[VIDEO] ICYMI: Sen. Coons introduces and questions Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, nominee for US Ambassador to the UN

WILMINGTON, Del. – Earlier this week, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced and questioned President Joe Biden’s nominee for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield. Video of Senator Coons’ introduction of Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield is available here. Video of Senator Coons’ questioning is available here. 

Senator Coons asked Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield about restoring U.S. leadership at the United Nations, reforming and strengthening peacekeeping missions abroad, strategic competition with China, and bridging divides between Israel and countries across the developing world. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield highlighted the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) as a transformative tool for more robust U.S. private sector engagement in advancing development objectives and building new partnerships. Senator Coons also raised concerns about China’s influence at the United Nations.

Senator Coons expressed his gratitude for Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield’s 35 years of service to the United States and emphasized his hope that she will be swiftly confirmed by the Senate.

Full audio and video of the Senator’s introduction available here. A transcript is provided below.

Sen. Coons: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Menendez. It is my honor to join Senator Cassidy in introducing to this committee Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, President Biden’s nominee to represent our nation at the United Nations in New York. Our country faces an unprecedented series of crises and challenges both at home and abroad: a global pandemic, an economic recession, a reckoning around inequality and injustice, unprecedented levels of displacement and violence around the world, and the existential threat of climate change. And, in this moment, I believe our leadership credibility and values are at task and are at test around the world, and our relationships are strained. We need to ask ourselves who we want to be and what example we hope to set for the rest of the world. And, as our face at the United Nations, the United States needs a leader who can advance not just our interests but our values, restore our alliances, rebuild bridges and develop relationships that allow us to manage disagreements, unpack complex challenges and inspire a next generation of leaders. That’s why I am so excited to have the honor of joining with Senator Cassidy in introducing Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield. She is no stranger to this committee, the diplomatic corps or the U.S. National Security community. Over the course of her 35 years of service to our nation, under administrations both Republican and Democrat, she’s earned this community’s respect and admiration, so much so she’s famously known in places around the world by just three letters: LTG. She is joined today and has long been supported by her loving family, her husband Lafayette, her daughter Lindsay and her son Lafayette II, known as Deuce, and we are grateful for their support for her career and her service. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield represents both the promise and progress of America – raised in the segregated Deep South and graduated from a segregated high school, one of just a few African-American women to attend and graduate from Louisiana State University. She would, in 1982, join the foreign service after teaching political science at Bucknell to become one of far too few Black professional female diplomats in our foreign service. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield has lived the ideals of our nation, even at a time when it was falling short of our founding ideals, and has spent her career blazing trails. She understands that true patriotism is constituted in pushing your country to be the best version of itself and striving for that more perfect union. She is the right person at the right time, not just because of her qualifications, her deep global experience – serving us in more than six countries around the world and as the DG of the State Department – but because of her personal style of diplomacy, called “Gumbo Diplomacy” by her, inspired by her native Louisiana as a way to reach out and connect with others and break down barriers, to connect with people and solve problems. I saw first-hand in Liberia when we first met why she’s been called the “people’s ambassador”. She’s never met someone she can’t turn into a friend. She is also battle-tested and tough as nails, having overseen our response as a nation to some of the most complex and grinding crises in the world. She brings a deep experience, a diverse perspective and a unique and warm personality to the challenges of U.S. foreign policy at a time when we need new thinking. So, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield represents, in my view, the very best of our nation, and I urge my colleagues to support her nomination and swift confirmation through the United States Senate. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.  

Full audio and video of the Senator’s questioning available here. A transcript is provided below.

Sen. Coons: Thank you, Senator Rubio, and thank you to the Chairman and Ranking Member. Thank you, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield, for your willingness to continue your distinguished service to our nation. I am so excited for the opportunity to work with you in the years ahead and to continue the areas in which we’ve been able to partner in the past. Let me just ask up front, since you’ll be taking the helm, I hope, of our U.S. Mission in New York after four years of an administration that largely rejected multilateralism. Do you think our owing the United Nations over a billion dollars in arrears helps us to establish American leadership, helps us to engage in all the different UN-related entities or institutions, or does that hurt us, in some ways, in achieving our values and securities objectives through the United Nations system?

Amb. Thomas-Greenfield: Senator, thank you so much for that question. Working to address these issues will be one of my highest priorities in New York if I am confirmed. Not paying our bills really does diminish our power and it diminishes our leadership. We need to pay our bills to have a seat at the table and our leadership is needed at the table. We know that when we cede our leadership, others jump in very quickly to fill the void and we need to make sure that we are there to push back on those who would have malign intentions at the United Nations so that we can protect our own–

Sen. Coons: Ambassador, if I might, forgive me, we have very little time, I’ve just three more minutes. Ambassador, if I might, I was encouraged to hear in your opening statement your commitment to reform and transparency. A lot of UN funding is dedicated to peacekeeping. We have both visited with and seen peacekeeping missions from Liberia to Sudan, across the continent and around the world. Some of them have been incredibly essential and well-run. Some of them have been profoundly flawed. I look forward, as a member of the Appropriations subcommittee that funds our work around the world, to working with you on that reform. I’m concerned about a spike in violence in Darfur and Sudan, seeming to head in the wrong direction after UNAMID, the peacekeeping mission, was drawn down. Is that also a topic of concern to you? Could you briefly speak to the path forward in peacekeeping?

Amb. Thomas-Greenfield: It is absolutely a concern for us. The UN’s responsibility is to provide protection and hopefully the new UN force presence will help to address the issues in Darfur but it’s something that I will be looking very closely at. 

