[VIDEO] Sen. Coons on Trump undermining Social Security, slowing down the postal service

WILMINGTON, Del. — Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle to discuss COVID-19 stimulus negotiations and his concerns about what the Trump Administration is doing to the United States Postal Service.

On the relief provided by the CARES Act since March, Senator Coons said, “All of those things–nearly all of those things–have expired now: that additional $600 in unemployment, the support for state and local governments, the eviction moratorium. I’m getting lots of calls, Stephanie, from folks here in Delaware gravely concerned about how they’re going to get through the next few months. If we were to put on top of that the impact on the balance sheet of the people of the United States and the impact on the Social Security Trust Fund of eliminating the payroll tax, that’s just–that’s not just saying to a drowning man, oh, here’s a life preserver. It’s saying, here’s an anchor.”

“The executive orders, which were the Trump Administration response to this, are unworkable. Governors like DeSantis in Florida and Hogan in Maryland have said both they can’t make them work and they don’t have the resources to match what was the initial terms offered by President Trump that he’d give $400 a week in unemployment supplement if the states would match it with $100 out of that $400. There are real questions about whether President Trump has the executive authority he asserts he has in terms of some of the tax moves he made and whether or not this is of any real assistance to states and to people at all,” Senator Coons continued.

When asked about the changes happening at the Postal Service that have slowed mail delivery, Senator Coons added, “I’ve had Delawareans up and down my state–Republicans, independents, Democrats–call my office to complain that medication is arriving late, that packages and letters are arriving late. This is because the postmaster general has changed the delivery standards. We should be investing in a robust postal service as long as we have tens of millions of Americans at home and because we have an imminent election where we know there will be a record number of mail-in ballots.”

Full audio and video available here. 

Q: Senator, you knew I wanted to talk money. I always do. Yesterday, the president doubled down on the payroll tax holiday, and I want to remind people “holiday” meaning you’re still going to have to pay it; it’s just on delay. But he said if he wins the next election, he’ll make it permanent. Watch this.

Clip, President Trump: At the end of the year, on the assumption that I win, I’m going to terminate the payroll tax, which is another thing that some of the great economists would like to see done. We’ll be paying into Social Security through the general fund.

Q: Okay. Number one. Can he do that unilaterally; do away with the payroll tax? And, second of all, explain to us the amount of money you would need to find somewhere else to keep Social Security from completely going under. 

Sen. Coons: Stephanie, I don’t have that number off the top of my head, but I’ll tell you it would be significant. We are already in–not unprecedented, but in highly unusual times. We have to go all the way back to the Second World War to find a period where the federal government is laying out as much money as we already have this year. I’ll remind you the CARES Act, which passed unanimously in the Senate four months ago, put out $2.3 trillion of assistance. That’s really what’s been keeping our economy afloat. That’s the direct stimulus payments, the unemployment insurance supplement, the support for state and local governments that prevented us from sliding into a great depression over the last four months. All of those things–nearly all of those things–have expired now: that additional $600 in unemployment, the support for state and local governments, the eviction moratorium. I’m getting lots of calls, Stephanie, from folks here in Delaware gravely concerned about how they’re going to get through the next few months. If we were to put on top of that the impact on the balance sheet of the people of the United States and the impact on the Social Security Trust Fund of eliminating the payroll tax, that’s just–that’s not just saying to a drowning man, oh, here’s a life preserver. It’s saying, here’s an anchor. 

Q: Senator, what do you say to those people from the state of Delaware calling you, telling you how desperate their economic situation is when yesterday Democrats refused to meet with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and negotiate at all. If you don’t even meet with the guy, how are you going to create a resolution? 

Sen. Coons: Stephanie, I don’t think the issue is a refusal to meet. They had a conversation in which the secretary, who was a vital part of that agreement four months ago, by the way, said that Mark Mnuchin, the Chef of Staff to President Trump and the Trump Administration — 

Q: Mark Meadows. 

