Opposing Trump Agenda on the Workforce, Medicaid, Foreign Aid and Ukraine
Dear Friend, This week, President Trump delivered a speech to a joint session of Congress that sounded like a MAGA pep rally full of his usual litany of lies, personal grievances, and misdirection. We also learned this week that Elon Musk wants to dispose of a portfolio of federal properties including our Odell Horton Federal Building, to which I expressed surprise and opposition. I also reintroduced the School Bus Safety Act, called for immediate action to address the air traffic control staffing crisis and implement the safety provisions of last year’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act, met with federal employees concerned about the headlong decimation of the federal workforce, co-led a measure to prohibit horse “soring,” and offered a Friday Flashback, a Bill Day cartoon and a health tip. Keep reading and follow me on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (X) to see what I am doing as it happens. Opposing Trump Agenda on the Workforce, Medicaid, Foreign Aid, and Ukraine Expressing Concern about Musk Plan for Our Odell Horton Federal Building Reintroducing the School Bus Safety Act Calling for Immediate Action to Address Air Traffic Control Staffing Meeting with Musk-Threatened Federal Workers Co-Leading Measure to Prohibit Horse Soring Opposing Trump Agenda on Workforce, Medicaid, Foreign Aid, and Ukraine
While I did not attend in person, I listened to President Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night with deepening disgust. The Trump agenda is lessening our stature in the world and making decades-old allies wonder whose side we’re on, Russia’s, Ukraine’s, or even Europe’s. Meanwhile, the expertise and experience of our dedicated federal workforce is being hollowed out by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). House Republicans have passed a budget resolution in line with Trump’s expectations making almost inevitable massive cuts to Medicaid, SNAP and other safety net programs for those most in need in order to provide $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for people who don’t need them. The cuts will fall disproportionately on the poor and those with disabilities. The economy seems to be responding unfavorably to all the chaos on tariffs. And inflation is rising, not falling. One glimmer of hope this week came from the 5-4 decision of the Supreme Court overruling the DOGE decision to stop life-saving foreign aid but significant harm has already been done. While Democrats are in the minority, our job is to prevent as much of this disaster as possible, and I pledge to be vigilant and continue the fight. Expressing Concern about Musk Plan for our Odell Horton Federal Building
Congressman Cohen at the July 2022 dedication of the Odell Horton Federal Building On Wednesday, I leaned from press accounts – not the federal government’s General Services Administration (GSA), the agency responsible – that DOGE had identified more than 400 properties for disposal, including Memphis’ Odell Horton Federal Building and the IRS Memphis Service Center. This was clearly influenced by Musk. In both a Judiciary Committee markup and a Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee hearing on federal real estate, I raised objections to the plan which was hastily removed from the GSA website by Thursday morning. Reintroducing the School Bus Safety Act
School children need the protection of seatbelts and other safety features on their school buses, so I have again joined with Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth in introducing the School Bus Safety Act. See my release and details of the measure here. Calling for Immediate Action to Address Air Traffic Control Staffing
The Aviation Subcommittee on which I serve as the Ranking Member held a hearing on air traffic control infrastructure and staffing on Tuesday. I used the occasion to call for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to immediately address the obvious shortage of air traffic controllers and other aviation safety workers and to implement the safety provisions of last year’s FAA Reauthorization Act. See my remarks in a release here. I also led my Committee members in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy demanding transparency as to why qualified and dedicated FAA employees are being indiscriminately fired. See that letter here. Meeting with Musk-Threatened Federal Workers
Congressman Cohen and Rachel Gault Before the Trump Administration began its massive layoffs, there were more than 13,000 federal employees in Memphis. So far, approximately 800 federal employees have been fired – not for doing a bad job, but because they were still on a probationary status. They include staff who answer questions from people trying to file their taxes and veterans who served our country in uniform who wanted to continue serving as federal employees. Some workers have been fired thoughtlessly and because of DOGE’s ignorance and have been asked to return to their indispensable positions. These layoffs of career civil servants have been made too hastily and without discretion or empathy. On Wednesday, I met with members of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), including U.S. Customs officer Rachel Gault of Cordova and Gibson Jones of the IRS Memphis Service Center to discuss ongoing threats to their employment by the DOGE. I told them I will do all I can to minimize the disruption and will work to reverse the layoffs. Civil servants can report abuse and wrongdoing to the Democratic Members of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability. A whistle blower hotline has been created where information regarding potential wrongdoing, abuses of power, and threats to federal workers can be reported anonymously. Co-Leading Measure to Prohibit Horse Soring I led more than 180 fellow members in a bipartisan reintroduction of the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act to put an end to the cruel and painful practice of horse “soring,” the deliberate injury to horse legs and feet to produce the “Big Lick” gait in horse shows.
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“Look, President Trump talked a big game on the economy, but it's always important to read the fine print. So: do his plans actually help Americans get ahead? Not even close. President Trump is trying to deliver an unprecedented giveaway to his billionaire friends. He's on the hunt to find trillions of dollars to pass along to the wealthiest in America. And to do that, he's going to make you pay in every part of your life… “We need more efficient government. You want to cut waste, I'll help you do it. But change doesn't need to be chaotic or make us less safe. The mindless firing of people who work to protect our nuclear weapons, keep our planes from crashing, and conduct the research that finds the cure for cancer — only to re-hire them two days later? No CEO in America could do that without being summarily fired.” – Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin delivering the Democratic Response to President Trump’s Joint Session speech Tuesday night As always, I remain. Steve Cohen |
