Dear Friend, This week, I received the Economic Impact Project of the Year Award from EDGE, the Economic Development Growth Engine for Memphis and Shelby County, for my efforts to obtain $393.7 million for a new Interstate 55 bridge over the Mississippi River. Also this week, as I traveled to sites on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail from Memphis to Nashville to Selma and then to Montgomery, I met so many inspiring individuals, and heard so many heartrending stories along the way. I also reminded constituents of the open enrollment period for Medicare that begins Tuesday, applauded the cost-of-living increase announced Thursday for Social Security recipients, welcomed the final Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule for removing lead service pipes made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act I voted for, remembered Kennedy matriarch Ethel Kennedy on her passing Thursday, addressed the implications of two back-to-back hurricanes and the misinformation campaign some are stoking about relief and recovery efforts for cynical partisan purposes, reminded everyone of next Thursday’s National Domestic Violence Awareness Day, recommended signing up for my grants e-newsletters, and offered a civic-minded health tip. Keep reading and follow me on Twitter (X), Facebook, and Instagram to see what I am doing as it happens. Receiving Recognition for Securing Funding for a New Interstate 55 Bridge Following the U.S. Civil Rights Trail Announcing Medicare Open Enrollment Starting October 15 Applauding Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment Announcement Welcoming Ambitious Biden-Harris Initiative to Remove Lead Service Pipes Remembering Ethel Kennedy Addressing Implications of Two Powerful Hurricanes Recognizing National Domestic Violence Awareness Day October 17 – and Wearing Purple Signing Up for Grants e-Newsletters Weekly Health Tip Quote of the Week
Receiving Recognition for Securing Funding for a New Interstate 55 Bridge
On Thursday morning, I accepted the Economic Impact Project of the Year award from EDGE, the Economic Development Growth Engine for Memphis and Shelby County, for my efforts to obtain federal funding for the new Interstate 55 bridge over the Mississippi River. The $393.7 million project to replace the old bridge is the largest infrastructure investment in our state’s history, and I was proud to introduce Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and other federal officials to the need and its potential interstate impact. Following the U.S. Civil Rights Trail
Congressman Cohen at the monument to Shelby County lynching victims, crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and at the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church This week, I joined a delegation to tour sites along the U.S. Civil Rights Trail in Nashville, Selma, and Montgomery. In the course of the trip, I had the opportunity to again cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge where “Bloody Sunday” occurred on March 7, 1965, as I had in 2010 with my hero John Lewis. I also saw the monument to his sacrifice that day and his enduring legacy, and met with Fred Gray, Rosa Parks’ and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s lawyer and a Civil Rights hero in his own right. We also visited the Rosa Parks Museum and the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church where King was pastor before and during the Montgomery Bus Boycott that raised the Civil Rights Movement to international prominence.
I also toured Montgomery’s National Memorial for Peace and Justice where victims of lynching, including 20 from Memphis-Shelby County, are recognized. It was Ell Persons’ lynching in Shelby County that inspired my introducing the Evaluating Lynching Locations (ELL) for National Park Sites Act, which has been signed into law, requiring a National Park Service study of nationally significant lynching sites, including the site of Ell Persons’ mob execution. Signing Up During Medicare Open Enrollment Starting October 15
Medicare Open Enrollment starts next week. It’s your opportunity to review or change your prescription drug and health coverage for next year. Get a head start by previewing your 2025 options to see if there is a better fit for your needs and budget. Open enrollment will run October 15 through December 7, 2024. You have two main ways to get your Medicare coverage — Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage (Medicare-approved plans from private companies). It’s important to understand the differences between these two options, so consider these things when choosing coverage. Start at Medicare.gov, your official source to find the type of coverage that fits you best. If you need more help comparing options: Beginning in 2025, there will be a $2,000 out-of-pocket cap on prescription drugs for the year, thanks to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which I voted for. If you expect to reach this limit, you might consider signing up for Medicare’s new Prescription Payment Plan, which allows you to pay your drug plan monthly instead of paying your pharmacy when you pick up your prescriptions. Applauding Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment Announcement
