Press Releases

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today introduced the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Equity Act, which would update the current U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) CDBG funding criteria and adopt a single formula for grants based on factors reflecting current needs.

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) this evening enthusiastically endorsed an updated Heroes Act to address the ongoing health and economic catastrophe with much-needed assistance to protect lives, livelihoods and the life of our democracy. The $2.2 trillion measure is a scaled down version of the Heroes Act the House passed four months ago but which the Senate has failed to consider.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today wrote to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin for the second time, asking for clarification of his plan to forgive Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans despite clear evidence that some were obtained by fraud. In today's letter, Congressman Cohen also asked Mnuchin to review coronavirus-related loans to businesses associated with President Trump in light of recent revelations that several businesses with ties to the president received millions of dollars in loans.

His letter reads in part:

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, today released a statement after President Trump announced his nominee to succeed the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg:

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today wrote to House Democratic Leaders asking that they include elements of three bills he has cosponsored supporting the entertainment, hospitality and restaurant industries in any new coronavirus relief package.

The letter reads in part:

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, today presided over a hearing on Oversight of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.

In his opening statement, Chairman Cohen spoke of the division's failure to defend and, on some occasions, active efforts to erode Americans' voting rights. He said in part:

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today led a letter with his Congressional colleagues asking Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Charles P. Rettig to extend the deadline and expand outreach efforts for an estimated 9 million people eligible for economic impact payments but whose incomes do not require that they file annual federal tax returns. The current deadline is October 15.

The letter reads in part:

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced that St. Jude Children's Research Hospital will receive a grant of $448,750 from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for research on neurological disorders.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

"This is important funding for our premier, Memphis-based children's medical research institution and will go a long way in advancing its ongoing work on neurological disorders. This investment in our community will ultimately improve health outcomes."