Providing Grants to Repair the Homes of Elderly Senior Citizens
Dear Friend,
On Monday of this week, I held a press availability with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Memphis, the state director of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and representatives of Habitat for Humanity to discuss the $3 million in HUD funding I secured for LISC’s Critical Home Repairs for Seniors Program. In Washington, I reminded constituents that the deadline for signing up for Affordable Care Act health coverage that would start on January 1 ends this coming Monday, spoke from the House floor about my proposed amendments that would have helped protect the Memphis water supply, met with members of the Children’s Hospital Alliance of Tennessee, reintroduced a measure to more fairly allocate U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) community development block grants, stated my Energy and Commerce priorities for the new year, denounced President Trump’s disastrous national security strategy, questioned an expert witness at a hearing on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), and offered a Friday Flashback, a Bill Day cartoon and a health tip. Keep reading and follow me on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram to see what I am doing as it happens.
Providing Grants to Repair the Homes of Elderly Senior Citizens
Reminding Constituents of the December 15 Deadline for ACA Open Enrollment
Proposing Amendments to Protect Memphis Water Supply
Meeting with Children’s Hospital Alliance of Tennessee
Reintroducing the CDBG Equity Act
Denouncing New Trump National Security Strategy
Stating Energy and Commerce Priorities
Questioning Expert at Judiciary Hearing on the FISA Act
Providing Grants to Repair the Homes of Elderly Senior Citizens
On Monday afternoon, I joined representatives of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Memphis, the state director of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and representatives of Habitat for Humanity to discuss with the news media the $3 million in HUD funding I have secured for LISC’s Critical Home Repairs for Seniors Program. The initiative will provide free home repairs for eligible senior citizens through grants of $5,000 to $20,000, allowing residents to “age in place” in their own homes. I was pleased to meet some of the residents this funding will help and look forward to its success. Senior citizens wishing to be added to the assistance list or begin the intake process should call the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis Home Repair Hotline once the pre-application call-in date is announced in January. That number is (901) 322-3500. Or go to the Aging in Place Program here.
Reminding Constituents of the December 15 Deadline for ACA Open Enrollment
Enrollment for health insurance for 2026 through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace on https://www.healthcare.gov/ opened on November 1 and will run through this Monday, December 15 for coverage that will start on January 1, 2026. Due largely to changes in the insurance market from Trump’s One Big Ugly Bill, base insurance rates will go up by an average of 24 percent in Tennessee. If tax credits are not extended, the 350,000 Tennesseans who rely on them for affordable insurance will see their out-of-pocket costs rise even more dramatically.
Proposing Amendments to Protect Memphis Water Supply
For more than fifty years, the Clean Water Act has kept toxic chemicals out of our rivers, streams, and drinking water. I spoke from the House floor Thursday against the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today (PERMIT) Act, but it passed. It gives polluters a free pass on PFAS, lead, mercury, and arsenic, and it cuts communities out of the process when their own water is on the line. I filed three amendments to the bill to protect public health. First, to require cumulative impacts and groundwater reviews for projects near community drinking water aquifers, like the one that supplies Memphis. Second, to restore oversight and public participation for nationwide permits, protections that would have prevented the Byhalia Pipeline from being rushed through my district. Third, to require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to certify that the bill will not increase exposure to harmful contaminants. Unfortunately, none were made in order by the Republican-led Rules Committee and weren’t allowed to be considered by the full House. Permitting reform should not come at the expense of children’s health, clean drinking water, or communities with a history of industrial exposure. See my floor speech here.
Meeting with Children’s Hospital Alliance of Tennessee
On Tuesday, I met with members of the Children’s Hospital Alliance of Tennessee. We discussed the importance of extending Affordable Care Act premium tax credits and keeping administrative costs low for H-1B visa holders to work in U.S. health care venues. The Trump Administration has proposed $100,000 per H-1B visa application, which would cost St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital millions of dollars each year. This would result in fewer physicians and less opportunity for children to get the care they need. This proposal is misguided, especially when we are already facing a shortage of healthcare workers.
Reintroducing the CDBG Equity Act
On Thursday, I reintroduced the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Equity Act, which would update the current U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) CDBG funding criteria and adopt a single formula for grants based on factors reflecting current needs. The new formula would benefit Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District by funneling more money to communities most in need. See my release on the measure here.
Denouncing New Trump National Security Strategy
On Thursday evening, I went to the House floor to denounce Donald Trump’s recently published National Security Strategy. I called it “disastrous,” abandoning democratic values in favor of a “strong man” model and spheres of influence. These are not American values. See my release and the speech here.
Stating Energy and Commerce Priorities
On Thursday, I wrote to the leadership of the Energy and Commerce Committee to state my priorities for 2026. Those priorities are improving health care affordability and accessibility, ensuring a functional Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), unleashing sources of renewable American energy and conducting appropriate oversight. I specifically asked for passage of my bills on incentivizing data centers to use clean energy (Clean Cloud Act) and addressing infant mortality rates (NEWBORN Act) and childhood obesity (Reducing Obesity in Youth Act).
Questioning Expert at Judiciary Hearing on the FISA Act
As a senior member of the Judiciary Committee and a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, I questioned an expert witness in an oversight hearing on reforms to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s (FISA) Section 702 program, which expires in April. I asked about the enforcement systems we need to protect Americans’ privacy and the role of Artificial Intelligence in surveillance. I also asked about the eight Republican Senators, including both Tennessee Senators, and one member of the House of Representatives whose phone metadata was subpoenaed by Special Counsel Jack Smith as he investigated the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. A provision in a massive spending bill that passed last month authorizes payment of up to $1 million to the lawmakers if they sue over their subpoenaed records, an issue that I am working to repeal. See my release and the exchange with the witness here.
This is me with Judge Russell Sugarmon and his wife Gina in May 2013. I passed the law in 2018 to have the post office on Autumn Avenue named in his honor.
A Bill Day Cartoon – “It’s all about oil”
In my conversation with members of the Children’s Hospital Alliance this week, they stressed the importance of car seat safety. See guidance from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration here about choosing the right car seat and proper installation.
“President Trump said this week he will let Nvida sell its H200 chip to China in return for the U.S. Treasury getting a 25 percent cut of the sales. The Indians struck a better deal when they sold Manhattan to the Dutch. Why would the President give away one of America’s chief technological advantages to an adversary and its chief economic competitor? Mr. Trump’s move to ease export controls on computer chips illustrates his confusing China policy, to the extent he has one.” – Wall Street Journal editorial Thursday titled “Trump Says Chips Ahoy to Xi Jinping”
“If you don’t know the guy on the other side of the world, love him anyway because he’s just like you. He has the same dreams, the same hopes and fears. It’s one world, pal. We’re all neighbors.” – Singer and actor Frank Sinatra (1915 – 1998), born on this day
As always, I remain…
Sincerely,
|
Steve Cohen
Member of Congress