Sen. Coons’ statement on Supreme Court’s DACA decision

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement on the Supreme Court’s decision to reject President Trump’s challenge to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

“Today’s decision by the Supreme Court is great news for 800,000 Dreamers, their families, their communities, and our country. These young men and women are Americans in every sense except their legal status – they have served in our armed forces, graduated at the top of their class, fought on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis, started businesses, paid taxes, and improved our communities in countless ways. They should be allowed to continue to contribute to our country and our future. 

“Today’s decision is a positive step, but Congress must now act to give Dreamers the long-term certainty they deserve. The Senate should immediately take up and pass the American Dream and Promise Act, which the House passed on a bipartisan basis in 2019, to provide permanent protections and a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. We should also take long overdue action to fix our broken immigration system. The Senate delivered bipartisan immigration reform in 2013, and I intend to work hard to do so again.

“I am convinced that if we work in a bipartisan way, and alongside our communities, we can provide long-term protection to Dreamers so they can continue to pursue the promise of America.”

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Following SCOTUS ruling on LGBTQ discrimination, Carper, Coons lead push to bring Equality Act to a vote

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) along with 46 of their Senate colleagues called for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to bring the Equality Act to the Senate floor for a vote. The senators’ push comes after the Supreme Court issued a 6-3 ruling on Monday to confirm that that the nation’s landmark civil rights legislation preventing workplace discrimination protects LGBTQIA+ Americans.

“Although nearly two-thirds of LGBTQIA+ Americans report experiencing discrimination, existing federal law provides insufficient recourse,” the senators wrote in their letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “The Equality Act would provide unequivocal non-discrimination protections for people on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity in a number of areas, including public spaces and services, housing, education, credit, jury service, and federally funded programs, as well as explicitly codifying the Supreme Court’s holding regarding employment. By explicitly including sexual orientation and gender identity in civil rights laws, we can ensure that every person can live their life free from harassment and discrimination.”

“We have a responsibility to reaffirm the principle that harassment and discrimination are not tolerated in our country. We urge you to bring the Equality Act for a vote because all people, regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity, should enjoy the same protections under law that all Americans already enjoy on the basis of religion, race, gender, and more,” the senators concluded.

Senators Carper and Coons are original cosponsors of the Equality Act—groundbreaking, comprehensive legislation that would add explicit protections for LGBTQIA+ Americans to the nation’s civil rights laws, ensuring that no American is evicted from their home or is denied a service based on their LGBTQ status. The bill, which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019, would clarify that just like religious, racial, or gender discrimination, anti-LGBTQIA+ discrimination is illegal everywhere in the United States of America.

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

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

Dear Senator McConnell:

We write to urge you to immediately bring the bipartisan Equality Act (H.R. 5) to the Senate floor for a vote and fully enshrine in federal law explicit protections for LGBTQIA+ people against discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity. This bill enjoys bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress and has been endorsed by a broad coalition that includes over 275 businesses, 50 trade and professional associations, and 500 advocacy organizations.

Yesterday, in a landmark victory for justice and equality, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that employers cannot unfairly fire or otherwise discriminate against LGBTQIA+ people in the workplace. However, current gaps in nondiscrimination laws leave many people subject to discrimination, which is why we urge you to schedule a vote to pass the Equality Act.

Although nearly two-thirds of LGBTQIA+ Americans report experiencing discrimination, existing federal law provides insufficient recourse.  The Equality Act would provide unequivocal non-discrimination protections for people on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity in a number of areas, including public spaces and services, housing, education, credit, jury service, and federally funded programs, as well as explicitly codifying the Supreme Court’s holding regarding employment.  By explicitly including sexual orientation and gender identity in civil rights laws, we can ensure that every person can live their life free from harassment and discrimination. 

The need for these critical protections is clear. LGBTQIA+ people face high rates of discrimination in employment, health care, housing, and other public accommodations on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity. According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, approximately one-fourth of individuals surveyed reported problems with insurance coverage as a result of their gender identity.  According to a 2017 survey conducted by the Center for American Progress, approximately 29 percent of transgender people reported being denied health care because of their actual or perceived gender identity.  Eight percent of survey respondents reported being denied health care because of their sexual orientation.  LGBTQIA+ people living outside of major metropolitan areas also reported a high rate of difficulty in finding alternative health care services because such services were further away from their homes. Around 40 percent of non-metropolitan LGBTQ people said it would be “very difficult” or “not possible” to find the same type of service at a different hospital. 

LGBTQIA+ tenants often face housing discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity. A 2013 study conducted by HUD found that same-sex couples experience less favorable treatment than heterosexual couples in the online rental housing market.  According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, nearly one-in-four transgender adults report experiencing some kind of housing discrimination, including being evicted or denied a home.  Almost one-third of transgender individuals report experiencing homelessness at some point in their lives, and transgender women of color experience especially high rates of homelessness. Nearly one in four young Black men, ages 18 to 25, identifying as LGBTQ reported homelessness in the last 12 months.  

The Equality Act would build on the historic Supreme Court decision protecting LGBTQ people in employment and make it explicitly clear that all federal discrimination laws protect people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. In a 2019 poll by the Public Religion Research Institute, 69 percent of those surveyed say they support laws that would protect LGBTQ people in employment, housing, and public accommodations.  Given the patchwork of state discrimination laws, providing clarity on our anti-discrimination laws will benefit LGBTQIA+ communities, landlords, health care providers, and businesses. 

