Senator Coons statement on violence between India and Pakistan

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) issued the following statement in response to increasing military action between India and Pakistan in the disputed region of Kashmir:

“Since the devastating terrorist attack that killed 25 civilians in Kashmir last month, I have been following the escalating tensions and military exchanges between India and Pakistan with increasing concern. As we work collectively to bring the perpetrators to justice, I call on New Delhi and Islamabad to exercise restraint and continue their efforts to resolve this crisis through diplomacy. That is the only way to forge a path toward justice for the families of those killed without an escalation of destruction and death.”

Senator Coons is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.

ICYMI: Senator Coons joins Andy Beshear podcast to talk chickens, faith, and getting started in local government

WILMINGTON, Del. – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear for an interview on the Andy Beshear Podcast. They discussed Senator Coons’ background and how his faith informs his Democratic values and public service, as well as his work with the bipartisan Senate Chicken Caucus. Senator Coons appeared on the fourth episode of Governor Beshear’s podcast. He is only the second elected official to be interviewed on the show.

You can watch and listen here. 

Key excerpts:

On serving in local government 

Beshear: So, when you got into politics, you got in at the local level, and local politics is hard. I mean, everybody knows where you live!

CAC: It’s mean, it’s tough. The smaller the yard, the meaner the dog.

Beshear: And so, I’m wondering, how did your experiences there either prepare you for the U.S. Senate, or how different are they?

CAC: Well, so, in between the non-profit work I did and going into local government, I spent eight years for a global manufacturing company that’s headquartered here in Delaware, and I gradually got more involved – more engaged – with the Democratic party here in Delaware and was recruited to run for County Council President, partly because there was a real ethics meltdown going on in county government, and my master’s in divinity school really focused on ethics, and I had worked as an ethics officer – an ethics trainer at the company I worked for. When I was County Council President, I wrote a new ethics code and was involved in a number of public integrity and ethics issues. I represented half a million people, and our county here, New Castle County, is mostly unincorporated, so the county government provides police, fire, paramedics, land use, sewer, zoning, housing, and libraries for about 400,000 people, and it was a very challenging environment, a great learning opportunity. My wife and I had infant twins who were born in ’99, I was elected in 2000, and our youngest child was born in 2001, so as a brand-new County Council President with one staff person representing roughly half a million people…

Beshear: With three kids!

CAC: I had three kids under two years old, and I had two full-time jobs because I was still the in-house lawyer for that manufacturing company. It was crazy. I barely remember the first four years I was elected. But to your point, representing local government in the community where I grew up was both wonderful, because I had a chance to really have an impact on the people I’d grown up with and to have an impact on housing and libraries, paramedic and police response time, and disaster preparedness and all of that stuff—but you know people, and they know you and they know how to get you, and they know your mom, and they know your brother-in-law, you know? They know you. That’s what’s great about local government, and that’s what’s hard about local government.

On faith 

Beshear: I know that it hurts you as a Senator who has sworn to uphold the Constitution, but also as a person of faith. So many of the teachings in our Bible seem to be impacted, and impacted negatively, by these actions. You think about the fishes and the loaves and cutting SNAP benefits. You think about the parable, the Good Samaritan, picking up that person who’s different from you and not kicking them while they’re down. So, how do you bring your faith to this job? How does it help you make decisions? And maybe how does it keep you going when things are tough?

CAC: Well, thank you for the question. Because it’s harder—it’s been harder this year than it’s ever been for me. Actually, looking out my window right now, I can see my church, First and Central Presbyterian, here in Wilmington. And I try, I’ve got something on the wall behind me, it’s Micah 6:8, which is one of my favorites, the most concise passages from the Old Testament, and it is a reminder that we are called to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. I try to start with humility, to say that everyone I’m interacting with is a child of God, and they may have different understandings or interpretations than I do of what we’re called to do, but if you do justice and love kindness, you’re on the right track. Look, the Bible, the Gospel in particular, is not a political pamphlet. It doesn’t say exactly what we ought to do. It doesn’t say we need more tax cuts, or we need more healthcare, but there are 2,000 specific references to the poor and I think if you look at when Jesus speaks for the very first time, he stands up in his home synagogue and he recites a scripture passage from Isaiah 61—this happens in Luke 4—and where he says, “the spirit of the Lord is upon me, he has anointed me to teach good news to the poor.” If you read that passage, at the very beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, I think it’s hard to reach the conclusion that He doesn’t want us to principally focus on the outcasts, the widowed, the orphans, those in prison, those who are poor, that that is something we are called to do. Look, I represent a million people, not all of them are people of faith, and not all of them are Christians. Folks from many different backgrounds are part of my state and I try to be mindful of the gap between what I believe, and the scripture that I read, and what may be the common interests of the million people I represent. But, Andy, every faith has the Golden Rule, “Do unto others you’d have them do unto you,” and the things we’ve been talking about—addressing the opioid crisis, helping people with affordable housing, responding to natural disasters, and doing it in a way that puts volunteerism and community service first, that strikes me as being right in line with what the Gospels call us to do.

On the Senate Chicken Caucus 

Beshear: Amen. We like to typically end with something a little more fun. I read that you founded the Senate Chicken Caucus. Is that accurate?

CAC: Indeed, I did.

Beshear: You’ve got to tell me, what is the Senate Chicken Caucus? Are we talking about hot chicken?

