Tag: Steve Cohen

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis Asks Joe Biden to Review Gas Pipeline Permits Nationwide

Chris Butler

U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) this week said he wants more federal oversight of the oil industry and asked that U.S. President Joe Biden review the use of gas pipeline permits nationwide. Cohen announced the news via email to his constituents this week. He said Memphis residents who recently stopped the construction of the Byhalia Pipeline through southwest Memphis have forced people to think more about environmental justice issues.

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Senator Marsha Blackburn Hits Back After Congressman Cohen Pens Letter to President Biden

Kaitlin Housler

On Thursday in a letter to President Joe Biden, Tennessee Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) suggested there needs to be more incentive to get vaccinated instead of prioritizing unvaccinated people for monoclonal antibody treatment.

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Tennessee U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen Wants the Federal Government to Fix Childhood Obesity

Chris Butler

U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) on Tuesday paired up with U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) to file companion bills that would, if enacted into law, create a government program to combat childhood obesity. “The Reducing Obesity in Youth Act would create a grant program to assist in the development of healthier early care and education environments to improve healthy eating and physical activity among children from birth through 5 years of age,” according to a press release that members of Cohen’s staff published on the congressman’s website this week.

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Americans for Prosperity-Tennessee’s Grant Henry Talks Steve Cohen’s Texas Abortion Law Comments and the Lawsuit of Dr. Michelle Fiscus

Julie Carr

Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed AMF’s Grant Henry to the studio to weigh in on Steve Cohen’s recent comments regarding Texas abortion law and the continuation of Dr. Michelle Fiscus’s lawsuit.

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Tennessee U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen Demands U.S. Supreme Court Justice Retire

Chris Butler

U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) has politicized the U.S. Supreme Court, calling for the court to make one radical change and also for one justice to resign before a Republican president can replace him. Cohen was angry about the U.S. Supreme Court not blocking a Texas law restricting abortion access from going into effect.

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U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen Announces More Taxpayer-Funded Goodies for Memphis

Chris Butler

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) this week voted for a seven-bill “minibus” that he said increases spending for several government social programs. The bill increases spending for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and other school nutrition programs. Cohen said in a press release that the money also increases spending on the Small Business Administration, consumer protection agencies, veterans affairs and veterans medical services.

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Tennessee U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen Demands Equity Programs in All State Departments of Education

Chris Butler

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) this week introduced a bill that he said will increase diversity in Advanced Placement (AP) and Gifted and Talented Elementary (GT) classes. In a press release, Cohen also said his bill would use Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) funding to create equity offices in state departments of education to increase diversity in AP and GT programs.

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Tennessee U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen Wants Byhalia Connection Pipeline Through Memphis Put on Hold

Chris Butler

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) wants the nationwide permit for the proposed Byhalia Connection Pipeline rescinded, and this week he took the matter up with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Cohen told the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure that the pipeline endangers his constituents in Memphis.

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Steve Cohen Says Slave Reparations Legislation Moving Forward in Congress

Chris Butler
Rep Steve Cohen

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) said the U.S. House Judiciary Committee is sending legislation to the floor of the U.S. House that would, if enacted into law, create a commission to study slave reparations for African-Americans. Cohen said this bill, H.R. 40, would create a commission to study the following:

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U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper Supports Statehood for Washington, D.C.

Chris Butler

U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN-05) told his constituents in an emailed newsletter this week that he favors statehood for Washington, D.C. “The House Oversight and Reform Committee passed a bill on Wednesday that would make Washington, DC the 51st state,” according to Cooper’s newsletter.

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Representative Cohen’s Resolution to Abolish Electoral College Moves Slowly Through House

Corinne Murdock
Steve Cohen

Representative Steve Cohen’s (D-TN-09) initiative to abolish the electoral college hasn’t progressed much since it was introduced back in January. The last action on the resolution occurred early last month, when it was referred to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. No dates are listed to consider the resolution, though Cohen is the subcommittee chairman.

Other members of that committee are Vice Chair Deborah Ross (D-NC-02), Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), Henry “Hank” Johnson (D-GA-04), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX-29), Cori Bush (D-MO-01), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX-18), Mike Johnson (R-LA-04), Tom McClintock (D-CA-04), Chip Roy (D-TX-21), Michelle Fischbach (D-MN-07), and Burgess Owens (D-UT-04).

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Governor Lee Refutes Representative Cohen Claims on Shorted Distribution of COVID Vaccines

Corinne Murdock

In a letter to Memphis Mayor Strickland, Governor Bill Lee refuted recent claims that the COVID-19 vaccines weren’t distributed equally to Shelby County.

“[I]t has been reported that Shelby County has not received an equitable share of vaccine doses relative to other counties across the state. However – and I want to be clear and unmistakable about this – any such claims are incorrect,” stated Lee.

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University of Memphis to Raise Minimum Wage to $15 by June

Corinne Murdock

The University of Memphis (UofM) will raise its minimum wage from $13 to $15 an hour, starting June 5. 

In a copy of the email obtained by The Tennessee Star, university faculty and staff were informed by President Dr. David Rudd on Tuesday that the raise was a culmination of adjustments done over the past year. Rudd shared that some of they’d implemented a hiring freeze, reduction in operational costs, and forms of attrition.

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Tennessee’s Representatives Split on Party Lines for $2K CASH Act: Republicans Vote No, Both Democrats Vote Yes

Corinne Murdock

The U.S. House passed the Caring for Americans with Supplemental Cash (CASH Act) last evening; Tennessee’s representatives faced a partisan split on the bill. The act tacks on $1,400 to the $600 payments within the massive year-end package signed by President Trump on Sunday.

