was defeated by Republican Dan Kuykendall in 1966, the first Jew to represent a majority black district, and one of the few white congressmen to have represented a black-majority district. Before being elected, Cohen told reporters that he would seek to become the first white member of the Congressional Black Caucus, but later decided against joining after members of the CBC (influenced by co-founder Bill Clay) indicated that they would not allow a non-black to join. Book ban In January 2022, when the board of trustees of McMinn County Schools in Tennessee, in a 10-0 decision, removed the Pulitzer Prize-winning Holocaust graphic novel Maus from its curriculum for 8th grade English classes, overriding a state curriculum decision, Cohen was critical of the decision and said he hoped to see it reversed. Budget Cohen voted against prioritizing spending in the event the debt limit was reached. He voted to create an $825 billion economic recovery package as well as an additional $192 billion anti-recession stimulus in 2009. He supported additional stimulus packages and bailouts, such as the GM and Chrysler bailout. Cohen supports raising Senate salaries. He also supports extending unemployment benefits from 39 weeks to 59 weeks. He opposes any move to privatize Social Security. Gun control Cohen supports a ban on private gun sales without a background check and on "fire sales" of firearms, but supports the right to bear concealed firearms. He supports educating children on gun safety through a school program. Cohen was also one of 80 House members to sign a letter to Obama urging him to ban the importation of military-style semiautomatic firearms. Energy To expand funds available for research and development of alternative energy sources, Cohen supports an excess profits tax on oil companies. He supports investments in solar, wind, and hybrid cars. He supports offering tax credits and incentives to companies that adopt renewable and clean energy methods. He supports the regulation of oil and gas prices and seeks to criminalize oil cartels like OPEC. He opposes offshore drilling and seeks to revoke tax incentives for exploration of oil and gas. Environment Cohen is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. He supports environmental conservation. He opposed a resolution that would bar the EPA from regulating emissions, and opposes allowing offshore drilling. He also supports the expansion of public transportation and train lines. Cohen has said there are several more animal species that