Sen. Coons: Yes, Mark Meadows. That they were unwilling to move from their position. I’ll remind you that the House, controlled by the Democrats and Speaker Pelosi, passed a bill two months ago that was over $3 trillion. The White House, the Trump Administration, has taken the position along with Republicans in the Senate that they won’t give more than $1 trillion. That’s a big gap. And in their last in-person meeting, Schumer and Pelosi said we’ll come down a trillion if you’ll come up a trillion and try to meet in the middle between what’s essentially 1 and 3.5 and get to maybe a 2, 2.5 number. That was rejected out of hand. The two single biggest issues remain aid to state and local governments and providing support for the millions of Americans who are unemployed and who need unemployment insurance assistance. The executive orders, which were the Trump Administration response to this, are unworkable. Governors like DeSantis in Florida and Hogan in Maryland have said both they can’t make them work and they don’t have the resources to match what was the initial terms offered by President Trump that he’d give $400 a week in unemployment supplement if the states would match it with $100 out of that $400. There are real questions about whether President Trump has the executive authority he asserts he has in terms of some of the tax moves he made and whether or not this is of any real assistance to states and to people at all. Let me remind you, Stephanie, the biggest piece of this disagreement isn’t just about faceless, nameless bureaucrats in gray buildings. It’s about paramedics, nurses, the folks who teach our children in schools. Those are the sorts of public employees who have already been laid off. More than 1.5 million of them around the country. And it will face layoffs without more assistance. They are talking. The absence of a conversation in person is because there wasn’t any willingness to move to come to the middle. 

Q: No reason to meet in person if you don’t have anything to say. Quickly before we go, I know you joined fellow Democrats in signing a letter voicing your concerns about changes happening at the post office under this new postmaster general. These are serious issues. What can you actually do about it? 

Sen. Coons: Well, Stephanie, the challenge of congressional oversight is we have to have the majority party be willing to take some action. We’ve sent letters. We’ve demanded meetings. We’ve raised this publicly. We’ve raised this privately. I’ve had Delawareans up and down my state–Republicans, independents, Democrats–call my office to complain that medication is arriving late, that packages and letters are arriving late. This is because the postmaster general has changed the delivery standards. We should be investing in a robust postal service as long as we have tens of millions of Americans at home and because we have an imminent election where we know there will be a record number of mail-in ballots. I initially was hopeful this wasn’t an intentional effort to throw the election. I am gravely concerned given the recent changes in the leadership at the postal service that we’ve seen by the postmaster general, who I’ll remind you was a major Trump campaign contributor. 

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Carper, Coons, Senate Democrats urge USPS to fix delays and avoid cost increases for election mail

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) and the entire Senate Democratic caucus, sent a letter urging U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to provide answers regarding reports of recent changes to long-standing practices at USPS that would result in increased delivery times and costs for election mail, and urged him not take any further action that makes it harder and more expensive for states and election jurisdictions to mail ballots.  The letter was spearheaded by Senator Carper and Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee, Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Despite numerous reports from across the country of slow delivery, mail left sitting in facilities overnight and challenges delivering absentee ballots on time to election officials, DeJoy has refused to provide Congress with satisfactory answers on his actions he has taken and continues to assert that election officials must pay the First Class rate for election mail to be prioritized. This letter follows previous requests from the lawmakers that demanded answers from DeJoy after he refused to answer whether reported changes restricting mail delivery came at his direction. DeJoy has since confirmed changes in delayed mail came at his direction. 

“Like voting itself, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is vital to our democracy. Since you assumed the role of Postmaster General, there have been disturbing reports regarding changes at USPS that are causing significant delays in the delivery of mail. Under normal circumstances, delayed mail is a major problem – during a pandemic in the middle of a presidential election, it is catastrophic,” the lawmakers wrote. 

“Instead of taking steps to increase your agency’s ability to deliver for the American people, you are implementing policy changes that make matters worse, and the Postal Service is reportedly considering changes that would increase costs for states at a time when millions of Americans are relying on voting by mail to exercise their right to vote.

“We have received reports that in the last several weeks, the Postal Service sent letters to state election officials that indicate that the Postal Service will not automatically treat all election mail as First Class. If any changes are made to longstanding practices of moving election mail just months ahead of the 2020 general election, it will cause further delays to election mail that will disenfranchise voters and put significant financial pressure on election jurisdictions.”

The full text of the letter can be found here and below:

Dear Postmaster DeJoy:

We write to express significant concern regarding reports that you are implementing policy changes that will increase the cost for timely delivery of election mail, and to urge you not to take any action that makes it harder and more expensive for Americans to vote.  

