Sen. Coons, colleagues press Pompeo to extend emergency refugee protections for Afghan Sikh, Hindu communities facing persecution

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), the committee’s ranking member, and 18 of their Senate colleagues in urging the Trump Administration to grant emergency refugee protections to Sikh and Hindu communities in Afghanistan facing persecution as religious minorities. In a bipartisan letter addressed to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the senators called on the State Department to prioritize resettlement opportunities under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program allocation ceilings for Afghan Sikh and Hindu communities, whose populations have plummeted markedly due to years of persecution by the Taliban and more recent terrorist actions perpetrated by ISIS Khorasan (ISIS-K).

“This Administration has repeatedly highlighted protecting religious freedom as a top foreign policy priority,” the senators wrote. “Sikh and Hindu communities in Afghanistan face an existential threat from ISIS-K because of their religion. To protect religious freedom, we urgently ask that you take these essential steps to defend these threatened religious minorities.”

The letter also calls on Secretary Pompeo to offer additional support to members of the Sikh and Hindu communities that choose to remain in Afghanistan, and to ensure that Afghan religious minorities benefit from the $20.6 million in American aid already provided to address COVID-19.

“Ensuring that religious minorities receive U.S. COVID-19 assistance should be a priority in all countries where protection of religious minorities is a challenge,” the senators added.

Joining Senators Coons and Menendez in signing the letter were Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and James Lankford (R-Okla.).

A copy of the letter may be found here and below.

Dear Secretary Pompeo:

We are writing to express our concern about the serious threats facing religious minorities in Afghanistan. Terrorist attacks by ISIS Khorasan (ISIS-K) threaten the very survival of Afghanistan’s Sikh and Hindu communities, which have already reached historically low numbers. To protect members of these vulnerable religious minority communities, we urge the State Department to provide emergency refugee protection to Afghanistan’s Sikhs and Hindus as they face terrorist violence at the hands of ISIS-K. We further urge the State Department and USAID to ensure that U.S. COVID-19 assistance reaches religious minorities in Afghanistan.

ISIS-K targets religious minorities in Afghanistan and poses an existential threat to Afghanistan’s Sikh and Hindu communities in particular. The Sikhand Hindu communities once numbered around 250,000 people but now have fewer than 1,000 individuals due to decades of persecution. The communities continue to face discrimination in access to housing and employment, and the Taliban has previously mandated that Sikhs and Hindus wear yellow armbands or patches as a marker of their religious status. In recent years a new threat to Afghanistan’s Sikh and Hindu communities has emerged: terrorist attacks from ISIS-K. In March, ISIS-K launched an attack on a Sikhgurdwara in Kabul that killed 25 worshippers, and later detonated an explosion during a funeral service for those victims. As ISIS-K continues to attack civilians and international troops draw down in Afghanistan, Sikhs and Hindus are likely to face more violence.

In light of this existential threat, we urge the State Department to provide emergency refugee protection to Afghanistan’s Sikhs and Hindus by referring them to the FY20 U.S. Refugee Admissions Program through Priority 1 (P1) embassy referrals. We further request that the Department consider designating this group for Priority 2 (P2) referrals. We believe the potential to eliminate this population of less than 1,000 people represents a dire circumstance that requires both the urgency of individual P1 referrals as well as access to the P2 designation. A P2 designation would maximize opportunities for resettlement of Afghanistan’s Sikhs and Hindus under the FY20 allocations ceilings for the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, including the allocation for refugees who “have been persecuted or have a well-founded fear of persecution on account of religion.” For members of the Sikh and Hindu communities who prefer to remain in Afghanistan despite this existential threat, we urge State to work with the Government of Afghanistan to ensure that it provides proper protection for these communities.

In addition, the United States has provided $20.6 million in total assistance to Afghanistan to address COVID-19. We urge the State Department and USAID to ensure that religious minorities in Afghanistan benefit from this assistance, as well as from any future COVID-19 assistance sent there. Ensuring that religious minorities receive U.S. COVID-19 assistance should be a priority in all countries where protection of religious minorities is a challenge.

Finally, we recommend that you engage with other members of the International Religious Freedom Alliance and encourage them to help ensure the security of vulnerable religious minorities in Afghanistan in the face of this existential threat.

