U.S. Senator Coons (D-Del.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, attended a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on foreign affairs priorities in the FY2013 budget. During the hearing, Senator Coons questioned Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who was testifying.
Click here to learn more about Chris’ work on foreign relations.
U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke on the Senate floor Tuesday morning about the partisan gridlock that has dangerously prolonged the confirmations of judicial nominees.
Click here to read the full text of the speech.
The New York Times reported Friday on Senator Coons’ meeting in Havana with President Raúl Castro of Cuba. During an official visit to Cuba, Haiti and Colombia, Senator Coons – along with five other members of Congress – lobbied for the release of imprisoned American aid worker, Alan Gross.
The meeting with Mr. Castro was the first high-level contact since former President Jimmy Carter dined with him in April 2010. The imprisonment of Mr. Gross has chilled any thaw that might have happened in the wake of the resignation of the longtime Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, and the assumption of the presidency by his brother Raúl.
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Mr. Coons said he was firm that Mr. Gross’s release must come first. “My message back was before anything else can be discussed, we have to make progress on our humanitarian concerns, and that means releasing Alan Gross,” he said.
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Mr. Coons said the main goal of the talks was to assure Mr. Gross that his case remains the main impediment to diplomatic overtures.
Click here to read the full article on The New York Times’ website.
Click here to learn more about Chris’ work on foreign policy.
Tuesday, February 28 at 10:00 a.m. – The Senator will preside over the Senate until 11:00 a.m. Washington, D.C. – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.
Tuesday, February 28 at 11:30 a.m. – The Senator will preside over the Senate again until 12:30 p.m. Washington, D.C. – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.
Tuesday, February 28 at 2:00 p.m. — The Senator will attend a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on foreign affairs priorities in the FY2013 budget. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will testify at the hearing. 216 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. – Open to Press.
Wednesday, February 29 at 9:30 a.m. — The Senator will speak at the 2012 Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy Summit. The Summit, which convenes key players in the nation’s energy innovative community, will feature numerous distinguished speakers including former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. Gaylord National Hotel, Hall A, 201 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD – Open to Press.
Thursday, March 1— The Senator will introduce legislation to support college access and completion. U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. – More details, including timing of a floor speech and press conference call, will be provided early in the week.
Thursday, March 1 at 10:00 a.m. — The Senator will attend a Judiciary Committee business meeting. The Committee will consider the nomination of Andrew Hurwitz to the 9th Circuit and S.1002, the SAFE DOSES Act, of which Senator Coons is a cosponsor. 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. – Open to press.
Thursday, March 1 at 10:00 a.m. – The Senator will attend a Foreign Relations Committee hearing, “Syria: The Crisis and its Implications.” 216 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. – Open to Press.
Thursday, March 1 at 3:15 p.m. — The Senator will meet with the Delaware Bankers Association in Washington. Founded in 1895, the Delaware Bankers Association is a not-for-profit private trade association comprised of national and state chartered banks, non-depository trust companies and savings banks that have assets in or are authorized to accept deposits in Delaware. U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. – Closed to press.
Note: Schedule is subject to change
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Senator Coons applauded the decision by the United States Postal Service to keep the facility at Hare’s Corner in New Castle open. The processing and distribution facility’s 500 employees were informed last night that the Postal Service would no longer seek closure as part of a broader strategy to cut costs.
Chris thanked Senator Tom Carper for his hard work to keep the facility open, and also recognized the efforts of Congressman Carney and Governor Jack Markell.
“I was glad to learn that the U.S. Postal Service and Postmaster General Pat Donahoe have reconsidered their proposal to potentially close the Hare’s Corner postal processing center. This is great news for the working men and women of Delaware, who have served us for so long and made the Postal Service a great part of our community,” Chris said.
“As we have in the past, Delaware came together to face this real challenge, and I’m just grateful for Senator Carper, Congressman John Carney, Governor Markell, and all the men and women of the Postal Service who’ve come together to present the real facts: that the Hare’s Corner center is vital to our community, vital to our local economy, and an important part of moving forward for Delaware. I think this is a great day for Delaware and I look forward to making progress in the days ahead to ensure that the Postal system stays strong in Delaware and across our country,” he added.
At a public meeting on the potential closure in January, Chris expressed his frustration that the planned closing had come without an explanation of why the Hare’s Corner facility had been selected. Watch his full remarks below.
The Associated Press reported Wednesday on Senator Coons’ roundtable meeting with Delaware leaders to discuss reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The meeting, which was held at the New Castle County Department of Public Safety, focused on the importance of reauthorizing VAWA, which is being considered by the Senate and Chris has cosponsored.
For the first time, the reauthorization faces Republican opposition in the Senate.
All of the [roundtable] participants said funding for the federal law has played a critical role in their work and must be reauthorized. Many also expressed concern that the authorization level for it was being reduced.
The current authorization for the law, which must be reauthorized every five years, expired in September. The program currently is funded under a continuing resolution, and Coons’ staff said Congress must pass a reauthorization bill by Sept. 30 to authorize funds going forward.
One amendment that has drawn Republican criticism would extend the act’s protections to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Other amendments would expand the availability of visas for undocumented immigrants who have been victims of domestic violence and allow Native American tribes limited jurisdiction to prosecute both Indian and non-Indians charged with domestic violence.
“The right to live in peace, free from abuse, fear and violence is universal, yet threats to this basic right can be found across lines of race, class and even gender,” Coons said in a statement issued after Tuesday’s meeting. “If we are to protect this right and truly build a climate of security in our homes and communities, these crimes cannot be tolerated. VAWA offers important tools for that effort, and I’m concerned that partisan obstructionism in Washington might take those tools out of our communities.”