We have a responsibility to reaffirm the principle that harassment and discrimination are not tolerated in our country. We urge you to bring the Equality Act for a vote because all people, regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity, should enjoy the same protections under law that all Americans already enjoy on the basis of religion, race, gender, and more.

Sincerely,

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Sens. Carper, Coons, Senate Democrats call for DOJ Inspector General investigation into Attorney General Barr’s conduct in suppressing peaceful protests around Lafayette Square on June 1

WASHINGTON — This week, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) joined Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and 18 Senate Democrats in requesting that Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz open an investigation into the conduct of Attorney General William Barr and the Department of Justice in directing the use of force against peaceful protestors around Lafayette Square on June 1, 2020.

The senators also called on the Inspector General to probe the deployment of federal law enforcement to suppress protests and intimidate protestors across the country and the temporary expansion of the Drug Enforcement Agency’s authority to “conduct covert surveillance” on Americans participating in protests.

“We write to request an immediate investigation into Attorney General William Barr’s and the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) roles in directing the use of force – including the use of tear gas or a similar gas, rubber bullets, pepper balls, and batons – to suppress peaceful protesters around Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., on June 1, 2020,” the senators wrote. “This misuse of force is all the more alarming given that the Attorney General appears to have issued this order to allow President Trump to walk across the street from the White House for a political photo-op in front of St. John’s Church. Notably, Attorney General Barr was not only on the scene less than an hour before the use of force to clear peaceful protesters, but he also participated in President Trump’s photo op, posing for pictures in front of the church.”

The senators continued: “We believe that the concerning actions we have identified warrant immediate investigation by your office, as they raise serious questions about misconduct, abuse of power, and waste by the Justice Department. Moreover, there appears to be no question about your office’s jurisdiction in this matter.

“Therefore, as detailed above, we urge your office to investigate the roles of Attorney General Barr and the Department of Justice in directing the use of force, including tear gas and rubber bullets, against peaceful protesters near Lafayette Square on June 1, 2020; deploying federal agents to suppress protests and intimidate peaceful protesters; and expanding the authority of DEA to conduct covert surveillance of protesters.”

Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Mark Warner (D-Va.) also signed the letter.

The full letter can be viewed here or below.

Dear Inspector General Horowitz,

We write to request an immediate investigation into Attorney General William Barr’s and the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) roles in directing the use of force – including the use of tear gas or a similar gas, rubber bullets, pepper balls, and batons – to suppress peaceful protesters around Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., on June 1, 2020. This misuse of force is all the more alarming given that the Attorney General appears to have issued this order to allow President Trump to walk across the street from the White House for a political photo-op in front of St. John’s Church. Notably, Attorney General Barr was not only on the scene less than an hour before the use of force to clear peaceful protesters, but he also participated in President Trump’s photo op, posing for pictures in front of the church.

We further ask that you investigate Attorney General Barr’s and DOJ’s role in deploying federal law enforcement and security agencies to seemingly suppress protests and intimidate protesters throughout the country who are peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights. In the wake of the brutal murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, Americans all across our country are calling for an end to police brutality and a transformation of systems that perpetuate injustice and inequality. In response, President Trump has vowed to “dominate” the protesters.

The Attorney General and his Justice Department appear to be following through on the President’s vow by mobilizing agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP); the U.S. Marshals; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive; Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); and possibly other agencies, against peaceful protests. Some of these federal agents appear to have participated in using force to remove protesters from the area around Lafayette Square on June 1, 2020. According to eyewitness accounts and video footage, federal agents from these agencies, and other agencies, advanced on peaceful protesters with smoke canisters, pepper balls, riot shields, batons, and officers on horseback, with little warning before the 7 p.m. curfew. They fired rubber bullets at protesters, even as the protesters were retreating. They dropped canisters of gas to explode within several feet of a hundred people or more. They pushed protestors over and even struck a news camera crew with batons. These actions warrant an immediate investigation.

Moreover, we are concerned by the deployment of federal agents who are trained to deal with prison riots, hostage situations, or other similar circumstances, but not adequately trained in protecting the constitutional rights of Americans engaged in peaceful protests. These concerns are amplified by the fact that some of federal officers were deployed in generic riot gear without displaying any identifying insignia and refused to identify themselves when asked. The lack of identifying information undermines accountability and furthers the distrust of law enforcement.

We are also deeply troubled by reports that the Justice Department has temporarily expanded the authority of DEA to “conduct covert surveillance” and collect intelligence on Americans exercising their constitutional rights to protest the murder of George Floyd. According to Buzzfeed News, the Justice Department also authorized DEA to share intelligence with local and state law enforcement authorities and intervene in a law enforcement role at protests. This expansion of DEA authority appears to be a misuse of DOJ’s powers that warrants further investigation.

We believe that the concerning actions we have identified warrant immediate investigation by your office, as they raise serious questions about misconduct, abuse of power, and waste by the Justice Department. Moreover, there appears to be no question about your office’s jurisdiction in this matter.

Therefore, as detailed above, we urge your office to investigate the roles of Attorney General Barr and the Department of Justice in directing the use of force, including tear gas and rubber bullets, against peaceful protesters near Lafayette Square on June 1, 2020; deploying federal agents to suppress protests and intimidate peaceful protesters; and expanding the authority of DEA to conduct covert surveillance of protesters.

Sincerely,

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Carper, Coons, Blunt Rochester announce nearly $57 million grant award to DelDOT to improve I-95/SR 896 interchange

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, along with Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.) today announced a nearly $57 million grant award from the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) to the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) for the construction of a redesigned interchange at I-95 and State Route 896. The new interchange will improve safety and reduce congestion by adding two flyovers, realigning existing ramps, and addressing other deficiencies with the current roadway geometry.