Sen. Coons: Senator Romney mentioned, and I couldn’t agree more, that the United States and China are engaged in a significant strategic competition, not just across the continent of Africa but across the entire developing world. And, as you said, we have both sat with African leaders – my first such conversation was, in fact, in Liberia, where they’ve expressed a desire to work with the United States, but we’re not offering the financing, the terms, the engagement that China is. I worked hard to get the Development Finance Corporation, stood up and authorized. It’s just finished its first year of operation. Do you view the DFC as a powerful new tool that allows the United States to deliver private sector financing with U.S. government partnership in the developing world, that can compete with the debt-trap diplomacy China is offering by offering financing on more transparent terms, that are more sustainable, and that better respect the decision-making priorities of our developing nation partners? 

Amb. Thomas-Greenfield: Senator, the simple answer to that question is absolutely, and I thank you profusely for pushing forward the DFC. I think it’s going to be transformative on the continent of Africa and across the globe and we will see the impact in the future. 

Sen. Coons: Today is World Holocaust Remembrance Day. One of my pressing concerns at the United Nations has been the isolation of Israel and the ways in which Israel has been singled out, and often, I think, mistreated at the United Nations. That has led some to advocate our withdraw from UN entities, and for what you said, when we’re not at the table, others rush in. I think that’s correct and we should reengage. Do you think there’s a way we can deepen relations between Israel and the developing world that will take advantage of the opportunity we have for Israel’s unique public health and development skills, to bridge some of those divides at the United Nations?

Amb. Thomas-Greenfield: I will look forward to working with the Israelis and trying to develop a strategy with them for engaging with countries that would appreciate having Israel’s expertise to support their own development efforts. I’m hopeful that those countries who have recognized Israel under the Abraham Accords will also see some opportunities to be more cooperative at the United Nations and more supportive of Israel’s presence there.  

Sen. Coons: As you’ve referenced, China is aggressive – not just diplomatically, not just economically, but also directly at the United Nations. Chinese nationals now lead four of the fifteen UN-specialized agencies. They’ve made a strategic investment, a coordinated effort to influence global governance. Nowhere is this more important than in intellectual property. China missed 3G and 4G. They have no intention of missing 5G. The last administration’s fights around Huawei and ZTE, I thought, were appropriate and their pressure on China for its IP theft and its innovation mercantilism, I supported. I disagreed with some of their tactics, but the broader strategy I thought was important, and the patent and Trademark Office Director Andrei Iancu mobilized our allies to ensure a Chinese national did not get chosen to lead the World Intellectual Property Organization. Our contest with China, which is a strategic adversary, as you correctly perceived them to be, includes fights over IP in standard-setting boards. Do you intend to raise this as an issue within the Biden administration, to advocate for an assertive, a muscular and an engaged U.S. IP diplomacy as well?

Amb. Thomas-Greenfield: Absolutely and across the board, for the United Nations, I will be fighting to ensure that either Americans or like-minded allies hold those significant positions. 

Sen. Coons: Well thank you for your thoughtful and candid responses and for your long service to our nation. I hope our Committee in the Senate will promptly confirm you, and I look forward to working together. 

Amb. Thomas-Greenfield: Thank you, sir

Sen. Coons: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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Sens. Coons & Young, Reps. Norcross & McKinley reintroduce bill to expand registered apprenticeships to new job sectors

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) and U.S. Representatives Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) and David McKinley (R-W.Va.) reintroduced the Apprenticeship Hubs Across America Act to expand the highly successful registered apprenticeship model to high-growth job sectors. The bill is also cosponsored by U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.). At a time when more than 10 million Americans are unemployed due to COVID-19, apprenticeships provide proven pathways to well-paying jobs that offer workers in-demand skills and tangible credentials. Apprenticeships work for a wide range of Americans, from recent high school graduates to experienced workers pivoting to new industries during a time of economic change. 

This Apprenticeship Hubs Across America Act establishes a new initiative at the U.S. Department of Labor to expand highly successful Apprenticeship Hubs, which are organizations that help employers design, develop, and deliver Registered Apprenticeship Programs. A major barrier to expanding registered apprenticeships in high-growth job sectors outside of the skilled trades is employers’ lack of familiarity with the process to set up and manage Registered Apprenticeship Programs. The Apprenticeship Hubs Across America Act addresses this need by supporting a national network of Apprenticeship Hubs that convene local workforce boards, community colleges, unions, and employers to help support the expansion of the extremely successful registered apprenticeship model. In the 116^th Congress, the bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives as a part of the National Apprenticeship Act of 2020 (H.R. 8294). The Senate did not vote on the bill.

“I’m proud to reintroduce the Apprenticeship Hubs Across America Act at a time when government investment in quality job training programs is more important than ever,” said Senator Coons. “By supporting organizations that help employers design, develop, and deliver Registered Apprenticeship Programs, we can re-skill and prepare millions of America’s displaced workers for work in not only the trades, but also in advanced manufacturing, health care, science, hospitality, and information technology. I was pleased the bill passed the House of Representatives last Congress, and I urge my colleagues in both chambers to advance this legislation.”

“Now that a global pandemic has displaced many American jobs, it is more important than ever to invest in career-supporting apprenticeship programs. That’s why I am joining my colleagues to reintroduce the Apprenticeship Hubs Across America Act to increase access to apprenticeships, which provide opportunities and benefits to Hoosier communities,” said Senator Young.

