Remembering Minerva Johnican
Dear Friend,
Last weekend Memphis lost one of its giants – former Criminal Court Clerk, County Commissioner and City Councilwoman Minerva Johnican. She was always a steadfast supporter of my candidacy for public office, which meant much coming from someone who had walked with me all along the way. My life has been blessed and richer for having counted Minerva as my friend.
Remembering Minerva Johnican
NIH and Sequestration
Democratic Caucus Meeting With President Obama
President Obama's Upcoming Trip to Israel
The Ryan Republican Budget
Elvis Presley Boulevard
Temple Israel Students
University of Memphis
Benefits Payments
Help Filing Taxes
EnergySmart Memphis
Grant Announcements
Remembering Minerva Johnican
Last weekend Memphis lost one of its giants. I was sad to hear of the passing of former Criminal Court Clerk, County Commissioner and City Councilwoman Minerva Johnican. Minerva and I have been friends and colleagues for many years. We served together on the Shelby County Commission and, as Commissioners, both voted to build The MED. Minerva was always a steadfast supporter of my candidacy for public office, which meant much coming from someone who had walked with me all along the way. Minerva always fought especially hard for civil rights and she led the way on women’s issues both by example and working in the trenches for equality. My life has been blessed and richer for having counted Minerva as my friend. This is a huge loss for Memphis but I know she would want the torch picked up and carried on and I hope her life will serve to inspire others to serve as selflessly as she did.
NIH and Sequestration
We recently learned that actress Valerie Harper has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Her tragic and unfortunate condition is helping shed light on sequestration and its ill effects on funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), our country’s foremost medical research center. I spoke on the House floor yesterday about how we need to increase funding for NIH, not slash it. Click here to see my remarks.
Democratic Caucus Meeting With President Obama
Yesterday I met with President Obama and other members of the Democratic Caucus in the U.S. Capitol to discuss sequestration, budget cuts, the economy and other important topics. During a Question and Answer segment I asked the President to not cut funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or for medical research. The President agreed with me that NIH funding should not be cut due to sequestration considering how medical funding in China and Germany are not being slashed – if these cuts go through, our country will fall further behind in terms of research on Cancer, Alzheimer's, HIV/AIDS, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Parkinson's, and Post-Polio.
Sequestration will cut funding for NIH by more than $1.6 billion. I stressed that while we talk about the monetary debt left to future generations, that medical research is critical to the infrastructure of the human body and not making medical advances and finding cures will cost future generations greatly. It’s possible that a cure can be found for the disease plaguing Valerie Harper but that it might come too late -- just like how as a child I missed the Salk vaccine by one year and contracted polio. Click here to learn more about NIH.
President Obama’s Upcoming Trip to Israel
This week I went to the White House with other members of Congress to discuss President Obama’s upcoming trip to Israel, which will take place next week. Vice President Joe Biden was at the briefing and spoke about the President’s itinerary and stressed how important this trip is and how it will improve the strong alliance and friendship between Israel and the United States. Click here to read more about President Obama’s upcoming trip to Israel.
The Ryan Republican Budget
This week Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan released this year’s version of the House Republican budget. I spoke on the House floor about this today and you can see my remarks by clicking here. The Republican budget is nothing more than more of the same. It still destroys jobs, puts our economic recovery at risk, and slashes funding for NIH and medical research. It still protects the wealthiest at the expense of the middle class. It still undermines the health and economic security of the elderly and disabled. It still ends the Medicare guarantee and shifts costs to seniors. This proposal is an exercise in contradictions. Republicans repeal the Affordable Care Act while counting on the law’s savings to balance their budget. They claim to protect Medicare while devising a plan to end it for future generations.
Republicans promise opportunity for all Americans while hurting working families and protecting special interests. Put simply, the Republican budget pledges to balance our books without taking a balanced approach to deficit reduction. Americans deserve better than the same old fuzzy Republican math and budget gimmicks. Democrats, led by Budget Committee Ranking Member Chris Van Hollen, will put forward a better approach: a fair plan focused on creating jobs, growing the economy, strengthening the middle class, and responsibly reducing the deficit. That is the real way we can reignite the American Dream and build ladders of opportunity for anyone willing to work hard, take responsibility, and play by the rules.
Elvis Presley Boulevard
Construction begins this weekend at the intersection of Brooks Road and Elvis Presley Boulevard in Whitehaven. The project is one of Memphis’ most ambitious neighborhood makeovers in years and I was proud to support legislation that provided millions in federal funding for the project. Although the temporary construction will shutter a popular intersection and prove to be a temporary inconvenience for commuters, the project will improve Memphis’ overall transportation network and help bring economic development to Whitehaven that will help create jobs. Click here to learn more.
Temple Israel Students
Temple Israel students from Memphis were in Washington, D.C. today to deliver a presentation on immigration, gun violence, Israel and the Employement Non-Discrimination Act. Rabbi Micah Greenstein and the students did a great job and we were happy to have Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz participate.
University of Memphis
On Wednesday I announced that the University of Memphis has been awarded $346,324 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for cancer cause and prevention research. The funds will be distributed via the National Cancer Institute.
Benefits Payments
If you currently receive benefit payments from Social Security, Veterans Affairs, Supplemental Security Income, Railroad Retirement Board, the Department of Labor, or the Office of Personnel Management, you may recently have received correspondence about switching the method of delivery of your benefit from paper checks to electronic payments. Electronic payments are safer, easier, and more convenient than paper checks. In addition, the Treasury Department’s move to electronic payments is expected to save taxpayers more than $100 million each year. Currently, 93 percent of all federal benefit recipients receive their payments electronically. Beneficiaries can sign up for the electronic payment option by calling (800) 333-1795. You can also learn more at https://www.godirect.org/
Help Filing Taxes
Tax filing season began on January 30. Here is a link that you can use to find the nearest IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance site. Constituents earning less than $57,000 per year can file for free. There are a lot of tax scams out there, even in Memphis. I encourage you to use this website to find an IRS-approved tax consultant who can help you for free. You can also file online directly through the IRS here: https://www.irs.gov/Filing
EnergySmart Memphis
EnergySmart Memphis is a year-long energy education and home improvement initiative designed to help Memphians save money on their energy costs. EnergySmart Memphis is a partnership between MLGW, City and County government agencies, Community Development Corporations and non-profit organizations, and the Tennessee Valley Authority. Through EnergySmart Memphis, an estimated 3,000 MLGW customers will receive in-depth energy conservation training; eligible customers will have weatherization improvements made to their home through this initiative; a series of Energy Education Workshops will be conducted city and county-wide at area libraries; and the initiative includes weatherization kits for qualified homeowners to receive minor and major home repairs. Click here to learn more.
Grant Announcements
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.
Wishing you a happy and safe weekend,
As always, I remain,
Most sincerely,
Steve Cohen
Member of Congress