Today, 60 percent of vehicles on I-95 traveling southbound exit at State Route 896, creating congestion and safety issues in this part of the corridor. This project will create a dedicated exit ramp for southbound 896 for motorists off of I-95, as well as a dedicated on-ramp from State Route 896 to northbound I-95. The total project cost is $143 million, and with this grant award, construction will now begin in the fall of 2022, two years earlier than expected.

The funding for this project comes from the U.S. DOT’s Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects Program, or INFRA Grants program, which Senator Carper has worked to improve for a number of years in his role as ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee in the U.S. Senate.

“As the leading Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, one of my top priorities is to improve our nation’s transportation systems so that our drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians do not put their lives at risk simply by using our roadways. This major grant of federal funding will go a long way to improve safety and, ultimately, save lives along the I-95 corridor in Delaware. By reducing traffic and easing congestion, this project will greatly reduce fatalities and serious injuries while better facilitating commerce in our state. These safety improvements will spur economic growth and less congestion will enable greater access to the City of Newark, the University of Delaware and its blossoming STAR Campus,” Senator Carper said. “I will continue working to ensure that the U.S. Department of Transportation is a strong partner for our state and communities, and I’ll keep working to improve this grant program so that important projects like this can become a reality in states and communities across the country.”

“This funding and this project are really about the safety of Delaware commuters, including students who use this interchange almost every day. Any parent who uses this intersection or has kids who frequently drive to and from Glasgow High School, Newark High School, or other schools farther down 896, knows that improving the safety and capacity of this interchange is long overdue,” said Senator Coons. “As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I fought hard to secure this funding, and I’m excited that these long-awaited improvements will soon be underway to help our growing Newark and Middletown communities stay safe on the road.”

“Improving the safety of the I-95 and 896 interchange has been a priority for our state for a long time now. This INFRA Grant from the Department of Transportation means that we can finally address the safety and capacity issues on 896,” said Congresswoman Blunt Rochester. “I want to thank DelDOT for their work in securing the grant and spearheading the project, Senator Carper, who sits on the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Senator Coons, who sits on the Appropriations Committee, for their tireless efforts on behalf of all Delawareans, and the Federal Department of Transportation for recognizing the importance of this project for Delaware.”

“We continue to prioritize infrastructure investments in the State of Delaware. Investments in our roads and bridges drive economic activity and job creation, and improve safety and our quality of life as Delawareans,” said Governor John Carney. “I want to thank members of our federal delegation for their continued partnership in this effort.”

Upon learning of the successful grant award DelDOT Secretary Jennifer Cohan commented, “We have aggressively pursued federal grant opportunities to help expedite this needed project and are grateful for the support of our federal delegation as we continue to work to improve safety and alleviate congestion on our state’s busiest corridor.”

Additional information can be found on the DelDOT project page.

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Sens. Coons, Rubio call on Trump Administration to broaden strategy against Prigozhin, Wagner Group

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced a resolution condemning the activities of Russian national Yevgeniy Prigozhin and the Wagner Group, a Russian private military contractor. The resolution calls for President Trump to “work with Congress to develop and execute a strategy drawing on the multiple instruments of United States national power available to the President” to counter these malign activities.

Although already sanctioned by the United States for meddling in our election process and the illegal annexation of Crimea in Ukraine, Prigozhin, the Wagner Group, and several other entities closely linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian government continue to pose a threat to the national interests and security of the United States.  Their subversive activities continue unabated in multiple countries, including the Central African Republic, Libya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Sudan, and others. 

“When Russian national Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the Wagner group, and other affiliated entities meddle in foreign elections and send mercenaries to fight in proxy wars overseas, they pose a threat to international stability. These actors have led subversive campaigns across the world, and the United States must respond,” said Senator Coons.“I look forward to working with Senator Rubio, other colleagues from both parties in the House and Senate, and the Trump administration to develop and execute a comprehensive strategy to counter these malign activities and prevent Prigozhin and Wagner from destabilizing other countries.”

The full text of the resolution is available here. 

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[VIDEO] Sen. Coons discusses bold policing reforms at Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with civil rights advocates, law enforcement

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned witnesses at a Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Police Use of Force and Community Relations.” Senator Coons is an original co-sponsor of the Justice in Policing Act, legislation introduced by Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) that was discussed at this hearing.

Panelists included Ms. Vanita Gupta, President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights, and Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff, the Franklin A. Thomas Professor in Policing Equity at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Co-Founder and CEO at Center for Policing Equity.

“As all of us know, the past three weeks since George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin with three of his colleagues not intervening has been both heartbreaking and the response nationally, in some ways, inspiring. It has ignited a conversation long overdue, and that requires that we act,” said Senator Coons.“This happens in the middle of two other crises, a global pandemic and an economic crisis, yet thousands have taken to the streets of every background and in every town in our country demanding action to advance justice and equality. The people are leading the way, and it’s up to us here in Congress to follow.”

When Senator Coons asked about a provision of the Justice in Policing Act that would provide subpoena power when conducting investigations into patterns of police misconduct, Ms. Gupta noted, “without that subpoena power, it really limited the ability of the Civil Rights Division to do its full job, and it can play a factor also sometimes, the police departments that may have the most -entrenched policies, you do not want it to play a factor in limiting where the Justice Department is going to go, but if you have got such an uncooperative situation, the lack of subpoena power really impedes progress.”

Senator Coons asked Dr. Goff “how adequately funding these social services would also reduce the burdens on police officers and hopefully lead to fewer deadly interactions between police and community members.” Dr. Goff replied, “the words ‘inner cities’ have become code for where it is difficult to police because it is dangerous. The places where it is less difficult, at least in our imagination, are the places where if there is a mental health crisis you can call a doctor or clinician. If there is somebody acting out of school, you can put them on time out, but they are not a threat physically to anybody else. When communities have those type of resources such that they do not need to call law enforcement for every darn thing, then policing is easier, you are asking less of police departments, and communities are safer.”

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

Sen. Coons: As all of us know, the past three weeks since George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin with three of his colleagues not intervening has been both heartbreaking and the response nationally, in some ways, inspiring. It has ignited a conversation long overdue, and that requires that we act. This happens in the middle of two other crises, a global pandemic and an economic crisis, yet thousands have taken to the streets of every background and in every town in our country demanding action to advance justice and equality. The people are leading the way, and it’s up to us here in Congress to follow. In the weeks since, Rayshard Brooks’ name has been added to a too-long list. So let me ask if I could just a few questions of Ms. Gupta and Dr. Goff. We have not heard as much from Dr. Goff as perhaps we should, so I’m just giving him a quick warning. I’m about to ask him a question remotely. Ms. Gupta, on the line of questioning my two previous senators have pursued about these pattern and practice investigations, ones that look beyond just a focus on a single bad apple officer but look at the way an entire agency is being run, the way a whole department is operating and its consequences. I’ll remind you, Officer Chauvin had 18 prior investigations for misconduct as an officer and was I believe was a training officer at the time of the murder of George Floyd. I was proud to join my colleagues as a cosponsor of the Justice and Policing Act. One of the things it would give to the Department of Justice is subpoena power when conducting investigations into patterns of police misconduct. Why would that subpoena power be an important and useful tool, and how do you think pattern and practice investigations can actually ultimately advance public safety? 

Ms. Gupta: Sure, Senator, if I could just as a moment of privilege, at some point would like to enter into the record the ways in which the study that Senator Cruz mentioned has been debunked and several others that actually show the effectiveness of consent decrees, including a very recent one, so I just wanted to state that. But on these consent decrees, the subpoena power is something that the Justice Department Civil Rights Division does not have. It was a real problem, for instance, when the Justice Department opened up a pattern or practice investigation into the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department with Sheriff Joe Arpaio. We had their situation where the sheriff was unwilling to cooperate with the request for documents, the request for all kinds of information. That is just typical around these kinds of investigations. It took at least a couple of years for the Justice Department to actually be able to litigate and win a judgment in court that gave us, that gave the Justice Department access. And meanwhile, of course, the unconstitutional policing around racial profiling and national origin discrimination continued. And so, without that subpoena power, it really limited the ability of the Civil Rights Division to do its full job, and it can play a factor also sometimes, the police departments that may have the most ­entrenched policies, you do not want it to play a factor in limiting where the Justice Department is going to go, but if you have got such an uncooperative situation, the lack of subpoena power really impedes progress.

Sen. Coons: Thank you, Ms. Gupta. Dr. Goff, if I could, literally to follow up on what we were just talking about there. I am also a cosponsor of the End Racial and Religious Profiling Act which is incorporated into the Justice in Policing Act. That bill would prohibit racial profiling and require data collection. Could you just briefly explain how we could use that data on stop, searches and arrests to help achieve more equitable and more effective policing?

Dr. Goff: Absolutely. The way that we would want to go about doing is we do not want to just look at comparisons of rates. It is not enough to say that black people are stopped more often; it is not enough to say that black people have force used on them more often because we do not know the appropriate point of comparison should be. Senator Cornyn asked earlier how much of this is really about poverty. There are times when people say that, and they are not asking in good faith. I take the senator to be asking in good faith, and scientists have to ask that question as well. Which means we have to take into account crime rates and poverty rates before we are able to make a determination that police have additional responsibilities above that. The robust analyses from the scientific community are clear. Crime and poverty are not sufficient to explain racial disparities and police stops or police use of force. They are a part of the issue. They are not the whole issue, so if there were national data collection on these elements, it would be possible for both federal scientists and for the broader community of science to get a much better sense of how large is the actual level of bias in these behaviors and where can we be targeting them? That is an absolutely essential piece of the equation if we are going to solve these problems. 

Sen. Coons: Dr. Goff, as we have heard from the mayor, from Mr. Merritt, police are often our first responders to a host of problems that represent broader failings of our social safety net: lack of affordable housing, substance abuse treatment, mental health care. Can you just explain how adequately funding these social services would also reduce the burdens on police officers and hopefully lead to fewer deadly interactions between police and community members? 

Dr. Goff: Right, so there are places in the United States where we do not think about policing as nearly a difficult of a job as we do in our inner cities. In fact, the words “inner cities” have become code for where it is difficult to police because it is dangerous. The places where it is less difficult, at least in our imagination, are the places where if there is a mental health crisis you can call a doctor or a clinician. If there is somebody acting out of school, you can put them on time out, but they are not a threat physically to anybody else. When communities have those type of resources such that they do not need to call law enforcement for every darn thing, then policing is easier, you are asking less of police departments, and communities are safer. Wherever you do not have to call police, it’s safer. The code word for this in most places is “the suburbs,” and law enforcement would very much like to be having instances even in the inner cities, of doing the same thing. Where the communities that are most distressed and most vulnerable have the resources so they have to call less. If we invest in public mental health, then those resources will be there instead of law enforcement having to respond, and so forth and so on for each of those social ills. 