“A Registered Apprenticeship shaped my life – laying the foundation for me to go from the construction site to Congress,” said Congressman Norcross. “The Apprenticeship Hubs Across America Act will provide students and workers across the country access to apprenticeship opportunities by expanding and strengthening the proven models developed by the Registered Apprenticeship Program. Expanding access to Registered Apprenticeships – our country’s most successful workforce training program – will allow workers to earn while they learn and accelerate our economic recovery. I urge Congress to pass this legislation and support American workers and their futures.”

“Investing in job training programs and apprenticeships is crucial, especially when COVID-19 has left millions of Americans without work,” said Congressman McKinley. “By increasing access to apprenticeships, we will close the skilled workers gap, create good-paying jobs in our communities, and help aid in our economic recovery.”

Apprenticeship Hubs participate in a variety of activities, such as providing guidance and mentorship of apprentices to ensure retention and completion; working with employers to design the apprenticeship curriculum; and navigating the registration process for apprenticeships. The bill also instructs the Department of Labor to conduct national workshops on how to create Apprenticeship Hubs and disseminate best practices on the effective development and implementation of Registered Apprenticeship Programs. In Delaware, Delaware Pathways is an Apprenticeship Hub that convenes education and workforce leaders in the state and leverages community support to broaden career pathways for youth by developing new apprenticeship programs in a variety of occupations.

The bill text is available here. A one-pager can be found here.

The Apprenticeship Hubs Across America Act is endorsed by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), Jobs for the Future, Third Way, New America, Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, Small Business Majority, and Delaware Pathways.

“Over the past two centuries, we established free primary and secondary education and public two- and four-year colleges in every state,” said Gabe Horwitz, Senior Vice President of the Economic Program at Third Way. “Now, we must add the missing piece, making apprenticeships a ubiquitous part of our educational system. Senator Coons’ legislation takes an essential first step to making that a reality. This legislation is critical to fostering an inclusive economic recovery from COVID-19, which has devastated our economy and left millions of Americans out of work. Apprenticeships can play a key role in helping people regain their footing in the job market.”

“JFF’s Center for Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning applauds this bipartisan effort to encourage and support the growth of apprenticeship intermediaries,” said Eric Seleznow, Senior Advisor at Jobs For the Future (JFF). “Intermediaries play a critical role in organizing and expanding high quality apprenticeship programs that help workers obtain the skills to succeed while helping businesses train their next generation of workers. There is an emergence of new intermediaries including community colleges, workforce boards, private firms, community-based organizations, and industry associations, among others, that make it easier for employers to create high quality registered apprenticeship programs. This bill will support these on-going efforts to expand the proven practice of apprenticeships for both adults and youth.”

“The ongoing impact of COVID-19 is making the important work of creating clear pathways to good jobs more urgent, complex and expansive in scale,” said Brent Parton, Deputy Director for the Center on Education & Labor at New America. “Apprenticeship is a proven model that offers a combination of paid, on-the-job training, and debt-free postsecondary credentials connected to good jobs. We need to invest in our national infrastructure to extend the guarantees of apprenticeship to more students and workers in more ­sectors, such as health care, information technology, advanced manufacturing, and education.  The Apprenticeship Hubs Across America Act addresses this critical need by making essential investments in intermediaries that make it easier for more employers to start apprenticeship programs, and expand these opportunities to more Americans.”

“Through our Combined WIOA and Perkins State Plan, Delaware has made tremendous strides in creating a career pathways system that is predicated on learner voice and employer needs,” said Luke Rhine, Director of Career & Technical Education and STEM Initiatives at Delaware Department of Education. “TheApprenticeship Hubs Across America Act of 2021 will help to expand apprenticeship as part of a system of higher education that values stackable industry credentials and connected degree models.  We applaud Senator Coons and his colleagues for their work and their desire to develop new opportunities for employers to connect with education and training institutions.”

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Coons, Van Hollen introduce bipartisan bill to award Officer Eugene Goodman with Congressional Gold Medal

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), along with Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.), introduced legislation to award Officer Eugene Goodman the Congressional Gold Medal to honor his heroic actions on January 6, 2021. Goodman confronted rioters in the Capitol, delaying their access to the Senate chamber and protecting the lives of those inside.

“Officer Eugene Goodman’s brave and swift response to the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 averted further disaster and may well have saved lives. Confronted by an angry mob and aware of the stakes of the moment, Officer Goodman put his own safety on the line to divert the mob away from the Senate chamber and protect our democratic process. He is a hero to me, my colleagues, and to our entire nation, and the Congressional Gold Medal is a fitting recognition of his courageous actions at a time of great need,” said Senator Coons. “Officer Goodman and the Capitol Police officers who defended the Capitol building and our democracy that day deserve our utmost gratitude and respect.”

“Officer Goodman is a hero. He protected our democracy by holding off and then diverting a violent mob away from the Senate chamber. His actions on January 6^th saved lives – including those of many of our Senate colleagues and staff. Maryland is proud to call him one of our own, and I’m honored to introduce this bipartisan bill to recognize his bravery,” said Senator Van Hollen. 

“The attack on the Capitol on January 6 was a tragic assault on our democracy that could have been much worse had it not been for the quick actions by Capitol Police Officers like Officer Eugene Goodman,” said Senator Tillis. “Facing down a mob of rioters, Officer Goodman led the violent mob away from the Senate Floor where they were mere feet away from Senators and the Vice President of the United States. I stand with my colleagues in our gratitude for his actions that will never be forgotten. With a background serving at Fort Bragg and North Carolina ties, he has made our great state proud, and I am honored to co-introduce this bipartisan legislation awarding him the Congressional Gold Medal.”