CAC: So, one of my best friends in the Senate was Johnny Isakson of Georgia, just a great man, a great and generous and fun man. We did a lot of traveling and working together and his home state of Georgia is one of the biggest chicken producers in the country, and Sussex County, Delaware, is one of the biggest counties in chicken production in the country, and one of Johnny’s favorite sayings was “life is about friends and future friends, and you don’t have to agree with each other on everything, you just have to agree with each other on one thing.” And so, as we were getting to know each other, we realized that we had chickens in common, that both Delaware and Georgia really cared about growing our chicken exports and so we went to a number of foreign countries together—South Africa, I remember, in particular—where we were trying to promote American chicken exports, and we were trying to grow markets for the fabulous, healthy, tasty protein that we were growing in Georgia and in Delaware in our chicken farms. Southern Delaware is dominated by chicken agriculture. It really is the center of agriculture in Delaware. We have events every year where we always serve chicken, and it’s a great opportunity for me to work across the aisle with Senators from other states—from Arkansas, and Mississippi, and North Carolina, and Georgia, as Johnny was [from]—and focus on what we have in common in the interests of our rural areas and our agricultural sectors. So, that’s the history of the Chicken Caucus and, yes, it is a little funny, but we had a great time doing chicken wing contests and talking about how we could help promote chicken agriculture in the United States and around the world.

Senators Coons, Booker, colleagues demand DOJ reverse cancellation of hundreds of public safety grants

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) as well as nearly 30 other Democratic senators urged Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Maureen Henneberg to reverse the abrupt cancellation of hundreds of public safety grants that serve crime victims and improve public safety in communities across the country in a letter sent to the Department of Justice (DOJ) last week.

“On April 22, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs (OJP) notified hundreds of grant recipients across the country, without warning, that their funding had been terminated, effective immediately. Many of these grants are authorized by Congress and support programs that have enhanced public safety in communities rural and urban, affluent and poor, Democratic and Republican. While this administration continues to market itself as the administration of law and order and public safety, DOJ has decided to defund programs that prosecutors, police and sheriff’s departments, judges, mental health service providers, academics, and more depend on to advance the Department’s longstanding ‘core mission of keeping Americans safe and vigorously enforcing the law,’” the senators wrote. 

“Based on public reporting, outreach from grantees, and a DOJ Justice Management Division  (JMD) spreadsheet, … it appears that the Department defunded at least 365 public safety grants on April 22, 2025. A review of this information reveals that these grants provide support for victims of crime and resources for communities to ensure public safety,” the senators continued.

By terminating these grants, the Department has defunded programs that support victims of crime, combat rape in prison, assist people with mental health disorders, reduce and prevent violence, and support successful reentry. These examples offer only a sample of the critical funding that DOJ abruptly pulled away from law enforcement organizations in communities across the country.

“The magnitude of these defunding measures, Congress’ role in authorizing and appropriating grant funds, and the negative impacts that the sudden termination of funding will have on public safety in communities across the country, requires the immediate review of the processes and decisions that led to the cancellation of these critical grants,” the senators added.

The senators requested answers to nine questions about the cancellations, including whether the Department has reallocated the money to other programs and how officials determined which grants should be cancelled. 

“Additionally, we advise that the Department restore immediately the grants terminated on April 22. The cursory termination of these programs imperils the public safety of the victims and communities that rely on these critical resources,” the senators concluded.

The letter is cosigned by U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).

You can read the full letter here.

Senator Coons statement on UD President Assanis

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) issued the following statement after University of Delaware President Dennis Assanis announced he would step down as president effective June 30th:

“President Dennis Assanis is a scientific leader himself, a patent holder and innovator, and a transformational leader for the University of Delaware. Since 2016, he has brought a focus to the university on steady investment and improvement in the quality of campus research facilities, on the competitiveness of student admissions, on the quality of research—both federally and privately funded—and on the general future of the University of Delaware.

“Dennis and his beloved wife Eleni have been a constant presence not just on UD’s campus, but throughout Delaware. As someone whose aspirations and vision for the future of the University of Delaware and its role in our state have been to constantly press for more, for greater, for better, his particular focus on the STAR campus and NIIMBL—the National Institute for Innovation in the Manufacturing of Biopharmaceuticals—and in collaborative research has elevated UD dramatically and has resulted in lasting and positive change for the better. 

“My entire family and I express our deep gratitude to President Assanis for his tireless, energetic, effective, and innovative leadership of the University of Delaware. He has been one of the most important presidents in the history of the university, and I wish him well in his next chapter.”

Senator Coons, Tillis introduce bipartisan resolution supporting Romania and Moldova amid Russian interference

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) introduced a resolution yesterday expressing support for Romania and Moldova as both countries work to combat Russian interference ahead of upcoming elections.

The resolution commends Romania and Moldova for their steadfast commitment to strengthening democratic values, deepening their European integration, and their commitment to regional security in the face of sustained Russian pressure campaigns.

“Romania and Moldova are critical U.S. partners that make substantial contributions to security and sovereignty across eastern Europe,” said Senator Coons. “Romania is one of our most important NATO allies and largest alliance contributors, while Moldova is steadfast in its commitment to joining the European Union. When I visited the region earlier this year, I saw clearly how both are facing intense coercion efforts from Russia, including the weaponization of energy flows and systemic election interference campaigns. This resolution makes clear that the United Stares stands against Putin’s attempts to meddle in their elections and upend their democracies while reiterating our support for their sustained partnerships.”

