Dear Friend, This week, I voted to send two background check bills to the House floor, the first significant gun legislation in years. I also condemned the President's declaration of an emergency on the southern border; questioned expert witnesses at a hearing on the importance of climate science; voted to prevent another government shutdown; voted on a resolution directing the removal of unauthorized U.S. military forces in the Saudi-led war in Yemen; planned for next Friday's "Congress On Your Corner" event; received a perfect score from a social justice watchdog group; expressed disappointment at the XPO Logistics layoffs announcement, which will affect more than 400 employees; cosponsored a bill to increase research funding into Tourette's Syndrome; announced a major grant to study aging; attended the funeral of Congressman Walter Jones in North Carolina and paid my respects to the family of former Michigan Congressman John Dingell; offered U.S. Capitol Historical Society calendars; and made a health tip about an alarming trend in teenage tobacco use. Keep reading to learn more about my week and follow me on Twitter and Facebook to see more updates as they happen. Voting for Gun Background Check Bills
Condemning Trump's Declaration of an Emergency
Gathering Expert Testimony on Climate Science
Voting to Prevent Another Government Shutdown
Voting to End U.S. Military Assistance for Saudi-led War in Yemen
Holding a "Congress On Your Corner" on Friday
Receiving 100 Percent Score from Catholic Social Justice Group
Expressing Disappointment at XPO Logistics Layoffs
Cosponsoring Bill for Tourette's Syndrome Research Funding
Announcing $400,000 Grant to Study Aging
Mourning Congressmen Dingell and Jones
Offering U.S. Capitol Historical Society Calendars
Signing Up for "Congress On Your Corner" and this e-Newsletter
Weekly Health Tip
Quote of the Week
Voting for Gun Background Check Bills 
On Wednesday, the Judiciary Committee on which I serve debated for more than nine hours and then voted to move two important gun background check bills to the floor for consideration by the full House. The Bipartisan Background Checks Act closes a dangerous loophole by requiring the use of the federal background checks system for the transfer or sale of firearms, including those conducted at gun shows, to prevent felons, people with histories of mental illness, people charged with spousal abuse and others prohibited from owning guns from obtaining them. The second bill closes the loophole used by the shooter in Charleston, South Carolina, to murder innocent congregants at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. He was able to obtain his weapon after three days because the background check had not yet been completed. The bill we voted out of committee would extend the time period to potentially as much as 20 days. These measures were advanced on the eve of the first anniversary of the school shooting at Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 students and staff and came a week after the House held the first hearing on gun violence in eight years. Condemning Trump's Declaration of an Emergency As the Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, I condemned President Trump's declaration of a state of emergency on the U.S.-Mexican border. I signed on to a resolution to terminate the emergency declaration and on to a bill to prevent the President from diverting disaster-aid or military funding for his border wall. See my statement here. Gathering Expert Testimony Climate Science In my new role as a member of the Science, Space and Technology Committee, I questioned expert witnesses on climate science at a hearing on Wednesday. They testified about the need for an international climate change agreement, like the one President Obama signed on to and the President Trump tore up. Even the expert witness called by Republicans agreed that an international accord is needed. See the exchange here. Voting to Prevent Another Government Shutdown  
Congressman Cohen in Statuary Hall At Speaker Pelosi's signing ceremony On Thursday evening, I voted to fund the government through September 30th and avert another government shutdown. The package has several provisions important to Memphis. See my release detailing those provisions here. After the vote, I was interviewed by CNN's Chris Cuomo from Statuary Hall in the Capitol (see that interview here) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi invited me to the ceremony where she signed and enrolled the bill before it was sent to the White House. Voting to End U.S. Military Assistance for Saudi War in Yemen Also Wednesday, I voted for, and the House passed, a resolution that I cosponsored directing the removal of unauthorized U.S. military forces in the Saudi-led war in Yemen. This ongoing, years-long war has led to an overwhelming humanitarian crisis in Yemen. During this war, experts estimate that 16,000 Yeminis have been killed by airstrikes and many more from malnutrition and disease. There have also been reports that the Saudi-led coalition has targeted civilians and limited access to humanitarian aid. Article I of the Constitution assigns war powers to the legislative branch but we have given Presidents from both parties a virtual blank check to send our service members into harm's way while we've stood on the sidelines. Holding a "Congress On Your Corner" on Friday On Friday, February 22, I will hold my first "Congress On Your Corner" event of 2019 at the Randolph Branch Library at 3752 Given Avenue from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. There