Video: Senator Coons warns of shutdown’s impacts on Judicial Branch

Senator Coons, chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Bankruptcy and the Courts, spoke on the Senate floor Thursday about the government shutdown’s impact on the Judicial Branch of the United States, which will run out of reserve funds next Tuesday. As Subcommittee chair, Senator Coons is responsible for oversight of the nation’s federal court system and has been reaching out to federal judges and clerks over the last week to find out how they are planning to move forward after funds are depleted Tuesday. On Thursday, the head of the Third Circuit, which includes Delaware, announced that almost all personnel would be deemed “essential” — a decision Senator Coons endorsed in his speech.

Video: Senator Coons speaks about Democrats’ compromise in shutdown debate

Senator Coons spoke on the Senate floor Wednesday, sharing another letter written by a furloughed Delawarean, and walking through the events leading up to the government shutdown, including the Senate’s passage of a budget, progress on Appropriations bills, the sequester, and now this manufactured crisis. Senator Coons explained how we arrived at this point, and the ways in which Democrats have compromised and tried to negotiate, only to be rebuffed, blocked, or otherwise prevented from making reasonable progress.

Senator Coons returning salary from shutdown

Senator Coons tweeted on Wednesday confirmation that he did not think Congress deserved to be paid during the government shutdown, and that he would send a check to Treasury for the amount he was paid during it.

Congress does not deserve to be paid while the gov’t is shut down. I will return my salary to the Treasury afterward. #netDE

— Senator Chris Coons (@ChrisCoons) October 2, 2013

Senator Coons also cosponsored legislation introduced by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif) that would prevent Members of Congress from being paid during future lapses in funding, like this one.

Video: Senator Coons talks about shutdown’s impact on our economic recovery

Senator Coons spoke on the Senate floor Wednesday about the government shutdown’s negative repercussions for our nation’s economic recovery, especially for our manufacturing sector, which could see its recent growth endangered by another financial crisis. 

Video: Senator Coons speaks about the government shutdown

Senator Coons spoke on the Senate floor Tuesday about the consequences of Congress’ inability to avert a federal government shutdown. In his speech, Senator Coons shared three letters he’s received from Delawareans affected by furloughs and the suspension of important government services and called on Speaker Boehner and House Republicans to take up and pass the bill that would reopen the government.

Shutdown

Barring a last-minute change of heart by members of the House of Representatives, at midnight tonight, the government of the United States of America will shut down for the first time in 17 years.

It is as embarrassing as it is frustrating.

There is no reality where the Senate and President Obama agree to repeal the Affordable Care Act — which was passed by Congress, upheld by the Supreme Court, and sustained in the last presidential election — but the House of Representatives has been unrelenting in its drive to tear it down. They know that shutting down the government won’t stop the new health insurance marketplace from opening tomorrow, but are determined to make their point, no matter the cost to our nation.

Delawareans deserve better than this.

There are too many important things Congress should be working on — helping businesses create jobs and grow our economy, first among them — for it to be wasting its time on these needless partisan conflicts.

Congress should be working together to invest in our nation’s aging infrastructure, revitalize our schools, and keep our communities safe.

It can’t seem to pass laws anymore, but Congress has become very good at manufacturing crises. This one was months in the making, and completely preventable.

I’m a member of the Senate Budget Committee and am proud to have helped write a budget that not only fairly replaces the sequester and responsibly reduces the deficit, but still invests in economic growth. The full Senate debated and ultimately approved that budget, but a few Senate Republicans have blocked negotiations with the House from moving forward — ensuring that the federal government will operate without a budget for the fifth straight year.

I’m also a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which has passed 11 spending bills for the Senate to consider. We tried to pass one of them earlier this year — the bill funding the departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, which had bipartisan support in Committee — but Senate Republicans blocked even debate of the measure.

It is insanely frustrating.

I’m doing what I can to bring the Delaware Way to Washington, steering clear of needless partisanship, working with my Republican colleagues on constructive legislation, and generally trying to put our nation’s interests above our political priorities.

I regret that some in Congress have once again delivered us to the doorstep of an economic crisis, but I will continue to do everything I can to bring us back.

If the government does shut down, my offices in Wilmington and Dover will be closed and most of my team will be furloughed. If you wish to weigh in on the shutdown, you can call my Washington office at 202-224-5042. For those in need of individual help with a federal agency, my website will be updated with the direct contact information of those who can help.

‘Prayer answered,’ Senator Coons salutes safe return of Delaware National Guard unit

Senator Coons had the honor of welcoming home more than 120 members of the Delaware National Guard’s 153rd Military Police Company on Saturday. More than 1,000 family members, friends, and supporters gathered at historic Fort DuPont in Delaware City to greet and offer thanks to service members returning from their nine-month deployment in Afghanistan.

“I am so grateful to God almighty, to your friends and family, to the veterans who have supported you, to the prayers that have lifted you up, to the National Guard who has trained and sustained and supported you, and to the men and women of this community that you are here home safe today,” Senator Coons said. “You are a prayer answered.”

The 153rd participated in nearly 400 missions, many in concert with the Afghan Uniformed Police. The unit responded to significant acts on the western side of Kandahar City, conducted combat patrols, protected power plants, and operated checkpoints that netted six known Taliban members.

Among the ranks were Master Sergeant Marvin Hackett, Staff Sergeant Sidney Baker, and Sergeant Richard Whalen, who completed their fourth tours of duty, as well as Specialist Luis Toledo-Reyes, who recently earned his United States citizenship while in Afghanistan.

