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Dear Friend,
This week, back in my district, I expressed concern over Trump Administration attempts to stifle free speech and the press in ways we haven’t seen before and called for a return to normal. I also prepared for what appears to be an inevitable federal government shutdown next week due to Republicans’ refusal to work with Democrats to protect healthcare for millions of Americans, surveyed my constituents’ views on the soaring cost of living since Trump took office, met with Alzheimer’s Association officials, celebrated the groundbreaking for 52 new Habitat for Humanity homes in North Memphis, invited talented middle and high school computer coders to register for the Congressional App Challenge, set an October 3 deadline for Spring Congressional internships, and offered a health tip, a Friday Flashback and a Bill Day cartoon. Keep reading and follow me on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram to see what I am doing as it happens.
Expressing Concern About Attacks on Free Speech
Preparing for a Republican-Caused Federal Government Shutdown
Surveying Constituents on High Cost of Living
Condemning Baseless Indictment of Former FBI Director James Comey
Meeting with Alzheimer’s Association and LISC Officials
Celebrating the Groundbreaking for New Habitat for Humanity Homes
Inviting Students to Register for the Congressional App Challenge
Flagging Deadline for Congressional Internships in the D.C. and District Offices
Weekly Health Tip
The Friday Flashback
A Bill Day Cartoon
Quotes of the Week
Expressing Concern About Attacks on Free Speech
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr told ABC in a blatant mobster-like threat for the network to suspend comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show. Disney and ABC briefly complied with the ultimatum until public opinion forced it to reconsider and reinstate Kimmel this week. Similarly, the Pentagon is demanding that reporters sign a pledge to report only approved news. These unprecedented violations of the First Amendment cannot be allowed to stand. The public’s rejection of these tactics is a hopeful sign that, at least on free speech, we can all agree these authoritarian violations are un-American and downright dangerous.
Preparing for a Republican-Caused Federal Government Shutdown
Even as Speaker Mike Johnson has canceled the scheduled sessions of Congress in the critical days before the September 30 deadline to pass a budget or risk a government shutdown, I remain focused on protecting health care and the vital services Americans rely on. If they let Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits expire, 81,000 people in Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District will see their premiums skyrocket, starting with open enrollment this November.
As has been demonstrated repeatedly, the Republican leadership cannot govern, and the public will again suffer for this unnecessary, heartless and expensive failure. Democrats cannot support the continued dismantling of the social safety net as a compromise to keep the government operating, so it looks like another shutdown is inevitable. It appears the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is seeking massive reductions in the federal workforce if a shutdown occurs, further damaging our ability to meet the needs of the American people.
Surveying Constituents on High Cost of Living
I sent a survey to more than 110,000 households in Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District with a straightforward question: Since President Trump took office in January 2025, have your costs risen due to his policies? An overwhelming 94 percent of respondents said “yes.” Trump makes a lot of dramatic and hyperbolic statements but, on issues people really care about – like the cost of living -- he is proving to be a dismal failure.
Condemning Baseless Indictment of Former FBI Director James Comey
Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted by a federal grand jury in Virginia on Thursday after the original U.S. Attorney investigating the case was ousted by the Trump Justice Department when he couldn’t find evidence to sustain charges. Hours after a Trump lawyer with no prosecutorial experience was appointed as a replacement, the grand jury charged Comey with making a false statement and obstruction of Congress. Trump’s Justice Department is intent on retribution, not the rule of law. This indictment is not credible and Comey is likely to prevail, but this is no way to run the Justice Department. This is the way an authoritarian like Viktor Orban in Hungary or Josef Stalin in Russia run their governments. It wasn't by, for and of the people and they didn't have a document like the Constitution. It was for the leader who ran it like it was his own personal fiefdom.
Meeting with Alzheimer’s Association and LISC Officials
On Wednesday, I met with Alzheimer’s Association officials Linda Busby and Dr. Phil Boruff in my District Office to discuss the Accelerating Access to Dementia and Alzheimer’s Provider Training (AADAPT) Act and other legislation advancing mental health care. I told them I support sustained funding for medical research, particularly for Alzheimer’s, and that I am working to prevent or minimize any cuts to those programs that are being pushed by the GOP. We had a productive discussion of the association’s priorities. I also met with representatives of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) on housing and other issues.
Celebrating the Groundbreaking for New Habitat for Humanity Homes
On Tuesday, officials with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis and supporters broke ground on 52 new single-family homes at Chelsea Avenue and Third Street in North Memphis. I am pleased to have supported Habitat with annual community project funding I have secured in the appropriations process. These new homes are a welcome addition to the neighborhood and to the residents who will live there.
Inviting Students to Register for the Congressional App Challenge
Registration for the prestigious Congressional App Challenge is now under way with an October 30 at 11 a.m. Central Time deadline. The computer science coding competition for middle and high school students has grown exponentially since its inception in 2013. Participants living in or going to school in Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District are eligibleand can use any platform or programming language. Winners will be invited to the U.S. Capitol to demonstrate their projects in Spring 2026. See details and register here
Flagging Deadline for Congressional Internships in the District and D.C. Offices
The deadline to submit an application for spring 2026 internships is Friday, October 3, 2025. Please submit applications for an internship in the Memphis district office here and for the Washington DC office here.
Weekly Health Tip
Despite President Trump and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s announcement earlier this week, the science does not point to any causal link between taking acetaminophen (Tylenol) use during pregnancy and autism. We should continue to heed Secretary Kennedy when he said during a congressional hearing in May, “I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me.” Unfortunately, he and President Trump are promoting unproven theories from positions of power, which is undermining our health care system. It is a shame that we can no longer trust guidance from our Department of Health and Human Services, which includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). When you have any questions about what is best for your health, consult your doctor, pharmacist, or health care provider.
The Friday Flashback
This is me with U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy and Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro, a founder of the U.S.-Japan Caucus of which I am a member, in Tokyo in late August 2015.
A Bill Day Cartoon – “Two Quacks”
Quotes of the Week
“Mr. Trump has always preferred incendiary, and often ineffective, displays of power to quiet, steady programs that work. His attacks at sea fit a disturbing pattern of using the military to address law-enforcement problems. Just as he continues to send the National Guard into cities in a supposed effort to reduce street crime, he wants to achieve the illusion of dominance over drug smuggling, even if his actions make little difference and even if he kills people, guilty or innocent, in the process. The price is a growing number of bodies of nameless foreign citizens who can never defend themselves. It is a moral stain on our nation.” – The New York Times editorial Wednesday entitled “No President Should Have This Kind of Power”
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” – The poet T.S. Eliot (1888 – 1965), born on this day
As always, I remain
Sincerely,
Steve Cohen
Member of Congress
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