“We all watched footage of Officer Eugene Goodman putting his own life at risk to save ours,” said Senator Brown. “What was already a tragic day could have been worse if he had not bravely led the violent mob away from the Senate chamber. Bestowing Officer Goodman with a Congressional Gold Medal to honor his commitment and courage on January 6^th, is one important way we can thank him for his service on that day and every day.”

“Officer Eugene Goodman’s bravery and quick thinking saved lives and saved democracy from what could have been an even darker tragedy. The Senate and our country owe him an eternal debt,” said Senator Cardin. “All of Maryland is proud of Officer Goodman’s courage and service to our nation.” 

This legislation has also been cosponsored by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

Companion legislation was introduced in the House by Representatives Charlie Crist (D-Fla.), Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), and Nancy Mace (R-S.C.).

The text of the bill can be found here.

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Sens. Coons & Scott, Reps. Adams & Hill announce HBCU Caucus for the 117th Congress

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and U.S. Representatives Alma Adams (D-N.C.) and French Hill (R-Ark.) announced the return of the Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Caucus for the 117^th Congress. The Caucus was originally founded in 2015; since then, it has grown to over 100 Members strong in both the House and the Senate.

“We relaunched the Bipartisan HBCU Caucus two years ago to find new ways to support institutions like Delaware State University which continue to expand the opportunity of higher education to more students,” said Senator Coons. “In that time, the caucus’ efforts have helped bring renewed focus to HBCUs: securing permanent federal funding for HBCUs and MSIs, launching new ROTC programs for aspiring pilots, and most recently, passing the HBCU Partners Act to deepen the federal government’s collaboration with these critical engines for equity. Delaware is home to one of the top HBCUs in the country, and I’ve witnessed firsthand the impact that DSU has on our state and on the city of Dover. That’s why I’m proud to lead this caucus with my colleagues and to continue championing priorities of HBCUs and MSIs in the halls of Congress.”

“As the first Senate co-chair of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Caucus, I can assure Americans that our work in advancing the cause of HBCUs is just beginning,” said Senator Tim Scott. “Much has been done since the early days of the HBCU caucus and all our tireless advocacy has not been in vain. We’ve secured historic and permanent funding for HBCUs, hosted university presidents in Washington—for the first time in history—to hear from them directly, and worked to cultivate private/public partnerships between HBCUs and American industries. I look forward to working with colleagues in both chambers, and on both sides of the aisle, to continue building on the good work we’ve accomplished to strengthen HBCUs across the country.”

“Once again, I am proud to lead the Congressional Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities Caucus,” said Representative Adams. “Now entering its seventh year, the HBCU Caucus will continue to advance equity in higher education with a renewed commitment to giving these schools the support and resources they need. I am honored to be joined by my House co-chair, Rep. French Hill (AR-02), as well as my House Vice-Chairs Reps. Terri Sewell (AL-07) and Michael Turner (OH-10), Senate co-chairs, Sens. Tim Scott and Chris Coons, and the nearly 100 Members of Congress who have joined the Caucus for the 117^th Congress. They know HBCUs are agents of access and inclusion in our society, and together we will ensure a bright future for these exceptional institutions.”

“For thousands of students in Arkansas and across the country, HBCUs like Arkansas Baptist College, Philander Smith College, Shorter College and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff offer the essential tools to help students pursue their own American Dream,” said Representative Hill. “As we start the 117th Congress, my colleagues and I seek to address the unique challenges that HBCUs face and expand opportunity for Black students. As Co-Chair of the HBCU Caucus, I look forward to working with Senator Coons, Senator Scott, and Representative Adams to reach across the aisle and start a national dialogue about what we can do to bolster our HBCUs. We will also work in a bipartisan manner to draft meaningful legislation that will support students and graduates of HBCUs by increasing access to career opportunities.”  

Historically Black Colleges and Universities play a critical role in higher education. Over 100 HBCUs across the country educate and employ many of our constituents, enrolling over 300,000 students every year. As they serve a disproportionate number of low-income and first-generation college attendees, HBCUs provide opportunity for students from underrepresented backgrounds to attain an excellent education. These institutions are essential producers of diverse talent and important pipelines for the workforce.

Despite the important role HBCUs play, they face unique challenges due to historic discrimination and underfunding. These challenges include a limited capacity to access research and development grants, obtain funding for capital infrastructure improvements, and recruit faculty. The Caucus was created to educate Congress and the American people about the important role HBCUs play in higher education, facilitate discussions about the challenges impacting HBCUs, and draft meaningful, bipartisan legislation to address them.

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[VIDEO] ICYMI: Sen. Coons questions and expresses support for Tony Blinken, Secretary of State nominee

WASHINGTON – Earlier this week, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined the committee virtually to question President Joe Biden’s Secretary of State nominee Antony Blinken. Video and audio of Senator Coons’ questioning available here.

Senator Coons asked the nominee questions about competing with China, the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, democratic transitions in Africa, and the role of new tools for diplomacy and development such as the Development Finance Corporation and the Global Fragility Act. Senator Coons expressed his support for Tony Blinken and intends to vote to advance his nomination out of the Foreign Relations Committee.

During the hearing, Senator Coons also raised concerns about Iran’s nuclear program and reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to Israel’s security. He expressed support for Blinken’s pledge to increase the diversity of the State Department workforce and he committed to working with the nominee to provide the State Department with the resources it needs to advance American interests and values around the world.

Full audio and video available here. A transcript is provided below.