The 153rd arrived at the ceremony accompanied by the Patriot Guard Riders, a nationally known motorcycle brigade whose mission is to honor those who risk their lives for America’s freedom and security.

“The Patriot Guard Riders brought you in with style and with courage and they remind us that every veteran deserves a welcome home,” Senator Coons said. “We are thankful they were able to give the 153rd that welcome home today.”

Senator Coons closed his remarks with a message of gratitude for Delaware’s servicemen and women. “You are a remarkable group, not just of soldiers, but of citizens; not just of citizens, but of patriots. We are grateful to God for your service and your safe return home.”

Recognizing National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

In July, Senator Coons supported a resolution passed by the Senate to proclaim September as National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. The President and the Senate began issuing this designation in 2001. With nearly 240,000 new cases of prostate cancer expected this year and more than 2.5 million American men living with the disease, there has never been a more important time to increase our understanding of this terrible illness. The Senate resolution declares that steps should be taken to: (1) raise awareness about prostate cancer screening and treatment; (2) increase research funding; and (3) improve access to, and the quality of, health care services for detecting and treating prostate cancer.

One in six men is diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in his life, and prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among American men. The chances of prostate cancer increase to one in three if a man has one close relative who has had the disease and to 97 percent with three close relatives.

In Delaware, prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among males, and from 2003 to 2007 there were 3,813 new cases reported.  Delaware’s prostate cancer incidence rate of 180.2 per 100,000 men is also significantly higher than the average U.S. rate. African American men are at an increased risk for the disease, with one in four men diagnosed each year, and African American men in Delaware are two times more likely to die from prostate cancer than white men.  

Fortunately, early detection and advancements in treatment have resulted in high survival rates.  Indeed, with early testing, nearly 100 percent of men diagnosed with prostate cancer were still alive five years later. The proportion of prostate cancer cases in Delaware that are detected in the local stage has increased dramatically over the past 30 years.

This month, Chris’ health policy staff met with a representative from the Delaware Prostate Cancer Coalition who underscored the importance of continued research funding and early detection methods. While prostate cancer has seen remarkable advances, adequate research and early testing remain important tools for combatting the disease. Chris has been a longtime supporter of funding for the National Institute of Health (NIH) and will continue fighting to ensure that the NIH and research centers like the National Cancer Institute have adequate funding to prevent, detect, and treat prostate cancer.

Senator Coons salutes National Employ Older Workers Week

The week of September 22-28, 2013 is National Employ Older Workers Week. As the number of Americans aged 55 and older continues to increase, it is important to recognize the growing role that older workers will play in Delaware’s economy and in the labor force across the country. In fact, older workers are the fastest-growing sector of the American workforce, and by 2014, Americans aged 55 and older will make up over 21 percent of the U.S. labor force. These hardworking men and women bring a tremendous amount of experience, dedication, and skill to their jobs and serve as role models for all workers.    

To recognize National Employ Older Workers Week, and to honor and support older workers in Delaware, Senator Coons intends to cosponsor the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (S. 1391). This bipartisan bill would help protect older workers by reversing a recent Supreme Court decision that raised the burden of proof for employees bringing discrimination claims under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. This critical piece of legislation is essential to ensuring that older workers have the same rights as other Americans under the law and to creating an equal playing field in the workplace for older Americans.

Senator Coons is also a proud cosponsor of the Older Americans Act Amendments of 2013. This bill would reauthorize the original Older Americans Act of 1965, which provides federal funding to support a wide range of social services and programs for older persons. The Older Americans Act includes the Senior Community Service Employment Program, our nation’s only federal program specifically dedicated to helping low-income, unemployed adults aged 55 or older gain the job skills and training they need to find full time employment. The program plays a critical role in providing training, supportive services, and job search assistance to Delawareans. Senator Coons is committed to supporting this program and all employers and organizations that employ and assist older workers in Delaware.

Senator Coons urges review of surveillance activities

Senator Coons was one of nine members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to write to the inspector general of the intelligence community on Monday to request a full-scale review of the use of surveillance activities. What’s more: they requested the results of this review be made public.

“We urge you to conduct comprehensive reviews of these authorities and provide a full accounting of how these authorities are being implemented across the Intelligence Community,” the senators wrote. “The IC Inspector General was created in 2010 for this very purpose.  Providing a publicly available summary of the findings and conclusions of these reviews will help promote greater oversight, transparency, and public accountability.”

This isn’t the first time Senator Coons has tried to increase the transparency of our nation’s surveillance activities. 

Ahead of his vote against the reauthorization of the FISA Amendments Act in December, Senator Coons spoke on the Senate floor in support of the legislative predecessors to both of these bills. His speech can be viewed and read here.

In July, Senator Coons cosponsored two bills to limit access to Americans’ private information under FISA and to add transparency and accountability measures to the courts that govern surveillance activities conducted under FISA.

“Delawareans deserve a full and informed debate about our nation’s intelligence-gathering procedures and their intrusion on our privacy rights,” Senator Coons said. “These procedures certainly have a role to play in keeping our nation safe, but Congress has failed to be an effective check of whether they respect our most cherished privacy protections. These two bills represent a second chance to put in place a better system for oversight and the prevention of abuse of the government’s surveillance authorities.” 

Monday’s letter is below: