[VIDEO] Sen. Coons: ‘We are about to hit a significant cliff,’ ‘lots of concerns in Delaware’ about rent relief, unemployment insurance, small business relief

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business to discuss the GOP COVID-19 relief package that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) released this week. Senator Coons highlighted his priorities for negotiations on the next relief package – including support for state and local governments and federal unemployment assistance – and his new bipartisan legislation to bring manufacturing for critical supplies to the United States.

“We’ve had two months to negotiate. I’m really disappointed frankly that we are just now seeing Majority Leader McConnell’s proposal, and it’s a proposal that clearly doesn’t have the support of all of the Republican caucus. Talking to Republican colleagues, about half of that caucus is not going to support that bill. So these negotiations need to get going and get going quickly in a way that will help us again deliver bipartisan support to the American people,” said Senator Coons, who shared his concerns about the HEALS Act, introduced by Leader McConnell.

Highlighting the priorities he’s heard from constituents, Senator Coons said, “I’m hearing lots of concerns in Delaware from small businesses about another round of PPP support that will help them either get open again or stay open; from parents and teachers about safe reopening of schools; and from citizens who are concerned about whether or not the unemployment benefits that they’ve benefitted from over the last four months now will still be there. We are about to hit a significant cliff where an eviction moratorium for renters – which is about a third of all Delawareans – and the unemployment from the CARES Act from four months ago will both run out.”

On a new bipartisan manufacturing initiative, Senator Coons said, “Today, I’m introducing a bipartisan bill with Senator Rubio, Senator Cornyn, Senator Hassan. It’s a manufacturing resiliency task force. One of the things we have seen in this pandemic is that we are vitally reliant on China for critical supplies – whether it’s medical devices like ventilators or it’s pharmaceuticals. This is a look at how we could restore to the United States manufacturing that has gone offshore in the last 20 years and that we should try and bring back to the United States, so that we’re not as vulnerable to sudden shocks globally whether it’s a pandemic or something else. I think this is an important next step in making sure that manufacturing in the United States is resilient, and can get built back stronger after this recession.”

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

Q: Joining me right now is Delaware Senator Chris Coons. Senator, it’s great to see you this morning. Thanks for joining.

Sen. Coons: It’s great to see you, Maria. Thanks for having me on.

Q: So tell me what the priority is from your standpoint. What needs to be in this stimulus package?

Sen. Coons: Well, Maria, what’s striking is that the House of Representatives passed the HEROES Act two months ago. The biggest pieces of that bill that are utterly lacking in the HEALS Act, which was just introduced by Majority Leader McConnell here in the Senate, is aid to state and local governments. As you may know, I spent 10 years in county government in Delaware. All over our country, we have got state and local governments that have record revenue shortfalls. A million and a half public employees have already been laid off. These aren’t faceless folks in grey buildings. They’re teachers, they’re paramedics, they’re nurses. They’re the folks who administer programs like unemployment or small business assistance at the local level. And so, frankly, I think we have to provide another round of relief to state and local governments.

Q: Well, how are you going to ensure that those state and local governments use the money wisely. We know that the state unemployment coffers are under serious strain. We had Mayor de Blasio on this show about a month ago. He says he needs seven and a half billion dollars right now. What is he going to use the money for? It’s obviously not going to help the police bring law and order in any of these cities.

Sen. Coons: Well, Maria, frankly having adequate funding for state and local police is an important part of continuing to have prosperous and stable and safe and secure local communities, but frankly so is having the resources for reopening our schools safely. One of the key things that I think was missing from the HEALS Act was sufficient funds for schools to reopen; both to have enough for testing and for PPE. I’m hearing lots of concerns in Delaware from small businesses about another round of PPP support that will help them either get open again or stay open; from parents and teachers about safe reopening of schools; and from citizens who are concerned about whether or not the unemployment benefits that they’ve benefitted from over the last four months now will still be there. We are about to hit a significant cliff where an eviction moratorium for renters – which is about a third of all Delawareans – and the unemployment benefit from the CARES Act from four months ago will both run out. We’ve had two months to negotiate. I’m really disappointed frankly that we are just now seeing Majority Leader McConnell’s proposal, and it’s a proposal that clearly doesn’t have the support of all of the Republican caucus. Talking to Republican colleagues, about half of that caucus is not going to support that bill. So these negotiations need to get going and get going quickly in a way that will help us again deliver bipartisan support to the American people.