my staff and I can help you with questions and issues about federal agencies, services or benefits, including Social Security, Medicare, veterans benefits, as well as federal grant applications. I hope to see you there. Receiving 100 Percent Score from Catholic Social Justice Group I learned this week that I have received a 100 percent score from the NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, the organization behind Nuns on the Bus led by Sister Simone Campbell. The score was based on seven 2018 House votes, including House passage in December of the First Step Act criminal justice reform bill, which is now law. See my release here. Expressing Disappointment at XPO Logistics Layoffs I am very disappointed at the XPO Logistics decision to lay off more than 400 employees at its Memphis facility. I have previously met with employees and with the senior management of the company regarding allegations of dangerous working conditions,and its handling of pregnant employees. In December 2018, I joined Representative Rosa DeLauro and 95 of our other colleagues in writing a letter to raise concerns regarding the number of allegations and news reports exposing the alleged disturbing treatment of employees at XPO facilities across the country. See our letter here. In two weeks, I have another meeting with company officials scheduled where I plan to address these issues further. I hope the employees affected will be treated fairly and ultimately find new jobs. Cosponsoring Bill for Tourette's Syndrome Research Funding As a founder of the Tourette's Syndrome Caucus, I was proud to cosponsor the Collaborative Academic Research Efforts (CARE) for Tourette's Syndrome Act on Monday. Tourette's Syndrome is misunderstood and often misdiagnosed and funding the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is essential for further research to understand and cure this disease. Announcing $400,000 Grant to Study Aging This week I announced a $398,778 grant from the National Institute on Aging to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. This grant will allow the University to continue to study the equity and economic effects of Medication Therapy Management (MTM) Services and create better outcomes for individuals as they age.See my release here. Mourning Congressmen Dingell and Jones On Thursday, my Congressional colleagues and I travelled to Greenville, North Carolina, to attend the funeral of our friend, Congressman Walter Jones. Walter was a man of character. He acknowledged he was wrong to support the invasion of Iraq and was willing to stand up to our current President. He was a good man and will be missed. John Dingell, the longest-serving member of Congress and a legislative giant, was also laid to rest this week. I extend my sincere condolences to his widow and my colleague, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell. Offering U.S. Capitol Historical Society Calendars 
My office has a limited number of 2019 U.S. Capitol Historical Society calendars available. If you would like to receive a calendar, please complete this form on my website. Due to the rules of the House, I can mail calendars only to residents of Tennessee's 9th Congressional District. Please feel free to share this email with other residents of the 9th District who may be interested in receiving one but who do not receive my e-Newsletter. Signing Up for "Congress On Your Corner" and this e-Newsletter 
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  Sadly,the incidence of youth smoking has recently increased, with one in four high school students and one in 14 middle school students currently smoking tobacco. E-cigarettes, or vape pens, are the reason forthe increase, which reverses a previous downward trend, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For more details from the CDC, click here. Quote of the Week 
My last words for America By John D. Dingell February 8 John D. Dingell, a Michigan Democrat who served in the U.S. House from 1955 to 2015, was the longest-serving member of Congress in American history. He dictated these reflections to his wife, Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Michigan), at their home in Dearborn, on February 7, the day he died. The column appeared in The Washington Post last Friday. "One of the advantages to knowing that your demise is imminent, and that reports of it will not be greatly exaggerated, is that you have a few moments to compose some parting thoughts. In our modern political age, the presidential bully pulpit seems dedicated to sowing division and denigrating, often in the most irrelevant and infantile personal terms, the political opposition. And much as I have found Twitter to be a useful means of expression, some occasions merit more than 280 characters. My personal and political character was formed in a different era that was kinder, if not necessarily gentler. We observed modicums of respect even as we fought, often bitterly and savagely, over issues that were literally life and death to a degree that — fortunately – we see much less of today. Think about it: Impoverishment of the elderly because of medical expenses was a common and often accepted occurrence. Opponents of the Medicare program that saved the elderly from that cruel fate called it "socialized medicine." Remember that slander if there's a sustained revival of silly red-baiting today...May God bless you all, and may God bless America." To see Congressman Dingell's full op-ed, click here. As always, I remain,
Most sincerely, 
Steve Cohen
Member of Congress | 