Like voting itself, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is vital to our democracy. Since you assumed the role of Postmaster General, there have been disturbing reports regarding changes at USPS that are causing significant delays in the delivery of mail. Under normal circumstances, delayed mail is a major problem – during a pandemic in the middle of a presidential election, it is catastrophic. Instead of taking steps to increase your agency’s ability to deliver for the American people, you are implementing policy changes that make matters worse, and the Postal Service is reportedly considering changes that would increase costs for states at a time when millions of Americans are relying on voting by mail to exercise their right to vote.

The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) allows state and local officials to send materials authorized or required under the Act, such as absentee ballot applications, at USPS Nonprofit Marketing Mail prices. These prices are lower than the regular USPS Marketing Mail prices and election officials across the country rely on the lower rates to send voters important election mail in a cost-effective manner. Absentee ballots themselves are not specifically covered under the NVRA; however, many jurisdictions receive the lower rate for ballots as well because they utilize the Undeliverable As Addressed (UAA) information from returned ballots for list maintenance activities prescribed under the NVRA. The practice of mailing out ballots as Marketing Mail has been formalized to the degree that the 2020 Official Election Mail Kit (Kit 600) sent to election officials in January 2020 includes advice on how to decide whether to send ballots by First Class or Marketing Mail.

While First Class mail normally has a delivery standard of 2-5 days, and Nonprofit Marketing Mail has a delivery standard of 3-10 days, it has been the practice of USPS to treat all election mail as First Class mail regardless of the paid class of service. Reports from the USPS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) support the fact that USPS has traditionally prioritized election mail. An OIG report on the 2018 elections found that 95.6 percent of election and political mail was delivered within the 1-3 day service standard applied to First Class mail. That is extremely close to the USPS overall goal of delivering 96 percent of First Class mail within the 1-3 day service standard and clearly indicates that election mail was being processed across the country as if First Class service standards applied. In addition, the OIG also conducted interviews in which area and facility managers stated that they treat all election mail as First Class mail. 

We have received reports that in the last several weeks, the Postal Service sent letters to state election officials that indicate that the Postal Service will not automatically treat all election mail as First Class. If any changes are made to longstanding practices of moving election mail just months ahead of the 2020 general election, it will cause further delays to election mail that will disenfranchise voters and put significant financial pressure on election jurisdictions. Many state deadlines allow voters to request absentee ballot applications and absentee ballots within a few days of Election Day, so it is vital that standard delivery times remain low and pricing remain consistent with past practices to which election officials and voters are accustomed.

As you know, state laws set deadlines for voter registration, absentee ballot requests, and ballot postmarking and/or delivery. Changes to previous practices regarding election mail would upset these timelines. Furthermore, changing any policy for election mail only months before Election Day does not give election officials sufficient time to respond by changing deadlines set in law, especially since many state legislatures have adjourned.

Although some election jurisdictions may be able to send their election mail at the First Class rate, the overwhelming majority of jurisdictions simply do not have sufficient resources to do so. Election officials are coping with budgets that are severely strained by the increase in requests for absentee ballots and other costs associated with the pandemic. Despite our continued efforts, Congress has so far only provided states with $400 million in emergency funding for elections—billions short of what experts say is needed to keep voters safe this year. As election officials across the country plead with Congress to authorize additional election funding, reports suggest the Postal Service could implement changes that suddenly increase costs for Americans to safely vote. That is wrong and unacceptable.

As Postmaster General, you have a duty to our democracy to ensure the timely delivery of election mail. Millions of Americans’ right to vote depends on your ability to get the job done. We urge you not to increase costs for election officials, and to direct all Postal Service employees to continue to prioritize delivery of election mail.

We understand you have committed to being more forthcoming and transparent with Congress and the American people regarding your work as Postmaster, including the Postal Service’s plan to successfully deliver election mail during the 2020 elections. Accordingly, we ask you to publicly release this plan and provide answers to the following questions no later than August 25.

1.     Prior to 2020 it was the practice of the Postal Service to prioritize the delivery of all election mail, including voter registration materials, absentee ballot request, and ballots, to meet the equivalent of First Class delivery times no matter what class of mail was used to send it. Will the Postal Service commit to continuing this practice?