Q: Well, you’re right. People are facing some serious strain out there. Let’s go through some of the things you said. First off, on schools, the president had earmarked $105 billion. Is that not the right number? And secondly, on the CARES Act that was passed in the House a couple of months ago, it is totaling three and a half trillion dollars that Nancy Pelosi would like to move forward. It includes the $600 unemployment benefits until January. We are talking about debt in this country of $21 trillion. We are soon going to be having as much debt as the entire size of the economy at $22 trillion. So was that a realistic plan? I know you say well we passed it months ago. I’m disappointed hearing what the GOP is coming up with now, but was the three and a half trillion dollars truly realistic given its price tag?

Sen. Coons: Well, Maria, let’s be clear. Four months ago, the Senate passed the CARES Act unanimously. That was $2.3 trillion. Two months ago, the House did pass what’s called the HEROES Act, and it’s got a price tag a little over $3 trillion. What’s been introduced here in the Senate just yesterday is at about a trillion [dollars]. That is a big difference: one to three trillion [dollars]. Of course, we have to be concerned about the long-term impact of our national debt. We are pushing out more spending to sustain our economy, to respond to this pandemic than has been done federally; since the second World War. But what I hear from small business owners, from parents, from public employees, from folks that lost their jobs is that if it were not for this federal support, we would be in the second Great Depression. So, there are 30 million Americans, roughly, who are relying on this $600 a week additional federal unemployment. The proposal that we’ve just seen from the Republican majority here in the Senate would make every person take a 30% pay cut who is currently relying on unemployment. One of the main challenges we face is antiquated IT systems at the state and federal level. Changing that so that we’ve got a more resilient, more adjustable system isn’t going to be possible on the fly in a couple of weeks. So, we’ve got to negotiate something that is responsible in this environment, and in my view that means extending unemployment for an awful lot of folks who otherwise won’t be able to keep a roof over the heads of their families. There’s one other thing I want to a talk about, Maria, if I could for a moment. Today, I’m introducing a bipartisan bill with Senator Rubio, Senator Cornyn, Senator Hassan. It’s a manufacturing resiliency task force. One of the things we have seen in this pandemic is that we are vitally reliant on China for critical supplies – whether it’s medical devices like ventilators or it’s pharmaceuticals. This is a look at how we could restore to the United States manufacturing that has gone offshore in the last 20 years and that we should try and bring back to the United States, so that we’re not as vulnerable to sudden shocks globally whether it’s a pandemic or something else. I think this is an important next step in making sure that manufacturing in the United States is resilient, and can get built back stronger after this recession.

Q: It is, and you are right. Thank you for introducing this legislation because I think many Americans were, just you know, shocked to learn that 70% of our active ingredients in our prescription drugs are made in China. And then in the middle of the pandemic, China tried to threaten us, with The Global Times, state-run media, saying well maybe we won’t export these prescription drugs right now since Trump is pushing Xi Jinping on tariffs. This is very important. Let me ask you this, Senator. How long do you expect it is going to take for an average company to say okay, I am taking my supply chain out of China and I’m going to put it in the U.S. or I am going to put it in India, et cetera. Is this an eight-year time frame, a five-year time frame? I know this doesn’t happen overnight. It’s great to get this started, but this is a long-term decision.

Sen. Coons: It is. Maria, I worked for a global manufacturing company for eight years before I went into local government, and I will tell you, reallocating manufacturing resources and facilities around the world is a challenging thing to do. It depends on what industrial sector you are in, and whether you are leasing contract manufacturing space or whether you directly own and have built and control it. China has been the most appealing, fastest growing market for decades, and many American companies have been heavily invested there, but this is not a new development. Over the last five years, Xi Jinping has taken the Chinese government, and the Chinese Communist Party in a sharply different direction, so many American companies have already been looking at the question of whether they couldn’t diversity where they are doing manufacturing. What I am hoping we’ll do is to provide incentives for them to bring that manufacturing back to the United States. The company I worked for had much of its manufacturing in Germany and the United States because it was advanced manufacturing, so it required high-skill, highly integrated workforces. I think we can compete and win in manufacturing. It just requires sustained bipartisan focus on this.

