Voting to Prevent Bad Public Policy
January 13, 2023 |
Dear Friend, The opening salvos of the new House Republican majority proved to be a series of bad ideas – from repealing funds to go after ultrawealthy tax cheats and improve taxpayer customer service, to creating a select subcommittee to investigate phony conspiracy theories – and I voted against them. I also spoke and voted against a one-sided partisan resolution condemning political violence against only the pro-life side of the reproductive rights debate; re-introduced the Safer Streets Act; re-introduced the Private Student Loan Bankruptcy Fairness Act; re-introduced the Justice for Victims of Kleptocracy Act; introduced the Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for Farm Animals Act; remembered Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in advance of what would be his 94th birthday; expressed my sadness at the passing of Lisa Marie Presley; announced funding for the Regional One Medical Center’s residency program; reminded constituents of the January 15 deadline for signing up for Healthcare.gov plans; offered 2023 U.S. Capitol Historical Society calendars; and provided a health tip linked to recent Mid-South weather events. Keep reading and follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see what I am doing as it happens. Voting to Prevent Bad Public Policy Speaking Out Against One-Sided Resolution on Political Violence Re-Introducing Safer Streets Act Introducing Bill Reforming Bankruptcy Law for Student Borrowers Introducing Justice for Victims of Kleptocracy Act Introducing Measure to Address Emergency Preparedness for Farm Animals Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Expressing Sadness at the Death of Lisa Marie Presley Announcing Residency Funding for Regional One Medical Center Signing Up for Healthcare.gov by January 15 Deadline Offering 2023 U.S. Capitol Historical Society Calendars Voting to Prevent Bad Public Policy This week, as the 118th Congress got underway, I voted against a series of bad public policy initiatives advanced by the new Republican majority. Among them, I voted against a proposal to create a select subcommittee to weaponize House Republicans’ majority to investigate the conspiratorial claim that the federal government, including the FBI, has conspired to undermine conservatives and Trump supporters. I also voted against a Republican measure to reward their wealthy and well-connected backers while adding $114 billion to the deficit by making it easier for big corporations and billionaires to get away with not paying taxes and reducing customer service for regular taxpayers. While these measures passed the Republican-controlled House, neither will get passed by the Democrat-controlled Senate or signed into law by President Biden. See my floor speech on the tax bill here. Unfortunately, we can expect a continuous barrage of similarly bad public policy initiatives for the next two years and I want to assure you I will be vigilant in defending democracy, taxpayer interests and American values. Speaking Out Against One-Sided Resolution on Political Violence On Wednesday, I went to the House floor to speak against a partisan resolution condemning political violence against only pro-life, anti-reproductive autonomy groups. In my speech, I pointed out that 11 Americans have been murdered while defending reproductive rights and that the Knoxville Planned Parenthood facilities were recently destroyed by an arsonist weeks before its scheduled opening. I voted against the one-sided measure, arguing that all political violence must be rejected. See my speech and the release here. Re-Introducing Safer Streets Act On Thursday, I reintroduced the Safer Streets Act to provide targeted law enforcement funding to communities – like Memphis – with higher-than-average crime rates. See my release here. Introducing Bill Reforming Bankruptcy Law for Student Borrowers In 2005, Congress altered bankruptcy laws to prevent private student debt from being dischargeable in bankruptcy, a gift to lenders but bad public policy for students caught in the mire of student debt. On Monday, I introduced the Private Student Loan Bankruptcy Fairness Act, treating private student debt like any other unsecured debt in bankruptcy. See my release here. Introducing Justice for Victims of Kleptocracy Act The first bill I introduced in the new Congress was the Justice for Victims of Kleptocracy Act. As a senior member of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, I have been working to punish kleptocrats around the world and prevent them from operating with impunity, especially in places like Russia and Belarus. The measure I introduced continues this important work by directing the U.S. Department of Justice to publish and update the amount of money that has been stolen by the authoritarian leaders of kleptocratic regimes and recovered by U.S. law enforcement. This straightforward measure would demonstrate America’s commitment to the rule of law around the world and send a powerful message to those suffering under kleptocracies that the United States is serious about supporting them. See my release here. Introducing Measure to Address Emergency Preparedness for Farm Animals On Tuesday, I introduced the Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for Farm Animals Act. Each year, as many as a million farm animals are killed in weather-related or other disasters and the loss is covered by taxpayers. My bill would require producers to have in place disaster-mitigation plans as a condition for coverage under the U.S. Department of Agriculture animal-loss indemnity programs. See my release here. Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. On Sunday, we will celebrate what should be Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 94th birthday, and on Monday we will commemorate the national holiday in his honor. King’s assassination in Memphis remains an open wound in the history of our nation, but we keep his dream alive in the remembrance. I plan to deliver MIFA meals during Monday's Day of Service. See my statement on the holiday here. Expressing Sadness at the Death of Lisa Marie Presley Sunday. I was deeply saddened Thursday night to learn that Lisa Marie Presley – Elvis and Priscilla’s only child – had died in Southern California. She had just been at Graceland for her father’s on Sunday. She was a child of Memphis, and I think we all looked at her as one of us. Please see the statement of condolences I put out Thursday night here. Announcing Residency Funding for Regional One Medical Center The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has awarded Regional One Medical Center funding for additional residency positions, strengthening our local doctor workforce and supporting patients in our community. See my release on the announcement here. Signing Up for Healthcare.gov by January 15 Deadline The deadline for signing up or making changes to existing Healthcare.gov programs is Sunday, January 15. If you receive or want to receive health insurance through the federal marketplace, please go to Healthcare.gov for everything you need to know to sign up for or make adjustments to your existing marketplace plan. Offering 2023 U.S. Capitol Historical Society Calendars My office will have a limited number of 2023 U.S. Capitol Historical Society calendars available. If you would like to receive a calendar, please complete THIS FORM on my website. Due to the rules of the House, I am only able to mail calendars to residents of Tennessee's Ninth District. Due to severe winter weather, the Tennessee Valley Authority recently ordered rolling electricity blackouts and water service interruptions in Memphis and Shelby County which required the Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) Division to order a system-wide boil water order. Some areas have also experienced local flooding. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention provides good guidance for dealing with potentially contaminated water and boil water orders. See that guidance here. “But I also want to make clear that we will never compromise our principles. House Democrats will always put: American values over autocracy. Benevolence over bigotry. The Constitution over the cult. Democracy over demagogues. Economic opportunity over extremism. Freedom over fascism. Governing over gaslighting. Hopefulness over hatred. Inclusion over isolation. Justice over judicial overreach. Knowledge over kangaroo courts. Liberty over limitation. Maturity over Mar-a-Lago. Normalcy over negativity. Opportunity over obstruction. People over politics. Quality of life issues over Q-Anon. Reason over racism. Substance over slander. Triumph over tyranny. Understanding over ugliness. Voting Rights over voter suppression. Working families over the well-connected. Xenial over xenophobia. Yes we can over you can't do it. And zealous representation over a zero-sum confrontation. We will always do the right thing by the American people. So let us not grow weary of doing good, for the American people will reap the benefit of the harvest if we do not give up.” – House Democratic Party Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ opening remarks last Saturday morning, opening the 118th Congress. As always, I remain. Steve Cohen |