This Week on Capitol Hill
Dear Friend,
First of all, many of you know that this week has been difficult and trying for me personally. I wanted to take a moment at the beginning of my newsletter to extend my heartfelt thanks to all of you who have stood with me. I am energized by and appreciative of all the words of support and understanding that I have received from you. Thank you.
Delta Sigma Theta 100th Anniversary
Education Reauthorization
George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin
Delta Queen
Nelson Mandela’s 95th Birthday
Affordable Care Act Update: Still Here, Still Working for You
FISA Courts
Ensuring Voting Rights
Helping Memphis Veterans
Grant Announcements
Delta Sigma Theta 100th Anniversary
This week, members of the sorority Delta Sigma Theta were in Washington, DC to celebrate their centennial. I honored the Memphis and Shelby County chapters and the important contributions the sorority has made to civil rights, politics, medicine, law, the arts, the military and the faith community on the House floor. Click here to watch my speech.
Yesterday, I voted against the Republicans’ education reauthorization bill. While I know that an authorization bill is needed, the bill that was debated on the House floor would not have helped our students succeed. Instead, the bill that passed the House today despite my opposition would gut education funding, roll back protections for disadvantaged students, and remove accountability provisions that ensure that all students receive an excellent education. I will continue working to find solutions that provide adequate funding and the best environment for learning.
George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin
Like many others, I was surprised by last Saturday's verdict in the George Zimmerman trial. Shortly after it was announced, I called on the Department to consider whether federal hate crime or other civil rights charges could be filed against Zimmerman. The DOJ subsequently announced that they are investigating whether the evidence is sufficient for them to level those charges.
On Friday afternoon, President Obama described many of his shared experiences from before he was elected U.S. Senator and said "Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago." He laid out five things that we can do as a country to improve racial disparities in our country including additional training for law enforcement, improving positive reinforcement and role models, and convening a conversation on race. I support President Obama's proposals so that we can achieve Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s dream that we are judged not by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character.
The Delta Queen was in continuous operation for over 80 years. In that time, it was a vital part of the local tourist industry in Memphis as well as cities and towns along the Mississippi River. It attracted countless visitors to the delta region for generations and still has the magnetism and fortitude to continue its voyages for generations to come. I took the photo above on its last voyage a few years ago. Today, this piece of local history is unable to make more voyages, but that could change soon thanks to a bill that I am helping lead the charge on. I was glad that our bill to help get the Delta Queen back in operation passed through the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee this week.
Nelson Mandela’s 95th Birthday
On Thursday, I had the opportunity to join with many of my colleagues including Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Representatives Maxine Waters and James Clyburn in a ceremony held at the United States Capitol to recognize and honor the 95th birthday of human rights champion and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Nelson Mandela. Mandela is an inspiration to us all, and the ceremony was a fitting tribute to the man and his accomplishments.
Affordable Care Act Update: Still Here, Still Working for You
Instead of working to stabilize our economy, create jobs, reduce the student loan rate, address sequestration, or pass a budget, this week Republican leadership decided to waste Congress’ time and taxpayers’ money to hold their 38th doomed vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act. While the GOP seems intent on continuing to repeat their motto of “if at first you don’t succeed, fail, fail again,” President Obama’s landmark Health Care Reform law is still helping thousands of people in Shelby County.
Since the President signed it into law in 2010, residents of Tennessee's Ninth Congressional District have seen the benefits: 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 saved $5.9 million on their prescription medications as we continue to close the ‘donut hole.’
This week, I was pleased to announce that my legislation to bring balance and transparency to the Court that makes decisions regarding whether or not federal agencies like the National Security Agency (NSA) can spy on American citizens has gained bipartisan co-sponsorship in the House of Representatives.
Right now, the FISA Court is not like a regular court. In fact, the judges hear only one side’s argument—the government’s. No one is there to argue in favor of our civil rights or our personal privacy, so it’s not all that surprising that in the more than 1,000 cases that came before the court last year, it ruled in favor of the government and in favor of surveillance in every single case except for one. And in all but a handful of cases, the FISA Court refuses to disclose to the public—or to Congress—what the details of their rulings are. So we don’t know what they are doing or how it impacts us as citizens.
All of the Court’s 11 unelected judges are appointed by one unaccountable individual: Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. Of the 11 judges that he appointed who are currently serving on the Court, 10 of them were first nominated to the Federal bench by Republican Presidents. I spoke about the extreme partisan tilt of the FISA Court in a Judiciary Committee hearing this week, you can watch here.
My legislation, the FISA Court Accountability Act would change the way that members of the court are appointed by making sure that elected representatives have a say in who ends up on the court, increase the threshold the court must meet to issue decisions, and mandate that all of the court’s decisions are disclosed to Congress.
The FISA Court Accountability Act won’t resolve all of our concerns about the FISA Court or NSA surveillance of American citizens, but it’s a start. It will bring accountability and transparency to the FISA Court and fix some of its most egregious problems.
This week, Congressman Al Green and I introduced a bill that would help eliminate gerrymandering of congressional districts by increasing oversight of new maps and requiring that certain maps be pre-cleared by the U.S. Attorney General unless the redistricting plan was ordered by a judicial court.
This week, I announced that Memphis Area Legal Services has been awarded $422,000 to prevent local veterans and their families from falling into homelessness and to quickly find housing for those who already have. Read more about the grant here.
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.
Most sincerely,
Steve Cohen
Member of Congress