Celebrating the Naming of the Lt. Col. Luke Weathers Jr. VA Medical Center
July 28, 2023 |
Dear Friend, This week, I celebrated the renaming of the VA Medical Center in Memphis for the late Lieutenant Colonel Luke Weathers Jr. at a ceremony attended by his family and many veterans. I also welcomed the Department of Justice’s “pattern and practice” inquiry into the City of Memphis and the Memphis Police Department following the police beating of Tyre Nichols and other disturbing incidents. I also sought disaster assistance after the third major storm since mid-June to hit our area, applauded the advance of my bill calling for transparency in Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) upper level employee salaries, urged the Drug Enforcement Administration to consider a new approach to marijuana enforcement and fentanyl investigations, re-introduced a bill to prohibit the use of credit reports in hiring decisions, questioned the Homeland Security Secretary about Memphians’ inconvenience in gaining access to the Global Entry Program, met with an exceptional U.S. Military Academy appointee, announced an eye-research grant to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) and provided a weekly health tip. Keep reading and follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (and soon on Threads) to see what I am doing as it happens. Celebrating the Naming of the Lieutenant Colonel Luke Weathers Jr. VA Medical Center Welcoming Department of Justice Review of Memphis Police Practices Seeking Disaster Declaration after July 18 Storm Advancing My Bill to Provide Transparency in TVA Salaries Urging the DEA Administrator to Change Approach to Marijuana and Fentanyl Introducing Equal Employment for All Act Questioning Homeland Security Secretary about the Threat of White Nationalists Meeting with West Point Cadet Sophie Fernandez Announcing Half Million Dollar Grant to UTHSC Celebrating the Naming of the Lieutenant Colonel Luke Weathers Jr. VA Medical Center On Monday, I was pleased to attend and speak at the ceremony naming the Memphis VA Medical Center for World War II flying ace and Tuskegee Airman Lieutenant Colonel Luke Weathers Jr. Last year, I introduced legislation to rename the facility and President Biden signed it into law in December. The event Monday drew a large crowd, and I was pleased to join Mr. Weathers’ children, friends and veterans in unveiling the official sign outside the facility. Weathers’ legacy as a fighter pilot and Memphis’ first Black air traffic controller is now on permanent display. Welcoming Department of Justice Review of Memphis Police Practices Effective policing requires a strong and collaborative relationship between law enforcement and the people they serve and protect. That kind of relationship requires trust. I welcomed Thursday’s announcement that the Department of Justice will be investigating a possible “pattern and practice” of discrimination of the Memphis Police Department because transparency and accountability are essential to improving relations between the Memphis community and the police. A “pattern and practice” review will identify areas that must be addressed and help institute reforms to ensure that that Memphians are being treated fairly and constitutionally by the law enforcement agency pledged to protect them. See my statement on the DOJ announcement here. Seeking Disaster Declaration after July 18 Storm On Monday, I wrote to Governor Bill Lee and asked him to seek a federal disaster declaration for Shelby County after a major storm on July 18, the third major storm in less than a month. See my release here. Advancing My Bill to Provide Transparency in TVA Salaries The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, on which I serve as a senior member, took up a bill I introduced with my friend Congressman Tim Burchett (TN-2) to restore the requirement that the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) disclose the salaries of its senior management. The Committee passed the measure on a voice vote. See my release here. Urging the DEA Administrator to Change Approach to Marijuana and Fentanyl Drug Enforcement Administrator (DEA) Anne Milgram appeared before the Judiciary Committee on Thursday, and I told her that she and her predecessors continued to talk nonsense or “gibberish” about marijuana policy and that it needs to be decriminalized on the federal level. I have been advocating for decriminalization of marijuana for my entire legislative career. I believe it should be regulated in a manner comparable to alcohol rather than hard addictive drugs. See my release and that exchange here. Introducing Equal Employment for All Act On Thursday, I introduced in the House and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts introduced in the Senate the Equal Employment for All Act, a bill we have worked on for years that would prohibit the use of credit reports in hiring decisions. See our release here. Questioning Homeland Security Secretary about the Threat of White Nationalists Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas appeared before the Judiciary Committee, and I asked him about the threat from white nationalists. I also asked him look into why Memphians have been told to travel to Jackson, Tennessee, for interviews to for the Department’s “Trusted Traveler” programs. He assured me he would look into it. See my release and the exchange with Mayorkas here. Meeting with West Point Cadet Sophie Fernandez Congressman Cohen and Cadet Fernandez Last year, I nominated Sophie Fernandez of Memphis for an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. On Wednesday, she dropped by my office in Washington to update me on her progress, which included recent weeks in Latvia, where her Russian language skills came in handy. The fiddle-playing pole vaulter and sprinter will make a valuable contribution as a U.S. Army officer, and I was pleased to catch up with her. Announcing Half Million Dollar Grant to UTHSC On Tuesday, I announced a $511,066 grant to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) from the National Eye Institute for research into a retinal disease. See my release here. During our current heat wave, it’s important to stay hydrated and, if possible, to stay out of the sunshine. Heat stress and heat stroke can kill. See some helpful guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention here. Mamie Till-Mobley at her son's funeral in 1955 “We can’t just choose to learn what we want to know. We have to learn what we should know. We should know about our country. We should know everything: the good, the bad, the truth of who we are as a nation. That’s what great nations do, and we are a great nation. That’s what they do…Hate never goes away. It just hides. It hides under the rocks. And given a little bit of oxygen by bad people, it comes roaring out again. And it’s up to all of us to deal with that, up to all of us to stop it. Up to all of us. The best way to do that is with the truth… It’s now my honor to sign this proclamation in memory of Emmett Till and Mrs. Mamie Till-Mobley.” – President Biden at Tuesday’s signing of the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument Proclamation. As always, I remain. Steve Cohen |