“Romania and Moldova are key U.S. allies, with Moldova partnered with North Carolina through the State Partnership Program, at a pivotal moment for democracy in Eastern Europe,” said Senator Tillis. “As both nations confront efforts by Russia to erode democratic institutions and exert undue influence, the United States must reaffirm its commitment to their sovereignty and political independence. Strengthening these partnerships is vital to preserving democratic governance and regional stability.”

Senator Coons recently visited Romania and Moldova as part of a congressional delegation, where he witnessed firsthand Russia’s ongoing interference—including election interference, disinformation campaigns, and the weaponization of energy supplies. Due to blatant election interference by Russia, Romania’s presidential election in November was annulled, and the election will be rerun this weekend. 

The resolution applauds Romania’s role within NATO and as a member of the European Union, as well as its critical support to Ukraine since Russia’s unprovoked war. It also supports Moldova’s referendum to join the European Union and thanks the country for its ongoing assistance to Ukraine. 

Specifically, the resolution:

• Calls on the U.S. government to deepen bilateral and multilateral engagements with Romania and Moldova in support of democracy and state sovereignty in eastern Europe
• Applauds the partnership between Romania and Moldova in the energy sector as a model of reducing reliance on Russian energy exports
• Supports Romania’s role in strengthening NATO and Moldova’s aspirations to join the European Union
• Condemns Russia’s coercion campaigns in democratic sovereign states, including Romania and Moldova
• Asks for greater international support ahead of Romania’s presidential election and Moldova’s parliamentary elections in 2025

Senator Coons is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

You can read the resolution text here.

Senators Coons, Tillis, colleagues introduce bipartisan, bicameral legislation to restore American innovation

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Judiciary Committee’s Intellectual Property Subcommittee, and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, reintroduced the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act (PERA). This bipartisan, bicameral legislation will restore patent eligibility to important inventions across many fields while also resolving legitimate concerns over the patenting of mere ideas, the mere discovery of what already exists in nature, and social and cultural content that everyone agrees is beyond the scope of the patent system. It also affirms the basic principle that the patent system is central to promoting technology-based innovation.

Representatives Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) and Scott Peters (D-Calif.) introduced a companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“When American innovators know their ideas are eligible for patent protection, they take the risks that push us into the future – whether that’s the next medical test or the latest AI technology,” said Senator Coons. “PERA restores clarity to the law on what can be patented and what cannot – guidance that federal courts have been requesting for years and that the Supreme Court has refused to provide. Congress must step up to provide America’s inventors with the stable legal foundation they need to produce the cutting-edge technologies that power our economy.”

“Clear, reliable, and predictable patent rights are imperative to enable investments in the broad array of innovative technologies that are critical to the economic and global competitiveness of the United States, and to ensuring the national security of our great country,” said Senator Tillis. “Unfortunately, a series of Supreme Court decisions have rendered patent eligibility law unclear, unreliable, and unpredictable, resulting in U.S. inventors being unable to obtain patents in areas where our economic peers offer patent protection. This is particularly concerning in the economically critical areas of biotechnology and artificial intelligence. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation maintains the existing statutory categories of eligible subject matter, which have worked well for over two centuries, while addressing inappropriate judicially created eligibility limitations by creating clear rules for what is eligible. We cannot allow foreign adversaries like China to overtake us in key areas of technology innovation due to the current state of patent eligibility law. I look forward to continuing to work with all stakeholders on this important matter. Passing patent eligibility reform is one of my top legislative priorities.”

“American innovators have been at a disadvantage in recent years because of the U.S. patent system,” said Representative Kevin Kiley. “Convoluted Supreme Court rulings and tests on subject matter eligibility have made it increasingly difficult for inventors to receive patents, leading to foreign companies overtaking our own. That’s why I’m proud to introduce the bi-partisan Patent Eligibility Restoration Act, which will dramatically reverse this trend, and unleash a tide of economic growth and job creation here at home.”

“For more than two centuries, a U.S. patent has guaranteed inventions will be protected from theft, helping the U.S. become the innovation capital of the world. San Diego, in particular, is the proud home of a thriving life sciences and technology ecosystem that has benefited from these protections,” said Representative Peters. “Over the last 15 years, however, several Supreme Court decisions have created confusion about what exactly is eligible for a patent. Innovators, consumers, and even the judges who adjudicate patent law have called on Congress to provide clarity on what can be patented. I look forward to working with Congressman Kiley, Senator Coons, and Senator Tillis to advance our Patent Eligibility Restoration Act and protect American innovation.” 

Due to a series of Supreme Court decisions, patent eligibility law in the United States has become confused, constricted, and unclear in recent years. This has resulted in a wide range of well-documented negative impacts – inconsistent case decisions, uncertainty in innovation and investment communities, and unpredictable business outcomes.

In 2021, all 12 then-sitting judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit lamented the state of the law. Witnesses and stakeholders from a wide array of industries, fields, interest groups, and academia have testified and submitted comments confirming the uncertainty and detailing the detrimental effects of patent eligibility confusion in the United States. There is now widespread bipartisan agreement in Congress and across all recent administrations that reforms are necessary to restore the United States to a position of global strength and leadership in key areas of technology and innovation, such as medical diagnostics, biotechnology, personalized medicine, artificial intelligence, and 5G technology.