The Biden-Harris Administration announced on Thursday that retirees receiving Social Security will see a 2.5 percent increase in benefits next year. The cost-of-living adjustment is welcome news, as is its modest size, which reflects that inflation has declined and that the Biden-Harris economic approach is delivering substantial national benefits, including lower prices and record-low unemployment. Welcoming Ambitious Biden-Harris Initiative to Remove Lead Service Pipes
President Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting to ensure a future where every community has access to clean, safe water. Since day one, the Biden-Harris Administration has worked to ensure that Americans can turn on their faucets and drink clean water without lead or other toxic chemicals. As part of this historic commitment to clean water and environmental justice, President Biden committed to replace every lead pipe in the country within 10 years. On Wednesday, he traveled to Milwaukee to announce a final Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule to complete the process and to invest an additional $2.6 billion for drinking water upgrades and lead pipe replacements, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that I alone among the current Tennessee Congressional delegation voted for. Remembering Ethel Kennedy
June 5, 1968, was one of our nation’s saddest moments. When Senator Robert Kennedy was assassinated in Los Angeles after winning California’s Democratic Party Primary, what was left of the country’s innocence was lost. Left to bear the burden of his legacy and to raise their 11 children was Ethel Kennedy, his widow, who passed on Thursday at the age of 96. The last time I remember talking with Mrs. Kennedy was on June 6, 2018, at the Irish Ambassador’s Residence in D.C., after attending the commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of her husband’s death at Arlington National Cemetery. A huge part of our nation’s past has left us, and she will be missed. See my statement on her passing here. Addressing Implications of Two Powerful Hurricanes
Hurricane Milton The impact of climate change causing warmer ocean temperatures is the stark reality presented by severe back-to-back hurricanes in recent weeks, resulting in the deadliest inland hurricane on record and causing hundreds of millions of dollars damage to the southeast, including parts of East Tennessee. I am concerned with Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s slow response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene compared to the response of other states, but I am even more concerned with the false and harmful misinformation being circulated for apparent partisan gain. This, coupled with some politicians’ continued denial of the impact of ongoing climate change, should be eye-opening. Recognizing National Domestic Violence Day October 17 – Wearing Purple
Next Thursday, during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the country will recognize National Domestic Violence Awareness Day when everyone is encouraged to wear purple. The National Institutes of Health indicates that one in three women and one in four men are victims of physical or emotional abuse from intimate partners. I encourage everyone to wear purple in solidarity with victims. See more on the effort here and resources available in Tennessee here. Signing Up for Grants e-Newsletters
Each week, I send out targeted newsletters to constituents who request them to share information about federal grants they might be eligible to apply for and what business services or supply opportunities are being solicited by federal agencies. In order to begin receiving this information, please go to https://cohen.house.gov/grantsenewsletter and fill out the form. For more information about qualifications, how to apply, and other resources, please visit my website here: https://cohen.house.gov/services/resources/grants. For any additional inquiries, you may call my district office at 901-544-4131 or my Washington, D.C. office at 202-225-3265. Weekly Health Tip
Voting and other forms or civic engagement are good for your mental and physical health, according to reputable medical studies. ’Tis the season to get involved, with Early Voting in Tennessee beginning next Wednesday, October 16, and ending on Thursday, October 31. You can apply for an absentee ballot until October 29. Getting involved improves circulation and hand-to-eye coordination, but it also strengthens our communities and our civic institutions. To find your polling place, visit https://www.usa.gov/find-polling-place. Also, free Covid tests are still available. Please see details on how to order four tests per household at CovidTests.gov. Bill Day Cartoon: “Pathological”
Quote of the Week
“I am going to issue you another challenge... Keep doing what you are already doing. You are doing so good, you’ve done it so well. Continue to help us solve problems that still exist. The last time I saw (Congressman) John Lewis before his death, I asked him what could I do to help reduce the increase in racism that we are seeing these days and the resurgence of hate groups, and he said, ‘Brother, keep pushing, keep going. Set the record straight.’” -- Civil Rights attorney Fred Gray to members of Columbia’s Peace and Justice Committee As always, I remain.
Most sincerely, Steve Cohen
Member of Congress | 