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Delmarva delegation requests relief for local shellfish producers

WASHINGTON – Members of Congress representing the Delmarva region led a bicameral and bipartisan letter to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) highlighting the severe impacts COVID-19 is having on the seafood industry and requesting that USDA consider establishing a short-term purchasing program for shellfish products. The letter was signed by U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (D-Del.), Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and U.S. Representatives Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Elaine Luria (D-Va.), Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Rob Wittman (R-Va.), Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Andy Harris, M.D. (R-Md.), John Sarbanes (D-Md.), Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), and Anthony Brown (D-Md.).

“The shellfish industry has been significantly impacted by the disruption in normal supply chains and these products are ideally positioned to aid USDA’s efforts to address food insecurity during this difficult time. We request that USDA consider establishing a short-term purchasing program for shellfish products, including farmed and wild-caught oyster and clam products, as part of AMS’s Section 32 authority,” wrote the members of Congress.

The full letter is available here.

“Delmarva and the Chesapeake Bay region’s seafood industries generate billions of dollars in economic activity and support tens of thousands of jobs throughout the region. In particular, clam and oyster operations across Delmarva and throughout the Chesapeake Bay region are important to local economies and help support regional seafood supply chains. Nearly 70 percent of all seafood consumed in the United States is sold at restaurants and hospitality venues. As restaurants were forced to close and continue to adhere to restrictions decreasing service capacity, our local seafood industries, many of which are small businesses, have suffered extreme losses due to substantial reductions in demand.“

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Trump attacks Sen. Coons’ bill to overturn Muslim ban, Sen. Coons fact-checks him immediately

WILMINGTON, Del. — Today, President Trump attacked U.S. Senator Chris Coons’ NO BAN Act, legislation the House approved this week on a bipartisan basis to repeal all versions of the President’s Muslim ban and prevent another baseless, discriminatory ban from happening in the future. Senator Coons responded immediately to the President’s false claim that his ban “keeps very bad and dangerous people out of our great Country”:

No. Mr. President, your travel ban keeps Americans from living with their spouses. It prevents doctors from coming here to fight COVID-19. It blocks parents from attending the funerals of their children.

Have you met the American families separated by your cruel ban? I have. https://t.co/InvNcECmVP

— Senator Chris Coons (@ChrisCoons) July 25, 2020

To view the full thread, please click here.

The National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act repeals all versions of President Trump’s Muslim ban, 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 is supported by over 270 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. ###

Sen. Coons’ bill to train pilots, support ROTC students at DSU and other HBCUs passes the Senate

WILMINGTON, Del. – Yesterday, the U.S. Senate voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act, which contains text from the Fostering Leadership and Inclusion by Growing HBCU Training (FLIGHT) Act of 2020. The House of Representatives passed similar language in its own Defense Authorization earlier this week. Led by Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Representatives Anthony Brown (D-Md.) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), the FLIGHT Act will provide new resources for Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and minority institutions, with special emphasis on support for flight training.

“I am proud and encouraged to see the FLIGHT Act on its way to becoming law,” said Senator Coons. “Now more than ever, we are reminded how vital it is that our leaders, our guardians, and our role models reflect the diversity of America itself. Our service members come from all walks of life, but people of color remain underrepresented at the military’s highest levels. Today’s military aviators will become tomorrow’s best-trained commercial pilots. Our current officers in uniform will become our policy experts, our CEOs, and often our political leaders. The FLIGHT Act is just one of many steps we must take to ensure that those who lead our country also fully represent it. I thank and congratulate my colleagues on this victory, and I look forward to working with them to put FLIGHT into action in Delaware and across the country.”

People of color are underrepresented in American military leadership—particularly at higher ranks and in high-investment, training-intensive specialties like aviation. As a whole, the Air Force is almost 20% African-American. But that diversity is deceptive: only 1.7% of Air Force pilots (and less than 3% of civilian pilots) are Black. Similar asymmetries affect other branches of the Armed Forces.

Aspiring military aviators can significantly improve their career prospects with undergraduate pilot training, but ROTC scholarships do not cover flight training costs. This makes it more difficult for low-income students to become pilots.

The FLIGHT Act establishes two pilot programs, with the goals of:

• Lowering the barriers to ROTC participation for students at HBCUs and minority institutions. Many ROTC students at HBCUs must commute to host institutions for classes—often over long distances. This bill would provide funding and resources to mitigate that inconvenience, in part by encouraging partnerships between the institutions and nearby military bases.

• Supplementing flight training costs for ROTC members enrolled at HBCUs. While these funds can be used at commercial flight schools, priority is given to students who would also receive their flight training at HBCUs.