Sen. Coons: Thank you, Chairman Risch, Ranking Member Menendez. Thank you so much for a chance to be with you, Tony, it’s great to be with you again. Thank you to you and your family, to Evan and John and Lila, for your willingness to serve once again. Given your previous experiences – Deputy Secretary of State, Deputy National Security Advisor, as the Staff Director of this important committee – you have excellent experience and credentials and, in your opening statement, you once again reinforced the ways in which your life experience, your values, reinforce all the ways in which you will be an excellent Secretary of State for this nation. I’m sorry not to be with you in person. I was here for the send-off celebration as the President-elect departed Delaware and headed towards Washington to begin the inauguration. But it has been exciting to me to have a chance to hear my colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans, raise challenging issues and to hear your engaged and thoughtful and forward-looking answers. We gather today at a moment when it is a real challenge for all of us, that the events of last Wednesday highlighted some of the deep divisions in our country and some of the challenges our democracy faces. I am hopeful that, after a national day of service yesterday celebrating Martin Luther King Day, after this evening’s national reflection on all the American lives that have been lost in this COVID pandemic, and after tomorrow’s inauguration, that we can begin the work of investing in our democracy, rebuilding our bipartisan consensus around some of the challenges facing us in the world, and to do that in partnership with you. Let me first start with something that has been the topic of many questions from colleagues: the U.S.-China relationship and how that, in many ways, will define this century. I very much look forward to working with the incoming chairman and ranking member of this committee, with you, Mr. Blinken, and with many of my colleagues in figuring out how we craft a durable, a sustainable, an effective and a bipartisan strategy with regards to China. You’ve made reference, Tony, to the techno-democracies and techno-autocracies of the world and the ways in which there is an intersection between concerns about digital privacy, digital promotion of democracy, intellectual property, and ways in which China’s bad behavior on the world stage with regards to IP is laying the groundwork for them to successfully export their model of digital authoritarianism. Do you think, in confronting China’s digital authoritarianism, we should make that a part of the agenda of our convening a global group of digital democracy – something like the D-10 that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has proposed – or do you think we should pursue something with more weight, a regional structure like a digital free trade zone of democracies aligned, like the United States, in order to help keep emerging technologies free and available and open to the world? 

Blinken: So, my sense is everything should be on the table, it may be something that requires multiple steps to get to the destination – in the first instance, bringing concerned countries together, the digital democracies together. An appropriate forum, I think, is the place to start, and I don’t want to minimize the challenge we have, we obviously have disagreements among democracies about a lot of profound questions about how technology is used so we’ve got some work to do just to get our own collective house in order. But I think you start there and then some of the more expansive ideas, Senator, that you alluded to is something that we might be able to get to and work toward. 

Sen. Coons: I’d be excited to do that work with you. Senator Menendez, Senator Risch, a number of colleagues raised concerns about Iran and Iran’s aggressive pursuit, both regionally of influence, of their ballistic missile program and of their restarting their more robust enrichment program and the threat that poses to the region and to our security. I also just want to renew my commitment to the U.S.-Israel relationship and to trying to pursue on some positive path towards a two-state solution. The Middle East as a region remains as unsettled and as unstable as it’s ever been. Although there was progress in some of the normalization aspects of the Abraham Accords that you have recognized, the administration will face real challenges in assessing Iran’s willingness to negotiate in good faith and the path forward. I look forward to working with you on this challenge and making sure that we build a framework with our core allies in Europe that can take into account these broader destabilizing actions by Iran. Let me ask, quickly, about two other things going on in the region that haven’t been addressed so far. Recently, outgoing Secretary Pompeo designated the Houthi movement in Yemen as a foreign terrorist organization. Many humanitarian leaders, including the head of the World Food Programme and senators on both sides of the aisle, denounced that designation as something that may well create now a humanitarian crisis of greater scale. The President-elect has said he would end U.S. support for the war in Yemen and that U.S. support for humanitarian relief is critical. What steps do you think we can or should immediately take with regards to Yemen, how can the Senate help and how do you see this as a piece of that broader, regional puzzle of working through, pushing back on Iran’s projection of force through proxies while still reexamining some of our relationships in the region that have become more complicated by their human rights records?

Blinken: First, Senator, we need to be clear-eyed about the Houthis. They overthrew a government in Yemen, they engaged in a path of aggression through the country, they directed aggression toward Saudi Arabia, they’ve committed atrocities and human rights abuses, and that is a fact. What’s also a fact, though, is that the [inaudible] Houthi aggression has contributed to what is by most accounts the worst humanitarian situation that we’ve faced anywhere in the world. And, one aspect of that situation is that about 80% of the Yemeni population right now is in areas controlled by the Houthis, and whether we like it or not, we have to find ways to get assistance to them if we’re going to do anything about addressing this situation. So, my concern, deep concern about the designation that was made is that, at least on its surface, it seems to achieve nothing particularly practical in advancing the efforts against the Houthis and to bring them back to the negotiating table, while making it even more difficult than it already is to provide humanitarian assistance to people who desperately need it. So, I think we would propose to review that immediately to make sure that what we are doing is not impeding the provision of humanitarian assistance even under these difficult circumstances. I recognize that some have talked about carve-outs for American providers of humanitarian assistance. The problem there is that, if the carve-outs don’t apply to everyone around the world, it’s not going to get the job done, because most of the humanitarian assistance provided to Yemen is not coming from the United States – it is coming from other countries. So, I think we’ve got a very specific and concrete problem that we need to address very quickly if we’re going to make sure we’re doing everything we can to alleviate the suffering of the people in Yemen. 