2.     Will the Postal Service commit to continuing its longstanding practice of allowing election officials to mail ballots to voters at Nonprofit Marketing Mail Rates?

3.     Has USPS headquarters staff provided any guidance, formally or informally, in writing or verbally, regarding the service standards to be applied to election mail not sent at the First Class rate? Please provide copies of any such guidance.

 4.     Please provide copies of any letters or guidance sent to state or local election officials regarding the service standards that will be applied to election mail. 

Sincerely,

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Carper, Coons call for extension of Census deadlines to ensure a full and accurate count amid delays due to pandemic

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) joined a bipartisan group of 46 other senators in calling for the extension of the statutory deadlines for the delivery of apportionment data and redistricting files following the 2020 Census. The senators urged House and Senate leaders to include the extension in the upcoming COVID-19 relief package. The U.S. Constitution requires a population census every 10 years and under law, the census count to be reported to the president by December 31 of the census year. A change to that date would require Congressional action. The Trump administration previously requested an extension in April of this year, but reversed course on August 3, 2020 and announced that census self-response and field operations would end on September 30, 2020.  

“Extending the deadlines for the delivery of these files in the next COVID-19 relief package will ensure that the Census Bureau has adequate time to complete a full, fair, and accurate 2020 Census. It will also ensure that both the Congress and the states receive accurate data for apportionment and redistricting,” the senators wrote in their letter to House and Senate leaders.

Citing a request first made by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham to extend the deadlines for reporting census results to the president from December 31, 2020 to April 30, 2021 and redistricting to July 31, 2021 the senators underscored the need to give the Census Bureau adequate time to collect and report an accurate count following delays due to the coronavirus pandemic. At that time, the Census Bureau also said they would continue counting efforts until October 31, 2020.

Recently, the Trump administration reversed course by shortening the enumeration period from October 31 to September 30, 2020, limiting the time for the Census Bureau to complete an accurate count. Last week, Carper, Coons and 24 of their colleagues wrote the Commerce Secretary to oppose this move due to concerns of the Census Bureau ending operations before completing a complete count.

In addition to Senators Carper and Coons, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Angus King (I-Maine), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Bob Casey (D-Penn.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).

The full text of the letter can be found here and below.

Dear Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, and Leader McCarthy:

As you work on the next legislative package to address the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we strongly urge you to extend the statutory deadlines for the delivery of apportionment data and redistricting files following the 2020 Census.

On April 13, 2020, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they would be adjusting 2020 Census operations. At the same time, they had requested that the Congress extend the statutory deadlines “for apportionment counts to be delivered to the President by April 30, 2021, and redistricting data to be delivered to the states no later than July 31, 2021.” This would have given the Census Bureau adequate time to compile the data sets in light of the delayed enumeration window. However, the administration has reversed course and shortened the enumeration period from October 31 to September 30, 2020, citing these statutory constraints.

Career Census Bureau staff have indicated that they cannot meet the existing statutory deadlines. In May 2020, the census official leading field operations, Tim Olson, stated, “We have passed the point where we could even meet the current legislative requirement of December 31. We can’t do that anymore.” And in July, the associate director of the census, Albert Fontenot, said, “We are past the window of being able to get those counts” by year’s end.

Extending the deadlines for the delivery of these files in the next COVID-19 relief package will ensure that the Census Bureau has adequate time to complete a full, fair, and accurate 2020 Census. It will also ensure that both the Congress and the states receive accurate data for apportionment and redistricting. We thank you for your consideration of our request.

Sincerely,

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Cresson joins Coons as digital media manager

WILMINGTON, Del. – Tacy Cresson, a native of Milford, Delaware, formerly an intern with the Cape Gazette, has joined the office of U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) as digital media manager with the senator’s communications team in Delaware.

Cresson, recently of Wilbraham, Massachusetts, is a graduate of Endicott College, earning a bachelor’s degree in digital media and journalism. She served as editor-in-chief for the Endicott Observer, local chapter president for the Society of Professional Journalists, and received the Myra Anne Dettelbach Communications Scholarship.

Besides Cresson’s time with the Cape Gazette, she completed an internship with The American Prospect, attended The New York Times Editors Workshop, and copywrote and created social media content at Hampshire Marketing & Media.

