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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement today after voting against H.R.1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”:

“​What Trump and Congressional Republicans call their ‘one big, beautiful bill,’ Americans correctly recognize as one big, brazen betrayal. The bill House Republicans passed today is even more harmful than the version they passed last month. This legislation makes working Americans poorer, hungrier, and unhealthier – all to provide the wealthiest individuals with a tax cut.

“Making the largest cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act in history, the bill will cause roughly one in every twenty Americans to lose their health insurance. It betrays millions of Americans who will go hungry because of its cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Republicans are also selling out future generations of Americans, forcing them to pay off the $3.4 trillion this bill adds to the national debt.

“I joined Democrats in voting against this bill because the People’s House has no business making struggling Americans fall further behind so that the wealthy can get even further ahead. The American people will remember this betrayal – and how each Member voted today.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement today on the June jobs report: 

“While job growth slowed in June, with 74,000 private sector jobs added to the economy and unemployment at 4.1 percent, Trump’s so-called ‘one big, beautiful bill’ raises many concerns about our economic future. Working Americans rightfully see Republicans’ partisan legislation as one big, brazen betrayal. An estimated 17 million of them will lose health care coverage and many hospitals will close or reduce service because of the bill’s more than $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. Millions more will go hungry and many farms will go under as Republicans pare back food assistance programs. Cuts to student loans and Pell grants will make college and skills training programs more expensive. The bill also rolls back incentives Democrats created for the private sector to invest in advanced manufacturing of clean electric vehicles, batteries, and other critical clean energy technologies, sacrificing countless good-paying American jobs and raising electricity costs for everyday Americans as Trump’s tariffs already eat away at their paychecks.

“Why did Republicans inflict his pain on the American people? To give the wealthiest Americans another tax cut. Because of this bill, the bottom 20 percent of American earners will see their income decline by 3 percent. The top 1 percent, however, will see their income increase by 3 percent. That is a $1 trillion dollar tax cut for the top 1 percent. Crucially, future generations of Americans will have to pick up the tab for this bill’s $3.4 trillion price tag. Investors continue to lose faith and credit of the United States, and Americans will pay the price. 

“Trump said he would lower costs for Americans. He said he would lower the national debt. He hasn’t. Both continue to increase as a direct consequence of his disastrous policies. Republicans can lie all they want; the numbers don’t.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

WASHINGTON, DC –  Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (FSGG), and U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, along with Governor Wes Moore, U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) and U.S. Representatives Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Kweisi Mfume (MD-07), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Sarah Elfreth (MD-03), and Johnny Olszewski (MD-02), and Prince George’s County Executive Aisha N. Braveboy released the following statement regarding the Administration’s attempt to reprogram funding intended for the new FBI Headquarters in Greenbelt, Md.

“The FBI deserves a headquarters that meets their security and mission needs – and following an extensive, thorough, and transparent process, Greenbelt, Maryland, was selected as the site that best meets those requirements. Not only was this decision final, the Congress appropriated funds specifically for the purpose of the new, consolidated campus to be built in Maryland. Now the Administration is attempting to redirect those funds – both undermining Congressional intent and dealing a blow to the men and women of the FBI – since we know that a headquarters located within the District would not satisfy their security needs. Simply moving down the street would ignore the real threats the Bureau faces and further jeopardize the safety of those protecting our communities. That’s why we will be fighting back against this proposal with every tool we have.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Marc Veasey (33rd District of Texas)

Headline: Congressman Veasey’s Statement Regarding Abbott & Trump’s Decision to Call Special Session On Redistricting

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Veasey released the following statement in response to Governor Abbott’s decision to call a special session on redistricting on the order of Trump:

“Governor Abbott’s decision to call a special session on redistricting while ongoing floods—responsible for the deaths of more than 100 Texans, including school-aged children—continue to devastate the state is nothing more than a craven power grab and absolutely disgusting. This is an order straight from Mar-a-Lago and carried out at the expense of Texans. Let’s be clear: this is not about fairness or constitutionality. This is about the Coward-in-Chief, Trump, and his lapdog, Greg Abbott, trying to rig the system because they know they can’t win a fair fight in 2026.

We’re not buying for one second that the timing of the Trump DOJ’s letter—sent just two days ago—was a coincidence. This is a coordinated political stunt, not a legal revelation. The claim that coalition districts like mine violate the Voting Rights Act and 14th Amendment is laughable and offensive.

To top it off, Abbott is tacking on disaster relief funding, not out of compassion, but to disguise this blatant power grab. Texans aren’t losers and we’re not fools either. Real leadership doesn’t exploit disasters to push partisan redistricting schemes.