The Patent Eligibility Restoration Act achieves this critical goal by restoring patent eligibility to important inventions across many fields, while also resolving legitimate concerns over patenting of mere ideas, the mere discovery of what already exists in nature, and social and cultural content that everyone agrees is beyond the scope of the patent system, which is a system aimed at promoting technology-based innovation. As a general approach, the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act maintains the existing statutory categories of eligible subject matter, which have worked well for over two centuries, but eliminates the overly malleable set of current judicial exceptions – replacing them with five specific and clear statutory exclusions. By eliminating and replacing the current judicial exceptions, the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act provides predictable patent eligibility for important computer-implemented technological developments and medical advances, creating a solid bedrock for America’s innovation future.

The following organizations support the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act: Innovation Alliance, C4IP, AUTM, AIPLA, IEEE-USA, USIJ, MDMA, BIO, NCLifeSci, Adeia, Nokia, Sisvel, Conservatives for Property Rights, Eagle Forum Education & Legal Defense Fund, U.S. Business & Industry Council, Center for a Free Economy, Center for Individual Freedom, American Policy Center, Less Government, 60 Plus Association, American Association of Senior Citizens, Frontiers of Freedom, Consumer Action for a Strong Economy, Center for American Principles, Prosperity for Us Foundation, Market Institute, Inventors Defense Alliance, Lauder Partners, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Heritage Action, 21C, Netlist, and FICPI.

“Congress has not made substantive changes to what subject matter is patentable in the United States since the Patent Act of 1793, making it difficult for courts, inventors, and the public to understand how 21st-century technologies fit within an 18th Century patent statute,” said Andrei Iancu, board co-chair of C4IP and former Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and USPTO Director from 2018 to 2021. “I commend Congress for advancing PERA in order to finally modernize our patent laws and promote U.S. global leadership in biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and other modern technologies.” 

“PERA provides the clarity needed to unlock the full potential of cutting-edge technologies and solidify U.S. leadership in scientific and technological breakthroughs,” said David Kappos, board co-chair of C4IP and former Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and USPTO Director from 2009 to 2013. “We cannot allow legal uncertainty to stall the next wave of American innovation.”

“Patent Eligibility is an important issue for cancer patients – both for life-saving, early diagnosis and for promising new treatments.  PERA will provide the certainty needed to enable innovative breakthroughs to reach patients. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute applauds Congress for introducing and advancing this important bill – the patients are waiting,” said the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

“Passing PERA is essential if the US is to catch up to Europe and Asia, especially China,” said Judge Paul Michel (retired). “They make eligible for patenting many classes of inventions held ineligible here. The very uncertainty of the zone of eligibility is itself an obstacle to companies getting the investments they need to compete both domestically and globally. Only Congress can fix this chaotic mess because the courts are trapped in their own harmful precedents.” 

“In my former court, which hears patent cases on appeal, concurring and dissenting opinions in patent eligibly cases have proliferated,” said Judge Kathleen O’Malley (retired). “Veteran jurists have described the state of affairs as ‘incoherent,’ ‘unclear,’ ‘fraught,’ and ‘inconsistent.’ The Patent Eligibility Restoration Act would return clarity to patent eligibly law and encourage continued innovation in key emerging technologies – technologies that are central to the United States remaining the world’s innovation leader.”

“NCLifeSci thanks Senator Tillis for reintroducing the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act of 2025, which restores the confidence in our nation’s patent laws by bringing much needed clarity to Section 101 of the Patent Act. Confidence that the life sciences industry needs to robustly invest in the future of medicine. For too long, fields like diagnostics, precision medicine, cell and gene therapy, RNA medicine, and digital health have been threatened by unclear and uncertain patent-eligibility standards that put America’s innovators at a disadvantage, and that discourage local investment. Through this legislation, our members – which include leading innovators who operate cutting-edge gene therapy manufacturing facilities here in North Carolina and research potential treatments and cures for Alzheimer’s and cancer —will be able to continue to take the bold risks and make the high levels of investment necessary to take fields like these to their next level, with the confidence that our patent laws will continue to hold up through future waves of technological progress,” said the NC Life Sciences Organization.

“The Innovation Alliance applauds Senators Tillis and Coons and Representatives Kiley and Peters for sponsoring the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act, which will provide much needed predictability and clarity to the hopelessly confused law of patent eligibility.  The Supreme Court has provided no workable framework to guide patent owners or the courts, and it has repeatedly refused to clarify the law, rejecting requests by the Federal Circuit and others to do so time and again. Investment dollars are flowing out of the United States as a result, jeopardizing the future of America’s innovation economy. It is past time for Congress to act,” said the Innovation Alliance.  

“This bipartisan and much-needed bill would strike a decade of judicial tinkering that has needlessly turned the question of patent eligibility into a confusing mess and harmed the U.S. versus our economic competitors. While the U.S. has spent a decade holding back innovations in areas such as fintech, diagnostic solutions and medical devices trying to figure out whether they are ‘abstract’ or not, our competitors are moving forward and protecting these inventions. PERA would be particularly beneficial to American startups and innovators by providing the clarity needed to attract investment for new ventures in essential areas such as medical devices, diagnostics, manufacturing and a whole new range of advancements powered by software,” said the Alliance of U.S. Startups & Inventors for Jobs.

“AUTM – the association representing technology transfer professionals – thanks Senators Tillis and Coons and others for their leadership in introducing PERA. This legislation is crucially needed to address the ambiguities that the courts have created about what is, and what is not, patent eligible. At a time when the U.S. is competing for innovation leadership, its patent system needs to clearly delineate this process so that it can move forward on numerous discoveries that otherwise would wither on the vine,” said AUTM.

