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Cohen Reacts to President Obama’s State Of The Union Address

January 12, 2016

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice, tonight issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s State of the Union speech:

“Tonight, President Obama spoke directly to the American people to lay out his vision for the future of our country. I was particularly pleased the President spoke about the need to give everyone a fair shot at opportunity by raising the minimum wage. He was also correct that we need strengthen Social Security and Medicare, not weaken them, and to invest in medical research to cure diseases like cancer. I know he is also committed to criminal justice reform, and I hope my colleagues will work together to put meaningful reform on his desk. Our nation’s prison population has grown 500% in the last thirty years. More than 60% of this population are racial and ethnic minorities. For African American males in their thirties, 1 in 10 is in prison or jail on any given day. This is unconscionable. There is a real bipartisan opportunity this year in Congress for progress, and we cannot afford to let it pass.”