Showing Congressional Support for NATO
Dear Friend,
This week, I was gratified to see my resolution supporting the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) pass the House of Representatives, countering the message the President Trump was delivering at the NATO summit in Brussels. I also spoke in opposition to the newly nominated Supreme Court pick, introduced amendments to prevent Trump from privately profiting from his office, urged the Helsinki Commission to stand up for migrant children, commended efforts to rid the environment of plastic straws, welcomed grants to important Memphis museums, discussed Memphis transit issues and condemned the House Majority's efforts to undermine Special Counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing probe of Russian interference in our elections. Keep reading to learn more about my week and follow me on Twitter and Facebook to see more updates as they happen.
Showing Congressional Support for NATO
Opposing Supreme Court Nomination of Brett Kavanaugh
Preventing President Trump from Privately Profiting from Federal Spending
Urging the Helsinki Commission to Advance the Interests of Child Migrants
Commending Justice Department for Reopening Emmett Till Case
Commending Efforts to Rid the Marine Environment of Plastic Straws
Welcoming Institute of Museum and Library Services Grants
Meeting with Memphis Area Transit Authority CEO
Condemning Majority Efforts to Undermine the Mueller Probe
Meeting with 9th Congressional District Artist Ferris Andrews
Signing Up for "Congress On Your Corner" and this e-Newsletter
Weekly Health Tip
Quote of the Week
Showing Congressional Support for NATO
This week, while President Trump was at a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, insulting our closest allies, the House of Representatives passed my resolution supporting NATO and reaffirming our commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our partners in Central and Eastern Europe that Russian aggression is threatening. As a member of the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (also known as the Helsinki Commission), I authored the resolution to underscore our support of NATO, the most important security link between the United States and Europe, and our commitment to the principle of collective defense laid out in Article 5 of the NATO Treaty. While the President was denigrating NATO in advance of his upcoming summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Congress demonstrated that it recognizes the value of stability and certainty in our diplomatic relations.
Opposing Supreme Court Nomination of Brett Kavanaugh
President Trump on Monday nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh from a short list of candidates prepared by The Federalist Society, a right-wing organization devoted to rolling back civil liberties. This predictable choice will cement a 5-to-4 conservative dominance on the high court like the one that has already given us Citizens United, gutted the Voting Rights Act and, in the most recent term, undermined public employee labor protections. I will continue to oppose this nominee because I fear he will join a majority that represents a threat to women's reproductive rights, affirmative action in higher education and other guarantees of constitutional rights and equal opportunity.
Preventing President Trump from Privately Profiting from Federal Spending
Once again this week, I introduced amendments to an annual spending bill – this one funding the Interior Department, federal banking and federal financial service regulators – to prohibit federal spending by those agencies at Trump-owned businesses. I have introduced similar amendments to previous annual spending bills this year and last year but the House Majority has repeatedly prevented them getting a floor vote. As a member of Congress, it is my duty to support and defend the Constitution, including the anti-corruption clause that prohibits any president from receiving federal spending beyond his salary. The domestic emoluments clause explicitly prohibits the kind of private profiteering the President has been engaged in since taking office without placing his business interests in a blind trust, or divesting, as previous presidents have done. I've pledged to introduce similar amendments prohibiting spending at Trump-owned businesses to future annual appropriations measures.
Urging the Helsinki Commission to Advance Interests of Child Migrants
I'm a member of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, and attended its Parliamentary Assembly in Berlin, Germany, on Sunday. There I offered an amendment to a Belgian Commissioner's Resolution on protecting children involved in the flow of migrants and refugees. The amendment, which passed, called on Member Countries to put into place and strengthen migration policies that support the best interests of children. I am proud to serve on a commission devoted to this principle.
Commending the Justice Department for Opening Emmett Till Case
I want to commend the Justice Department for reopening the Emmett Till murder case. The 14-year-old Chicago youth was killed after a white woman claimed he wolf-whistled at her in Money, Mississippi, in 1955. The two men accused of the murder were acquitted by an all-white jury but told Look Magazine afterward that they did it. This miscarriage of justice is said to have spurred a nascent Civil Rights movement. It's too late for Emmett and his courageous mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, but I hope to see delayed justice done. See my remarks from the House floor on Friday here.
Commending Efforts to Rid the Marine Environment of Plastic Straws
On Monday, Starbucks announced it would phase out its use of plastic straws at 13,000 U.S. stores and in 75 foreign countries in an effort to protect the marine environment. This followed House passage of my amendment last month to prohibit the use of plastic straws in House Office Buildings. This growing recognition of the need to protect the environment is encouraging, and I commend it.
Welcoming Institute of Museum and Library Services Grants
This week the National Civil Rights Museum received federal grant money to enhance the skills of young African American students and frontline staff to address the lack of minorities in the museum field. The same Institute of Museum and Library Services also provided funding to the Withers Collection Museum and Gallery for use in preserving the late photojournalist Ernest C. Withers' rare pictures of Negro Baseball League players dating back to 1948. These great Memphis institutions deserve public support and I am pleased that these grants will advance their work.
Meeting with Memphis Area Transit Authority CEO
On Wednesday, I met with MATA CEO Gary Rosenfeld to talk about the future of public transportation in Memphis. As a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I assured him that I will continue to work to strengthen MATA's ongoing public service. We discussed the great work my former staffer Michael Fulton is doing as the newest MATA Commissioner and Rosenfeld shared the good news that the agency has just been awarded a $19.9 million Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant from the Department of Transportation which will pay for almost 40 new buses. Additionally, Rosenfeld said MATA estimates close to 800,000 riders will be served in the first year since the re-opening of the downtown trolley service. He also noted the need for federal funds to repair the multimodal transit station whose foundation appears to be sinking. The meeting was a valuable update.
Condemning Majority Efforts to Undermine the Mueller Probe
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the Judiciary Committee on which I serve held a hearing Thursday to take the testimony of FBI Agent Peter Strzok. I was saddened by the Majority's attempts to use the hearing as an opportunity to attack the FBI and Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Russia attacked our country, and I believe we ought to be focusing on keeping our nation safe rather than attacking the Department of Justice. See my exchange with Agent Strzok here.
Meeting with 9th Congressional District Artist Ferris Andrews
Each Spring, Members of Congress invite their high school-aged constituents to enter the Congressional Art Competition that, since 1982, has produced often splendid visual art that is hung for a year in the tunnel between the Cannon House Office Building and the U.S. Capitol. On Thursday, the 9th Congressional District's art contest winner, Ferris Andrews, a rising sophomore at Central High School, dropped by my Capitol Hill office with her parents. Her photograph "Lorraine Up Close and Personal" is now hanging in the Cannon Tunnel.
Signing Up for "Congress On Your Corner" and this e-Newsletter
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Weekly Health Tip
Each week, I share a health tip in the hope of promoting a healthy lifestyle for residents of the 9thCongressional District. As always, it is best to check with your doctor before making any changes to your diet, exercise routine or lifestyle.
Summer is here and so is the heat and potentially heat-related stress. Learn how to stay cool and stay hydrated with some timely advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention here.
Quote of the Week
"I've seen so much difficulty caused by sheer unthoughtfulness that I've tried all my life to be thoughtful and to make every person I come in contact with happier for having seen me." – Then-Senator Harry S. Truman in a 1937 letter to his wife Bess.
As always, I remain,
Most sincerely,
Steve Cohen
Member of Congress