Celebrating the Anniversary of Women's Right to Vote
Dear Friend,
This week, I celebrated the ratification of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote and my role in bringing greater recognition to Tennessee’s pivotal place in that history. I also sought to reform dubious declarations of national emergencies with the reintroduction of a bipartisan bill, condemned Trump’s overt self-dealing and corruption, announced substantial National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, urged the ATF administrator to back off dangerous firearms deregulation proposals, and offered a Friday Flashback, a Bill Day cartoon, and a weekly health tip. Keep reading and follow me on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram to see what I am doing as it happens.
Celebrating the Anniversary of Women’s Right to Vote
Introducing the ARTICLE ONE Act
Condemning Trump’s Corrupt Self-Dealing
Announcing $4.5 Million in NIH Grants to St. Jude
Urging Reversed al of Proposed Deregulation of Firearms
Celebrating the Anniversary of Women’s Right to Vote
Prior to 1998, there was nothing inside the Tennessee Capitol building that showcased Tennessee’s essential role in extending the right to vote to women – 106 years ago on Tuesday. (Memphis Representative Joseph Hanover cast the deciding vote, giving the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution the required two-thirds majority of states ratifying it.) As a state senator, I sought to remedy that oversight and worked with the Tennessee Arts Commission to hold a competition for a tangible display recognizing our pivotal role in passing the 19th Amendment. Sculptor Alan LeQuire of Nashville won, and his bas relief was installed between the House and Senate chambers. It is the only recognition in the Capitol that celebrates our state’s greatest gift to the country and to democracy: the enfranchisement of American women.
Reintroducing the ARTICLE ONE Act
On Thursday, I joined my Republican Congressional colleague Chip Roy of Texas in reintroducing the Assuring Robust, Thorough, and Informed Congressional Leadership is Exercised Over National Emergencies (ARTICLE ONE) Act. The legislation, which passed out of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in 2024 but was not considered on the House floor, would rebalance the power of Congress and the Executive branch to permit the President to unilaterally declare a national emergency for up to 30 days. Congress could then extend the emergency declaration by voting it up or down each year. When I was chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, I held hearings aimed at reforming the National Emergencies Act and reached a bipartisan consensus. I said then that if an “emergency” goes on for years and years, it isn’t an emergency; it’s the “new normal.” See my release on the measure here.
Condemning Trump’s Corrupt Self-Dealing and Self Promotion
I am increasingly concerned that Trump’s self-dealing is harming our national security and that too few are aware of its immense dimensions. In particular, his crypto venture, World Liberty Financial, clearly benefited by the billions invested by the United Arab Emirates after he lifted export controls on sensitive microchips with military applications. This kind of corrupt quid pro quo and his demonstrated incompetence and corruption is leading us in a dangerously wrong direction.
Announcing $4.5 Million in NIH Grants to St. Jude
On Monday and Tuesday, I announced that several National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be providing St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital with eight federal grants totaling $4,540,623. See details in my releases here and here.
Urging Reversal of Proposed Deregulation of Firearms
As a member of the House Gun Violence Prevention Taskforce, I joined congressional colleagues last week in a letter to Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Director Robert Cekada urging him to reverse more than 30 planned deregulatory actions related to firearms. The proposals would make it easier for prohibited people, including felons and domestic abusers, to acquire firearms; make it harder for law enforcement to identify gun traffickers, solve firearm crimes, and prevent crimes; and weaken protections to prevent the sale of handguns to children and teenagers. These proposed actions are obscene and unacceptable.
This is me at three with my mother at the Kroger store at Poplar Plaza.
A Bill Day Cartoon - "Kimmy and Donnie"
Pain is a sign that something is wrong. To learn more about how your body processes pain and some of the federal research into pain and how the nervous system works, visit: https://magazine.medlineplus.gov/article/ouch-that-hurts-the-science-of-pain.
“And while the sailors on the (aircraft carrier Abraham) Lincoln fight his war, while he fruitlessly drains our munitions and oil reserves, the president sleeps through his meetings. He golfs and trades stocks. See, he doesn’t want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the emir of Qatar.” – Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff in Atlanta on Sunday
As always, I remain…
Sincerely,
 |
Steve Cohen
Member of Congress