Voting Against a Disastrous Budget Reconciliation Bill
Dear Friend, This week, I returned to Washington and voted against a cruel and dangerous budget reconciliation bill that will do real harm to many people in Tennessee’s Ninth Congressional District and across the country. I also held an event at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital to showcase the pediatric ambulances that I secured funding for, joined University of Memphis officials for a discussion of their priorities, spoke against the hands-off approach the Trump administration has taken toward domestic, right-wing antisemites, condemned the senseless killing of Israeli young diplomats, remembered my Congressional colleague Gerry Connolly of Virginia, and offered a Friday Flashback, a Doonesbury cartoon, and a health tip. Keep reading and follow me on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram to see what I am doing as it happens. Voting Against a Disastrous Budget Reconciliation Bill Celebrating Arrival of Pediatric Ambulances for Le Bonheur Sharing a Pizza Lunch with University of Memphis Officials Applauding Litigation Task Force Win for the Department of Education Speaking Against Home-Grown, Right-Wing Antisemitism Condemning the Senseless Killing of Israeli Young Diplomats Remembering Congressman Gerry Connolly Voting Against a Disastrous Budget Reconciliation Bill On Thursday morning at 6:56 a.m. the House passed the disastrous and cruel budget reconciliation bill on a 215-214 vote. Of course, I voted against it. There are so many things to object to in this measure that I’ll only mention a few: it will kick 8 million people off Medicaid, remove access to health insurance marketplace coverage from 5 million, and take SNAP assistance away from millions of children, senior citizens, and people with disabilities. It will extend trillions of dollars in tax cuts from Trump’s first term, skewed toward those making more than $400,000 a year. It will add $2.4 trillion over 10 years to the national debt which is already more than $36 trillion. It could require nearly $500 billion in cuts to Medicare over the next decade. And it removes restrictions on air and water pollution. In short, millions of people will be poorer and sicker while the rich will get richer. It’s worth noting that Republicans insisted on debating this measure beginning at 1 a.m. on Wednesday and then took procedural votes on Thursday in the pre-dawn hours largely to keep the American public from seeing what they are doing. It’s a sad day for our country but, as I’ve said before, I will continue in my role as the loyal opposition to this dangerous approach to governing. Celebrating Arrival of Pediatric Ambulances for Le Bonheur
This morning, I held a press conference with officials from Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital to celebrate the arrival of two intensive care pediatric ambulances for which I secured $1 million in community project funding. These are state-of-the-art vehicles and will save lives in not just Shelby and Tipton counties but in the broader Mid-South region. I was pleased to speak with Le Bonheur President and Surgeon-in-Chief Trey Eubanks, Dr. Rudy Kink of the Pedi-Flite transportation team, and Micheal Ugwueke, President and CEO of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, and commend them for the work they do for children and their parents every day. Sharing a Pizza Lunch with University of Memphis Officials
On Tuesday, I met with officials from the University of Memphis governmental affairs team, including executive director Ken Moody. We discussed the University’s priorities and the imminent launch of The Polytechnic, a workforce training initiative within the Herff College of Engineering. The University is doing great things for its students and the wider community, and I am always pleased to hear about its ongoing progress. Applauding Litigation Task Force Win for the Department of Education
As a member of the House Democrats’ Litigation and Rapid Response Task Force created to address Trump Administration power grabs through intervention in the federal courts, I applauded Thursday’s ruling by a Boston federal judge preventing the dismantling of the Department of Education. I signed on to the task force’s amicus curiae brief in State of New York v. Linda McMahon. We have had much success across the country in courts where judges have been appointed by the last six presidents, Republican and Democratic. This is a victory for the Department of Education but also for the American people and the rule of law. Speaking Against Home-Grown, Right-Wing Antisemitism
The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, named for my late Congressional colleague, human rights champion, and Holocaust survivor from California, held a hearing Tuesday on the “Worldwide Persecution of Jews.” In my opening statement, I recited a litany of recent antisemitic incidents in the United States instigated by homegrown, right-wing extremists, like the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, and Ku Klux Klan, and suggested the Trump administration “cuddles up” to them. There are Trump administration officials with known antisemitic histories, a fact that should concern us all. Condemning the Senseless Killing of Israeli Young Diplomats I was deeply saddened by the apparently politically motivated killing of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim who worked for the Israeli Embassy in Washington and were shot outside the Capital Jewish Museum Wednesday night, just three blocks from my residence in D.C. This act of antisemitic violence is despicable, and I hope justice will be swiftly served. Remembering Congressman Gerry Connolly
On Wednesday, we learned that my friend and Congressional colleague Gerry Connolly passed after a battle with cancer. Gerry was a true public servant and had his priorities straight, working through last week to make the Trump administration accountable as the top Democrat on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The flags at the Capitol are at half-staff in his honor and the House paid tribute Thursday morning with a moment of silence (pictured above). His powerful and compassionate influence will be missed.
Garry Trudeau’s “Doonesbury” comic strip is no longer published in The Commercial Appeal, but it is in The Washington Post, where this cartoon ran on Sunday. I asked Mr. Trudeau if I could reprint it here, and he graciously agreed. It’s political, satirical and sends an important message about the kind of misleading, literally Orwellian rhetoric we’re seeing from the Trump administration. It’s sad some news organizations shy away from such political discourse. “Doonesbury” is a national treasure. If you’d like us to print more of these with Mr. Trudeau’s permission, please let us know.
In an effort to prevent West Nile Virus infections, the Shelby County Health Department will do truck-mounted mosquito spraying in the pre-dawn hours next Tuesday through Friday in the 38017, 38125, 38139,38115, 38125, 38141 38106, 38109, 38113, 38126, 38104, 38114, 38104, 38105, 38107, 38108, 38112, 38111, 38114 and 38106 ZIP Codes. People with chronic health problems, including asthma, are urged to remain indoors during the spraying, which will end by 6:45 a.m. each day. See details here.
“The moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in shadows of life, the sick, the needy, and the handicapped.” – Hubert H. Humphrey “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” – Franklin Delano Roosevelt I hope everyone has a nice Memorial Day weekend. As always, I remain Sincerely,
Steve Cohen
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