Media

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) today announced the Memphis Bioworks Foundation has been awarded $760,000 by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the construction of the UT-Baptist Research Park in the downtown Memphis Medical Center.

“Because the Deepwater Horizon was flagged in the Marshall Islands, it was subject to limited safety examinations and minimal oversight, levels that pale in comparison to U.S. vessels. If the BP oil spill has taught us anything, it is that we cannot permit companies to cut corners at the expense of safety,” said Congressman Cohen. “My bill would ensure that only American flagged vessels, all of which meet the highest safety standards in the world, can conduct offshore drilling in U.S. waters.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) today issued the following statement mourning the death of Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) today announced the University of Tennessee Health Science Center was awarded $348,400 for diabetes, endocrinology and metabolic research from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Memphis and Shelby County have some of the highest diabetes rates in the nation.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) today voted to support the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act of 2010 (H.R. 2194) – legislation that would help persuade Iran’s leaders to halt their nuclear development program.

“The idea of Iran having nuclear weapons is scary,” said Congressman Cohen. “A nuclear-armed Iran would pose a threat to America, the Middle East and the world. Sanctions are our best hope for maintaining a nuclear free Iran.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) today voted to support the Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act (H.R. 5175). The measure would provide new rules for political spending by corporations, labor unions and interest groups and is a result of the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-9), Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law (CAL), today held a hearing on the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. At the hearing, the Congressman asked what officials at the Division thought about BP being placed into receivership to ensure the oil company will have enough assets to cover the cost of damages to the Gulf Coast and the thousands of families affected by this disaster.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN) joined with Congressman Peter Welch (D-VT) and representatives from the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club and Corporate Ethics International to urge Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to oppose the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline project proposed by TransCanada. The controversial project would extend 2,000 miles across the United States from Alberta, Canada to the Gulf Coast in Texas.