Sen. Coons: Thank you for that answer. I need to move forward given the limitations of time. I was proud to have a chance to work with a number of colleagues on this committee in 2018 to help pass the BUILD Act that created the new Development Finance Corporation; in 2019, the Global Fragility Act, which has set a new process and framework for looking at fragile states borrowing from the lessons of Plan Colombia. One of the areas, as we both know, the President-elect has been passionate about is the Northern Triangle and finding ways to build a sustained, long term strategy that can secure stability in a region that has long known fragility. And, at the end of last year, we passed a bipartisan package that creates the Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Fund to provide support for partnership between Palestinians and Israelis, to provide for economic ventures and opportunity. Are these three tools that you look forward to working with us on and that you will embrace in your leadership role as the Biden administration looks for new tools to use in advancing our broader objective?

Blinken: Yes. 

Sen. Coons: And, can you help me understand how you view the challenge of combating fragility and putting prioritization in place between diplomacy, defense and development?

Blinken: So, first, Senator, I think the Fragility Act is a terrific foundation upon which to do this. I’ve had some conversations with the President-elect about exactly this and it is very much on his mind, that is, the risks that continue to be posed emanating from fragile states and the national security interest that we have as well as [inaudible] do what we can to help strengthen fragile states and prevent fragile states from becoming failed states. I think you put in place a very good foundation for thinking about that, and of course part of this is making sure that our development programs are fully and thoroughly integrated into our foreign policy – making sure that they are delivering and effective because we are conscious that we are using the taxpayer’s money in advancing them, but also making sure that we put these front and center, that they are not an afterthought, they are actually the first thought along with our diplomacy and our foreign policy. 

Sen. Coons: Thanks. And I think the Development Finance Corporation provides a critical new tool as long as it is a Development Finance Corporation. A number of colleagues have referenced Russia and the tragic arrest of Navalny and the importance of advancing human rights and supporting the fight for democracy. Whether it’s in failed authoritarian states like Venezuela or it’s in Putin’s Russia or it’s elsewhere in the world, you know my long concern for Africa – there was just a deeply flawed election in Uganda where Museveni has again held onto power, in no small part by engaging in a blatant disregard for human rights. There are other countries of real concern: in Ethiopia, the violence in the Tigray region; in Sudan, on the other hand, where there’s been an encouraging transition to democracy recently. How do you plan to better support the fragile transition in Sudan while pushing back on those countries that are backsliding on their commitment to democracy like Uganda or, some would argue, Ethiopia?

Blinken: So, I think it starts with our very active engagement, not being AWOL when these problems emerge. Ethiopia – I share your deep concerns. We’ve seen a number of deeply, deeply concerning actions taken, including atrocities directed both at people in Tigray, directed at Eritrean refugees, in Ethiopia. We, I think, need to see much greater access to the region, accountability, an effort to put a dialogue in place so that the issues that cause the conflict can actually be discussed and litigated as opposed to dealt with through violence. We need to see restoration of communications. We need access for humanitarian assistance in the region. And, I worry as well that what started there has the potential to be destabilizing throughout the Horn of Africa. So, I would like to see American diplomacy fully engaged in trying to contend with this challenge. You said a number of other places where I share your concerns – about the elections in Uganda, concerns in Cameroon recently, particularly violence directed at the Anglophone population – so there’s a whole series of places where we have challenges where I think the United States can help make a difference, and that starts with being engaged.

Sen. Coons: Thank you. Mr. Chairman, thank you for your indulgence. If I can just, in closing, say I share your commitment to a diverse workforce in the State Department and to ensuring that the State Department has the resources it needs to do its job well. I could not agree more, Tony, with your statement that we have to connect foreign policy to the live-daily concerns of average working people across this country. You will be an excellent leader in doing so, and I very much look forward to supporting your nomination and to working with you. Thank you for your indulgence, Mr. Chairman.

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Senator Coons’ statement on President Biden’s executive action to rejoin Paris Agreement

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement on President Biden’s executive order announcing the United States’ return to the Paris Agreement on climate change.

“Five years ago, I attended the Paris climate talks, which brought the world together around a bold plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change. We recognized then what is even clearer today – that climate change is accelerating and will take an increasingly devastating toll on our health, natural resources, and economies absent urgent, global action.

“As the Trump administration abandoned these commitments over the last four years, private citizens, businesses, and state and local governments including my home state of Delaware stepped up – taking it upon themselves to cut emissions, increase investments in clean energy, and fulfill America’s pledge.

“Today, by announcing a return to the Paris Agreement, President Biden is sending a strong message that the United States will once again join our allies in acknowledging scientific facts and return to leading the fight against climate change. I look forward to working with the Biden administration and my colleagues on the bipartisan Senate Climate Solutions Caucus to build consensus around policies that will create clean energy jobs, protect the health of our communities and environment, and lead us to a more prosperous and sustainable future.” 

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Sen. Coons, Rep. Chu applaud President Biden’s Day 1 reversal of Muslim ban

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) and U.S. Representative Judy Chu (D-Calif.) applauded President Biden’s immediate action to repeal the Muslim ban on his first day in office. Coons and Chu issued the following statement:

“President Trump’s Muslim ban was never about making us safe, and it was never grounded in evidence. Born out of fear and hostility, the ban was cruel and reckless and a stain on America’s reputation around the world. It served no national interest, while senselessly cutting off tens of thousands of men, women, and children from coming to the United States to live, study, and travel. Even more shamefully, the Muslim ban separated thousands of American citizens from their loved ones: husbands and wives, parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren. 