This Administration has repeatedly highlighted protecting religious freedom as a top foreign policy priority. Sikh and Hindu communities in Afghanistan face an existential threat from ISIS-K because of their religion. To protect religious freedom, we urgently ask that you take these essential steps to defend these threatened religious minorities.

Sincerely, 

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Sen. Coons, colleagues introduce bill to close background check loophole for gun sales

WILMINGTON, Del. — U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and a group of their Senate colleagues to introduce the Background Check Completion Act. The legislation would close a loophole that allows gun sales to proceed if a background check is not completed after 72 hours, even if the buyer is not legally allowed to purchase a gun.

The gap in existing law has resulted in thousands of guns being sold to prohibited buyers, including the sale of the firearm used by the shooter in the deadly attack at Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church five years ago.

“This is a dangerous loophole in our gun laws, and we’ve seen that it leads to people acquiring firearms and killing others when they are legally prohibited from buying a gun,” said Senator Coons. “This bill is about basic common sense – anyone who wants to buy a gun should be required to complete and pass a background check, period.”

“No check, no sale must be the rule,” said Blumenthal, the lead sponsor of the bill. “I first introduced this bill five years ago to close the glaring loophole that allowed the Charleston shooter to walk out of a store with a gun he was already legally ineligible to buy. My Republican colleagues in the Senate have unjustifiably stalled this commonsense legislation. In those five years, thousands more dangerous people with incomplete background checks have been able to purchase weapons. The Senate must pass the Background Check Completion Act now.”

The Background Check Completion Act is also supported by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.).

The legislation has been endorsed by Everytown for Gun Safety, Newtown Action Alliance, and Brady: United Against Gun Violence.

“In the five years since nine Black Americans were murdered by a white supremacist at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, an estimated 1.4 million potential gun sales have fallen through the exact same loophole that allowed the shooter to buy a firearm without a completed background check,” said John Feinblatt, President of Everytown for Gun Safety. “We applaud Senators Blumenthal, Murphy, Markey, and Feinstein for their tireless efforts to close the Charleston loophole, and urge the Senate to pass this long-overdue bill.”

“We are proud to support Senator Blumenthal’s legislation to close the Charleston Loophole,” said Po Murray, Chairwoman, Newtown Action Alliance & Newtown Action Alliance Foundation. “No one should be able to purchase a firearm without passing a background check no matter how long it takes the FBI to complete it. Congress can and must do more to protect Americans from mass shootings, gun suicides, daily gun homicides, unintentional shootings and police violence. Closing any and all loopholes in the NICS background check system must be a priority followed by passing other critical gun safety policies to begin to dramatically reduce gun deaths and injuries in our nation.”

“Last week marked five years since 9 parishioners were killed by an avowed white supremacist at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston. It is well past time for Congress to address the Charleston Loophole, which facilitated that hate crime,” said Brady President Kris Brown. “Brady applauds Sens. Blumenthal, Murphy, Markey, and Feinstein for introducing this legislation and putting renewed pressure on the Senate Majority to emulate House leadership and act to keep our communities safe. From 2008 to 2018 alone, nearly 40,000 firearms were transferred to prohibited purchasers because of this loophole. Addressing this deadly loophole is not an inconvenience to prospective or existing gun owners. Over 90 percent of background checks are completed in minutes and 97 percent are completed in three days. Importantly, those few guns sold beyond the three-day threshold are eight times more likely to involve a prohibited purchaser — a clear risk to public safety just as we saw play out 5 years ago in Charleston. Brady looks forward to working with the Senate to fix this deadly loophole in our background check system.”

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Carper, Coons, Blunt Rochester urge General Assembly to take up meaningful law enforcement reforms before adjourning

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.) sent a letter urging members of Delaware’s General Assembly, in light of the unprecedented activism across the First State, to take up meaningful reforms to law enforcement practices before adjourning on June 30^th. Specifically, the delegation highlighted common sense initiatives put forth by the Delaware Legislative Black Caucus and Delaware’s Attorney General Kathy Jennings and pledged to continue pushing to pass the Justice in Policing Act at the federal level. 