An avid writer and photographer, her passion for photojournalism came from her late parents, Jim and Corinne Cresson. For several years, the couple operated the Long Neck-Back Bay News in Sussex County. Cresson said she inherited an eye for good photos from her father, a former Army photographer, Vietnam War veteran, and later-in-life journalist with the Cape Gazette.

Due to ongoing constraints of COVID-19 and evolving needs to communicate across a digital landscape, Cresson aims to enhance constituent access to information on federal resources, programs, grants, legislative updates, and casework assistance via videos, blogs, podcasts, digital newsletters, infographics, and online streaming and social media.

Tacy Cresson will work alongside Brendan Mackie, state press secretary, and is reachable at 302-573-6159 and tacy_cresson@coons.senate.gov.            

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Sen. Coons introduces bicameral legislation to close dangerous loophole to protect domestic abuse survivors

WILMINGTON, Del. – As gun sales spike and reports of domestic violence increase across the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Representative Jim Himes (D-Conn.) in introducing bicameral legislation to protect domestic violence survivors from gun violence. The Lori Jackson Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act is narrowly crafted to close loopholes that allow domestic abusers to legally obtain weapons. The bill is named in memory of Lori Jackson, an Oxford, Connecticut mother of two who was tragically shot and killed by her estranged husband, who had legally obtained a handgun even though he was subject to a temporary restraining order.

“I am proud to join Senator Blumenthal on the Lori Jackson Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act,” said Senator Coons. “The time period after filing a temporary restraining order for protection from an abuser can be an especially dangerous period for a survivor escaping violence.  This bill will take crucial steps to protect victims of violence by restricting those under temporary restraining orders from purchasing a firearm during this period. No abuser should have access to firearms, and no survivor of domestic violence should live with that fear.”

The Lori Jackson Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act would close dangerous loopholes in federal law, thereby protecting millions of Americans. Current federal law protects domestic violence survivors from gun violence by preventing their abusers from purchasing or possessing a firearm – but only once the court has issued a permanent restraining order. This leaves survivors unprotected exactly when they are in the most danger: when a domestic abuser first learns his or her victim has left and only a temporary restraining order is in place. Further, the current definition of ‘intimate partner’ used to prohibit individuals convicted of domestic violence from purchasing or possessing a firearm includes spouses, former spouses, people with a child in common, and cohabitants. However, there are many survivors of dating violence who were never married, do not live with their abuser, and have no children.

This bill would restrict those under temporary restraining order from purchasing or possessing a firearm and would extend protections to domestic violence survivors who have been abused by their dating partners. This bill’s provisions are a component of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act, landmark legislation designed to support and protect survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, which continues to stall in the Republican-controlled Senate.

In addition to Sens. Coons and Blumenthal, Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Bob Casey (D-PA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) are cosponsoring the bill in the Senate. The full text of the Senate legislation can be found here and the one pager can be found here.

The legislation is supported by a number of advocacy and support groups, including Everytown for Gun Safety, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Newtown Action Alliance, Brady, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, and the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence (CCADV).

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Coons, colleagues press Pompeo on policy denying citizenship to children of same-sex couples

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), joined Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and eight of their Democratic SFRC colleagues in a letter to Secretary Pompeo expressing concern over reports that the Trump Administration has made it harder for same-sex married couples to transmit citizenship to their children born abroad by insisting that a child is only born “in wedlock” if the child is biologically related to both of its married parents. In the letter, the senators request a briefing on current guidelines and ask for a timeline for revision to a more equitable policy.

“The mission of the State Department is twofold – to advance U.S. values and national security interests, and to protect the safety of American citizens abroad,” the senators wrote. “And yet the State Department’s newfound restrictions on the use of the LGBTQ pride flag, the appointment of senior USAID officials with a history of homophobic comments, and other persistent failures to support LGBTQ rights overseas and among its own staff, suggest a growing pattern of disregard for not only the U.S. government’s historic role in the protection of human rights, but also the State Department’s obligations to American citizens living overseas. In this instance and others we strongly urge the Department to closely reevaluate its approach to LGBTQ rights and ensure that it returns to alignment with American values and law.”

The letter was signed by Ranking Member Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).

The full text of the letter is available here and below.