Let me be clear:I will not stand by while this state becomes a testing ground for Trump’s authoritarian fantasies. We will fight this assault in the courts, in the streets, and at the ballot box. Our coalition is strong, and we are not backing down.

So, Trump and Abbott: BRING IT ON.“

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Marc Veasey (33rd District of Texas)

Headline: Congressman Veasey Slams the “Big Ugly Bill” — Republicans Prove to Be Spineless

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Marc Veasey (TX-33), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, slammed the passage of the so-called “Big Ugly Bill” by Republicans. Included in the bill were nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, tax breaks for the wealthy, and reductions to other vital programs that Americans rely on and pay for. Congressman Veasey released the following statement:

“Republicans in the Senate and the House are spineless cowards who put on theater for the cameras. They act concerned about cuts to Medicaid when the cameras are rolling, then turn around and vote to gut Medicaid, slash SNAP, and raise energy bills,” said Congressman Veasey.

“They are too cowardly to stand up to Trump and his billionaire buddies. They’re voting to strip people of their health care. They’re voting to force Americans to choose between keeping the lights on or putting food on the table.”

“This is not the party of fiscal responsibility. This is the party of chaos, corruption, and cowards.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Marc Veasey (33rd District of Texas)

Headline: Congressman Veasey and Texas Democrats Introduce, “Anti-Rigging Act”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Marc Veasey (TX-33) introduced the Anti-Rigging Act of 2025, joined by nine of his fellow Texas Democrats.The bill seeks to end the anti-democratic practice of mid-decade redistricting unless mandated by a court order—ensuring fairer, more transparent elections for all Americans: 

“This move by Governor Abbott does Trump’s bidding, not for any legitimate constitutional purpose as they claim, but to attempt to win an election before the first ballot has been cast. Hiding it under flood relief from the victims to use them as political cover to rig an election is disgusting. Abbott and his overlord Trump are not the leaders Texans deserve or need,” Congressman Veasey, Co-chair of the Voting Rights Caucus said. “It is cynical, racist, and with clear political intent. This bill would ensure it could never happen again. They can’t win on policies because they’ve stripped millions of health care, so they are resorting to their classic playbook: cheating.”

Rep. Veasey is joined on the legislation by Representatives Lloyd Doggett, Julie Johnson, Lizzie Fletcher, Al Green, Veronica Escobar, Jasmine Crockett, Vicente Gonzalez, Greg Casar, and Sylvia Garcia.

“Mid-decade redistricting is disrespectful to citizens and disruptive to democracy,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher. “Once a decade, redistricting takes place not for politicians but for citizens.  Politicians should not trade their constituents to maximize partisan political advantage.  They deserve—and should expect—better from those elected to serve them.”

On Wednesday, at Donald Trump’s urging, Governor Abbott called a special legislative session in Texas to push through a racist and partisan redistricting plan—using flood relief as political cover, even as ongoing floods have already killed more than 100 Texans. These are the same maps Republicans passed in 2021, when they controlled both the governorship and the legislature.

“Desperate to protect an obedient Republican majority lock on Congress, and anxious that many House GOP members may lose in 2026, the president directed Governor Abbott to find him new seats through more crooked gerrymandering,” said Rep. Doggett. “Yet another power grab by a power-hungry administration that will likely redraw the entire state, impacting Austinites. We must rise up and resist.”

“Instead of focusing on providing necessary resources for emergency preparedness and prevention for the state of Texas or support for Central Texas families after the tragic Kerr flooding that has taken well over a hundred lives, Republicans are focused on more gerrymandering. Donald Trump recognizes there will be an electoral backlash from the bill he signed last week which kicks millions of Americans off their healthcare and gives the rich massive, permanent tax cuts so he instructed Governor Greg Abbott to rig the rules by prematurely redistricting Texas and adding 5 more Republican-leaning seats in Congress,” said Congresswoman Escobar. “The Governor should focus on the significant and real challenges Texans face. Voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around.”

“In their latest attack on our Constitution, Greg Abbott and Donald Trump are trying to rig the next election and rip away fair representation through a convoluted and shameless mid-decade redistricting plan. Let’s call this what it is: a desperate, racist power grab. It’s pathetic, and it’s rotten to the core,” said Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia. “I’m proud to cosponsor the Anti-Rigging Act, led by my friend Marc Veasey of Fort Worth, to make sure neither party can trample the Constitution or the Voting Rights Act. The Constitution is clear: redistricting happens once a decade, not whenever politicians feel like rigging the maps.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), who has served on the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, since March of 2011, was formally re-appointed as a member on Thursday and will again be House Ranking Member, the top House Democrat, on the Commission as he was in the 118^th Congress. He was Co-Chair of the Commission in the 117^th Congress when the Democrats were last in the majority in the House.  