Sen. Coons: Thank you, Dr. Goff, Ms. Gupta, and our whole panel for your powerful testimony today.

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[VIDEO] Sen. Coons on policing bill, expanding national service, new legislation to help small businesses in underserved communities

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined MSNBC’s Morning Joe to discuss the three national crises our country is experiencing. Senator Coons highlighted today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on police reform, the bipartisan CORPS Act he announced today to expand national service programs to respond to the COVID-19 crisis, and his proposed legislation to offer a second round of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans-to-grants to the smallest businesses with the most need.

On police reform, Senator Coons said, “First, we could have a big impact by changing the standard for when it’s possible for a federal prosecutor to come in and prosecute a federal civil rights violation. That’s a provision in the Senate and the House bills, the one that I’m co-sponsoring, it’s led by Senators Booker and Harris, called the Justice and Policing Act. It would also give subpoena power to the federal Department of Justice to do pattern and practice investigations of police departments that have a long history of abuse in terms of their use of force policies. I do think you’ll see broad agreement on changing use of force reporting and on preventing officers who have been decertified in one state from simply moving to another and being rehired by another agency. I suspect you’ll see a ban on chokeholds and hopefully the funding, federally as well as the support at the state and local level for the reliable and continuous use of body cams and the release of that information to the public.”

On the CORPS Act, new legislation to expand national service, Senator Coons said, “we are going through three different pandemics at the same time: COVID-19 and the recession and systemic racism. All three of which impact more heavily black and brown communities in America. And this expanded opportunity to earn a college tuition scholarship and to earn a decent wage, this bill would increase the living stipend and provide health insurance for those doing national service. This would create a great new way for folks of all backgrounds in our country to come together and to serve and strengthen our communities.”

On a new small business program proposed with Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Senator Coons said, “[The Prioritized Paycheck Protection Program] would make the second round of PPP loans available first to those companies that have fewer than ten employees and have lost more than half of their income and would allow them a rapid approval for a second PPP round. I’m also actively engaged in supporting a new round of financing through what are called Community Development Financial Institutions or CDFIs. These are often at the very lowest level grassroots organizations that prioritize minority and low-income communities, Stepping Stones Federal Credit Union in my own hometown of Wilmington in the East Side provides affordable mortgages, payday loans, car loans on terms that are very favorable with a locally-based and community-managed financial institution. We’re trying to prioritize getting resources out through that vehicle. Responding to the protests of the last three weeks does require comprehensive policing reform, but it also requires more resources for economic opportunity and for health equity so that black and brown communities across the United States see action immediately.”

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

Q: Senator Coons, good morning, it’s good to have you with us. Explain a little bit more about what this bill would do. We’ve seen so much legislation, so much money thrown at this problem, at this pandemic, what’s different about this bill? 

Sen. Coons: It’s great to be on with you. First what’s different about it is how broadly bipartisan it is. We have a dozen initial cosponsors, Democrats from Senators Reed and Duckworth, Booker and Harris to Republican leaders like Senators Wicker and Rubio, Graham and Cornyn. And it would double the number of slots available for local nonprofits to launch new and expanded programs to help us recover from the economic recession – we’ve had more than 40 million Americans apply for unemployment – and from the pandemic. As Jamil Smith said in your last segment, we are going through three different pandemics at the same time: COVID-19 and the recession and systemic racism. All three of which impact more heavily black and brown communities in America. And this expanded opportunity to earn a college tuition scholarship and to earn a decent wage, this bill would increase the living stipend and provide health insurance for those doing national service. This would create a great new way for folks of all backgrounds in our country to come together and to serve and strengthen our communities. 

Q:  Senator Coons, it’s Katty Kay here. Economies on both sides of the Atlantic obviously shutdown because of the coronavirus, but what we’re seeing coming out of this is actually the unemployment rates right across Europe have ticked up much, much less than here in the United States. Was that a failure of the structure of the original financing, that people didn’t get the money in time? Was it not tied to keeping on payroll? What happened there? Why were the Europeans basically able to prevent unemployment because of the coronavirus and the Americans weren’t? 

Sen. Coons: Well Katty, I won’t pretend that I have a deep knowledge of the European labor markets, but my impression is that the assistance from Congress that we provided, about 2.3 trillion in the C.A.R.E.S. Act now two months ago, took a very long time to get out to the average American who was unemployed and the assistance to small and large businesses took a while to get out. In Europe, there is a common practice of job sharing, of keeping people on the payroll but having them take less time, fewer hours, whereas in the United States we tend to have people either on payroll or off payroll. And unfortunately, due to some of the antiquated systems we have here, our federal and state departments of labor took an awfully long time to get unemployment checks out to folks. We’re now facing a second wave, I’m concerned, of business shutdowns, so I’m also introducing a bill this week that would extend our Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, loan to grant program. For the smallest businesses, we’re going to extend that for a second round for the smallest and hardest hit American businesses to try and avoid another round of layoffs. 

Q:  Thank you, Senator Coons, I’m so happy to hear you talk about small businesses, and particularly both rural and communities of color and cities, microbusinesses very hard hit and PPP has not been a sufficient solution for them. In anything that you’re proposing or that you all are discussing in the Senate, are you going to figure out ways to incorporate the very small mom and pop shops that really prop up communities that maybe have four employees and can’t pay the rent? 