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Senate passes Sen. Coons’ bipartisan bill, backed by Delaware companies, to promote sustainable chemistry

WASHINGTON – The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed by the Senate today includes the bipartisan Sustainable Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2019, led by U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) and cosponsored by Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.). The bill will support American manufacturing and American jobs while also protecting human health and the environment by helping to realize the full innovation and market potential of sustainable chemistry technologies.

“The chemical sector is an integral part of Delaware’s economy and I am proud to lead this legislation that supports chemistry innovation, helps create new companies and jobs, and promotes sustainable use of resources,” said Senator Coons. “By creating a cohesive national vision for sustainable chemistry research and development, improving training of chemists and other professionals, and building new partnerships with the private sector, the bipartisan Sustainable Chemistry Research and Development Act is an exciting opportunity to maintain our scientific leadership and ensure the sustainability of our chemical enterprise for years to come.”

“The development of innovative and effective sustainability strategies requires coordinated approaches and strategic thinking across many sectors,” said Professor LaShanda Korley, director of the new Center for Plastics Innovation at the University of Delaware, which focuses on chemically transforming plastic waste into fuels and other valuable products. “This legislation highlights this global need and provides a framework for engaging all stakeholders. The advancement of research, education, training and commercialization of green chemistry can have important benefits to people and the environment worldwide.”

“The GC3 Sustainable Chemistry Alliance congratulates Senators Susan Collins and Chris Coons and Representatives Dan Lipinski and John Moolenaar for their constructive bipartisan efforts in moving the Sustainable Chemistry R&D Act forward,” said Joel Tickner, Executive Director of the GC3 Sustainable Chemistry Alliance. “We believe sustainable chemistry is central to American innovation in advanced manufacturing. There is surging global demand for sustainable chemistry ingredients in consumer and commercial products and investors are increasingly rewarding companies that develop and source such products. The Sustainable Chemistry R&D Act will help position the US to capitalize on this burgeoning market demand, spurring innovation and job creation across a huge swath of the US economy. “

“The Sustainable Chemistry Research and Development Act meets the dual challenges of economic growth and environmental protection, a core priority of the American Chemical Society, by boosting federal support for green and sustainable chemistry,” said Glenn Ruskin, Vice President of External Affairs and Communications for the American Chemical Society. “The legislation increases federal agency coordination, establishes public private partnerships, and supports new research. Over the long term, transforming the chemistry enterprise towards sustainability will help create economic opportunity and improve the lives of all Americans.”

“ACC applauds the inclusion of the Sustainable Chemistry Research & Development Act championed by Senators Chris Coons and Susan Collins, in the National Defense Authorization Act passed by the Senate,” said Chris Jahn, President and CEO of the American Chemistry Council. “The men and women of the chemical industry are committed to working with experts in business, at universities and in government to develop new ways that chemistry can enable sustainability in our everyday lives. This legislation will play a key role in supporting and enabling technology, tools and partnerships to help advance the sustainable chemistry innovations ACC members are developing that help make people’s lives better, healthier and safer.”

The Sustainable Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2019 is endorsed by the GC3 Sustainable Chemistry Alliance, the American Chemical Society, the American Chemistry Council, the American Sustainable Business Council, 3M, Ashland, BASF, Beautycounter, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), Chemours, Delaware Sustainable Chemistry Alliance, The Dow Chemical Company, DuPont, Environmental Working Group, The LEGO Group, Nohbo LLC, Procter & Gamble, and the University of Delaware.

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[VIDEO] Sen. Coons: President Trump continues to do things ‘that he doesn’t have the legal or constitutional authority to do’

Sen. Coons on Trump’s attempt to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization: ‘We will be more successful reforming and reviewing the WHO’s actions by remaining a part of it rather than stepping out of it’

Sen. Coons: Attorney General Barr and President Trump setting a ‘terrible precedent’ by ‘insisting on sending extra law enforcement to communities’ that do not request federal help

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined MSNBC’s Morning Joe to discuss his legislation to block the Trump administration’s attempt to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the President’s deployment of unmarked federal agents to U.S. cities despite strong opposition from mayors and governors.