Congressman Cohen also serves as a member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly and as the Assembly’s Special Representative on Political Prisoners.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“Serving on the Helsinki Commission in these perilous times is a great honor and profound responsibility. With war in Ukraine and threats to freedom and democracy in many parts of Europe, the United States must be vigilant in demanding accountability and consequences for bad actors, first among them Vladimir Putin. It is a privilege to serve and I look forward to continuing my role in advising the foreign policy establishment on these critical issues. The Commission has a long and distinguished history in international affairs, human rights and promoting democracy. It is an honor to be part of that work.”

The Commission is an independent U.S. government agency created in 1976 to monitor and encourage compliance with the Helsinki Final Act and other Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe commitments. 

The Commission consists of nine members from the United States Senate, nine members from the U.S. House of Representatives, and one member each from the Departments of State, Defense, and Commerce. The positions of Chair and Co-Chair are shared by the House and Senate and rotate every two years, when a new Congress convenes. A professional staff assists the Commissioners in its work.

The Commission convenes public hearings and briefings with expert witnesses on OSCE-related issues; issues public reports concerning implementation of OSCE commitments in participating States; and organizes official delegations to participating States and OSCE meetings to address and assess democratic, economic, security and human rights developments firsthand. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today announced that the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) will provide $7 million for 25 workforce development projects throughout the lower Mississippi River Delta, including two in Memphis.

The Boys and Girls Club of Memphis will receive $300,000 for training and certifying young people between 14 and 22 in logistics, auto mechanics, the culinary arts, and welding. The University of Memphis, in partnership with Coahoma Community College in Clarksdale, Mississippi, will receive $300,000 for workforce development in Coahoma County. 

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“Providing the critical skills employers need strengthens the economy and our communities. I am pleased to see the DRA investing in the Delta workforce and I’m sure that investment will pay off in good-paying jobs.”

The DRA was created in 2000 as a framework for joint federal-state collaboration in the economic development of 255 counties or parishes in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)

MEMPHIS, TN — Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) made the following statement today in recognition of Independence Day:

“Today, as we commemorate the 249th anniversary of this Country, I want us to reflect on this specific part of the Declaration of Independence:

‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes….’

“Now more than ever, we are at a critical moment of having to fiercely defend the principles on which this county was founded. Let us remember the freedoms that our forefathers fought for and never forget that we have a duty to continue to defend them.”
 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) issued the following statement today after voting against final passage of President Trump’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1). House Republicans passed the Senate-amended version of the bill in a largely party line vote of 218-214, sending it to the President’s desk. 

“The GOP’s One Big Ugly Bill fails every basic moral test,” said Congressman Cohen. “They are taking food and health care away from poor people so that the wealthiest individuals who have ever lived can become even wealthier. It is cruel, indefensible, and it is likely the worst bill that has ever been presented by Congress for the citizens of Memphis and Tennessee’s Ninth Congressional District. I was proud to vote ‘NO’.” 

“I’m deeply concerned about the impact this bill will have in my district and throughout the country,” Congressman Cohen added, “not just on the poor and vulnerable, but also on middle-class families, small businesses, hospital systems and emergency services, and so much more. I will continue to fight for my constituents, stand up for what’s right, and be a resource for every person in Memphis and TN-9 who is hurt by this inhumane legislation. This fight is not over.” 

Congressman Cohen voted against the One Big Ugly Bill when it was first considered by the House in May and has vehemently opposed the Senate’s version. The final bill slashes SNAP, Medicaid, and health care subsidies by more than $1.3 trillion, eliminates important tax credits for working families, and adds $4 trillion to the national debt while funding tax giveaways for millionaires, billionaires, high-income earners, and wealthy corporations. See more below. 

Yesterday, Congressman Cohen joined his colleagues in urging Republican leaders to allow a vote on amendments to H.R. 1 that would protect health care and food assistance for millions of Americans. He reminded the chamber of the words in the Gospel of Matthew: “He was sick, and I healed him. He was hungry, and I fed him”—a moral appeal to preserve Medicaid, SNAP, and other lifelines the bill will gut.

Click here to watch Rep. Cohen call on House Republicans to protect health care and food assistance during unanimous consent requests on the House Floor

Despite being given less than 24 hours to review the final bill text and submit amendments, Congressman Cohen moved quickly to offer and support a series of targeted proposals aimed at protecting his constituents and mitigating some of the One Big Ugly Bill’s most egregious provisions by: 