“The reintroduction of the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act (PERA) marks a pivotal move toward restoring clarity and consistency in U.S. patent law. By providing clear statutory guidelines, PERA offers inventors, entrepreneurs, and research institutions the certainty needed to innovate confidently. We commend Senator Tillis and Senator Coons for their leadership on this critical issue and remain committed to collaborating with Congress to support a patent system that fosters transparency and predictability,” said the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA).

“The Coalition for 21st Century Patent Reform applauds Congress for reintroducing PERA. This legislation represents a significant step forward in clarifying patent eligibility while maintaining necessary standards on what is ultimately patentable. 21C applauds these efforts as they will make sure that the United States remains the most attractive place in the world to invest, invent, and grow,” said the Coalition for 21st Century Patent Reform (21C).

The text of the bill is available here. 

Senators Coons, Tillis, colleagues introduce bipartisan, bicameral bill to foster American innovation by modernizing the Patent Trial and Appeal Board

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) reintroduced the Promoting and Respecting Economically Vital American Innovation Leadership (PREVAIL) Act today. The PREVAIL Act supports American inventors, encourages investments in intellectual property, secures U.S. global technology leadership, and safeguards both economic and national security. Building on legislation previously introduced by Senator Coons, this bill updates and improves our patent system to ensure it protects essential property rights.

Representatives Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas) and Deborah Ross (D-N.C.) introduced a companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. The PREVAIL Act previously passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee by a bipartisan vote last year. 

“Whether you have the backing of a huge company or are tinkering in your garage, you should be confident that your ideas and innovation will be protected. That’s what the Patent Trial and Appeal board was intended to do,” said Senator Coons. “Unfortunately, bad actors ranging from multinational corporations to overseas grifters have spent the last decade exploiting the PTAB to harass innovators and prevent them from profiting off their creations. With the bipartisan PREVAIL Act, we restore fairness to the patent process and let America get back to inventing and innovating.” 

“To maintain the United States’ position as the global leader in technology and innovation, we must work with inventors – large and small – to improve and streamline our patent system,” said Senator Tillis. “The PREVAIL Act makes commonsense changes to our patent system that will increase transparency, safeguard patents, eliminate duplicative legal proceedings, and encourage American inventors to design and create. We must restore faith and confidence in the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.”

“A strong patent system helps American innovation remain at the global forefront. The bipartisan PREVAIL ACT will support our innovators by leveling the playing field when it comes to adjudicating patent validity, further encouraging innovation and economic growth,” said Senator Durbin.

“America’s patent system drives innovation and fuels long-term economic growth by supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs in Hawaii and across the country,” said Senator Hirono. “The PREVAIL Act supports this crucial innovation by ensuring all patents are treated the same no matter where they are challenged and eliminating the repetitive challenges that have placed unnecessary burdens on innovative startups, inventors, and universities.”

“I’m proud to represent the Research Triangle Park, where world-class institutions, organizations, scientists, and innovators are propelling our state and country to new heights,” said Congresswoman Ross. “It’s critical that we work across party lines to ensure the people who are driving our country’s innovation have the tools they need to thrive. That’s why I’m proud to reintroduce the PREVAIL Act, which will institute much-needed reforms to PTAB and create a fairer system for inventors and researchers. When we support innovators, we bolster American competitiveness and the American economy.”

“The PREVAIL Act provides much needed protection for American inventors by addressing the most egregious problems with the existing PTAB system.  By correcting some of the imbalances that have allowed large corporations to exploit the system and silence competition, the PREVAIL Act will restore confidence in our patent process, reduce abuse of the PTAB system, increase transparency, and ensure that the rights of everyday inventors are protected—not crushed by legal loopholes and procedural abuse outside of an Article III courtroom.  In short, it will help spur American innovation rather than deter it,” Congressman Moran.

The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) was created within the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to provide a faster, more efficient process for adjudicating patent validity than going to federal district court. However, in practice, the PTAB has become a forum where patent claims are consistently invalidated through proceedings that are duplicative of – not an alternative to – the district court. According to USPTO data, approximately 80% of PTAB proceedings that reach a final written decision result in the invalidation of at least one challenged patent claim. Two-thirds of those proceedings result in the invalidation of all challenged patent claims.

The PREVAIL Act would reform the PTAB to ensure fair treatment for inventors, establish a true alternative to district court litigation, and equip the USPTO with the resources it needs to effectively administer a patent system that incentivizes American innovation and enables U.S. innovators to compete. The bill would also end USPTO fee diversion and support innovative small businesses.  

The PREVAIL Act would reform the PTAB in the following ways:

• Require standing for PTAB challengers and limit repeated petitions challenging the same patent
• Harmonize PTAB claim construction and burden of proof with federal district court
• End duplicative patent challenges by requiring a party to choose between making its validity challenges before the PTAB or in district court
• Increase transparency by prohibiting the USPTO director from influencing PTAB panel decisions

This bill has been endorsed by the Council for Innovation Promotion (C4IP), the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), and the Innovation Alliance.

“The PREVAIL Act would help restore balance in the U.S. patent system. By eliminating redundant legal challenges that drain resources from industry and government alike, and by ensuring consistent standards between district courts and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, the Act will help create a more balanced and efficient patent system for all,” said David Kappos and Andrei Iancu, board co-chairs of C4IP and former Under Secretaries of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Directors of the USPTO. “Reducing duplicative proceedings will promote efficiency within the legal system and help drive economic growth.”