On President Trump’s attempt to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization, Sen. Coons said, “I think it’s important that we recognize that President Trump continues to do things or say he will do things that he doesn’t have the legal or constitutional authority to do. So frankly, what I’m trying to do is both make the point that in the middle of a pandemic this global organization that we helped create and fund and grow needs to be a key part of how we respond globally to the pandemic. There are reasons to be critical of its early response to this pandemic, but we will be more successful reforming and reviewing the WHO’s actions by remaining a part of it rather than stepping out of it. This is just part of a long pattern of Trump’s actions of withdrawal from virtually anything that is part of the global network of organizations and alliances we’ve built over seven decades that have provided a key platform for our security and prosperity and to advance our values.”

On the ongoing deployment of federal agents to cities like Portland and Chicago, Sen. Coons added,“That’s setting a terrible precedent that the Attorney General and President are now doubling down on that and insisting on sending extra law enforcement to communities like Chicago where the mayor is saying, ‘you are not welcome on these terms.’ I think it’s setting a terrible precedent.”

Full audio and video available here.

Q: Let me ask you first about we’re talking about this morning, and that is this plan introduced by the Justice Department and President Trump yesterday to send federal agents into some American cities to stop violence. They make a distinction between Portland where federal agents there are protecting federal property. In Chicago, for example, they say they’re going in to stop the gun violence and to assist local police there. When you look at that from a constitutional perspective, when you look at that from the state’s rights perspective, how are you viewing this Operation Legend put forward by the Justice Department?

Sen. Coons: Well this strikes me, frankly, as a terrible idea for several different reasons. First, just practically, state and local law enforcement routinely participate in task forces with federal agents, but not by having federal law enforcement and federal agents forced upon them where they haven’t asked for that help; where the mayor or the governor is not seeking that help. This is the first example in my adult service, my time in government, where I can remember the federal government forcing this assistance onto communities that are not asking for it. That also is the constitutional implication here as the previous segment was talking about, that there are very few instances in American history where there was federal action over the objection of a governor, in fact the only examples I can think of were either during the Civil War or during the Civil Rights Movement. This is a quite different thing where we’ve got the Mayor of Portland and the Governor of Oregon actively saying do not come into our community with unmarked federal agents. That’s setting a terrible precedent that the Attorney General and President are now doubling down on that and insisting on sending extra law enforcement to communities like Chicago where the mayor is saying, ‘you are not welcome on these terms.’ I think it’s setting a terrible precedent.

[…]

Q: Senator Coons, do you agree with some of your Republican colleagues who say that the closing of this consulate in Houston was long overdue; that’s the way that Marco Rubio put it. He said it’s a ‘massive spy center.’ What do you make of the decision here?

Sen. Coons: Well, I agree with what Richard just said that this simply invites further retaliation. There are ways that we can do effective counterintelligence and that we can limit the ways in which any particular consulate or site within the United States is a basis for IP theft or for intelligence gathering in this country, but I’m concerned about where the U.S.-China relationship is going. It seems to be headed towards a new Cold War, a deep decoupling of our countries. And to the point Richard made, we are a much more open society. We have relatively few avenues into China, relatively speaking. The Chinese Communist Party under Xi Jinping is more aggressive, is more expansive. It’s a quite different nation than it was decades ago. But we need a strategy, a sustained and bipartisan strategy to deal with China. We just had a hearing on Foreign Relations yesterday about U.S.-China relations. Senators from both sides made this point: we need stronger alliances around the world of free, open, and democratic societies to successfully respond to China’s rise and expansionism, and frankly, President Trump mostly has a list of grievances, an attitude, rather than a strategy.

Q: Senator, as you know, the President announced a few weeks ago that the United States would withdraw from the WHO in response to its handling of the coronavirus crisis, the pandemic, it being too cozy with China among many other things that won’t go into effect until next year if it actually happens. You introduced legislation yesterday, though, to block President Trump and the administration from doing that. How will that work? How do you stop the President from doing it and why are you opposed to the withdrawal?

Sen. Coons: First, the former legal adviser of the State Department Harold Koh promptly contacted me after President Trump made that announcement and said, ‘I don’t believe he has the legal authority to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization unilaterally.’ I looked into it and I agree. Partly why Senator Leahy and I introduced legislation was to sharpen that point. I brought it up in a Foreign Relations Committee hearing earlier this week. I think it’s important that we recognize that President Trump continues to do things or say he will do things that he doesn’t have the legal or constitutional authority to do. So frankly, what I’m trying to do is both make the point that in the middle of a pandemic this global organization that we helped create and fund and grow needs to be a key part of how we respond globally to the pandemic. There are reasons to be critical of its early response to this pandemic, but we will be more successful reforming and reviewing the WHO’s actions by remaining a part of it rather than stepping out of it. This is just part of a long pattern of Trump’s actions of withdrawal from virtually anything that is part of the global network of organizations and alliances we’ve built over seven decades that have provided a key platform for our security and prosperity and to advance our values.