“After four years of dedicated advocacy – starting with protests in airports all across the country – this policy has come to an end. President Biden’s rescission of the ban on his first day in the White House will finally reunite thousands of families and send an important message that our nation is turning the page on this hateful policy and the anti-American sentiments behind it.

“Now, we must permanently address the hole in the heart of immigration law that allowed this abuse in the first place. Our NO BAN Act will amend the underlying law and prevent future discriminatory policies, and we are pleased that it is included in President Biden’s immigration package unveiled today. Only by getting this act passed and signed into law can we be certain that future presidents won’t act by fear and prejudice. Our immigration policies should be based on the best of America, a country with a proud history of welcoming immigrants and refugees. By advancing the NO BAN Act, the Congress can reassert this national vision and begin to rectify the horrific wrongs of the last four years.”

The Muslim ban, which was implemented in three versions since Jan. 2017, restricted travel from Muslim-majority countries, excluding people from emigrating or traveling to the United States based solely on their nationality and resulting in thousands of family separations. Coons and Chu authored the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act, which passed the House last July and would prevent another baseless, discriminatory ban from happening in the future.

The NO BAN Act strengthens the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion, and restores the separation of powers by limiting overly broad executive authority to issue future travel bans. The legislation issupported by nearly 250 members of Congress, more than 400 civil rights, faith-based, national security, and community organizations, 300 religious groups and leaders, more than 50 national security professionals, 50 immigration law professors, 19 state attorneys general, and several companies.

“The end of the Muslim Ban marks the end of a four-year-long nightmare for my community in which open, anti-Muslim discrimination was the law of the land,” said Farhana Khera, Executive Director of Muslim Advocates. “This a historic victory for Muslims and allies who protested at airports, called lawmakers, organized their communities and never stopped fighting. However, this fight is not over. Anti-Muslim bigotry has proven to be a powerful and enduring force in American politics and the threat that a future president may harness it by reviving the ban still exists. That is why Congress must pass the NO BAN Act, the first-ever Muslim civil rights bill, which would close dangerous loopholes in our immigration laws and prevent future presidents from enacting discriminatory bans ever again. We thank Sen. Coons and Rep. Chu for leading on this bill and working so hard to protect the rights of the Muslim community. We pledge to keep working with them every day to finish this fight.”

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Statement from Senator Coons on the inauguration of President Biden

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) issued the following statement on the inauguration of President Joseph R. Biden Jr.

“President Joe Biden, grounded by faith and family and love for country, assumes our nation’s highest office at a moment of enormous challenge and significant possibility. President Biden, a man who knows tragedy and pain and how to grieve and mourn and get back up, is the right man to lead us through this moment. All of us here in Delaware, who know him, support him, and believe in him, stand proudly with our president, the favorite son of the First State.”

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[VIDEO] Sen. Coons: ‘Our country is divided and needs to heal. Joe is just the right man to lead us through this moment’

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined CNN’s New Day with John Berman to discuss his hopes for unity on the eve of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. 

On looking ahead to a Biden presidency: “[W]e have one last chance for the Senate of the United States, where [President-elect Biden] served for so long, an institution he loves, to return to functionality, to actually delivering results for the American people. Joe is someone who has been knocked down hard by life twice. He knows what it means to lose things you love and to grieve. But he also knows how to get back up with the strength of his faith and family, and how to move forward. That’s always inspired me – his willingness to take on challenges and to serve. We need to take this opportunity, this moment, to move past these divisive, difficult, deadly last four years to move past this pandemic and to see the ways in which our country is divided and needs to heal. Joe is just the right man to lead us through this moment.”

On the confirmation of Biden’s Cabinet: “I am working hard to make sure there’s a window for his core Cabinet members to be confirmed later this week, after the inauguration. That is one important way that Leader McConnell and Leader Schumer can show that we are indeed coming together and moving forward.”

Full audio and video available here. A transcript is provided below. 

Q: Joining me now is Democratic Senator Chris Coons. He is a close friend of President-elect Joe Biden. Senator, thanks so much for being with us. Moments ago, we got word that, still-Senate Majority Leader, soon to be Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, will attend church with the Bidens tomorrow morning. This sounds like something that Chris Coons has his fingers in. What do you know about this?

Sen. Coons: John, well that’s just an important and symbolic gesture of coming together, of the sort of unity that President-elect Biden has been calling for throughout his election and this transition. As you know, there are millions of us who are eagerly anticipating Joe Biden’s swearing in tomorrow at the West Front of the United States Capitol. But, if you look at everything that is a part of Joe’s plans for his inauguration, it shows an entire focus on unity. Yesterday was Martin Luther King Day. Millions of Americans engaged in service as a part of the inauguration. Today, we’ll have a farewell ceremony for Joe here in Delaware for him to travel, sadly not by train, to Washington, where he will join Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in an Evening Tide Lighting of the Reflecting Pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial to remember the 400,000 Americans who have died so far in this pandemic. That church service tomorrow is an important part of respecting tradition and signaling the importance of faith in Joe’s life. It’s how he’s been able to get up when life has knocked him down. It’s central to how millions and millions of Americans have gotten through this pandemic so far; and it’s an important reminder of who Joe is and of who we are as a nation – a nation that is hopeful and optimistic and that’s going to need a lot of help coming together.

Q: You mentioned that Joe Biden will not be traveling by Amtrak, by train. Jeff Zeleny tells me he made 8,000 Amtrak trips between Wilmington and Washington. You’re in Wilmington. You have a sense of what’s going on there. What’s the mood inside Bidenworld this morning with these few hours left to go?