Dear Secretary Pompeo,

The right of American citizens to transmit their citizenship to their children is at the core of our identity as a nation. As such, we are deeply concerned by the growing number of reports indicating that the State Department may have deliberately altered internal guidelines regarding the processing of citizenship transmission for children born to U.S. citizens abroad in a manner disproportionately inhibiting same-sex married couples from transmitting citizenship to their children.

The crux of the issue appears to be the State Department’s overriding focus on biological parentage of a child when determining eligibility for transmission, rather than the marital status of the child’s parents. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which governs citizenship transmission for children born outside of the United States to American citizens, delineates different guidelines for children born “in wedlock” and “out of wedlock.” The Department’s insistence that a child is only born “in wedlock” if the child is biologically related to both of its married parents appears contrary to U.S. law as well as to American values. The lack of enforcement of similar strictures on opposite-sex couples raises serious constitutional concerns. The U.S. Supreme Court has clearly articulated that the U.S. government must recognize same sex marriages “on the same terms and conditions as opposite sex couples,” and that it must provide them with the “constellation of benefits” associated with marriage – including equitable treatment of their children. Despite these declarations by the Supreme Court, we understand that in 2018 the State Department further restricted its guidance in the Department’s Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) in a manner that could deny same-sex couples equal treatment. 

As such, we ask that the Department of State provide at the earliest opportunity:

• A briefing for Congressional staff to discuss:
  • The deliberative process behind the 2018 alteration of this language in the FAM, including a discussion of any decision memos, legal findings or impact assessments for American citizens overseas.
  • An explanation of the criteria that would prompt a Consular Officer to require that  opposite-sex and/or same-sex couples demonstrate a biological link to their legal children prior to transmission of citizenship.
  • An analysis of circumstances, including differences in policy, which could result in a denial of citizenship transmission for opposite-sex couples and/or same-sex couples as a result of their use of assisted reproductive technology.
• A schedule for the review and revision of this policy, as articulated in the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM), in a manner that is consistent with the plain language of the statute and is not in contradiction of Supreme Court precedent.

The mission of the State Department is twofold – to advance U.S. values and national security interests, and to protect the safety of American citizens abroad. And yet the State Department’s newfound restrictions on the use of the LGBTQ pride flag, the appointment of senior USAID officials with a history of homophobic comments, and other persistent failures to support LGBTQ rights overseas and among its own staff, suggest a growing pattern of disregard for not only the U.S. government’s historic role in the protection of human rights, but also the State Department’s obligations to American citizens living overseas. In this instance and others we strongly urge the Department to closely reevaluate its approach to LGBTQ rights and ensure that it returns to alignment with American values and law. 

Sincerely,

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Carper, Coons, Blunt Rochester Call on DoD, DNI to Brief Congress, Conduct Re-Investigation Regarding Possible Targeting of U.S. Service Members, Including Delawarean, in Afghanistan

[VIDEO] Sen. Coons on relief package negotiations: “We are not making progress fast enough.”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, this morning joined MSNBC to discuss the ongoing negotiations regarding the next relief package. 

“We’ve known that unemployment insurance, that the eviction moratorium were going to run out last week. We’ve known that for months. So, to wait until tens of millions of people, the 30 million people who are relying on that extra $600 a week, to wait until that had expired, to wait until the eviction moratorium had expired to begin negotiating in earnest strikes me as just cruel and irresponsible,” said Senator Coons.

“One of the areas where there’s been bipartisan agreement is that we should do another round of the PPP, the Paycheck Protection Program, that we should do a round two, using some of the funds already appropriated that haven’t been expended, targeting those smaller businesses that have taken heavy revenue losses. That is one thing I think we’ve largely come to agreement on,” said Senator Coons.

Audio and video available here. 

Excerpts from the interview:

What are the odds that a deal will be made by Friday?