“The PREVAIL Act restores the Patent Trial and Appeal Board to what its creators intended it to be – a cheaper, quicker alternative to litigation,” said Brian Pomper, Executive Director of the Innovation Alliance. “It limits the ability of deep-pocketed incumbent companies to weaponize the administrative process against inventors, preventing inventors from achieving the benefits a patent should bestow. The Innovation Alliance thanks Senators Coons and Tills and Representatives Moran and Ross for introducing the PREVAIL Act. It is an important bill that deserves to be passed into law.”

“The reintroduction of the PREVAIL Act represents a significant effort to achieve an appropriate balance within the U.S. patent system,” said AIPLA Executive Director Vincent Garlock. “We have learned a lot since the AIA was enacted, and the PREVAIL Act offers improvements calculated to protect patent holders from undue challenges while maintaining avenues for legitimate disputes. We appreciate the dedication of Senator Coons and Senator Tillis in addressing these critical issues and look forward to working together to ensure a fair and effective patent system.”

“MDMA thanks Senators Chris Coons and Thom Tillis for the bipartisan reintroduction of the ‘Promoting and Respecting Economically Vital American Innovation Leadership (PREVAIL) Act,’” said Mark Leahey, President and CEO of the Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA). “This important legislation would strengthen intellectual property rights, which ultimately results in new innovative cures, therapies and diagnostics to help address the needs of patients and providers. The United States cannot maintain and grow our leadership position in medical technology innovation without strong IP protections in place, and the ‘PREVAIL Act’ would support this important work to bolster our ecosystem.”

“IEEE-USA fully supports the Promoting and Respecting Economically Vital American Innovation Leadership Act,” said IEEE-USA President Tim Lee. “Thousands of engineers and scientists who are members of IEEE rely on predictable and effective patent rights to license and commercialize their inventions. In recent years, with the creation of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board,  an inventor’s defense against predatory infringement tactics has been weakened, thereby limiting their ability to create jobs and contribute to economic growth. The PREVAIL Act will restore the incentives for technological innovation and economic growth to ensure U.S. technological leadership. We look forward to working with Senator Tillis and Senator Coons to pass the PREVAIL Act to end abuse of the PTAB.”

“The PREVAIL Act will empower startups and small businesses by realigning the Patent Trial and Appeals Board with Congress’s original intent,” said Dr. Hans Sauer, Deputy General Counsel and Vice President for Intellectual Property, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). “Lawmakers had hoped the PTAB would provide a faster and cheaper alternative to costly federal court litigation. But over the past decade and a half, entrenched corporations have abused PTAB proceedings, using them to harass innovators with expensive, duplicative patent challenges in two forums at once.”

“AUTM – the technology transfer professionals association – thanks Senators Coons, Tillis, and their colleagues for re-introducing the PREVAIL Act in the 119^th Congress,” said AUTM CEO Stephen Susalka. “This legislation will halt serial challenges and bring the PTAB process into better balance with the rules used in federal court. Universities need certainty if they are to fully advance the discoveries made on their campuses.  This legislation moves us in that direction, and AUTM looks forward to working with the Judiciary Committee to advance its goals.”

Senators Coons and Hirono are members of the Judiciary Committee’s Intellectual Property Subcommittee. Senator Tillis is the chair of the Subcommittee.

A fact sheet on the bill is available here. 

The text of the bill is available here. 

Senators Coons, Cassidy, colleagues introduce legislation to help Americans better plan for retirement

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine) reintroduced legislation to enhance Americans’ retirement security by ensuring they have the information they need to make more informed decisions about when to begin claiming Social Security benefits. 

“Social Security is the foundation of most older Americans’ retirement plans, but many of them don’t have the information they need to maximize the social security benefits that they’ve earned,” said Senator Coons. “This is a commonsense solution that makes it easier for every American to make an informed decision about when to claim benefits at the best time and get the most out of their retirement income.”

“Americans have earned their benefits. When planning for retirement, let’s make sure they have the best information available and receive what they deserve,” said Senator Cassidy.

One of the key financial decisions facing older Americans is when to claim Social Security retirement benefits. Social Security benefits are available to Americans who are as young as age 62, but those who choose to claim their benefits later receive higher monthly payments, with maximum benefits available to those who claim at age 70 or older. Most people do not claim benefits at the age that would maximize their income in retirement. By doing so, they forgo a significant amount of retirement income. To provide additional clarity for Americans deciding when to claim their benefits, this legislation changes the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) terminology from “early eligibility age,” “full retirement age,” and “delayed retirement credits” to “minimum monthly benefit age,” “standard monthly benefit age,” and “maximum monthly benefit age” to better reflect how the program works.

The legislation would also help Americans better plan for retirement by requiring the SSA to mail Social Security statements about how much a person has paid into Social Security and Medicare every five years to individuals with Social Security accounts between the ages of 25 and 54, every two years for those between the ages of 55 and 59, and annually for those 60 and above.

You can read the bill text on nomenclature here. You can read the bill text on regular statements for beneficiaries here.

In fiery questioning, Senator Coons attacks Trump, DOGE, Senate Republicans for cuts to medical research in Appropriations Hearing

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) took President Trump, Elon Musk and DOGE, and his Republican colleagues to task today for their brutal cuts to medical research that threaten to take away hope from millions of Americans. His remarks came during emotional questioning at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on biomedical research.