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Sens. Carper, Coons secure major wins for Delaware in annual defense bill, 3% pay raise for troops

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) voted to pass the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes a 3% pay raise for troops, new programs for Historically Black Colleges and Universities like Delaware State University, provisions to remediate harmful chemical contamination near Dover Air Force Base, and more.

“I’m pleased that the Senate could come together to approve this year’s National Defense Authorization Act that helps to protect our troops and also ensure that they have the resources needed to keep our country and our citizens safe,” said Senator Carper. “It is critically important that we support the men and women serving in our Armed Forces who, along with their families, make tremendous sacrifices for our nation. I’m proud that we have included a pay raise for them, along with investments that will help us counter ever-evolving threats to our national security.”

“This annual defense bill makes key investments to keep our military ready for any challenges that come our way, but it also includes provisions that will make a real difference for the state of Delaware,” said Senator Coons. “I’m proud that we successfully fought to include support for Delaware State University ROTC students, resources to address environmental contamination issues near Dover Air Force Base, and a 3% pay raise for our men and women in uniform.”

The annual defense bill passed today includes provisions that will benefit Delawareans:

Increasing Pay for Troops

The bill supports a 3 percent pay raise for our military and over two dozen types of bonuses and special pay for our troops.

Ensuring access to care for Vietnam veterans

The legislation provides a presumption of service-connection for bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, and Parkinsonism in veterans exposed to Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam. Based on the Fair Care for Vietnam Veterans Act, which Senators Carper and Coons cosponsored, this legislation will ensure that more Vietnam veterans get access to care without burdensome delays.

Remediation for harmful chemicals known as PFAS

This year’s NDAA builds on provisions in last year’s defense bill to increase funds for ongoing studies related to PFAS contamination in drinking water, a problem that has affected the Dover community. It also requires a survey on and research into firefighting technologies in order to phase out the use of foams containing PFAS.

Two new programs for HBCUs like Delaware State University

The NDAA includes provisions from the FLIGHT Act, bipartisan legislation led by Senator Coons and Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and supported by Senator Carper, to provide new resources for Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) like Delaware State University. The bill will help improve diversity in our military ranks and our pilot workforce.

Reauthorizes the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Program

The bill includes an amendment led by Senator Carper, the top-ranking Democrat on the Environment and Public Works committee, that would reauthorize the popular, cost effective DERA program through fiscal year 2024. DERA helps finance the replacement of older diesel engines with cleaner, American-made technology. Cleaning up dirty diesel engines will mean cleaner air and economic opportunity at time when Americans, not just those serving in our military, need it most.

Finds commercial uses for emissions to combat climate change

The bill features provisions of the USE IT Act, co-sponsored by Senators Carpers and Coons, which helps to identify commercial uses for captured carbon dioxide emissions to help fight climate change. Climate change is a great threat to our national security, to our military installations and to the health of our troops.

On Tuesday, the House passed their version of the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2021 that also included a number of these provisions. The House and Senate will meet in conference to resolve difference between the two bills before passing one identical bill to send to the president’s desk.

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Sen. Coons backs annual defense bill, supporting investment in a strong U.S. military and national security

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, voted to support the passage of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes a number of provisions to strengthen strategic competition with China and Russia and reaffirm our alliances and partnerships with other countries around the world.

“As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I have always believed that the U.S. position in the world is strongest when there is bipartisan support not only for our troops, but also for our overall foreign policy and national security goals,” said Senator Coons. “This year’s NDAA, which once again garnered broad bipartisan support, recognizes that as the United States addresses ongoing public health and economic crises at home, we must also provide our service members with the tools they need to ensure the United States can deter conflict and protect the American people.”

The fiscal year 2021 NDAA builds on the National Defense Strategy, including by:

Prioritizing strategic competition with China and Russia

This year’s NDAA establishes a Pacific Deterrence Initiative to bolster our commitment to defending our interests in the Pacific. The Initiative will enhance transparency and oversight, address military capability gaps, reassure allies and partners, and bolster the U.S. deterrent in the region. The defense bill also includes provisions to safeguard the U.S. defense industrial base and supply chain and protect our intellectual property from disruption, infiltration, or theft.