Sen. Coons: At best 50/50, and I hate to have to share that news with you, because I know there are tens of millions of Americans who are hanging on every piece of news coming out of here, eager to hear that we have reached some appropriate deal. There are tens of millions of Americans who face eviction from their homes, who have already lost the unemployment insurance supplement that we passed months ago in the CARES Act. There are anxious parents wondering if their kids can or should go to schools that might or might not safely reopen. There are states where the delay for testing is too long and there are hundreds of millions of Americans intent on voting this fall who are wondering if they’re going to be able to do so safely. So, there are lots of topics on which we should be delivering a bipartisan solution to the big challenges facing our country, but for reasons I can’t fathom, the White House continues to block progress, even though they are negotiating now hours and hours at a time, Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader Schumer, the Treasury Secretary, Mark Meadows, President Trump’s Chief of Staff, they have made some progress, but getting to a topline number and making progress on all of the issues I just mentioned – making sure that we are addressing job loss, hunger, hospitals, public health, elections, national service – we are not making progress fast enough.

What are your thoughts regarding Majority Leader McConnell’s comments about the timeline for negotiations this morning and his defense of his decision to take this up in the last few weeks despite the House passing a bill back in May? 

Sen. Coons: Frankly, that is a poor excuse for why Republicans weren’t willing to come to the table to begin negotiations. It’s really just this week that negotiations have begun in earnest between the White House and Republicans and Democrats here in Congress, and we’ve seen the coronavirus pandemic surging all over this country for weeks now. We’ve known that unemployment insurance, that the eviction moratorium were going to run out last week. We’ve known that for months. So, to wait until tens of millions of people, the 30 million people who are relying on that extra $600 a week, to wait until that had expired, to wait until the eviction moratorium had expired to begin negotiating in earnest strikes me as just cruel and irresponsible. But, let me try to be optimistic. I’m on the Small Business Committee. One of the areas where there’s been a bipartisan agreement is that we should do another round of the PPP, the Paycheck Protection Program, that we should do a round two, using some of the funds already appropriated that haven’t been expended, targeting those smaller businesses that have taken heavy revenue losses. That is one thing I think we’ve largely come to agreement on, but on aid to state and local governments, where there’s already been 1.5 million public employees laid off, there’s zero still in the Republican proposal. I’m hoping they’ll make progress, just a reminder, these aren’t faceless bureaucrats in gray buildings. We’re talking about teachers, paramedics, police officers, the folks who administer unemployment assistance, and if we have local and state governments as I’m hearing from Delaware that are facing big revenue crunches, to go home without having addressed that would be a big mistake. On postal, I’ve gotten calls up and down the state of Delaware from folks complaining about the slowdown in mail delivery, delays in mail delivery, and Leader Schumer demanded a meeting with the Postmaster General yesterday to get an answer as to why, when we appropriated an extra $10 billion months ago in the CARES Act, why there seems to be a slowing down of mail delivery around the country. I’m gravely concerned about the slowdown in the census and the slowdown in the Postal Service, and what that might mean for our election and for reapportionment this fall. 

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Sen. Coons fighting for Delaware small business amid COVID-19 relief package negotiations

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, is working to include several of his small business priorities in the next COVID-19 relief package, currently being negotiated between the Democratic congressional leaders and the White House.

“Federal support through the Paycheck Protection Program and small business debt relief has been a lifeline for small businesses and nonprofits up and down the state of Delaware and across the country. As the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis continue to ravage our communities, Congress must ensure that our small business owners get the support they need to survive,” said Senator Coons. “I’m encouraged to see bipartisan support for a second round of PPP loans to hard-hit small businesses, but there is more to do to reach businesses most at-risk of closing and those owned by people of color. We also must expand oversight and transparency for these programs to prevent corruption and abuse.”

Senator Coons’ small business priorities for the next COVID-19 relief package include:

The Prioritized Paycheck Protection Program Act:

Sen. Coons is pushing to include his Prioritized Paycheck Protection Program (P4) Act that he introduced along with Sens. Ben Cardin and Jeanne Shaheen. The bill allows for the hardest-hit small employers, including sole proprietorships and self-employed individuals, to apply for a second Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan once they have appropriately expended an initial loan. The bill would also extend the deadline to apply for a first PPP loan to the end of the year. This P4 Act has drawn bipartisan support and a modified version is part of the Senate GOP relief proposal. In a final, negotiated version, Sen. Coons supports additional appropriations for PPP, allowing applicants to flexibly determine revenue loss based on the three months of their choice, and for businesses subject to prolonged closures to calculate a portion of substantial loan forgiveness without respect to payroll.

