Congressman Cohen Speaks Against Term Limit Constitutional Amendment
Says those who would shut down the government want essential workers to work without pay
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, spoke against a proposed Constitutional amendment establishing term limits for members of Congress and a bill that would allow former Presidents to remove any state case they are involved in, both criminal and civil, to federal court, at the Committee markup earlier today. He criticized the Republican majority for spending valuable Committee time trying to change the law, ostensibly to protect Donald Trump who has been indicted in Georgia and New York, while the nation barrels toward a government shutdown. Cohen excoriated Republican holdouts for wanting essential federal employees to work without pay and cutting off critical services.
In his remarks bill on the exclusive federal court jurisdiction for presidents, which he said is unconstitutional, Congressman Cohen said in part:
“We just took a pledge when we started today to support the Constitution…But it’s all window dressing because this is all about Donald Trump. ‘I pledge allegiance to Donald Trump, former president of the United States, twice impeached president of the United States, four times indicted president of the United States.’ That’s who they pledge allegiance to.”
Earlier, in the markup of the term limits bill, Congressman Cohen said in part:
“People who get 70 percent of the vote, people who get 86 percent of the vote, are wildly popular. The public in my district is not clamoring for term limits. I’ve had people come up to me over the years and tell me ‘never retire, don’t you ever quit.’ They support me because I’m responsive, I know the issues, I stand up for my district and I’m not beholden to lobbyists. To suggest that everybody in this Congress is beholden to lobbyists and they’re rented and they’re bought is wrong…Most, I would say 90 percent of the people here, are scrupulously honest, hardworking, and care about their jobs…
“This (amendment) is part of the ransom for 15 or 20 people holding this country hostage right now by not agreeing to have a continuing (budget) resolution that will pay the military, that will pay the individuals at TSA who’ll have to work and not get paid, that will pay your federal employees who have to work but won’t get paid…Don’t be misled by these people. Remember: This is going to be a Republican shutdown.”
See the entire markup here.
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