The delegation wrote, “As you know, our delegation does not frequently make requests of Delaware’s General Assembly. But we are seeing unprecedented activism, and the energy that is being felt across the First State and all around our country demands more from us than business as usual. Therefore, we urge the General Assembly to make meaningful reforms to law enforcement practices that restores trust in our communities and saves lives. We all have an obligation – at the federal, state, county and city level – to stand arm-in-arm and push for real change that meets this moment.”

As the U.S. House of Representatives moves to vote on the substantive reforms included in the Justice in Policing Act this week, Carper, Coons and Blunt Rochester acknowledged the challenges that still lie ahead at the federal level, but urged the General Assembly to seize this moment. The delegation continued, “It is clear that there is much that we agree on – banning chokeholds, de-escalation training, comprehensive reporting, and much more. Progress at any level cannot wait. Therefore, we urge the Delaware General Assembly to heed the calls for change from up and down our state and take up these reforms before the 150th General Assembly adjourns on June 30^th. We must all seize this moment, work together, and act urgently to save lives. We thank you for your service to Delaware during these challenging times, and we pledge to continue to working with you at the federal level on these critical issues.”

A copy of the letter can be found letter. 

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Sen. Coons, colleagues introduce new tax incentive to revitalize distressed homes

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio), both members of the Senate Finance Committee, in introducing legislation (S. 4073) to revitalize housing in distressed neighborhoods in Delaware, Maryland, Ohio and nationwide. Currently, development lacks in some urban and rural areas because the cost of purchasing and renovating homes is greater than the value of the sale price of homes. The Neighborhood Homes Investment Act (NHIA) will create a federal tax credit to cover the “appraisal gap” that prevents single-family housing development in many low-income neighborhoods. Other cosponsors of the legislation include Senate Finance Committee members Todd Young (R-Ind.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.). 

The NHIA could lead to the revitalization of 500,000 homes and create $100 billion in development revenue over the next 10 years. NHIA will require that homes constructed or revitalized under the program must be sold to homeowners making less than 140 percent of the area median income. This ensures that improved housing directly benefits members of the communities targeted by the new tax credit. In addition, homeowners receiving funds for rehabilitation of their property must remain in their homes for five years or face a penalty.

“Amid the ongoing debates about how to address structural inequalities in our country, there are many real, meaningful changes that we can make from the federal level on housing policy,” said Senator Coons. “We need to encourage investment to reach communities and ensure that lower-income households can access the benefits of this new development. The Neighborhood Homes Investment Act would provide opportunities to Delawareans and revitalize communities up and down the state while taking a step to address inequities in housing access across the country.”

“Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. Our bipartisan tax credit builds on the success of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) to attract investment in communities that need it most,” said Senator Cardin. “By creating this incentive in the tax code, we can drive investment and revitalize neighborhoods in Baltimore and across Maryland and keep them affordable for low- to moderate-income families.” 

“Even prior to the pandemic, when America was experiencing one of the strongest economies on record, highlighted by consistent job creation and wage growth, there were certain geographic areas and vulnerable populations that suffered due to a lack of opportunity and investment. These areas were often marked by stagnant housing markets, foreclosures, and blighted or vacant homes,” Senator Portman said. “The Neighborhood Homes Investment credit established in this bipartisan bill is directly targeted at bringing new investment to these neighborhoods, providing a new tool in our economic toolkit that pairs well with the New Markets Tax Credit, Opportunity Zones, and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. This new incentive will help thousands of vulnerable Ohioans in struggling neighborhoods by revitalizing communities and generating new opportunities for their residents.”

“The Neighborhood Homes Investment Act will help address the housing affordability crisis, create jobs, and encourage economic development. By providing a tax credit to remove and redevelop abandoned buildings, we can incentivize more affordable housing to be constructed in areas that are in need of rehabilitation. This legislation will benefit many communities in Indiana seeking to revitalize,” said Senator Young.

“Although the Fair Housing Act made housing discrimination illegal more than 50 years ago, too many of our communities – particularly Black and brown communities – still reflect historic patterns of segregation and racial disparities in wealth and homeownership,” said Senator Brown. “The Neighborhood Homes Investment Act will help overcome historic patterns of disinvestment in low-wealth neighborhoods and give families a chance to build wealth through homeownership in the communities they love.”  