Extension of the Small Business Debt Relief Act:

Sen. Coons calls for an extension of the small business loan relief program created by his legislation, the Small Business Debt Relief Act. Enacted as part of the CARES Act, the Debt Relief program provided $17 billion that the Small Business Administration is required to use to pay six months of principal, interest, and fees on preexisting SBA-backed loans, as well as conventional SBA loans made since the creation of the program. More than 290,000 businesses nationally and about 900 in Delaware have received relief under the program. Given that the program still has remaining funding available, it can be extended without any additional cost. Sen. Coons is calling for an extension of the program that provides additional relief for preexisting loans in sectors with more than 5% employment loss since February, for all microloans and Community Advantage loans, and for new SBA 7(a), 504, and microloans in all sectors.

$1 billion for Community Development Finance Institutions:

Sen. Coons is calling for $1 billion for the Department of Treasury’s Fund for Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs), which are private mission-driven financial lenders that deliver responsible, affordable lending to low-income, low-wealth, and other disadvantaged people and communities. CDFIs are certified by the Department of the Treasury and can be banks, credit unions, loan funds, and venture capital (VC) funds. Stepping Stones Federal Credit Union, a credit union that is also a certified CDFI, provides all services at no cost to limited-income communities in Wilmington, Delaware.

Access to long-term, low-interest loans for working capital:

PPP is vital to ensuring immediate relief to small employers. Still, many businesses and nonprofits also need access to flexible, long-term loans with meager interest costs to finance other expenses. Sen. Coons believes a range of tools must be deployed to meet this need, including:

• Enhanced funding for and fixes to the SBA’s direct Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and grants, to reduce wait-times for applicants and expand loan amounts, both for those whose loans were arbitrarily reduced by SBA and those yet to receive a loan or advance.
• Increased support through SBA’s 7(a) lending program, including via fee waivers, increased loan caps, increased guarantee rates, and targeted waivers of the credit-elsewhere requirement. 
• Deployment of state small business support programs that leverage private capital, by reauthorizing and funding the successful State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), created during the Great Recession.

Increased transparency, oversight, and accountability of relief funds:

While relief funds have been a lifeline for millions, the Administration has not provided adequate transparency, allowing too many instances of abuse to occur. Sens. Coons (D-Del.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), and the Chair of the House Democracy Reform Task Force Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) officially introduced the Coronavirus Oversight and Recovery Ethics (CORE) Act (S. 3855), legislation that would ensure stronger oversight, accountability, and transparency in the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. Since unveiling draft legislation on May 12, 2020, wide support has grown for Congress to pass the CORE Act which now has endorsements from 57 organizations, 8 Senate original co-sponsors and 18 House co-sponsors.

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Senators commemorate anniversary of 1998 Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Foreign Relations Committee Chairman James Risch (R-Idaho), and Ranking Member Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), along with Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), released a joint statement ahead of the 22nd anniversary of the bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania on August 7, 1998. The Senators called on the Trump Administration and Congress “to deliver justice to the victims and their families and appropriately and equitably address terrorism-related claims against Sudan.”

“On August 7, 1998, twin explosions at the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania claimed the lives of over 250 people – including 12 American embassy personnel – and wounded over 5,000 people in attacks later linked to al-Qaeda, which had been given safe haven in Sudan. On this anniversary of a tragedy that shocked our nation’s conscience, we honor those killed and injured in the Embassy bombings as well as all the dedicated individuals – from our diplomats to security guards – who make enormous daily sacrifices to serve and protect our nation overseas.  Our hearts are with the victims and their family members who continue to bear the wounds of these heinous attacks.

“The murderous regime of former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir that for years harbored terrorists and terrorist organizations was toppled by a peaceful revolution in April 2019, which has put Sudan on the path toward democracy and opened the possibility of resolving certain longstanding issues in Sudan’s relationship with the United States. It is critical that the Trump Administration and Congress redouble efforts to deliver justice to the victims and their families and appropriately and equitably address terrorism-related claims against Sudan.

“As we mark this solemn day for our nation, let us continue honoring the legacy of all who perished in these attacks by recommitting ourselves to end the scourge of terrorism and seeing the perpetrators of this and other attacks on Americans brought to justice.  We must never forget those who died in service to the United States.”

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