Dear Friend,

This week, at a rare public hearing of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, I had the opportunity to question intelligence community leaders on threats to our national security as the war in Iran drags on. Like many, I am appalled at the lack of preparation and the inattention to potential consequences already vividly displayed by a team fearful of confronting a careless and vengeful president. I also urged President Trump to address serious social safety net issues when he visits Memphis on Monday to talk about the Memphis Safe Task Force, planned to hold a Team Cohen on your Corner on Saturday in Whitehaven, signed a petition to force a floor vote on a bill providing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding but withholding spending for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CPB) until civil rights and transparency reforms are established, defended public education of migrant children, finally welcomed the installation of a bronze plaque honoring the brave January 6 law enforcement defenders of the U.S. Capitol, and offered a Friday Flashback, a Bill Day cartoon and a weekly health tip. Keep reading and follow me on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram to see what I am doing as it happens.

Questioning Intelligence Officials about Preparations for War in Iran

Urging Trump to Address Investments in the Social Safety Net During His Visit to Memphis on Monday

Holding a Team Cohen on Your Corner in Whitehaven Saturday

Forcing a Vote to Fund DHS Agencies while Insisting on ICE and CBP Reforms

Defending Public Education for Migrant Children

Welcoming Installation of the January 6 Commemorative Plaque

The Friday Flashback

A Bill Day Cartoon

Weekly Health Tip

Quote of the Week

Questioning Intelligence Officials about Preparations for War in Iran

On Thursday, I questioned members of our Intelligence Community leadership about the apparent lack of preparation and inattention to likely consequences of launching an attack on Iran. The oil supply disruptions leading to domestic price hikes and firing of FBI experts on Iran prior to the assault show a level of carelessness and incompetence we are already regretting. See my exchange with hearing witnesses, including FBI Director Patel, here.

Urging Trump to Address Investments in the Social Safety Net During His Visit to Memphis on Monday

President Trump plans to come to Memphis on Monday to talk about the work of the Memphis Safe Task Force. I remain concerned about the image surging ICE agents and National Guard troops send to the rest of the country because Memphis does not have an immigration problem and ICE is not arresting or deporting “the worst of the worst.” Crime was declining before the task force arrived although ATF and DEA efforts in removing illegal guns and drugs from our community has been welcome. What we really need is a long-term commitment by this president to address endemic poverty, affordable housing, workforce development, the affordability crisis, and funding to meet local law enforcement manpower goals. We don’t need a flashy media event to distract us from wars abroad or the Epstein files. See my statement on the president’s visit here.

Holding a Team Cohen on Your Corner in Whitehaven Saturday

Tomorrow, Saturday, March 21, I will be holding a Team Cohen on Your Corner event to help make government more responsive and help my constituents get the benefits they have earned. It will be at the Whitehaven Branch Library, 4120 Millbranch Road, Memphis (38116) from 10 a.m. to noon. If you need help with a federal government issue – like Social Security, the IRS, Medicare and Medicaid, Veterans Affairs, immigration or student loans – bring any relevant documents and meet with members of my team. We look forward to helping.

Forcing a Vote on Funding DHS Agencies while Insisting on ICE and CBP Reforms

I signed a discharge petition to force a vote on legislation that would fund most Department of Homeland Security programs but withhold spending for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CPB) programs until civil rights and transparency reforms are put in place. The measure would restore funding for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) whose airport security agents have been working without pay for nearly a month. See my release on the effort here.

Defending Public Education for Migrant Children

On Wednesday, the Republican majority on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government held a hearing to make the case that immigrant children should be deprived of a free public education, as they are attempting to overturn a well-reasoned, 44-year landmark Supreme Court case - Plyler v. Doe. This cruel and short-sighted effort should be condemned. See my release on the hearing here.

Welcoming Installation of the January 6 Commemorative Plaque

Staff with the Architect of the Capitol bolted the bronze plaque honoring the sacrifice of law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol during the January 6, 2021, riots to the granite wall on the West Front of the building at 4 a.m. on Sunday morning, March 7. The predawn installation was done without fanfare or speeches and reflected the craven approach Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican Members of Congress have taken to recognizing the bravery of the men and women who protected us that day. It reads: “On behalf of a grateful Congress, this plaque honors the extraordinary individuals who bravely protected and defended this symbol of democracy on January 6, 2021. Their heroism will never be forgotten.” By law, it was to be displayed by March 2023. I have had a replica of the plaque on the wall outside my Washington office since Republican leadership was derelict in its duty.

The Friday Flashback

I took this picture of Pope Francis addressing a joint session of Congress on September 24, 2015.

A Bill Day Cartoon – “Don’t Save America Voting Act”

Weekly Health Tip

A federal judge in Boston blocked the Trump Administration from implementing a series of vaccine decisions made by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kenney Jr. this week. They involved what the court called “arbitrary” decisions on Covid shots and childhood vaccinations. Please follow the advice of your pediatrician as these uncertainties swirl in the politicized confusion caused by the current dangerous national health leadership.

Quote of the Week 

“When the Iranian navy is sunk and the missile launchers destroyed, and we have re-obliterated the nuclear infrastructure, do we declare victory and sail away? How do we feel about a new supreme leader who is more extreme and vicious and dedicated to the development of a nuclear weapon than the last one? Do we do a deal with him? How do we get him to open the strait of Hormuz? Do we bomb more? And if we sail away and declare victory, are we back there nine months from now to re-sink a rebuilt navy, and re-bomb the rebuilt missile launchers? Is this going to be an every-nine-month thing or is it going to be annual?...Right now, as we watch the dignified transfer of lost American patriots at Dover, as we watch gasoline approach five dollars a gallon, as we watch our allies mocking us on the world stage, we need to know: Were those questions asked? How did you answer them for the President of the United States? And did he listen?” – Congressman Jim Himes, the Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, in his opening statement Thursday

As always, I remain

Sincerely,

Steve Cohen
Member of Congress