Applauding Passage of a Bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act
Dear Friend, This week, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, on which I serve as the Ranking Member of the Aviation Subcommittee, marked up and passed a transformative, five-year Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act. I was able to shape the bipartisan bill over the two-day markup and was pleased to see it sent to the House floor on a unanimous 63-0 vote. Also this week, scandal-plagued Donald Trump was arraigned on 37 federal felony charges. I also delivered a speech on supporting Ukraine to a conference of U.S. Ambassadors to European countries, prepared to celebrate the Juneteenth federal holiday, announced National Institutes of Health grants to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) and the University of Memphis, announced Department of Health and Human Services grants to Methodist Le Bonheur Community Outreach and the University of Memphis, remembered baseball great Babe Ruth, and offered a health tip on avoiding lead poisoning. Keep reading and follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see what I am doing as it happens. Applauding Passage of a Bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act Witnessing History as Trump is Arraigned in Secret Documents Case Addressing U.S. Ambassadors on the War in Ukraine Celebrating Juneteenth Federal Holiday Announcing $760,000 in National Institutes of Health Grants to Memphis Institutions Babe Ruth’s Last Appearance at Yankee Stadium Applauding Passage of a Bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act After a two-day markup, I voted for the bipartisan Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act when it passed unanimously out of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. It is now headed to the full House of Representatives. As the Ranking Member of the Aviation Subcommittee, I can say it is a good bill that contains many of my highest priorities, including passenger safety provisions including for those with disabilities, bolstered investments for airports, aviation workforce development, including in minority communities, and much more. See my release, including my opening statement at the markup, here. Witnessing History as Trump is Arraigned in Secret Documents Case Donald Trump was arraigned on 37 federal felony counts on Tuesday, accused of retaining, disseminating and mishandling critical classified documents potentially doing grave harm to our national security, military, strategic planning against adversaries, human intelligence gathering and more. The former President was also accused of obstructing the investigation into the missing documents which he had no legitimate reason to keep. Nothing like this has happened in American history. See the indictment here. Addressing U.S. Ambassadors to Europe on the War in Ukraine On Thursday at a conference in Washington, I addressed U.S. Ambassadors serving in our European embassies. I spoke of the need to continue our staunch support for Ukraine and the need to defeat the autocratic Putin and the unjustified Russian invasion of its neighbor. As the Ranking Member of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, I have come to appreciate the high caliber of the people representing the United States abroad and the invaluable work they do. Celebrating Juneteenth Federal Holiday On Monday, I will be celebrating our new federal holiday, Juneteenth, recognizing June 19th, 1865, the day that enslaved Texans in Galveston were told they were free. See my statement on the holiday here. Announcing $760,000 in National Institutes of Health Grants to Memphis Institutions St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) and the University of Memphis have received research grants from the National Institutes of Health, I announced Tuesday. See that release here. Announcing $1.4 Million in HHS Grants to Methodist Le Bonheur Community Outreach and the University of Memphis Methodist Le Bonheur Community Outreach and the University of Memphis received grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Monday. See my release on the awards here. Babe Ruth’s Last Appearance at Yankee Stadium June 13, 1948, was Babe Ruth’s last appearance at Yankee Stadium. Perhaps the greatest baseball player ever tipped his cap to the crowd 75 years ago this week. Nat Fein’s photograph for The New York Herald Tribune won the Pulitzer Prize in 1949. Lead poisoning remains a serious problem in the United States, especially among children in poverty. Last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the second year of its training and outreach initiative focused on reducing childhood lead exposure in environmentally overburdened and underserved communities throughout the United States and its territories. Read about the initiative and sign up for training here. You can also learn about the Shelby County Health Department’s Lead Poisoning Prevention Program here. “The classified documents TRUMP stored in his boxes included information regarding defense and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign countries; United States nuclear programs; potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack; and plans for possible retaliation in response to a foreign attack. The unauthorized disclosure of these classified documents could put at risk the national security of the United States, foreign relations, the safety of the United States military, and human sources and the continued viability of sensitive intelligence collection methods.” – From the 37-count federal indictment of Donald Trump on which he was arraigned in Miami on Tuesday. Wishing everyone a happy and safe Juneteenth on Monday, As always, I remain. Steve Cohen |