive director of the Wolf River Conservancy, and talked over the goals and mission of HEALS 901 with K. Durell Cowan. I also met with Anthony Williams of the Tennessee Department of Veterans Services about the needs of elderly veterans. I learn a lot from my interaction with constituents and value the insights they provide. Seeking to End Use of Body-Gripping Animal Traps
On Thursday, I led Congressional colleagues on a letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland requesting that her department prohibit the use of inhumane body-gripping animal traps on federal lands. See my release and the letter here. Cautioning Care in Choice of Tax-Preparation Service
As April 15 draws near, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has useful guidance on making a careful choice of tax preparation service providers. The IRS has put together a Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers with Credentials and Select Qualifications to help individuals find a tax professional who meets high standards. There is also a special page on IRS.gov for Choosing a Tax Professional that can help guide taxpayers in making a good choice, including selecting someone affiliated with a recognized national tax association. Also see IR-2024-31: Take care when choosing a tax return professional, which has additional information, and is also available in Spanish and Chinese. Weekly Health Tip
In advance of Valentine’s Day next week, it’s a good time to think about our hearts and heart health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has good guidance on best practices and best habits for maintaining a strong and vigorous heart. See that here. Quote of the Week
“The clock is ticking. Every week, every month that passes without new aid to Ukraine means fewer artillery shells, fewer air defense systems, fewer tools for Ukraine to defend itself against this Russian onslaught. Just what Putin wants. Ukrainians are fighting bravely…We can’t walk away now. That’s what Putin is betting on.” – President Biden at the White House on Tuesday As always, I remain.
Most sincerely, Steve Cohen
Member of Congress | 