Sen. Coons: Optimistic. Look, this is what Joe Biden’s campaign for president was all about, which was turning the page, ending a chaotic and divisive presidency, and moving us forward. When I first talked to Joe about his running for president in early 2019, I told him I was convinced he was the right leader for this moment. I had no idea then, none of us did, that 2020 would be such a deadly, difficult and divided year and that he would become president at such a challenging moment. He will look out on a mall that is empty of Americans, that has hundreds of thousands of flags in their place – in part because of the pandemic, in part because of the violence and chaos of last Wednesday. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are absolutely the leaders we need for this moment and on his first day, he will sign a whole series of executive orders to undo some of the damage and division of the last four years. But, he needs partners in Congress, in the Senate. Later today, we will hold the confirmation hearing for Tony Blinken to be his Secretary of State, and I am working hard to make sure there’s a window for his core Cabinet members to be confirmed later this week, after the inauguration. That is one important way that Leader McConnell and Leader Schumer can show that we are indeed coming together and moving forward.

Q: Yeah, you talked about the confirmation hearing for Tony Blinken today. Almost impossible, unlikely, we do not believe that he will be confirmed tomorrow – which would mean that Joe Biden very well might be the first president we’ve seen in a long time not to have any Cabinet members confirmed his first day in office. Can you give me a sense of what day you think we will get some confirmations?

Sen. Coons: I’m hopeful by later this week we will see a core team of his secretary of defense, secretary of homeland security, secretary of the treasury, secretary of state confirmed. We don’t have exact days on each of them because, as you know, the power-sharing agreement for a 50/50 Senate and the terms of when and how an impeachment trial may begin are just being hammered out in final detail now between Schumer and McConnell. But, Joe Biden has nominated an incredibly skilled and capable Cabinet, a representative and diverse Cabinet, but folks who have worked together at the highest levels of government. In sharp contrast to the previous Cabinet, this is a confirmable Cabinet of folks who can help lead us forward through this challenging and tumultuous moment. The bold plan Joe put out, the American Rescue Plan – that includes everything from additional checks, more money for vaccinations, support for schools safely reopening, extension of unemployment – Congress needs to act on that and act quickly.

Q: You talked about unity and the message of unity that Joe Biden will send tomorrow. For you in the Senate, does unity include working across the aisle with Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley?

Sen. Coons: Look, as you know, I’m someone who believes in the possibility of reconciliation. A lot of my faith heroes and heroes in service are people like John Lewis who were able to be reconciled to those who opposed them, at times even violently. But part of my understanding of how we should conduct ourselves in this world is that true reconciliation only comes after repentance. And I’m looking to see whether my colleagues reflect on the chaos and violence of last Wednesday and take any responsibility for it, and in any way show a sense of responsibility for it that could lay the groundwork for reconciliation. I’ve found a way, John, to work across the aisle, even with Republicans I sharply disagreed with. But, I thought last Wednesday’s actions and those who stoked it and those who led up to it, like President Trump, were unprecedented in the modern era in the United States, and there has to be accountability for those actions. 

Q: Just on a positive note, backing up here a little bit, you’ve known Joe Biden for a long time. I think, if I’m not wrong, you delivered a nominating speech for him in Iowa in 2007 when he ran for president that time around. You were stumping for him before you were in the U.S. Senate. What’s this like just for you right now?

Sen. Coons: It is a wonderful moment. My daughter has been singing “One Day More” from Les Mis. “Another day, another destiny.” To think that we are just on the precipice of a moment in American history where Joe Biden will become our next president is truly exciting to me. It’s energizing to many of us here in Delaware and across the country who worked so hard. I think that we have one last chance for the Senate of the United States, where he served for so long, an institution he loves, to return to functionality, to actually delivering results for the American people. Joe is someone who has been knocked down hard by life twice. He knows what it means to lose things you love and to grieve. But he also knows how to get back up with the strength of his faith and family, and how to move forward. That’s always inspired me – his willingness to take on challenges and to serve. We need to take this opportunity, this moment, to move past these divisive, difficult, deadly last four years to move past this pandemic and to see the ways in which our country is divided and needs to heal. And I think Joe is just the right man to lead us through this moment. 

Q:  Senator Chris Coons from Delaware, a proud senator from a proud state this morning. Thanks so much for being with us.

Sen. Coons: Thank you, John.

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Senator Coons applauds President-elect Biden’s COVID-19 economic recovery plan

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement on President-elect Biden’s COVID-19 vaccination and economic rescue package that was announced this evening.

“The American people elected Joe Biden because he campaigned on delivering relief and getting COVID-19 under control. Tonight, he is making that promise real by announcing an aggressive, two-track relief plan to defeat the virus and restore our economy.

“I’m pleased that his first stimulus package will include funding for accelerated vaccine distributions, a new round of stimulus checks for Delawareans struggling to put food on the table and pay rent, an extension of unemployment benefits and rental assistance to aid Delawareans who have been laid off of work through no fault of their own, and relief to help our small businesses survive. President-elect Biden also understands that this will not be the last relief bill we’ll need and announced his plans for a second package. I’m confident these two efforts will deliver comprehensive relief that will help Delawareans and Americans across the country to finally recover.

“President-elect Biden will lead our nation out of this pandemic and its economic wreckage. I’m confident that, with his leadership, we’re going to build back better the American economy, pay our essential workers what they deserve, provide real security to families and children, create better long-term jobs, and heal from the lies and division that have torn us apart.

“This is the leadership and response that we’ve been waiting for – and that every American deserves.” 

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