“The Neighborhood Homes Investment Act will help create additional home-buying and home equity building opportunities for Americans that for too long have faced countless obstacles when trying to achieve the American Dream of owning their own home,” said Senator Scott. “I have long been an ardent supporter of homeownership, and that includes closing the gap between white and African American homeownership rates in this country. I am proud to introduce this bill with my colleagues to help more Americans make life-long, intelligent investments and foster holistic economic growth and healing in our nation.”

The NHIA could lead to the revitalization of 500,000 homes and create $100 billion in development revenue over the next 10 years. NHIA will require that homes constructed or revitalized under the program must be sold to homeowners making less than 140 percent of the area median income. This ensures that improved housing directly benefits members of the communities targeted by the new tax credit. In addition, these credits are only eligible for houses constructed or revitalized in census tracts that meet certain minimum metrics related to median gross income, poverty rates, and home sale prices.

The credits would only be available after the homes have been completed and sold to a homeowner. NHIA targets neighborhoods that have poverty rates that are 130 percent or greater than the metro or state rate; have incomes that are 80 percent or less than area median income; and have home values that are below the metro or state median value.

The full bill text can be found here.  A summary can be found here.

The Neighborhood Homes Investment Act (NHIA) also is supported by the following organizations:

Center for Community Progress

Enterprise Community Partners

Habitat for Humanity

Housing Assistance Council

Housing Partnership Network

Local Initiatives Support Corporation

Mortgage Bankers Association

National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders

National Alliance Of Community Economic Development Associations

National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals

National Association of Realtors

National Association of Real Estate Brokers

National Association of State and Local Equity Funds

National Association of the Remodeling Industry

National Council of State Housing Agencies

National Community Stabilization Trust

National Fair Housing Alliance

National Housing Conference

National NeighborWorks Association

Prosperity Now

Quicken Loans

Up for Growth Action

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[VIDEO] Sens. Coons, Lankford discuss bipartisan effort to expand tax deduction for charitable giving

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) joined Christian Broadcasting Network’s Faith Nation to discuss their bipartisan effort to expand the current above-the-line deduction for charitable giving. The Universal Giving Pandemic Response Act would ensure that Americans who donate to charities, houses of worship, religious organizations, and other nonprofits are able to deduct that donation from their 2020 federal taxes at a higher level than the current $300 deduction made available by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

“It’s important to provide incentives for individuals and families all over our country to give – to give back to our communities, to strengthen our houses of worship, our faith communities, our nonprofit organizations,” said Senator Coons. “This provision that we’ve introduced, that has six bipartisan cosponsors, would be worth up to $4,000 per an individual, $8,000 for a joint filing couple in a reduction in your tax liability. It’s a strong incentive for individuals to give to support what makes America’s communities great.”

The bill is cosponsored by Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).

The Senators’ full interview is available here. 

[VIDEO] Sen. Coons: Use remaining PPP funds to help smallest business

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) told Yahoo Finance yesterday that he is optimistic a second round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for small businesses will pass the Senate. Last week, Senator Coons introduced the Prioritized Paycheck Protection Program (P4) Act in the Senate along with his colleagues on the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, Ranking Member Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).

“[Small businesses] struggled the most to initially connect with lending banks and with the SBA in the first round, and frankly they’re also the ones who are closest to going under as our economy is not reopening as quickly as many of us thought months ago when we passed the CARES Act. There’s lots of states that are experiencing an ongoing pandemic challenge and where the economy isn’t close to coming back,” Senator Coons said.

The Prioritized Paycheck Protection Program, P4, Act authorizes new lending under the Paycheck Protection Program to small businesses with 100 employees or fewer, including sole proprietorships and self-employed individuals. Eligible businesses must have already expended an initial PPP loan, or be on pace to exhaust the funding, and must demonstrate a revenue loss of 50 percent or more due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill also allows businesses yet to receive a first PPP loan to apply for one through the end of the year.

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Coons, Risch, Menendez, Gardner statement on China’s indictment of Canadian citizens Kovrig and Spavor

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) along with Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy released the following statement after the Chinese government announced it will prosecute two Canadian citizens, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, on alleged spying charges. Kovrig and Spavor were detained on December 10, 2018 in retaliation for Huawei Technologies Co, Ltd. Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou’s arrest by Canadian authorities:

“Last week’s announcement that the Chinese government indicted Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor on charges of alleged espionage after a year and a half of arbitrary detention and confinement in inhumane conditions is deeply troubling. The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) political persecution and arbitrary detainment of these two Canadian citizens, while Canada continues to uphold the rule of law in the case of Meng Wanzhou, only reinforces the international community’s concerns about the CCP’s complete disregard for individual rights and the fair and just application of the law. The United States remains committed to our friendship and alliance with Canada and to upholding the rule of law, and we call upon the Chinese government to immediately release and drop all charges against Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor.”

