Sequestration

Dear Friend,

President Obama met today with Senate and House leaders at the White House to discuss how they can minimize the negative effects of sequestration – the across-the-board budget cuts that threaten the economic growth our country has made recently. It’s important that Republicans end their obstructionist ways and work with President Obama and Democrats to end these dangerous budget cuts as quickly as possible.

Sequestration
Proposed Airlines Merger
Rosa Parks Statue
Chuck Hagel and Jack Lew
Ending Violence Against Women
National Consumer Protection Week
Benefits Payments
Help Filing Taxes
EnergySmart Memphis
Grant Announcements

Sequestration
Today is March 1 – the day sequestration goes into effect. It is critical that Republicans work with President Obama and Democrats on how best to prevent the across-the-board cuts from hurting our economy too much, and the House should remain in session until this is settled. The impact of sequestration on the American economy, middle class families, and small businesses could be devastating. As a result of sequestration, Unemployment Insurance payments will be reduced, cuts will be made to the WIC food and nutrition program, and airports will see flight delays and FAA cuts.

There’s also a possibility of the air traffic control tower shutting down at Millington Regional Jetport due to sequestration. Today I sent a letter to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta expressing my concern about a possible shutdown of the tower and its negative effects on the 9th District. The closing of any air traffic control towers in the Memphis region would have a negative impact on cargo flow. The flow of cargo is so important to our country’s economy, especially in the Memphis region with FedEx. What’s good for FedEx is good for the nation; formerly, it was said what is good for General Motors is good for the country.

The time has come for Republicans to stop trying to score political points for the next election and work with our President on a balanced approach toward creating jobs, growing our economy, and reducing the deficit. I voted against the bill that created the committee that resulted in the sequestration option. The negative impact of sequestration was obvious then and should have been foreseen by my colleagues in Congress.

The clock is ticking. The faster Congress acts the better off the country will be. Democrats have put a balanced solution on the table. But Republicans have not offered a single proposal to address sequestration in this Congress. The GOP prefers sequesters over solutions – they don’t have a plan, and they have not allowed a vote on the Democratic plan. Unless House Republicans permit a vote, the middle class will pay a hefty price.

With the sequestration in effect, in the coming weeks and months, Americans will see: Greater uncertainty, instability, and insecurity in our economy; Teacher layoffs and indiscriminate cuts to special education; Debilitating cuts to health care for military families; and a loss of millions of meals for seniors. Time is of the essence, and Republicans must end their games and work with Democrats to replace these unnecessary cuts and enact legislation to create jobs, strengthen the middle class, grow the economy, and responsibly reduce the deficit. Click here to learn more about sequestration.

Proposed Airlines Merger

On Tuesday I participated in a hearing on the proposed merger between American Airlines and US Airways as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law. I am cautious about airline mergers ever since Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines joined together in Memphis. That merger resulted in Memphis International Airport losing flights and jobs that we are still trying to recover and that is why I have been encouraging several airlines to consider bringing their flights and business to our airport – one of the most cost effective airports in the country. Click here to see my opening remarks at the hearing and click here to see my question and answer segments.

Rosa Parks Statue

Rosa Parks is the first African American woman to be honored with a full-length statue in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall. The statue of Parks joins a bust of another African American female hero, abolitionist Sojourner Truth, which sits in the Capitol Visitors Center. I was proud to attend the ceremony along with President Obama and other dignitaries who took part in the unveiling on Wednesday.


Parks, who passed away in 2005 at the age of 92, is a Civil Rights icon who was one of the most inspiring women of the 20th century. Her refusal to give up her bus seat to a white passenger on December 1, 1955, a seminal moment of the Civil Rights Movement, sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Another Civil Rights hero (as well as one of my personal heroes) U.S. Rep. John Conyers was elected to Congress in 1964, the year the Civil Rights Act was passed. He immediately hired Rosa Parks as a member of his Congressional staff, where she worked for more than 20 years. Click here to learn more about Rosa Parks.

Chuck Hagel and Jack Lew
This week the U.S. Senate approved Chuck Hagel as the new Secretary of Defense and Jack Lew as the new Secretary of the Treasury. Both men bring a wealth of knowledge and passion to their new roles. I look forward to working with them to bring more federal funds to Memphis and to looking for ways to eliminate wasteful spending so we can grow our economy, create jobs and reduce our nation’s deficit in a responsible way. Click here to learn more about Chuck Hagel and here to learn more about Jack Lew.

Ending Violence Against Women

Yesterday the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) – which I cosponsored – passed the House of Representatives. Since its original passage in 1994, Congress has worked on a bipartisan basis to not only reauthorize VAWA -- which helps investigate and prosecute violent crimes against women -- but to improve its ability to protect victims and ensure that law enforcement has the tools it needs to prosecute abusers. Last year, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan reauthorization of VAWA, with key provisions strengthening the law, by a vote of 68 to 31.

However, Republican leadership in the House refused to bring this bipartisan bill to the floor, and VAWA failed to secure reauthorization in the last Congress. Yesterday, House Republican Leadership brought a VAWA bill to the House floor that lacks protections for LGBT Americans, immigrants, and Native Americans. Once that measure failed on the House floor, a vote was taken on the stronger Senate VAWA bill that already passed the Senate by a vote of 78-22. The measure that passed had the support of key Republican women in the Senate and more than 150 House cosponsors, and yet more than 130 House Republicans voted against the measure.

National Consumer Protection Week
March 3 to March 9 is National Consumer Protection Week. It is important that people take advantage of their consumer rights and make informed decisions when purchasing products to protect themselves against crimes like identity theft. Click here to learn more about how to protect your privacy, stay safe online, manage your money, avoid identity theft, understand mortgages, and steer clear of fraud and scams.

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