Sen. Coons: Yes. That’s exactly the focus of this prioritized PPP. It would make the second round of PPP loans available first to those companies that have fewer than ten employees and have lost more than half of their income and would allow them a rapid approval for a second PPP round. I’m also actively engaged in supporting a new round of financing through what are called Community Development Financial Institutions or CDFIs. These are often at the very lowest level grassroots organizations that prioritize minority and low-income communities. Stepping Stones Federal Credit Union in my own hometown of Wilmington in the East Side provides affordable mortgages, payday loans, car loans on terms that are very favorable with a locally-based and community-managed financial institution. We’re trying to prioritize getting resources out through that vehicle. Responding to the protests of the last three weeks does require comprehensive policing reform, but it also requires more resources for economic opportunity and for health equity, so that black and brown communities across the United States see action immediately. 

Q:  Senator Coons, the Judiciary Committee where you sit will hold a hearing today on police reform. As you know, there’s a lot out there right now proposals, ideas. Democrats in the House have a long list of proposals, of changes they would like to see in American policing. The President today will announce an executive order with his ideas. You know some Republicans in the Senate are also working on their own package. What do you see as plausible coming out of all of this? What concrete changes to policing in America will we see in the next few weeks? 

Sen. Coons: Well, policing is mostly a state and local matter, but at the federal level, we can have a big impact. First, we could have a big impact by changing the standard for when it’s possible for a federal prosecutor to come in and prosecute a federal civil rights violation. That’s a provision in the Senate and the House bills, the one that I’m co-sponsoring, it’s led by Senators Booker and Harris, called the Justice and Policing Act. It would also give subpoena power to the federal Department of Justice to do pattern and practice investigations of police departments that have a long history of abuse in terms of their use of force policies. I do think you’ll see broad agreement on changing use of force reporting and on preventing officers who have been decertified in one state from simply moving to another and being rehired by another agency. I suspect you’ll see a ban on chokeholds and hopefully the funding, federally as well as the support at the state and local level for the reliable and continuous use of body cams and the release of that information to the public. 

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Sens. Coons, Wicker, bipartisan group of colleagues unveil bill to expand national service dramatically in next COVID-19 relief package

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Angus King (I-Maine), and Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced bipartisan legislation to expand national service programs significantly to help the country respond to and recover from the public health, economic, and social crises facing the nation in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. 

The Cultivating Opportunity and Response to the Pandemic through Service (CORPS) Act would double the number of AmeriCorps positions available this year to 150,000 and provide a total of 600,000 service opportunities nationwide over the next three years to unemployed youth and others looking to assist their communities. These positions could support a variety of response and recovery efforts based on community needs, including expanding food pantry capacity, mentoring and tutoring at-risk students, bridging health inequities by expanding access to COVID-19 screening and testing, and more.

“Thousands of young people across the country are calling for greater opportunity and for new and meaningful engagement to address persistent inequities that have only been exacerbated by COVID-19,” Senator Coons said. “Now is the time to mobilize that energy to make our communities stronger and healthier for everyone. The CORPS Act will empower Americans to give back to their communities while earning a college opportunity and valuable skills for the future. I’m pleased to introduce this bipartisan bill with Senator Wicker and my colleagues at this critical time and look forward to working with them to include it in the next relief package considered by the Senate.”

“Helping our nation respond to and recover from the coronavirus outbreak will require an all-hands approach,” Senator Wicker said. “Boosting the ranks of our service corps is a cost-efficient way to get communities the help they need. I am glad to join Senator Coons in introducing the CORPS Act, which would enhance our national service programs and provide participants with the resources they need to endure this crisis. With their contributions, I am hopeful our nation can emerge stronger than ever before.”

“National service programs do extraordinary work in our most vulnerable communities,”Senator Booker said. “AmeriCorps volunteers have been helping strengthen neighborhoods for decades. Amid these tumultuous times, expanding national service programs like AmeriCorps will aid in our nation’s recovery from COVID-19.”

“The CORPS Act builds on the existing framework of AmeriCorps and Senior Corps to help lead our national rebuilding efforts,” Senator Graham said. “A focus on local rebuilding efforts and community service will pay dividends for our nation.”

“America is at a crossroads and people are eager to get to work in service to their communities and the nation.  This legislation will help elevate national service to uplift people and communities, strengthen our democracy, and help us address health, economic, and social challenges,” said U.S. Senator Jack Reed, who helped create the bipartisan National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service.

“As our nation strives to recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, it is vital that Americans are able to get back to dignified work,” Senator Rubio said. “I am proud to join my Senate colleagues in introducing legislation that will help Americans, especially Americans facing unemployment, contribute to our recovery by serving our local communities, promoting public health, and promoting economic recovery both for themselves and their own families, and for the community and nation they serve.”

“Just as picking up a rifle to defend our country is ‘American Service,’ so is helping out a food pantry for those at risk of hunger, assisting students with remote education and helping patients make critical health care decisions,” Senator Duckworth said. “We should be doing everything we can to make sure vital service programs like AmeriCorps are accessible to all Americans—especially those who come from underserved communities or have had contact with the juvenile justice system—who wish to serve during this time of reopening and rebuilding. That’s why I’m proud to help Senator Coons and Senator Wicker introduce this bipartisan proposal—which builds on my 21st Century American Service Act—in the next relief package.”

“National service volunteers, like those in AmeriCorps, have established strong records for providing critical help and assistance in times of crisis.  It makes sense to expand this sector to help communities and states overcome the unprecedented hardships created by the coronavirus pandemic,” Senator Hyde-Smith said.  “I especially appreciate that this bill prioritizes service to rural and underserved areas.”

“AmeriCorps members have a long history of service to our communities, and now more than ever, our country is relying on public servants as we continue to address the coronavirus pandemic,” Senator Harris said. “We must expand national service opportunities and ensure that every American who wants to serve is able to do so at this critical time. I am proud to join my colleagues to introduce this legislation.”