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Sens. Coons, Van Hollen, Shaheen, Reps. Welch, McKinley introduce legislation to cut energy costs for homeowners and save energy efficiency jobs

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Representatives Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and David McKinley (R-W.Va.) introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to help save energy efficiency jobs during and after the coronavirus pandemic. The bill also includes rebates to help homeowners retrofit their homes to cut their monthly energy costs, stimulate the energy efficiency market for jobs and suppliers, and help protect the environment by investing in clean, efficient technology.

The energy efficiency industry – which prior to the pandemic employed more than 2.3 million Americans – has been hit hard by COVID-19, shedding more than 400,000 jobs since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. Energy efficient retrofits save consumers nearly $800 billion each year on their energy bills and are responsible for more than $540 million in public health benefits annually. This bipartisan legislation will help the energy efficiency sector retain jobs and invest in much-needed training to create new opportunities in the workforce. This is vital at a time when as more than 45 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits since mid-March. 

“Small businesses are struggling with harsh new realities during the Coronavirus pandemic,” said Coons. “The residential energy efficiency sector is no exception, with contractors losing work during stay-at-home orders. This bipartisan proposal will spark new workforce development opportunities, incentivize reemployment, and stimulate a sector crucial to addressing climate change.”

“As the COVID-19 pandemic levels an attack on our country’s job market and businesses, the Congress must provide relief so that American workers and companies can weather the storm. This plan is a triple win – it will help more Americans keep their jobs, create new opportunities for those who are unemployed, and lower energy costs for families in need of savings right now. I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bicameral bill to provide both much-needed short-term relief and invest in our long-term goal of moving to cleaner, more sustainable, and efficient energy sources. I urge the House and Senate to include this innovative energy efficiency plan in the next round of emergency relief legislation,” said Van Hollen.

“As we reopen our economy and society, Congress has a responsibility to meet the immediate needs of today and prepare for the challenges of tomorrow. This legislation helps us do just that by stimulating urgently-needed job creation, while investing in long-term, sustainable solutions to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy costs for American homeowners,” said Shaheen. “This is bipartisan, commonsense legislation that I believe lawmakers on both sides of the aisle can get behind.”

“The energy efficiency sector has lost hundreds of thousands of jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic,” said Welch. “This legislation is critical to provide immediate assistance to a green jobs industry devasted by the pandemic, while making long term investments to encourage home efficiency and strengthen the green economy. This practical, bipartisan idea is a win-win-win for green jobs, homeowners, and the environment.”

“The energy sector has been hit hard due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This bill adds immediate assistance by helping create jobs, while investing in long-term solutions on reducing energy cost for homeowners. Job creation across all energy sectors is going to help our economy get back to where it was before the health and economic crisis. This legislation is just commonsense and a win for the environment and economy,” said McKinley.

The HOPE for HOMES Act of 2020 will:

• Create rebates for homeowners to invest in energy efficiency improvements, including:
  • $800 to add insulation to their home.
  • $1,500 for adding insulation and replacing part of their HVAC system.
  • $2,000 for retrofits that lead to savings of 20-40% of whole-house energy use.
  • $4,000 for retrofits that save at least 40% of whole-house energy use.
  • Doubling the rebate amount for moderate income families.
• Authorize $500 million in grants to help develop training curriculums and assist companies in providing financial incentives to contractors to undertake online training to advance their capabilities to efficiently retrofit homes.
• Provide $1,000 per employee rehired, up to $10,000 total, to contracting companies willing to cover the costs of training and technology upgrades needed to achieve online learning.
• Provide a $1,000 stipend to contractors who complete the HOPE Training and are prepared to advance their careers and help homeowners with home retrofits.

A fact sheet on the bill can be found here.  Full text of the bill can be found here.

