Dear Friend,

This week, I boycotted the Trump State of the Union and opted to attend the People’s State of the Union on the National Mall. I didn’t need to hear more lies that offend decency and common sense and wanted instead to hear from people who have been harmed by Trump’s priorities. Tomorrow, Saturday, my District Office staff will hold a Team Cohen on Your Corner event to help constituents with interactions with federal agencies like the IRS, Veterans Administration, Medicare, SNAP and HUD. Please bring relevant documents so we can help you. This week, after an analysis of emissions from its Memphis-area facilities, I wrote to xAI officials seeking its commitment to increased transparency and community engagement, spoke at the ribbon cutting of United Housing’s new headquarters, powered in part by $1.2 million in Community Project Funding I secured, observed the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, secured a 93 percent on the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) legislative scorecard, received a 96 percent on the League of Conservation Voters’ legislative scorecard, and offered a Friday Flashback, a Bill Day cartoon and a health tip. Keep reading and follow me on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram to see what I am doing as it happens.

Boycotting Trump’s State of the Union and Attending People’s SOTU

Holding Team Cohen on Your Corner on Saturday

Seeking Increased Community Engagement and Transparency from xAI

Working to Increase Home Ownership and Ensure Stable Neighborhoods

Observing Fourth Anniversary of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

Securing 93 Percent on the ACLU Legislative Scorecard

Receiving 96 Percent on League of Conservation Voters’ Scorecard

The Friday Flashback

A Bill Day Cartoon

Weekly Health Tip

Quote of the Week

Boycotting Trump’s State of the Union and Attending People’s SOTU

Congressman Cohen joined lawmakers at the People’s State of the Union on the National Mall

On Tuesday night, I attended the People’s State of the Union event organized by MoveOn and MeidasTouch on the National Mall, boycotting another of Trump’s false and misleading addresses to a joint session of Congress.  I did not feel it was productive to sit through a speech filled with claims that do not reflect the lived reality of many Americans, particularly when it comes to costs like gas and groceries and the overall state of the economy. This dangerous president’s effort to create an authoritarian cult of personality is evident and must be resisted.

Holding Team Cohen on Your Corner on Saturday

On Saturday, my District Office staff will be at the Orange Mound Community and Senior Center for a Team Cohen on Your Corner event. We can assist you with your interaction with a variety of federal agencies, including the IRS, VA, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and SNAP. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at 2590 Park Avenue, Memphis, (38114). Bring along any documents that would be helpful in resolving your issue. We look forward to helping you.

Seeking Increased Community Engagement and Transparency from xAI

On Wednesday, I wrote to xAI with concerns about a recent analysis of air pollution data and sought both its commitment to greater transparency about its electrical generation plans and to engaging the community in advance about those plans. I look forward to a response as I continue my oversight.  See my release and the letter here.

Working to Increase Home Ownership and Ensure Stable
Neighborhoods

I was proud to join community leaders for the ribbon cutting of United Housing’s new headquarters on North Merton. I secured $1.2 million in federal funding through the annual appropriations process for United Housing to expand down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers, provide critical home repair grants for seniors and low-income homeowners, and deliver the education and financial support families need to build generational wealth and strengthen neighborhoods across Memphis and the 9th District. I was pleased that Mayor Paul Young and others participated in the event and support these ongoing efforts.

Observing Fourth Anniversary of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

Tuesday was the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a bloody war dragging on while Trump telegraphs a wavering U.S. commitment to Ukrainian sovereignty. I pledged both before and after meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv to stand with him as he pursues continued independence and a commitment to democratic institutions. See my statement in support of Ukraine here.

Securing 93 Percent on the ACLU Legislative Scorecard

On Friday, I received a 93 percent on the American Civil Liberties Legislative Scorecard for my votes on 15 measures it considered important in 2025.

Receiving 96 Percent on League of Conservation Voters’ Scorecard

On Thursday, I received a 96 percent on the League of Conservation Voters’ Scorecard for my voting record on issues its members deem important. My lifetime score from LCV is 97 percent. No one else in the Tennessee Congressional delegation scored above zero. 

The Friday Flashback

This is me with Jessee Jackson and my District Constituent Services representative Wiley Henry at a December 2016 reception hosted by Jackson in Washington, D.C.

A Bill Day Cartoon – “Go Back to Sleep”

Weekly Health Tip

Smile! As we approach the end of National Children’s Dental Health month, I’d like to share with you some resources and guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s WIC Resource System and the American Dental Association about children’s dental health. See it here.

Quote of the Week

“Our president has sent poorly trained federal agents into our cities, where they have arrested and detained American citizens and people who aspire to be Americans — and they have done it without a warrant. They have ripped nursing mothers away from their babies, they have sent children — a little boy in a blue bunny hat — to far-off detention centers, and they have killed American citizens on our streets. And they have done it all with their faces masked from accountability…Our President told us tonight that we are safer because these agents arrest mothers and detain children. Think about that...

“Who benefits from his rhetoric, his policies, his actions, and the short list of laws he’s pushed through this Republican Congress? Somebody must be benefitting. He’s enriching himself, his family, his friends. The scale of the corruption is unprecedented. There’s the cover-up of the Epstein files. The crypto scams. Cozying up to foreign princes for airplanes and billionaires for ballrooms. Putting his name and face on buildings all over our nation’s capital. This is not what our founders envisioned. So, I’ll ask again: Is the President working for you? We all know the answer is no.” – Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger’s Tuesday night response to Trump’s State of the Union 

As always, I remain

Sincerely,

Steve Cohen
Member of Congress