Enewsletter: Supporting President Obama's Agenda

Statement

Dear friend,

This week, President Obama outlined his vision for the next year during his State of the Union address, I was selected to be the lead Democrat on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, I successfully fought against another Republican attempt to unconstitutionally undermine a woman's right to choose, and I joined Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., to introduce a constitutional amendment to guarantee the right to vote.

Keep reading to learn more about what happened this week, or if you'd like to receive the updates in this eNewsletter (and more) as they happen simply "like" my Facebook page. Be sure to check it regularly, as it will be updated often with news, pictures, and videos!

Supporting President Obama's Agenda

This week, President Obama laid out his vision to keep our country safe from terror, give the middle class better access to higher education, expand job opportunities, and improve economic fairness for all. It is a good plan for the American public and a good plan for Memphis. Read more about the President's agenda here.

Women's Rights Shouldn't Be Theater, They Should Be Protected

Republicans knew they couldn't get past the Supreme Court's ruling protecting a woman's right to choose, so they are trying to go around it by creating an entirely new justification for banning abortion that has never been recognized before. Thankfully their efforts failed. Watch me speaking out against these efforts here and here, and see photos of me with Senators Barbara Boxer, Patty Murray, and Richard Blumenthal here.

Protecting the Constitution and Civil Rights

Throughout both my legal and political careers, my central focus has been the fight to protect our civil rights, so it was a compliment to have been selected by my colleagues this week as the lead Democrat on the committee charged with safeguarding the Constitution and protecting our civil liberties. Read more about my role on the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice here.

Fighting for Voting Rights for All Americans

More must be done to protect the cornerstone of our democracy that is the right to vote. The Right to Vote constitutional amendment that I introduced yesterday with Reps. Mark Pocan, Keith Ellison, Judy Chu and Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. would clearly and unequivocally guarantee the right to vote for each and every American. Read more about the amendment here.

Guaranteeing Early Voting Opportunities and Reducing Wait Times at the Polls

In addition to cosponsoring a constitutional amendment to clearly and unequivocally guarantee the right to vote for Americans, I also introduced legislation to ensure every state allows citizens to vote early and without burdensome waits. Read more about my SIMPLE Voting Act here.

Protecting Americans from Being Drowned Out of the Political Process

This week marked the 5th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, which along with its McCutcheon decision and others opened the floodgates and made it easier for billionaires and corporations to completely drown middle-class Americans out of the political process. Read more about my work to fix this problem here.

Supporting Biomedical Research for Cures and Treatments

The National Institutes of Health is another department of defense that protects us from deadly diseases and illnesses. And while we more than adequately fund the Department of Defense, we have significantly cut funding for the NIH and halted research for cures. Read about my work to support biomedical research and the NIH here.

Interviewing Candidates for an Upcoming Judicial Vacancies

I spent much of my day in Memphis today interviewing candidates for an upcoming judicial vacancy on the federal district court with a biracial, bipartisan panel of attorneys.

Help Bring First Lady Michelle Obama to Memphis!

First Lady Michelle Obama has launched the #ReachHigher competition to raise awareness and get more high school seniors to fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which can help families afford college, and she will speak at the winner's high school commencement ceremony. Learn more about the competition here.

Helping Memphians Get Covered with the Affordable Care Act

The HealthCare.gov insurance marketplace is open now until February 15th for 2015 plan shopping and comparisons. You can visit http://bit.ly/hcSavings to see if you qualify for tax credits that will be applied as discounts on your monthly insurance premium. Read more about this year's health insurance enrollment period.

As always, I remain.
Most sincerely,

Steve Cohen
Member of Congress

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