• Making Health Coverage More Affordable — Amendment co-sponsored by Rep. Cohen to make Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits permanent, helping lower health insurance costs for working- and middle-class families who rely on the ACA marketplace.
• Taxing Billionaires Fairly — Amendment introduced by Rep. Cohen to add his Billionaires Income Tax Act to H.R. 1, requiring ultra-wealthy Americans to pay taxes annually on their full economic income. The legislation would close a massive loophole that allows billionaires to avoid paying taxes year after year and ensure vital programs like Medicaid and SNAP are properly funded.
• Protecting Medicaid Access — Amendment co-sponsored by Rep. Cohen to remove harsh new work requirements for Medicaid recipients, which would put millions at risk of losing their health coverage.
• Preserving Access to Reproductive Health Care — Amendment co-sponsored by Rep. Cohen to strike language in the bill that prohibits Medicaid from covering care at Planned Parenthood, protecting access to contraception, cancer screenings, and other vital services.
• Easing Costs for People with Disabilities — Amendment introduced by Rep. Cohen to provide a 50% tax credit for out-of-pocket expenses on mobility devices. Modeled on his Mobility Means Freedom Act, the provision would help more Americans afford essential equipment like wheelchairs, walkers, and prosthetic limbs.
• Restoring Green Housing Investments — Amendment introduced by Rep. Cohen to strike the bill’s repeal of the HUD Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP), which funds energy-efficiency upgrades to affordable housing and protects low-income residents from extreme weather.
• Defending Clean Energy — Amendment co-sponsored by Rep. Cohen to remove new taxes on wind and solar energy, which would raise costs on consumers and undermine America’s clean energy economy.
• Banning Spending at Trump Properties — Amendment introduced by Rep. Cohen to prohibit any taxpayer funds from being used at properties owned by Donald Trump, preventing public money from flowing into the president’s private business empire.
• Blocking Retrofit of Trump’s Qatari Jet — Amendment introduced by Rep. Cohen to prohibit taxpayer funds from being used to retrofit the luxury Qatari jet procured by Donald Trump into Air Force One, a conversion that could cost taxpayers up to $1 billion. 

The Republican-led Rules Committee did not allow floor debate on these amendments or any of the other nearly 500 other amendments that were filed by Democrats.

The final version of President Trump and the GOP’s One Big Ugly Bill includes deep cuts to essential programs and sweeping giveaways to the wealthy—policies that would hurt millions of Americans, including thousands in Memphis and across TN-9.

Some of the bill’s most harmful provisions would: 

• End health coverage for millions — Slashes over $1.1 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, resulting in at least 17 million Americans losing their insurance, according to CBO projections, including over 45,000 in Tennessee’s Ninth Congressional District. 
• Cut SNAP at historic levels — Cuts more than $190 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the largest in cut in the program’s history, wiping out or reducing nutrition assistance for millions of children, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities, including over 711,000 Tennesseans. These cuts will also impact approximately 6,700 SNAP authorized retailers who rely on customers using their SNAP benefits in these stores.
• Impose new costs on the poor — Requires Medicaid recipients earning as little as $16,000 per year to pay out-of-pocket co-pays of up to $35 for each doctor visit.
• Put hospitals and clinics at risk — Cuts funding for community health centers, nursing homes, and hospitals that rely heavily on Medicaid to serve low-income and elderly patients.
• Strip access to care from low-income communities — Defunds Planned Parenthood and decreases access to women’s health services such as contraception and other reproductive care, cancer screenings, and more, especially in low-income communities.
• Punish clean energy while rewarding big oil and gas — Imposes a death sentence for clean energy in our country by stripping tax incentives for wind and solar, imposing new taxes on clean energy projects, and redirecting climate program funds to give oil and gas companies new tax breaks and subsidies.
• Kill clean energy tax credits and raise costs — Eliminates clean energy tax credits for working- and middle-class homeowners and small businesses (e.g. rooftop solar, efficiency upgrades), phases out clean energy incentives for wind, solar, and EVs, and slashes investments in climate resilience, reversing critical sustainability gains.
• Divert national security funds to Trump’s private benefit — Allows national security funding to be used for retrofitting the luxury Qatari jet procured by Donald Trump, which some experts estimate could cost taxpayers up to $1 billion—for a plane he is unlikely to use while in office, but which could become a taxpayer-funded centerpiece of his presidential library to boost visitor traffic.
• Boost military spending while slashing social safety net programs — Hikes the Pentagon budget by $150 billion—a 15% increase—while slashing health care, nutrition assistance, and other critical services for working families.
• Give billionaires a massive inheritance tax break — Eliminates the estate tax for the wealthiest 0.2% of Americans, delivering $211 billion in tax breaks on inheritances over $30 million.
• Shower big corporations with tax breaks — Delivers $918 billion in tax breaks to large corporations, including those that ship jobs overseas or replace American workers with AI.
• Explode the national debt to benefit the wealthy — Adds $4 trillion to the federal deficit, according to the Congressional Budget Office, to finance tax breaks for billionaires, Big Oil, and multinational corporations. 

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