Click here to read the full article on USA Today’s website.
Click here to read more about the partisan fight over VAWA.
Click here to watch or read Chris’ February 2nd floor speech on VAWA.
With the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, a law that supports and protects victims of domestic violence, now under threat in the Senate, Senator Coons convened local experts today in New Castle to discuss the importance of reauthorizing this critical piece of legislation.
As the co-chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, Senator Coons was eager to hear directly from the experts representing Delaware’s state, county and local law enforcement agencies, advocacy, community and non-profit organizations, family court, and the Delaware Attorney General’s office. Each explained that the services and programs authorized by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) are essential to Delaware families.
Senator Coons is one of 50 co-sponsors of legislation to reauthorize VAWA, which has come under threat from some Senate Republicans who oppose the measure in its current form
“The Violence Against Women Act has been extraordinarily effective in preventing and stopping domestic violence, and it can help us do more if Congress is able to reauthorize it,” said Senator Coons. “The right to live in peace, free from abuse, fear and violence is universal, yet threats to this basic right can be found across lines of race, class and even gender. If we are to protect this right and truly build a climate of security in our homes and communities, these crimes cannot be tolerated. VAWA offers important tools for that effort, and I’m concerned that partisan obstructionism in Washington might take those tools out of our communities.”
“We must fight to keep this bill in place. VAWA has touched nearly every community in our entire country,” Carol Post, Executive Director of the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said.
Participants in Tuesday’s roundtable included:
Earlier this month, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines, 10-8, to advance the current reauthorization out of committee. It now awaits consideration of the full Senate. Click here to read more about the partisan fight over VAWA: http://huff.to/ypDpSq
Senator Coons spoke about the bill on the Senate floor on February 2. Click here to watch or read it: http://bit.ly/zIYpag
This morning, Dover’s own 512th Airman and Family Readiness of the 512th Airlift Wing at Dover Air Force Base was honored with the 2011 Reserve Family Readiness Award for the U.S. Air Force Reserves. Every year, the award goes to the best unit in each reserve component that prepares airmen and their families for deployment, sustains them throughout, and supports them in their reintegration when they return. The award-winning 512th A&FR supports more than 1,800 airmen and their families connected to Dover Air Force Base, who are spread over 29 states.
The 512th A&FR’s director, Master Sergeant Laura Coseglia, accepted the award on behalf of her team from Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs David McGinnis at a ceremony held at the Pentagon. Senator Coons was presiding over the Senate at the time of the ceremony, but a member of his staff was present, as was wing commander Colonel Randal L. Bright.
Master Sgt. Coseglia’s team has earned best in the nation honors because of their community-based approach to support for airmen and their families. Rather than focus on a top-down, directive based approach to meeting the needs of men and women who serve, the 512th A&FR reaches out to our Delaware community, partnering with over 175 different military, non-profit, business, education, and veteran groups. In today’s austere environments, when needs seem to always outstrip resources, this broad community-based approach opens up creative possibilities for meeting needs.
Senator Coons believes that the community-based approach to serving needs in Delaware that the 512th A&FR does the best in the nation provides the flexibility and responsiveness that is too often lagging in support for our nation’s service members and veterans. He will join with Wilmington University on April 21 for Operation Success, a job fair and outreach event for service members, veterans, and their families, which is bolstered by the Delaware service members support community, including the 512th A&FR.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights released its annual Congressional Voting Record on Tuesday, highlighting the position of members of Congress on civil and human rights issues.
In historical terms, the session was one of the least productive on record with little to no work on the advancement of civil rights. Senator Coons, however, has remained an ardent supporter of advancing civil rights and received a perfect score on the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’ voting record.
The scorecard, which covers the first session of the 112th Congress, outlines how U.S. senators and representatives voted and whether they co-sponsored legislation on priority issues affecting education, economic security, and civil rights. Chris is one of 38 senators to receive a perfect 100 percent rating for the first half of the 112th Congress.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States. Through advocacy and outreach to targeted constituencies, The Leadership Conference works toward the goal of a more open and just society – an America as good as its ideals.
Founded in 1950, The Leadership Conference works to effect meaningful legislation, policies, and executive branch appointments, and to ensure the proper enforcement of civil rights laws to unite us as a nation true to its promise of equal justice, equal opportunity, and mutual respect.
Click here to learn more about Chris’ work for to improve civil rights.
The Associated Press reported Monday that the overall output of American factories for the months of December and January were the best the sector has seen in five years.
Job creation, with a particular focus on manufacturing jobs, has been Senator Coons’ top priority since joining the Senate. He is a member of the Senate Manufacturing Caucus, devoted his maiden speech to the importance of America manufacturing, and unveiled his “Blueprint for American Jobs,” which contains measures to boost growth in the manufacturing sector.
The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that manufacturing production increased 0.7% in January. And output soared 1.5% in December, according to an upward revision. That was the biggest gain since December 2006.
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Factory output has risen 16.7% from its low point during the recession, in June 2009. It is still 7.1% below its December 2007 peak.
Two strong months of manufacturing growth are among the encouraging signs that show the economy could grow at a steady pace this year. The pickup in manufacturing coincides with five straight months of solid job growth, which has lowered the unemployment rate to 8.3%.
Click here to read the full article on USA Today’s website.
Click here to learn more about Senator Coons’ work to improve the economy and create jobs.