Steve Cohen: “Last week we were honored, in the State of the Union, to hear President Barack Obama address in this hall a joint…”

“Last week we were honored, in the State of the Union, to hear President Barack Obama address in this hall a joint convention, and then he met with the Republican Caucus this week in what was a remarkable political instance of reaching out to the other side. Not since Bill Russell controlled the center for the Celtics have questions and thoughts been deflected in such a marvelous and a deft manner. The President is concerned about health care and jobs, and in my community of Memphis, Tennessee, we need both. And each interest is represented in the MED, our charity hospital, our community hospital that's in danger of closing. It's the trauma center for the Midsouth. Because of the cuts in Medicaid, or TennCare in Tennessee, and the lack of disproportionate share for our State which we could have taken care of in a conference committee report and gotten equality with Hawaii, the MED's in danger of closing. It will have ripples throughout the health community and the hospital community in the entire Midsouth, and it will threaten jobs. Health care is jobs. Jobs are important. This administration and our government needs to put our economy in the right direction and do it and preserve health care and trauma centers and emergency rooms like the MED.”