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Sen. Coons, colleagues introduce legislation to rename all bases & other military assets named for the Confederacy within one year

This month, Republican-led Senate Armed Services Committee passed bipartisan bill to rename bases and military assets within three years

Legislation announced in advance of annual defense bill vote on Senate floor

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and 34 Senate Democrats in introducing standalone legislation requiring the Pentagon to remove all names, symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia that honor or commemorate the Confederate States of America and anyone who voluntarily served it from all military bases and other assets of the Department of Defense within one year.

The Republican-led Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) passed a bipartisan version of this amendment to remove all names, symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia that honor or commemorate the Confederacy and anyone who voluntarily served it from bases and other property of the U.S. military within three years. The proposal also creates a process for identifying all military assets where the Confederacy is honored and implementing the new removal requirement.

The legislation, The Removing Confederate Names and Symbols from Our Military Act, is also co-sponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), Robert Casey (D-Pa.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.). 

The Removing Confederate Names and Symbols from Our Military Act will: 

• Require the Secretary of Defense to remove all names, symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia that honor or commemorate the Confederate States of America or any person who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America from all assets of the Department of Defense. Grave markers will be exempted. 
• Define the term ”asset” to include any base, installation, street, building, facility, aircraft, ship, plane, weapon, equipment, or any other property owned or controlled by the Department of Defense.
• Require the Secretary of Defense to submit a certification in writing to SASC and the House Armed Services Committee detailing that removal has been completed.
• Prohibit the future display of any name, symbol, display, monument or paraphernalia that honors or commemorates the Confederate States of America or any person who served voluntarily.

The bill text is available here.

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[VIDEO] Sen. Coons: ‘We need a stronger, broader, more effective bill that actually makes transformational change in policing nationwide’

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle to discuss congressional action on police reform and COVID-19 relief. This morning, Senator Coons voted against proceeding to debate on the Republican plan for policing reform, the JUSTICE Act, citing that the bill would not do enough to ensure accountability for police departments and to ban practices like no-knock warrants and chokeholds.

“Over the last two days we’ve heard from more than 130 civil rights organizations, the family of George Floyd, longstanding nationwide advocacy groups like the NAACP, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the ACLU, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, all urging Democrats not to vote to proceed to this bill, and as a result Senators Booker and Schumer have reached out to their counterparts Senator McConnell and Senator Scott and urged them to put off this vote this morning and instead negotiate towards a bipartisan base bill. We know what’s going to happen if we go to the floor today. We won’t proceed to the bill that Senator Scott has put forward,” Senator Coons said.

Full video available here. Full transcript available below.

Q: Senator, thank you for joining me. Let’s start on the vote today on Senator Tim Scott’s police reform bill. What are you going to do?

Sen. Coons: Stephanie, over the last two days we’ve heard from more than 130 civil rights organizations, the family of George Floyd, longstanding nationwide advocacy groups like the NAACP, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the ACLU, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, all urging Democrats not to vote to proceed to this bill, and as a result Senators Booker and Schumer have reached out to their counterparts Senator McConnell and Senator Scott and urged them to put off this vote this morning and instead negotiate towards a bipartisan base bill. We know what’s going to happen if we go to the floor today. We won’t proceed to the bill that Senator Scott has put forward. I enjoy a good working relationship with Senator Scott, but his bill fails to meet this moment. We need a stronger, broader, more effective bill that actually makes transformational change in policing nationwide. 

Q: But let’s be honest sir, this bill might not meet the moment, but if you block it do you actually think that Tim Scott and Mitch McConnell are going to go back to the drawing board and present something better? Let’s be honest.

Sen. Coons: Well, so that’s the challenge we have faced in legislating on so many different issues while I’ve been here. Whether it’s immigration reform, gun violence, criminal justice issues. In some cases we’ve gotten something done like the criminal justice reform bill, the First Step Act. In that case you had a genuinely bipartisan effort in the House and Senate and an expressed willingness by the White House to sign the bill that came out of the process. In this moment as it was with gun violence and immigration reform, we don’t know where the president really is, and there isn’t a bipartisan base bill for us to work from.

Q: So are you optimistic that if you don’t sign it, you don’t believe that the immediate headline coming from the Trump Campaign today at four o’clock will be ‘Democrats Block Moving Forward on Police Reform’ they’re just obstructionists? You don’t think that’s going to happen?