The CASH Act passed in the House with a majority of 275 to 134, and 21 abstained from voting. One of the representatives who abstained their vote was Representative David (Phil) Roe (R-TN-01). Of all House Republicans, 44 voted for the act, and 130 voted against it.

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U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis Divided and Degraded Americans During 116th Congress

Chris Butler

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) on Thursday released a video bragging about his time in the 116th Congress, although the video didn’t mention his more outlandish, offensive, or insensitive displays of behavior during that time. The video, which Cohen’s staff uploaded to the congressman’s Facebook page, shows him pushing to impeach U.S. President Donald Trump and pledging to address the death of George Floyd. Later, the video reports that Cohen delivered nearly $387 million in federal taxpayer money to his district, which includes Memphis.

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Tennessee’s Congress Members Rushed to Issue Same-Day Vote on the 5600 Page Stimulus Bill

Corinne Murdock

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi scheduled a vote Monday evening for a hefty bill dropped on Congress earlier that same day. The spending bill totals nearly 5,600 pages.

The bill was unavailable prior to this afternoon, a delay reportedly caused by “computer glitch[es].” In addition to the $900 billion in pandemic stimulus spending, the bill includes $1.4 trillion for other expenditures. 

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Tennessee’s Congressional Delegation Members Say Whether They Support Donald Trump’s Call For A Fair Election

Chris Butler

Most members of Tennessee’s Congressional delegation support U.S. President Donald Trump and his call for a fair and transparent election.

Trump, a Republican, said he believes voter fraud put his opponent Joe Biden, a Democrat, over the top in certain battleground states after a close election.

But U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN-05) said in a newsletter to his constituents Sunday that Trump’s statements are false and baseless.

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Tennessee’s Democratic Representatives Cohen and Cooper Fear-Monger Voters Ahead of Election Day

Corinne Murdock

Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) and Jim Cooper (D-TN-05) tweeted that voters should be fearful heading into Election Day. Both representatives issued their remarks on the day before the election.

The tweets from Cohen and Cooper reflect one of two messages: encouraging individuals to submit their votes and questioning the integrity of the election. The day before Election Day, Cohen suggested that the election’s aftermath should be feared.

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Top-Level Democrat Party Member Says Marsha Blackburn Is ‘Inbred Racist Trash’

Chris Butler

One of the Democratic Party’s top grassroots organizers, who once worked for Hillary Clinton, this week took to Twitter and described U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) as “inbred racist trash.”

That man, Adam Parkhomenko, of McLean, VA. then told Blackburn to “f*** off.”

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Cohen Calls Trump a ‘Sociopath’ After Commuting Roger Stone’s Sentence

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) called President Donald Trump a “textbook narcissist and sociopath” after he commuted the prison sentence of Roger Stone Friday night.

Stone had been sentenced in February to three years and four months in prison for lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election. He was set to report to prison by Tuesday.

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Cohen Urges Lee to Remove Nathan Bedford Forrest Bust, Rename State Park

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) urged Gov. Bill Lee to remove a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest from the State Capitol and rename a state park that bears his name.

In a letter sent to Lee Monday, Cohen asked the Republican governor to “demonstrate leadership on an issue that causes so much pain in the Black community in Tennessee.”

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35 Democrats Join Steve Cohen’s Resolution to Open Impeachment Inquiry of Bill Barr

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) wants to open up another impeachment inquiry, this time of U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr.

After calling for Barr’s impeachment last week, Cohen formally introduced a resolution Tuesday that would authorize an impeachment inquiry into Barr’s conduct.

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Steve Cohen Calls for Bill Barr’s Impeachment

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) called for the impeachment of U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr during a House Judiciary Committee hearing last week.

In a statement released before the hearing, Cohen claimed the Department of Justice “has clearly been corrupted” under Barr’s leadership. He pointed to the recent removal of Geoffrey Berman, former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, and the Justice Department’s request to dismiss its criminal case against Michael Flynn as evidence of corruption.

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Steve Cohen Asks Attorney General Barr to Clarify Trump’s Emergency Powers Comments

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr Friday asking him to clarify President Donald Trump’s comments about the use of emergency powers during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Tennessee’s Public Transit Systems Get Big Chunk of Taxpayer Money, Courtesy of COVID-19 Relief Funding

Chris Butler

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) announced that, as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, the already publicly-funded Memphis Area Transit Authority will receive more nearly $36 million in taxpayer money.

This, according to a press release Cohen released late last week.

MATA is Memphis’ public transportation provider.

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Steve Cohen Uses COVID-19 Emergency to Call Nancy Pelosi One of the Greatest Politicians in American History

Chris Butler

Democratic U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is “the greatest female politician in American history,”  according to U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09).

Cohen used his Twitter account Sunday to put Pelosi on a moral pedestal. He did this while also bashing U.S. Republican President Donald Trump — in the midst of a potentially cataclysmic national emergency.

The congressman then revered Pelosi as “one of, if not the greatest Speakers in our history.”

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New American Populist: Jeff Webb Says Steve Cohen and Jim Cooper ‘Immersed in This Impeachment Charade’

Julie Carr

Live from Music Row Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy and Carmichael were joined on the newsmaker line by the original all-star panelist and founder of the New American Populist, Jeff Webb.

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Tennessee’s Only Democrats in House, Steve Cohen and Jim Cooper, Announce Support for Articles of Impeachment

Zachery Schmidt

  Tennessee’s only two Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, Reps Steve Cohen (TN-09) and Jim Cooper (TN-05), have announced their decisions to support the two Articles of Impeachment against President Trump, introduced in the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. Both Cohen and Cooper represent safely Democratic districts. Cohen…

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