In addition, the legislation recognizes that the United States is engaged in long-term strategic competition with Russia, and that confronting the Russia challenge requires sustained investment in and modernization of our military. The bill acknowledges and responds to Russia’s efforts to undermine democracies, including by mandating a full examination of Russian support to racially and ethnically motivated violent extremist groups and networks in Europe and the United States.

Strengthening alliances and partnerships

The NDAA recognizes that our national security is best protected with the help of our broad network of alliances and partnerships. Accordingly, the NDAA enhances our cooperation with key allies and partners and seeks to improve their own defense capabilities, which will serve U.S. foreign and defense policy goals for decades to come.

In particular, the bill funds the European Deterrence Initiative, reaffirms partnerships from Ukraine to India to Taiwan, and seeks to ensure the Department of Defense provides the resources necessary to U.S. Africa Command to promote security and stability on the continent.

As the Senate and House of Representatives reconcile their two versions of the bill, Senator Coons will fight to ensure these provisions and more remain in the final version of the legislation and are signed into law.

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Carper, Coons demand answers from Attorney General Barr and Acting Secretary Wolf on deployment of federal agents in American cities

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) joined Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and 21 of their Democratic Senate colleagues to send a letter pressing Attorney General Bill Barr and Acting Secretary Chad Wolf for answers on the alarming actions taken against protesters by unidentified federal law enforcement agents deployed by the Trump Administration in spite of objections from local officials, as well as threats by President Trump to deploy federal officers to more American cities. These steps are all the more alarming in the face of the recent and tragic loss of Congressman John Lewis, a titan of the civil rights movement whose life embodied the American tradition of peaceful protest and civil disobedience.

In the letter, the senators cited recent aggressive actions taken by federal agents dispatched by the Trump Administration against protesters in Portland, Oregon. They also expressed strong opposition to President Trump’s latest comments threatening further deployments, delivered from the Oval Office on Monday, “I’m going to do something—that, I can tell you. Because we’re not going to let New York and Chicago and Philadelphia and Detroit and Baltimore and all of these—Oakland is a mess. We’re not going to let this happen in our country. All run by liberal Democrats.” Previously, President Trump had called protesters “terrorists” and told governors to “dominate” them and “do retribution.”

“We write with urgent concern about disturbing reports of actions by Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security officers against American protesters, as well as threats by the President to deploy federal law enforcement agents into the streets of more American cities. Federal officials should not be dispatched into the streets of our cities without proper authority, training, and accountability. Nor should they be violating the civil rights of Americans who are exercising their First Amendment rights and seeking reforms of their own government’s policies,” the senators wrote.

The senators continued, “Critically, it remains unclear what legal authorities the federal government has invoked for its militarized interventions in American cities. All of this is part of an alarming pattern by the Trump Administration in taking an aggressive and excessive response to protests catalyzed by the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many others. This includes the forcible clearing of peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square, in front of the White House, shortly before a photo opportunity for President Trump near St. John’s Episcopal Church—reportedly at your direction, Attorney General Barr.

“The right of Americans to join together, assemble peaceably, and protest is vital to our democracy. It is at the core of the First Amendment. We decry violence in all its forms. But Americans should be able to exercise their rights under the First Amendment without inappropriate interference or legally questionable activities by federal officers. They should be able to expect accountability, transparency, and professionalism whenever federal forces are on the streets of America’s cities.”

This letter was also signed by Senators Wyden (D-Ore.), Merkley (D-Ore.), Harris (D-Calif.), Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Udall (D-N.M.), Van Hollen (D-Md.), Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Markey (D-Mass.), Durbin (D-Ill.), Sanders (D-Vt.), Heinrich (D-N.M.), Warren (D-Mass.), Kaine (D-Va.), Baldwin (D-Wis.), Casey (D-Pa.), Duckworth (D-Ill.), Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Brown (D-Ohio), Bennet (D-Colo.), Hirono (D-Hawaii), Smith (D-Minn.), Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Leahy (D-Vt.), and Reed (D-R.I.).