Sen. Coons: Of course that’s what the Trump Campaign will say. Here’s the question I’ll put to you and that I’ve put to people in Delaware with whom I’ve met and with whom I’ve spoken. Who do you believe more effectively and accurately reflects this moment and what we need to take on in order to achieve reform that speaks to centuries of racial inequality and our challenges in policing: the NAACP and the family of George Floyd or President Trump and the Trump Campaign? I don’t think there is a lot of credibility when President Trump at his Tulsa rally was speaking about ‘our monuments’ and not speaking to bringing together our country in this difficult moment. I do think, let me give you one optimistic example, Stephanie, just two months ago when we were facing the pandemic and the recession, the initial bill that was put on the floor by Majority Leader McConnell, every single Democrat went to the floor and voted against proceeding to it. Then we got aid for the states. That bill, every Democrat voted against proceeding to it. Then we got aid for hospitals and healthcare systems. Then the bill passed unanimously. So we have had standoff moments like this recently, Majority Leader McConnell knows how to legislate in a bipartisan way. It begins by having for example Senators Harris, Booker and Scott sit down and hammer out what a strong bipartisan compromise bill would look like. If he wants to get a result, that’s the way to do it.

Q: Okay let’s talk about Aaron Zelinsky testifying today, this is the whistleblower. We already know that the Department of Justice has been politicized. Bill Barr is A-Okay with accepting reputational harm, he doesn’t mind because at the end of the day he achieves what his goals are, right? Jeffrey Epstein, we don’t really know what happened. We know that Bill Barr wrote a four-page summary that misrepresented Robert Mueller’s report. We know that IGs have been bounced and the Attorney General of the State of New York got fired on Friday night. Lots of bad headlines, but Bill Barr still keeps his job, and he keeps on trucking. Anything you can do about that?

Sen. Coons: Well as you know Stephanie, when the U.S. attorney was fired from the Southern District of New York, when those other actions regarding the IGs happened, this testimony today, it simply adds to the clarity, to the sharpness with which senators like myself and many others, mostly Democrats in the House and Senate, are speaking up about the inappropriate way in which Attorney General Barr is politicizing decisions at the Department of Justice. You’ve seen career prosecutors step off of cases, resign in protest, over 1,000 former career DOJ officials speak out against politicized sentencing decisions, changes in the pursuit of case law. This is a very concerning moment. I don’t think we’ve seen a moment where the Department of Justice and the rule of law were as seriously at risk as this since I was very young during the Watergate era. And frankly, the only thing that’s going to change Attorney General Barr’s behavior at this point is a different outcome in the election, and a different president.

Q: And I misspoke. I meant the U.S. Attorney not the State Attorney General. I want to ask you about this new Prioritized Paycheck Protection Program. You’ve joined Senators Ben Cardin and Jeanne Shaheen to introduce this. A new round where businesses with 100 people or less who’s profits, who’s revenues have dropped more than 50 percent to be eligible to get into this kind of program. Great idea, do you plan on making it retroactive? Because I promise you there are many companies that got some of that $600 billion that made loads, you had pharmaceutical companies getting $80 million contracts from this government and they got PPP. Are you going to go back and change the rules for those businesses? Because they didn’t get hurt, they got hooked up.

Sen. Coons: Okay so we’re conflating two things let me try and speak to both of them quickly. Senator Cardin is the ranking Democrat on Small Business where I also serve. I’m the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the SBA. Senator Shaheen has been a great leader in this effort. We are working to find a Republican lead cosponsor, and I’m optimistic. There are still $130 billion unspent in the existing PPP Program. What we are trying to say is there should quickly be a second round of PPP available for smaller companies that took the hardest hits. I pressed Secretary Mnuchin in the last Small Business Committee hearing we had to be more transparent about what companies receive PPP loans for what reasons. After initially resisting, he took some steps over the weekend to be more transparent in terms of which companies got the PPP loans. We need to do more for accountability and transparency. To your point, there were a number of large and publicly traded companies that took these loans that should not have received them.

Q: Do you know when, I know we’re out of time, do you know when we’re going to be getting that information from the Treasury Department?

Sen. Coons: I don’t, but I’d be happy to get back to you on it.

Q: I appreciate it, thank you so much for joining me this morning.

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