Remembering 9/11
Dear Friend,
Wednesday marked the 12th anniversary of the unspeakable acts of evil perpetrated against innocent civilians on 9/11. It was a day for each and every one of us to take time to reflect on the heroism of firefighters, policemen, and other first responders from across the nation, thank those who continue the fight to keep us safe, and honor the victims of the awful terrorist attacks of September 11th. As each year passes, I remember the thousands of innocent lives lost, but I also look back on the stunning selflessness shown by our nation’s first responders and the countless other heroes that were forged that day. I spoke about them on the floor of the House this week—you can watch my remarks here.
Keeping 9/11 Victims in our Hearts
Pumping the Brakes on Syria
Honoring Those Lost in the Fight for Civil Rights
Preventing Another Government Shutdown
Holding the NSA Accountable
Affordable Care Act Update
Grants for Memphis
Remembering Evie Horton
Grant Announcements
Keeping 9/11 Victims in our Hearts
If you have a moment to spare, I hope you will watch one of the most moving tributes to the victims of 9/11 that I have seen, the Young People’s Chorus of New York City singing my friend Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me In Your Heart” at Ground Zero on September 11th, 2010. I know the terrible events of that day deeply affected Warren, as it did each and every one of us, and I will continue to keep those we lost in my heart.
While the cowardice of the 9/11 bombers fades further and further into our collective memory, the shared sense of national unity and purpose that flourished in the aftermath continues to shine. We must not forget that the indomitable American spirit continues to live on as well.
As we stand this week with the families and loved ones of the victims of 9/11, we also honor and remember victims of terrorism around the globe in all its forms—whether perpetrated by al Qaeda or by despotic regimes with little regard for their citizens.
This historically significant week also marked a turning point for the situation in Syria. The threat of military action by President Obama appears to have pushed the Assad regime back to the negotiating table and increased the chances for a diplomatic resolution.
After numerous classified briefings with senior Obama Administration officials, including a nearly three-hour meeting with Vice President Biden at the White House, I am convinced that Bashar al Assad’s regime is behind the use of chemical weapons in an attack on Syrian civilians that violated international law as well as basic human decency.
While I am convinced that these weapons were used, the American people must have a voice in how the United States responds to these violations. I am glad that the President has delayed his request for a Congressional vote on the authorization for the use of military force in Syria. I will continue to listen to the concerns of the people of the Ninth District, weigh the classified intelligence made available by the President and his Administration, and consider the vast geopolitical consequences of military action—or inaction—before deciding on the best path forward. I am hopeful that a diplomatic resolution to this humanitarian crisis can be achieved.
Honoring Those Lost in the Fight for Civil Rights
While 9/11 and the recent abhorrent attacks in Syria are on our minds this week, it is worth remembering that terrorism can take many shapes and does not always look the same—nor is it always from a foreign source. Our nation has a sad history of domestic terrorism as well.
Nearly 50 years ago in 1963, four young African-American girls were brutally killed in an explosion at a church in Birmingham, Alabama—from a bomb that had been planted by white supremacists. The bombers’ goal, like all terrorists, was to frighten the community but the church bombing had the opposite effect. Along with the March on Washington, the loss of these four innocent children had a galvanizing effect on America and within two years, both the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act had passed Congress and been signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson.
On Tuesday, leaders from both the House and the Senate—and from both parties—gathered in the United States Capitol to award Congress’ highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, to those four girls: Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, and Denise McNair. It shouldn’t have taken 50 years, but I’m glad that we’ve recognized their sacrifice and honored them in this way—it was the right thing to do.
Preventing Another Government Shutdown
With funding for the federal government set to expire at the end of the month, Congress must pass a new budget resolution or risk yet another government shutdown that would harm our economy and kill jobs.
Unfortunately—and sadly unsurprisingly—Speaker Boehner and Republican House Leadership were forced to delay a vote on a compromise resolution to avert a shutdown because the Tea Party demanded yet another doomed vote to defund and repeal the Affordable Care Act. Essentially, the Tea Party has decided that holding another vote to repeal, defund, and delay President Obama’s Health Care Reform law is more important than keeping the government running. This is in spite of the fact that each of the previous 41 votes, including this week’s attempt which I voted against, have gone nowhere and stand no chance of having any effect on the law.
I hope House Republicans come to their senses and work in a bipartisan manner to keep the government running.
Earlier this week, and only after lawsuits were filed by privacy groups, the Director of National Intelligence revealed that the National Security Agency (NSA) violated its own rules and misled the court tasked with overseeing it for nearly three years. In that time, the NSA admits it may have spied on American citizens without legal authorization and even without suspecting them of ties to terrorism. According to Bloomberg News, this isn’t even the first time the NSA has admitted to violating surveillance rules or misleading the court.
That’s unacceptable, and the NSA should be held accountable for these violations. But so far, the only court with the authority to reign in the NSA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (or FISA Court), has done little to protect American citizens. I have introduced a bill that could help. My FISA Court Accountability Actwould change the way that members of the court are appointed by giving the American people, through their elected representatives, a say in who ends up on the court and also addresses several other issues.
The FISA Court should act as a check on violations and overreaches from the federal government, but it is unlikely to effectively prevent and fix violations if the vast majority of its members share similar views on personal privacy. My legislation won’t resolve all of our concerns about the FISA Court or NSA surveillance of American citizens, but it’s a start. It will bring accountability and transparency to the FISA Court, and hopefully lead to stronger enforcement of privacy rules meant to protect American citizens.
Yesterday, the United States Department of Health and Human Services released a new report showing just how much President Obama’s landmark Affordable Care Act saved consumers across the nation last year. Because of a provision in the Health Care Reform law that requires that rate increases are reviewed before going into effect, 6.8 million Americans saved an estimated $1.2 billion in 2012. And that’s on top of the estimated $3.4 billion saved on insurance premiums because of protections that ensure more of what you pay for insurance actually goes into paying for health care, rather than advertising, overhead, and profit.
This morning, I announced more than $1.5 million in grant funding for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. The Department of Health and Human Services awarded the funds for four different projects, which you can read more about here.
I was saddened to learn that Evie Horton, a lifelong educator and civic worker, passed away this week. Evie was a beautiful and thoughtful lady who exuded goodness and grace. She was married to Judge Odell Horton, Memphis’ first African American federal judge who is now memorialized at the building in which he held court—which was renamed the Clifford Davis/Odell Horton Federal Building by an Act of Congress that I sponsored. Here’s a photo of Sen. Alexander and I presenting Mrs. Horton and the Horton family with a copy of the Congressional Resolution in 2007.
She loved her husband deeply and, after 50 years of marriage, honored his memory each day following his passing in 2006. Memphis has lost one of its most beautiful citizens. Evie Horton will be sorely missed by all.
I regularly release a list of grant announcements from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and others. These federal funding opportunities are available to faith-based and neighborhood associations, nonprofits and other community organizations in the 9th district. The announcements are updated regularly on my website.
As always, I remain.
Most sincerely,
Steve Cohen
Member of Congress