Senator Coons opened his remarks by speaking out against the drastic cuts DOGE, which he described as a “horde of locusts,” has made to medical research and clinical trials. DOGE has fired 2,500 researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and canceled over 800 grants for research on diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer. They have also fired 3,500 members of staff at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

These cuts have not just stunted medical research in our country for decades to come. They have also taken away hope from Americans struggling with disease and the families whose lives and well-being depend on this research. During his remarks, Senator Coons talked about how he has felt this personally – whether through friends who have benefitted from clinical cancer trials, or through family and friends he has lost to the disease, including his father, father-in-law, and stepfather.

“Yes, clinical trials, doctor, sometimes doesn’t benefit the individual, but I gotta tell you: it sure as hell benefited [my friend] and his family. It gave him hope, and it kept him alive. And I don’t understand how a single member of this Congress can look you in the eyes as a mother and say we should cut these programs,” said Senator Coons during the hearing. “The FDA, the NIH, National Cancer Institutes, all in combination give hope to those facing the beast of cancer, the challenges of a new diagnosis, and the need for a path forward that’s positive.”

Senator Coons also highlighted the impacts cuts to medical research have had on his own state, highlighting a recent visit to the University of Delaware’s National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL). During his visit, Senator Coons was told that DOGE had delayed, paused, or withheld $55 million in grant funding for research on diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer.

“If that’s happening in my little state, all across our country we are devastating the next generation of researchers,” Senator Coons continued. “We are harming our nation and giving China the opening of a lifetime to recruit the best and brightest from around the world. And Emily, we are taking away from families like yours – all over our nation – hope.”

A video and transcript of Senator Coons’ comments are available below.

WATCH HERE

Senator Coons: Thank you, Vice Chair Murray. Thank you for leading this hearing, and I want to thank each of the researchers who has dedicated your lives to science, to medicine, to progress. Thank you for your testimony today. Emily, thank you.

I am enraged and struggling with this hearing. Listening to you talk about the value of hope to you and your daughter with cancer, and the very measured and reasonable way in which we’ve all discussed what’s happened, makes me crazy. Because DOGE, in my view, is a horde of locusts who’ve been unleashed on the federal government, and they have torn up things that we have built over decades. Let me just briefly review: at NIH, 1200 probationary researchers were laid off and another 1300 fired. That’s 2500 dedicated researchers. At FDA, 3500 staff. At NIH, DOGE canceled 800 grants valued at over a billion – and we were told these grants focused on DEI when in fact they focused on diabetes, Alzheimer’s, mRNA and cancer.

My father died of cancer. My father-in-law died of cancer. My stepfather died of cancer. Your daughter, Charlie, is with us today because of the incredible dedicated research and the ground-breaking work of people we’ve talked so calmly about today. Dr. Sleckman, I have a personal friend – a combat veteran, a Marine Corps colonel – who came to me when he was diagnosed with stage four metastatic melanoma, as you just described, and whose life was saved by the research you described. I have a personal friend of decades, Nicky Sotiropoulis, who came to me when he was diagnosed with brain cancer. His son, close friends with my sons. His wife, close with my wife. He went to NIH month after month, year after year. Yes, clinical trials, doctor, sometimes doesn’t benefit the individual, but I gotta tell you: it sure as hell benefited Nick and his family. It gave him hope, and it kept him alive. And I don’t understand how a single member of this Congress can look you in the eyes as a mother and say we should cut these programs.

Sure, we can talk about overhead rates. Sure, we can talk about measured and thoughtful and reasonable ways to trim a little here, or cut a little there. But that’s not what’s happening. What’s happening is the wholescale abandonment of billions of dollars of research. I was just at the University of Delaware last week, at the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals, and you know what I was told? That at the University of Delaware – the little University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware! – $55 million in health research – $55 million! – has been delayed, paused, or withheld. Research on HIV, Alzheimer’s and characterization of cancer cells. And if that’s happening in my little state, all across our country we are devastating the next generation of researchers. We are harming our nation and giving China the opening of a lifetime to recruit the best and brightest from around the world. And Emily, we are taking away from families like yours – all over our nation – hope.

Emily, can you tell me how important hope is for you and Charlie, how important is it that we keep investing in research?

Mrs. Emily Stenson: Thank you for the question. Hope gets you through the hardest days, and I know I explained in our story some of the hard days that we had, and hope is what kept my husband and I going and trying to save our daughter. There’s no value you can put on hope, and we need to be providing it to all of the families like ours.

Senator Coons: So yesterday, I caught up with a Delawarean who’s been living with ALS for years, and last weekend, a close friend of mine confided his recent diagnosis with ALS. Senator Murkowski and I worked to get signed into law a bill to invest in ALS research. Dr. Esham, if I could, how will the cuts to FDA impact your agency’s ability to characterize and bring new treatments – to provide hope to those living with this horrific disease?

Cartier Esham, Ph.D.: Thank you for that question, Senator, and I believe you’re probably aware that the Alliance did send letters to this committee expressing our concerns about the volume of approval department departures, and the potential impact on the ability of the FDA to be effective and continue be able to continue to evaluate the safety and accuracy of next-generation medical interventions. I will say, I will say, I did have the privilege of meeting with the commissioner on Monday and was happy to hear that he does not have any major plans for a major reorganization. And while they’re looking at efficiencies, potential consolidations and things like travel and IT and potential efficiencies that can be brought about by regulatory innovation, I was happy to hear that they are looking very hard in examining what functions need to be brought back to the agency to ensure that they are able to manage—you know, optimally manage their workload and continue to review and approve next-generation medicines. I think continued transparency and communications about this and engagement can be very important moving forward. We are certainly—the alliance will be certainly examining the proposed budget updates about staffing, including information about what positions are funded by user fees, and how we can work together to make sure that in total, the FDA has the resources it has to have to not just approve what’s before them now, but to continue to drive investment in the United States and next-generation medicine. If you don’t have a functioning FDA, that has a severe impact on the ability to raise funds for next-generation medicines.