The senators’ questions for Barr and Wolf in the letter include:

Who—the Attorney General, the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, or some other official—has directed the federal response to the protests in Portland and Washington? And who is directing such operations in other American cities?
The Trump Administration has not clearly articulated its legal basis, if any, for deploying federal officers to American cities to engage in this conduct against protesters. And it is far from clear that all of these activities by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security are fully and properly authorized under federal law. When will the Department of Justice and/or the Department of Homeland Security provide a full public explanation of its purported legal rationale?
As explained above, there have been extensive reports of federal officers wearing camouflage and tactical gear who have jumped out of unmarked vehicles and detained protesters in Portland, but these officers have evidently lacked any obvious identifying markers.
What agency or office is conducting these operations?
What legal authority do you believe permits this activity?
Which official made the final decision to authorize this activity?
Do the Department of Justice and/or the Department of Homeland Security intend to use this tactic, or similar ones, in other American cities?
Why have federal agents deployed in American cities and authorized to execute arrests not consistently worn uniforms identifying them as law enforcement officers and indicating their employing agency?
Some reports have indicated that federal agents in Portland have detained individuals who were not near federal property. To the extent your agencies are relying on legal authorities regarding the protection of federal property, what do you believe are the legal limits on the actions of federal agents operating at a significant distance from federal property?
For the Department of Justice and/or Department of Homeland Security officers who have been deployed to Portland, Washington, and any other American cities to respond to recent protests, what training have they received in terms of crowd control, use of force, and civil rights?
Department of Homeland Security agents are reportedly set to be deployed to Chicago soon, and the President has also referenced cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, Baltimore, and Oakland. In what cities is the Department of Justice and/or the Department of Homeland Security currently planning deployments against protesters?
When the Department of Justice and/or the Department of Homeland Security deploys officers to respond to protesters in an American city, what notice will be provided about the nature and scope of their activities—including whether federal agents will be operating in the streets without identifying markings?

Full text of the letter is available here.

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House passes Coons-Chu bill to repeal President Trump’s Muslim ban and prevent future discrimination

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the NO BAN Act, legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) and U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-Calif.) in April 2019 to repeal all versions of the President’s Muslim ban and prevent another baseless, discriminatory ban from happening in the future. Senator Coons and Congresswoman Chu issued the following statements:

“Since President Trump’s Muslim ban took effect more than three years ago, tens of thousands of American families have been senselessly separated – husbands and wives, parents and children, and ailing grandparents – and unable to gather to celebrate, grieve, or support each other during this tumultuous time,” Senator Coons said. “Today, Congress sent a strong message that if President Trump won’t remove this moral stain from our country, the Congress will. House passage of the NO BAN Act brings us one step closer to reuniting thousands of families, ending this policy that has damaged our national security and reputation around the world, and making clear that in the United States, we do not discriminate based on religion or nationality. I am grateful to Congresswoman Chu, our Senate and House cosponsors, and the hundreds of organizations who have helped us reach this point. The Senate should swiftly take up and pass this bill.”

“Today, almost three and a half years to the day after President Trump issued his first Muslim Ban, the House of Representatives voted to put us on the right side of history by repealing it completely,” said Rep. Chu. “This ban never had anything to do with national security; it was always driven by prejudice. That was clear from the first chaotic moments of the first ban’s rollout, and confirmed by the Administration’s refusal to issue waivers as the Supreme Court required. And it continued for years, as families remained divided without justification. I have heard from so many parents, children, and partners who have been heartbroken at having to miss births, funerals, weddings, and everything in between all because of their religion. Today’s vote is a victory for the countless families who have been needlessly separated by this hateful policy, and I am so grateful to Senator Coons, House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, and my colleagues who were instrumental in making this happen, Reps. Zoe Lofgren, Andre Carson, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Don Beyer, Pramila Jayapal, Max Rose, and Jamie Raskin. It is now time for the Senate to make it clear that such blatant prejudice is unacceptable and un-American.”

“For the first time ever, a chamber of Congress has passed a Muslim civil rights bill. We went office-to-office and district-to-district to gain support for the NO BAN Act and convince House leaders to make it a priority. But most importantly, this vote marks the beginning of the end of the Muslim Ban—a cruel policy that continues to tear families apart. Now we must take the fight to the Senate where we refuse to stop fighting until every senator hears from us and the bill lands on the president’s desk,” said Farhana Khera, Executive Director of Muslim Advocates.

The National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act repeals all versions of President Trump’s Muslim ban, 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 is supported 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.

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