“America must chart a path forward both for Covid-19 recovery and addressing racism. National service organizations create opportunity for Americans of different experiences and backgrounds to engage in meaningful solutions that make our communities stronger, safer and healthier for all,” said Dr. Cassidy.

“Wisconsinites have always been committed to serving their communities, and many folks in our state have answered the call to serve to combat COVID-19 throughout our neighborhoods. Now is the time to scale up our national service programs so those who want to take action and help our communities get through this pandemic have the opportunity to do so,” said Senator Baldwin. “I’m proud to cosponsor this bipartisan legislation that will help service organizations expand their reach to engage more people and bring communities together to combat this public health crisis, save lives and move our country forward.”

“This pandemic has presented our communities with public health and financial challenges unlike any we’ve seen in our lifetimes,” said Senator Cornyn. “This legislation would help utilize the wide-ranging skills of thousands of Texans serving in the AmeriCorps and Senior Corps during this crisis to serve those most in need.”

“As Americans work to recover from the wide-reaching impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members have tackled growing challenges with energy, enthusiasm, and compassion,” said Senator King. “We need to build on their good work, and empower them and others to help strengthen our communities – addressing both obstacles caused by the pandemic and those that predated the virus. In essence, this legislation is a bet on the American people’s ability to respond to a crisis with dedication and ingenuity – and there’s no group I have more faith in.”

“From delivering meals to providing critical outreach to seniors experiencing loneliness as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers are making a lasting difference in the lives of countless individuals in Maine and throughout the country,” said Senator Collins.  “The CORPS Act builds on this existing foundation of successful service by increasing the number of positions to respond to this current crisis, as well as providing critical flexibility to respond to local needs as we eventually move into the recovery stage.”

“The CORPS Act introduced today by Senators Coons, Wicker, Booker, Graham, Reed, Rubio, Duckworth, Hyde-Smith, Harris, Cassidy, Baldwin, Cornyn, King, and Collins underscores the tremendous bipartisan support for AmeriCorps and Senior Corps and the critical role these programs are playing in helping their communities respond to and recover from COVID-19,” said AnnMaura Connolly, President of Voices for National Service. “The CORPS Act invests in the strong and capable national service infrastructure that has been deploying citizens of every background in service to their communities for decades. In addition to expanding AmeriCorps and strengthening Senior Corps to help communities with food distribution, supporting students, ensuring that medically vulnerable people continue to receive their medications and supporting public health needs, The CORPS Act will give young people experience, skills, a living stipend and post-service education scholarship at a critical time. The Voices for National Service Community is deeply grateful to Senator Coons, Senator Wicker and their colleagues for their leadership and bold vision for the vital role that national service can play in helping our communities and our country respond to and recover from this pandemic.”

“America’s Service Commissions applauds the leadership of the bipartisan CORPS Act for recognizing service as a strategic solution to addressing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic through the CORPS Act. Expanding AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and the Volunteer Generation Fund is essential to engaging the millions of Americans who want to serve their country right now in response to this crisis,” said Kaira Esgate, CEO of America’s Service Commissions (ASC). “The CORPS Act will enable governors to help more underserved and rural communities, and the flexibility to get national service boots-on-the-ground quickly. Our network of governor-led state service commissions can provide the local infrastructure to get this done, and stands ready to implement the CORPS Act across every state.”

“At a time when local communities are in desperate need of additional support to tackle the public health and economic crises due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CORPS Act is helping meet these needs by expanding national service to support our communities as they respond and recover,” said Jesse Colvin, CEO of Service Year Alliance. “Not only can national service programs like AmeriCorps support critical public health initiatives, combat food insecurity, and fight learning loss, but by mobilizing hundreds of thousands of Americans into national service, we are putting people back to work, addressing record unemployment, and creating pathways to economic opportunity for people of all backgrounds. There’s never been a more important moment to invest in national service, and Service Year Alliance is proud to support this pivotal bipartisan legislation.”  

“We know that the expansion of AmeriCorps will make a real difference in local communities,” said Curt Ellis, CEO of FoodCorps. “We have seen the many ways that AmeriCorps members who share backgrounds, life experiences and relationships with the communities they serve deliver greater impact. So, we are especially encouraged to see the support this bill provides toward broadening access to national service, including increasing service member stipends and expanding local outreach to diverse applicants. We’re pleased to support this bipartisan proposal and thank Sens. Wicker and Coons for their commitment to investing in critical programs like ours in healthy food access that will help our nation as we recover from COVID-19.”

“Catholic Volunteer Network believes in the transformative power of full-time volunteer service.  We welcome chances to collaborate in new ways that empower more volunteers and strengthen communities across the country,” said Yonce Shelton, Executive Director of Catholic Volunteer Network.  “Catholic Volunteer Network supports the CORPS Act because we know the desire of so many young adults across this country to help communities recover from COVID-19.  Helping them put faith in action for the common good can help our nation recover and become stronger than ever.  Through service experiences on the front lines, volunteers become leaders who will guide communities in a range of ways for decades to come.  Young people of faith want to commit.  They want to transform.  They want to be part of the solution.  The CORPS Act can help them achieve those goals.” 