Senator Coons: The FDA, the NIH, National Cancer Institutes, all in combination give hope to those facing the beast of cancer, the challenges of a new diagnosis, and the need for a path forward that’s positive. Thank you for what you do. Thank you, Madam Chair for this hearing.

Senator Coons condemns President Trump’s disastrous first 100 days in speech on Senate floor

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) delivered a floor speech tonight criticizing President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office, describing a period marked by weakened global alliances, harsh cuts to foreign aid, and an overhaul of key federal agencies. 

Today marks the 100th day of President Trump’s second term, and Senator Coons’ early review of his presidency is that he has made Americans less prosperous and less secure, both at home and abroad. Trump has disrupted long-standing diplomatic relationships and global partnerships by recklessly imposing tariffs on nearly every country and asserting that he will take over Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal. Our closest allies and partners have responded with unease and outright resistance. In his speech, Senator Coons remarked on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s victory in Canada’s national election yesterday, an outcome viewed as a rejection of Trump’s policies. 

He also expressed concern over the administration’s dismantling of foreign aid and health programs, warning that it makes Americans less safe and creates an opportunity for our adversaries like China. Additionally, Senator Coons highlighted his visit to Taiwan this month to bolster U.S.-Taiwan relations and stand against China’s attempts to limit Taiwan’s role on the global stage. 

Senator Coons also called for Congress to reassert its constitutional responsibilities as Trump pushes the boundaries of executive power. 

A video and transcript of Senator Coons’ comments are available below.

WATCH HERE

Senator Coons: In a hundred days – in a hundred days – what can a president accomplish?

The last hundred days, President Trump has made Americans less safe, less prosperous, and less free.

He has chosen to move us in a direction at home and abroad that is the opposite of what those who voted for him expected, and that is aligned with what those of us who worked against him feared. 

What I’ve heard my whole life, whether in business or in foreign policy, as a lawyer or in my community as a local elected official – folks need trust, and they need predictability. Businesses say they need predictability in order to decide what to invest in, who to hire, where to grow. Other countries around the world say that they need to know they can trust us, that they can rely on us. And in the last hundred days, President Trump has shattered both of them. I’m going to speak for a few minutes about foreign policy because so many of my colleagues in my caucus have stood to talk about the disastrous cuts led by Elon Musk and DOGE, and the ways they’ve impacted Americans all over the country. 

But if you think about our reputation globally –statement after statement, tweet after tweet by President Trump has puzzled, concerned, even alarmed our allies. He’s going to invade Greenland, a NATO ally. He’s going to take back the Panama Canal. He’s going to take over the Gaza Strip and make it ‘Mar-a-Gaza.’ He’s going to turn Canada into the 51st State. One of my Republican colleagues said, ‘don’t pay so much attention to what he says, look what he does.’ Well, lots of our partners and allies looked at what he has done by imposing tariffs on allies and partners, and recoiled. 

In an election in Canada last night, where Trump was the issue, [they] elected a new prime minister, Mark Carney, who ran on a platform of standing up to America, of standing up to Donald Trump. Look, folks, the actions he’s taken, in slashing foreign aid, in abandoning decades-old bipartisan programs around the world that save lives, and that help other countries to trust and rely on us, have weakened us abroad and created openings for our pacing threat – the People’s Republic of China. I was recently in the Philippines, a nation that faces more natural disasters than any country on Earth – more typhoons, more earthquakes, more volcanoes. And for decades, they’ve relied on the United States and the help of USAID, volunteers, nonprofits – coordinated through our government – to respond to these disasters. It has built a long and close partnership of trust. Gone. 

I was recently in Taiwan, a country looking to decide whether they can rely on us should China make real their threats to reunite Taiwan with the mainland by force. Can they trust us? Well, what I’m going to say is that in a hundred days, President Trump has shown weakness in Europe and created openings for China. We have long relied on a global network of allies and partners to keep us safe and strong, to make us prosperous, and to build our role in the world. China doesn’t have that. They have nervous neighbors and client states, countries that can’t count on them and view them as predatory. Yet, now through the actions of President Trump, Elon Musk and DOGE, and the silence and collaboration of Republicans in this chamber, even our closest, most trusted allies, like Canada, question whether they can count on us. 

Back to the Reagan days, Republicans have talked about ‘peace through strength.’ What we’ve seen from Donald Trump in a hundred days: ‘weakness through chaos.’ A hundred days in, he’s not stopping Putin, he’s preparing to sell out Ukraine and Europe to Putin. A hundred days in, he’s not deterring Xi Jinping––he’s backing down every time he says he’s going to stand up to him. At the end of the day, these first hundred days have shown that we are weaker. The world is less stable. Americans are less safe.

And I have to say, Madam President, a hundred days is more than enough time for my Republican colleagues to have seen enough, to stand up to this president, and to restore the role of this Senate and return our position of strength to the world. Thank you.