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Chairing a Hearing on the Presidential Pardon Power

March 29, 2019
Enewsletters

March 29, 2019

Dear Friend,

This week, I chaired a hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties on the presidential pardon power and discussed my effort to limit its potential for abuse. I also went on national television to call for the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election; told Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) leaders that their Memphis coal ash cleanup plan is unacceptable; voted for equal pay for equal work for women; voted to override President Trump's veto of a congressional resolution rejecting his declaration of an emergency on our southern border; introduced the DUI Reporting Act; cosponsored a measure to assure coverage of pre-existing conditions; received a perfect score from Defenders of Wildlife; announced a major grant to Christ Community Health Services; and, with Spring in the air, offered some "sun safety" advice about skin cancers. Keep reading to learn more about my week and follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see more updates as they happen.

Chairing Hearing on Presidential Pardon Power
Holding "Congress On Your Corner" at Hollywood Branch Library
Demanding Release of Special Counsel Mueller's Report
Telling TVA its Coal Ash Cleanup Plan is Unacceptable
Voting for The Paycheck Fairness Act
Voting to Override Trump Veto of Congressional Rejection of his National Emergency Declaration
Introducing the DUI Reporting Act
Cosponsoring the Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions Act
Receiving a Perfect Score from Defenders of Wildlife
Announcing a $5.4 Million Grant to Christ Community Health Services
Signing Up for "Congress on Your Corner" and this e-Newsletter
Weekly Health Tip
Quote of the Week


Chairing Hearing on Presidential Pardon Power

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On Wednesday, I chaired a hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties to look at the scope, use and potential abuse of the presidential pardon power. This power is intended to ensure fairness in our criminal justice system and to provide a check against miscarriages of justice. Despite the current president's random and sometimes celebrity-driven use of the pardon power, and his claim that he could pardon himself, several expert witnesses testified that a president cannot pardon himself because justice would not permit him to be the judge in his own case and that a president would obstruct justice by offering a pardon to silence witnesses. I introduced a constitutional amendment in January to limit the pardon power. In addition to clarifying the existing understanding that presidents cannot pardon themselves, the amendment would also prohibit presidents from pardoning members of their family, campaign staff and administration. See my opening statement at the hearing here.

Holding "Congress On Your Corner" at Hollywood Branch Library

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Earlier today, my district staff and I held a "Congress On Your Corner" event at the Hollywood Branch Library. This was an opportunity to hear from constituents and let them know what I'm doing for the 9th Congressional District. It's also an opportunity to help Memphians with problems or questions about federal agencies, like the Internal Revenue Service as the April 15 tax deadline nears, and federal benefits, such as Medicare and Social Security. It was a good session. Ms. Winfrey said she agreed with me and didn't know why we need to have an Electoral College, and quoted Abraham Lincoln saying that ours is a nation "of the people, by the people and for the people." Several constituents talked about health care. Others mentioned strengthening gun laws. And some said the report of Special Counsel Robert Mueller should be released. My next "Congress On Your Corner" will be on Friday, April 26, at the Millington Public Library, 4858 Navy Road.


Demanding Release of Special Counsel Mueller's Report

Last Friday evening, the Department of Justice announced that it had received the report from Special Counsel Robert Mueller on his investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. I voted along with 419 of my colleagues two weeks ago on a resolution expressing our strongly held view that the report should be made public. In the wake of the report's completion, I went on national television several times this week to make the case that the report should be released to Congress and the public, and to question Attorney General William Barr's dubious declaration that no obstruction of justice had occurred. See my interviews with CNN's Erin Burnett, MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell, CNN's Wolf Blitzer, MSNBC's Alex Witt and MSNBC's Katy Tur and CNN's Don Lemon.

Telling TVA its Coal Ash Cleanup Plan is Unacceptable

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On Tuesday, I wrote to the incoming and outgoing presidents of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) after meeting with them earlier this month to say that their plan to deal with contaminated groundwater caused by coal ash pits at the Allen Fossil Plant in Memphis does not reflect a sense of urgency and that a 20-year cleanup timeline is unacceptable. See a release containing my letter here.

Voting for The Paycheck Fairness Act

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On Wednesday, I voted for, and the House passed, the Paycheck Fairness Act, which strengthens the 1963 Equal Pay Act in several ways, including providing effective remedies for women who are not receiving equal pay for equal work. See my release here.

Voting to Override Trump Veto of Congressional Rejection of his National Emergency Declaration

Both the House and Senate recently voted to reject President Trump's declaration of an emergency on the U.S.-Mexico border and his end run around Congress to use federal funds to pay for an unnecessary border wall. The president vetoed the measure on March 15th. On Tuesday, I voted to override that veto but, unfortunately, the vote fell short of the two-thirds supermajority that was required. See my release on the vote here.

Introducing the DUI Reporting Act

On Wednesday, Congressman Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) and I introduced the DUI Reporting Act to address a loophole in our drunk driving laws that enables repeat DUI offenders to be charged and tried as first-time offenders. The 2015 case of two Memphis teenagers killed by a repeat drunk driver in Mississippi is a sad reminder of how important it is for the law to be changed. See my release on the bill here.

Cosponsoring the Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions Act

On Tuesday, I cosponsored the Pre-Existing Conditions and Making Health Care More Affordable Act. The bill curtails Trump administration's recent efforts to strike down the entire Affordable Care Act and undermine protections for people with pre-existing conditions. This legislation would protect Americans from junk health insurance plans and make it easier for states to enroll people in affordable health coverage.

Receiving a Perfect Score from Defenders of Wildlife

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This week, Defenders of Wildlife gave me a 100 percent on its scorecard tracking votes in 2018 important to its members. I was the only member of the Tennessee congressional delegation to achieve a perfect score. See my release here.

Announcing a $5.4 Million Grant to Christ Community Health Services

On Tuesday, I announced that Christ Community Health Services Inc. will be receiving a $5.4 million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services. See my release here.

Signing Up for "Congress on Your Corner" and this e-Newsletter

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I enjoy meeting regularly with constituents in the district and helping get answers for them to questions about dealing with federal agencies. If you are interested in attending one of my "Congress on Your Corner" events, you can sign up here to receive notification as soon as the next event is scheduled.

For those who haven't participated in a telephone town hall, it's easy to sign up for them by using this form.

If you would like to receive this weekly e-Newsletter, or share it with others, you can do that with this form.

Weekly Health Tip

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Now that Spring has arrived, and outdoor activities are more likely, it's important to avoid sunburn that can lead to skin cancers. See guidance on skin cancer and some "Sun Safety Tips" from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) here.

Quote of the Week

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"The difference between a broken community and a thriving one is the presence of women who are valued." – Michelle Obama, remarks at the State Department's Women of Courage Awards, March 11, 2009

I'm scheduled to be on Memphis' Local 24 "This Week" program at 9 a.m. Sunday.

As always, I remain
Most sincerely,

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Steve Cohen
Member of Congress