Still No Shutdown Breakthrough
Dear Friend,
Today is the 11th day of this unnecessary government shutdown and, while there have been some hopeful signs, there has been no breakthrough yet. In less than a week, we face an even bigger crisis: the global economy could unravel if Congress fails to allow the nation to pay its bills. If the Tea Party refuses to drop their irresponsible and reckless demands and forces our nation to default on its debts—debts that Congress had already voted to incur—the world’s economy could pay a heavier price than it did during the 2008 financial crisis. Every reputable economist agrees: the effects of not extending the debt limit would be catastrophic.
America Pays Its Debts
Ready to Negotiate to Get our Government Back to Work
Keeping Memphians Healthy
Bringing More Service to the Memphis Airport
Grant Announcements
In recent days, some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have claimed that allowing the country to pay its bills would increase our debt—but they are trying to mislead the public with inaccurate claims. When they say that Congress should not extend the debt limit because it increases our nation’s debt, it is no truer than a family refusing to pay a credit card bill because it costs the family money. It’s the spending that costs the family, not paying the bill.
It is not an example of fiscal restraint to miss a payment that is owed; it just hurts the family’s credit rating and makes it harder for them to buy a car or a house in the future. If the U.S. fails to pay its bills, the Tea Party won’t be saving our nation any money—but they will guarantee that those who trusted America think long and hard about doing it again.
A surprising number of Tea Party extremists have also tried their best in recent weeks to downplay the catastrophic impact of not paying our bills and not extending the debt limit. Those doing that could not be more wrong. Merely the threat of not paying our bills is already damaging our economy and jobs in America. If creditors stop trusting the United States government to repay its debts, the impact would be devastating. The price of gasoline would increase if the dollar loses value, interest rates for home loans and credit cards would skyrocket, and Americans could lose their retirement savings. Make no mistake: failing to pay our nation’s bills would be a disaster for American families and for the middle class. You can read Paul Krugman’s column in today’s New York Times to learn more.
Ready to Negotiate to Get our Government Back to Work
Prior to the federal government shutting down last week, the Tea Party made their position clear: they would not fund the government unless they could take away health benefits from millions of Americans, including more than 100,000 Ninth District constituents. There have been more than 40 votes in the House of Representatives to repeal the President’s landmark Affordable Care Act, which is known to many as “Obamacare.” Not a single vote has gone anywhere. Now they have taken our nation’s government and economy hostage to get their way—even though they already got the budget numbers that Speaker Boehner demanded. If he could take “yes” for an answer and let the House vote on the funding levels that he had previously agreed to, the Speaker could re-open the government today.
The Affordable Care Act is the law of the land. It was passed by both houses of Congress, signed by the President, upheld by the Supreme Court, and then ratified by President Obama’s re-election last year. Today, it’s helping millions of Americans afford quality health coverage, ensuring that no one can be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition, saving seniors money on their prescription drugs, and keeping young people insured. Republicans have shut down the government and are holding our economy hostage in an attempt to take that all away. These tactics are wrong, and they must stop. This week, I appeared on MSNBC’s Jansing & Co. and spoke on the House floor about how we ended up here what we can do now.
Our nation, our economy, and the middle-class should not be held for ransom by an extreme faction of one party in one house of Congress. Today, that faction isn’t even sure what they are holding our nation hostage for. First, they wouldn’t keep the government open unless the President dropped his signature legislative achievement. Then they wouldn’t reopen the government unless the Affordable Care Act was delayed. Since the shutdown started their demands have shifted almost every day. And while some brave Republicans have stepped forward and shown that they are willing to cooperate and get the government back to work, Tea Party Senator Ted Cruz of Texas is telling his extremist colleagues to dig in even further and keep the nation at a standstill.
The President and Democrats are ready to negotiate as soon as Republicans put the government back to work and pay the bills that they helped rack up. All we are asking for is a simple vote to end the government shutdown and to pay our bills so that we can avert an economic shutdown. We are ready to negotiate, but real negotiations cannot occur with the government shut down and the threat of default hurting our economy and killing jobs.
Earlier this week, well-respected Memphis physician—and my friend—Dr. Manoj Jain wrote in the Commercial Appeal that “illnesses do not look at political preference. It does not matter if you are a Democrat or a Republican, you favor Obamacare or don’t favor Obamacare, getting health insurance is not about your ideology; rather, it is about your health.” Dr. Jain couldn’t be more right, and his words are an effective reminder that it doesn’t matter what side of the political aisle we sit on—all Memphians should have quality health coverage for their own benefit. Luckily, many who have been unable to afford quality coverage in the past are now eligible to enroll in Tennessee’s Health Insurance Marketplace thanks to Obamacare.
If you are on Medicare or your employer is going to continue offering health insurance next year, you’re already covered and won’t need to enter the Marketplace for your health coverage. If you aren’t sure whether or not you will need to use the Marketplace to get insurance, call the Marketplace Hotline at 1-800-318-2596 or visit www.HealthCare.gov. It’s important to note that you may be eligible to save money on your health care premiums in the Marketplace. You can also call my office or the Marketplace Hotline to find out if TennCare (Tennessee’s Medicaid program) is a coverage option for you.
The Affordable Care Act is already working for families across the Ninth District and the government shutdown doesn’t change that. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 147,000 individuals in the district now have health insurance that covers preventive services without co-pays, $3.1 million in insurance premiums have been returned to consumers, and more than 5,000 seniors on Medicare paid a total of $5.9 million less for their prescription medications as we continue to close the ‘donut hole.’ Young adults up to age 26 can now stay on their parents’ insurance plan and health insurance companies can no longer discriminate against patients with pre-existing conditions.
If you are one of the millions of Americans who need health insurance, you can sign up for coverage today that will take effect January 1, 2014. Enrollment in the marketplace will remain open for six months. Even though the federal government remains shut down, my staff and I are still here working for you. So go online to www.healthcare.gov to check out your options and feel free to call my office at 901-544-4131 if you have any questions.
Bringing More Service to the Memphis Airport
The Memphis airport is a critical transportation link for the Mid-South as well as a world-class facility that serves more than 6 million passengers a year. While in recent years the airport has lost many flights and routes, things have started looking up in past months: Southwest Airlines announced new routes and UPS announced a large expansion at the airport. This week, we got even more good news when Frontier Airlines announced that it will be bringing new flights to the Memphis airport. This Frontier Airlines service will bring more competition to the airport, improve flight affordability, and help our city and our economy grow. I will continue doing everything I can to bring more flights, routes, and airlines to Memphis International Airport.
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