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Dear Friend,
This week, I traveled the length of our state while Congress was not in session to talk to Tennesseans as the only Democratic member of our Congressional delegation. Early in the week, I was so deeply offended by President Trump’s insidious and vile threat to end Iranian civilization on Tuesday that I called for his Cabinet to remove him using its power under the 25th Amendment only to see that, ultimately, his words were characteristically crude but fortunately hollow. Earlier today, I called on xAI to resume building its water recycling plant. In Nashville, I was invited to speak to the Tennessee General Assembly where I served for 24 years as a state Senator and described the persistence needed over 20 years to get the Tennessee Education Lottery passed which has now provided over $8 billion in scholarships to our state’s students. I also spoke at a prescription drug summit in Nashville, introduced a measure to release the Special Counsel’s report on Trump’s illegal retention of classified documents after he left office in 2021, joined forthcoming efforts to impeach Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, spoke at the 58th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., addressed supporters attending the 120th anniversary and a ribbon-cutting at the Memphis Zoo, announced eight separate National Institutes of Health grants, totaling more than $3.6 million, for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, toured the Oak Ridge National Laboratory , 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.
Condemning Trump’s Threat to End Iranian Civilization
Calling on xAI to Complete its Promised Water Recycling Plant
Speaking to the Tennessee General Assembly in Nashville
Addressing Prescription and Illicit Drug Summit
Introducing a Measure to Release Report on Trump’s Illegal Retention of Classified Documents
Supporting Articles of Impeachment Against Hegseth
Speaking at National Civil Rights Museum Commemoration of April 4
Celebrating the Memphis Zoo’s 120th Anniversary
Announcing $3.6 Million in NIH Grants to St. Jude
Visiting Oak Ridge National Laboratory
The Friday Flashback
A Bill Day Cartoon
Weekly Health Tip
Quote of the Week
Condemning Trump’s Threat to End Iranian Civilization
President Trump raised the prospect of annihilating an entire civilization in another of his destructive and reckless social media posts on Tuesday, but this one went well beyond anything a rational, responsible, or respectable world leader would say. I condemned it in harshest terms. Fortunately for humanity, a temporary ceasefire was reached before the deadline he imposed for destroying civilian infrastructure and now we’re waiting again, but also wondering with most of humanity: What has this war achieved besides higher prices, a billion-dollar-a-day political show of force, the deaths of innocent civilians, and the decimation American leadership on the global stage?
Calling on xAI to Complete its Promised Water Recycling Plant
Earlier today, I joined civic leaders in demanding that the promised Colossus Water Recycling Plant under construction not be paused but be completed in an expedited manner. See my statement here.
Speaking to Tennessee General Assembly in Nashville
On Thursday, I addressed the Tennessee Senate from the floor of the chamber in which I served for 24 years. I talked about my 20-year effort to pass the Tennessee Education Lottery over staunch opposition and am proud to see it has produced more than $8 billion in scholarships for our state’s students. It is my proudest legislative achievement there, and it required patience, perseverance, and legislative know-how, not flowery oratory. I am grateful for being given the opportunity to speak to state legislators, and particularly appreciated the invitation from state Senators Raumesh Akbari and London Lamar.
Addressing Prescription and Illicit Drug Summit
I attended the 15th Annual Rx and Illicit Drug Summit in Nashville on Tuesday, where leaders from across the country are working to combat the overdose crisis and strengthen public health. While there, I met with NIH Director, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, to emphasize the agency’s critical role in advancing lifesaving research and protecting Americans, and with Dr. Allison Arwady, Director of the CDC Injury Center, to advocate for increased resources for Memphis and Shelby County to address addiction, violence, and other public health challenges. During a congressional panel, I pushed back on claims that Democrats are undermining drug prevention efforts, making clear that reforms to improve accountability in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations do not weaken enforcement, but instead help keep the focus on stopping drugs and protecting communities. We must continue investing in science, prevention, and public health to save lives.
Introducing a Measure to Release Report on Trump’s Illegal Retention of Classified Documents
On Thursday, I introduced a bill to require the release of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on the classified documents case against Donald Trump. U.S. Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, has refused to release the report, known as Volume II, requested by open government advocates and the news media. Smith was required to stop his planned prosecution of the case once Trump was returned to office, citing Justice Department policy, but the public needs to know what Smith uncovered since he has testified before Congress that he has the evidence for a jury to find Trump guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. See my release on the legislation here.
Supporting Articles of Impeachment Against Hegseth
This week, I joined Arizona Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari and many others in supporting Articles of Impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. I agree with her that “Hegseth’s reckless endangerment of U.S. servicemembers and repeated war crimes, including bombing a girls’ school in Minab, Iran, and willfully targeting civilian infrastructure, are grounds for impeachment and removal from office.” I hope more Members join us.
Speaking at National Civil Rights Museum Commemoration of April 4
On Saturday evening, I spoke at the 58th anniversary of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination at the National Civil Rights Museum that permanently honors his legacy. I was inspired by the remarks of the Reverend Nontombi Naomi Tutu, daughter of the late Archbishop and 1984 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu of South Africa, who spoke of Dr. King as “a man who gave his life because he believed in the truth that every single human being is worthy of respect, is worthy of freedom.” She called King’s work, which inspired her young minister father a continent away in his nonviolent opposition to apartheid, “a movement for human dignity around the world.”
Celebrating the Memphis Zoo’s 120th Anniversary
On Saturday, I also spoke at the 120th anniversary of the Memphis Zoo, one of our city’s most cherished cultural and civic institutions. It keeps getting better and it’s always worth a visit because there’s always something new to discover – a new giraffe and a new Sumatran tiger just this week. I was pleased to help resolve the Overton Park-Zoo parking issues with some substantial federal funding and am pleased to see the results of those long-awaited improvements unfolding before our eyes.
Announcing $3.6 Million in NIH Grants to St. Jude
Twice this week, I released announcements of National Institutes of Health research grants to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. See details about the eight separate projects being supported by $3,628,380 in federal investments here and here. This funding helps drive our economy, and I am fighting President Trump’s budget which calls for a 12 percent cut to the NIH that would cede our nation’s leadership in health care research.
Assessing Nuclear Power Technology at Oak Ridge
As I’ve said, all week I have been traveling across Tennessee, speaking as the only Democratic member of our Congressional delegation. On Tuesday, I toured the Oak Ridge National Laboratory where enriched uranium was created to fuel the atomic bombs that helped end World War II. The facility is now a major international center for scientific research employing thousands. As a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, I found what I learned during the tour useful in considering issues that come before the panel.
The Friday Flashback
I took this picture of Congressman John Lewis and Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the University of Cape Town in 2016 where we were marking the 50th anniversary of Senator Robert F. Kennedy’s June 6, 1966 “Ripples of Hope” human rights speech that so inspired opponents of apartheid. I showed this picture to Archbishop Tutu's daughter on Saturday.
A Bill Day Cartoon
Weekly Health Tip
April is Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Month, reminding us of the availability of screenings and other proactive approaches to better health outcomes. See details from the Prevent Cancer Foundation here.
Quote of the Week
“Let those who have weapons lay them down! Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace! Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue! Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them!” – Pope Leo’s “Urbi et Orbi” message on Easter Sunday from Rome
As always, I remain
Sincerely,
Steve Cohen
Member of Congress
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