Wishing Everyone a Nice Labor Day Weekend
Dear Friend,
As Labor Day approaches, I wish everyone a nice long and restful weekend. This week, I publicized the real harm being done to Tennesseans by the One Big Ugly Bill Donald Trump signed into law on July 4 to give tax breaks to billionaires, expressed concern at Trump’s attempt to take control of the Federal Reserve, wrote to the Environmental Protection Agency’s administrator urging him to reverse new and misguided air pollution and vehicle emissions standards, invited talented computer coders in middle and high schools to enter the Congressional App Challenge, joined Congressional colleagues in an amicus brief advocating the extension of temporary protective status for Haitian immigrants, offered a holiday-related health tip, a Bill Day Cartoon and a Friday Flashback. Keep reading and follow me on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram to see what I am doing as it happens.
Wishing Everyone a Nice Labor Day Weekend
Demonstrating Harms Being Done by One Big Ugly Law
Expressing Concern at Trump Attempt to Take Over the Fed
Urging Reversal of Harmful EPA Air Pollution Policies
Inviting Students to Participate in Congressional App Challenge
Advocating Temporary Protective Status for Haitian Refugees
Wishing Everyone a Nice Labor Day Weekend
The Labor Day Weekend is about to begin and, with it, the traditional end of summer. I wish all my constituents, friends and colleagues a safe and relaxing holiday and remind them of what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said in Memphis in 1968: “All labor has dignity.”
Demonstrating Harms Being Done by One Big Ugly Law
This week, Fair Share America, an initiative advocating tax justice, examined the impact on Tennessee of the One Big Ugly Bill that Trump signed into law on July 4. The graphic above spells out what we are all losing in exchange for tax breaks for billionaires.
Expressing Concern at Trump Attempt to Take Over the Fed
President Trump’s constant attacks on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell slowed this week as he took aim at Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook in a transparent effort to stack the board with the sycophants who would follow his dictate on interest rates. This dangerous gamble is roiling financial markets fearful that the historically independent Fed might come under his short-sighted political control. Trump has no authority to fire board members without legitimate cause.
Urging Reversal of Harmful EPA Air Pollution Policies
This week, I joined Congresswoman Doris Matsui of California and dozens of my congressional colleagues in a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin urging him to reverse a decision to rescind a 2009 agency determination that greenhouse gases cause climate change, endanger public health and must be regulated under the Clean Air Act. The letter also asked Zeldin to reverse a decision to eliminate federal emissions standards for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles. The Trump Administration is devoted to the fossil fuel industry to the detriment of our public and environmental health and must reverse course.
Inviting Students to Participate in Congressional App Challenge
Registration for the prestigious Congressional App Challenge is now under way with an October 30 at 11 a.m. Central Time deadline. The computer science coding competition for middle and high school students has grown exponentially since its inception in 2013. Participants living in or going to school in Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District are eligible and can use any platform or programming language. Winners will be invited to the U.S. Capitol to demonstrate their projects in Spring 2026. See details and register here.
Advocating Temporary Protective Status for Haitian Refugees
This week, I signed on to a “friend of the court” brief to preserve Haitian refugees’ temporary protective status (TPS) under our immigration laws. The brief notes the positive contributions Haitian immigrants are making to the United States and argues that Congress has a clear interest in preserving TPS and that a sudden termination of TPS for Haitians would harm the economy.
As the Labor Day holiday approaches, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Fire Administration have good guidance for safe barbecue grilling. Among the suggestions: keep a three-foot safe zone around the grill to avoid danger to children and pets. See all the recommendations here. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also has good advice about safely handling meat, fish and poultry while grilling here.
A Bill Day Cartoon – “Police State”
This is from the ceremony on August 12, 2015, when the Elvis Presley First Class Forever postage stamp was issued in Memphis at Graceland. With me are Priscilla Presley, Jack Soden and then-Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell.
“So, if you’re (former Trump National Security Advisor) John Bolton, you get your home seized. If you’re on the Federal Reserve and you won’t lower interest rates, you get threatened with prosecution or with firing. If you’re a general, like the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and you issue a report — or the agency does, casting doubt on the success of U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities — you get fired. If you are the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics and you give a jobs report that the president doesn’t like, you get fired. They’re essentially going after any critic, any opposition, in an effort to intimidate them. That’s what this is about.” – Senator Adam Schiff of California on “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
As always, I remain
Sincerely,
|
Steve Cohen
Member of Congress