“During the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt said that no country can afford the waste of human resources. Now is a time for our country to come together in a bipartisan manner to address the COVID-19 crisis. Expanding AmeriCorps to its authorized level, will help promote national service as a means to mobilize and unite the American people to confront a myriad of needs, ranging from food pantry operations to public health initiatives, to promoting jobs for youth in conservation and providing workforce and reemployment services,” said Mary Ellen Sprenkel, President and CEO of The Corps Network. “We extend our appreciation to Senators Coons, Wicker, Booker, Graham, Reed, Rubio, Duckworth, Hyde-Smith, Harris, Cassidy, Baldwin, Cornyn, King, and Collins for introducing The CORPS Act and for championing the critical role AmeriCorps and Senior Corps can play in helping our country through these unprecedented times.”

“We are in a moment in our nation’s history that demands two clear actions – care and connection.  Those fundamental ideas are encompassed in the national service provisions of the CORPS Act. As the President of Delaware State University, I can say with great certainty that our students are ready to answer the CORPS Act call. Like all Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), many of our students are from communities hardest hit by health and economic disparities. Others are compelled to put ‘service above self’ because of unrelenting systemic inequalities. And to a person, all of them have had enough,” said DSU President Tony Allen. “America needs these young voices NOW – a representative group of citizens who not only want better for themselves and their communities but are also determined to do something about it.” 

“In this time of tremendous uncertainty, in the midst of this ongoing health emergency, it is imperative that we use this opportunity to reinvest in our nation’s future as we rebuild,” said Thurgood Marshall College Fund, President and CEO, Harry L. Williams.  “Through significantly expanding our national service programs and increasing both the living allowance and the educational benefit, the Cultivating Opportunity and Response to the Pandemic through Service (CORPS) Act tears down barriers that many service-minded low-income students have to participating in these critical programs while opening the doors of education to thousands more students.”

The bill has gained the support of more than 150 additional organizations, including City Year, Habitat for Humanity International, Hunger Free America, Jumpstart, National Health Corps, National Senior Corps Association, National Youth Leadership Council, and YouthBuild. For a full list of supportive organizations, please click here.

The CORPS Act is based on the Pandemic Response and Opportunity Through National Service Act, which Senator Coons introduced in May. Specifically, the CORPS Act would:

• Fund national service positions for a three-year response and recovery period and grow them to the level authorized in CNCS’s bipartisan, most recent reauthorization. Under the CORPS Act, the number of positions could grow from 75,000 to 150,000 the first year and then steadily to 250,000 by year three.
• Provide flexibilities for programs to grow and respond quickly to dynamic local recovery needs.
• Prioritize funding for activities directly related to our response and recovery, such as:
  • Public health services,
  • Programs that support economic opportunity,
  • Education support (including for adult learners), and
  • Services that combat nutrition insecurity.
• Prioritize expanding programs and services in rural and high poverty communities.
• Help organizations that have not previously hosted AmeriCorps members access the program.
• Ensure that individuals’ financial resources do not limit participation by temporarily increasing the AmeriCorps living allowance to 175 percent of the federal poverty line and tying the value of the Segal Education Award to twice the value of the maximum Pell grant, harmonizing the treatment of both with other programs by making them nontaxable.
• Fund new online tools for Senior Corps to safely move to a teleservice model.
• Encourage participation by members of low-income and underrepresented communities and extend priority enrollment to Peace Corps, U.S. Fulbright, and AmeriCorps participants whose service or grants was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Invite participation by a diverse range of Americans by launching an awareness and outreach campaign on response service opportunities and supporting the Volunteer Generation Fund.

For a one-pager on the CORPS Act, please click here. 

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[AUDIO] Sen. Coons with Jim Wallis: ‘This is a Kairos moment’ for our country

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined Sojourners founder and editor, Jim Wallis, on his podcast, “The Soul of the Nation,” to discuss the role of faith during this time of national crisis. 

“I’m hoping this is a Kairos moment, a pivoting moment, and that requires a change of heart in the majority as well as on the part of those who for too long have been silenced or silent,” Sen. Coons said.

“A basic fundamental change can happen because there is the action of God in history, touching hearts, moving people … When there is sin, when there is brokenness, when there’s division, we can’t be reconciled to each other until there is a confrontation with our own history, a willingness to be open to challenges or criticism of our own behavior, and our history, and our hearts, and then a willingness to repent,” Sen. Coons said.

Full audio available here. 

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Sens. Coons, Warren aim to hold Trump Administration accountable for COVID relief spending

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), and the Chair of the House Democracy Reform Task Force Representative John Sarbanes (D-Md.) officially introduced the Coronavirus Oversight and Recovery Ethics (CORE) Act (S. 3855), legislation that would ensure stronger oversight, accountability, and transparency in the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. Since unveiling draft legislation on May 12, 2020, wide support has grown for Congress to pass the CORE Act which now has endorsements from 57 organizations, 8 Senate original co-sponsors and 18 House co-sponsors. 

“Every single penny of taxpayer money allocated by Congress for COVID-19 relief should go to families, communities and businesses in need, period,” said Senator Coons. “We have to ensure that aid is going to workers and businesses who need it most, not just the businesses with the most political connections. This important legislation will ensure that inspectors general can do their jobs and provide real accountability for the trillions in taxpayer dollars we’re investing to keep our economy afloat.”

“The CORE Act would empower independent oversight, protect whistleblowers, and stop government-sanctioned corruption and profiteering to ensure the health and safety of Americans come first,” said Senator Warren. “Congress must pass our bill in the next relief package to hold the Trump administration  accountable as they hand out trillions of dollars in response to the COVID-19 crisis.”

“President Trump’s war on independent oversight and his purging of the ranks of Inspectors General is a crisis – a pernicious and ongoing attack on the building blocks of our democracy. Just days ago, Secretary Mnuchin called the recipients of taxpayer COVID-19 relief ‘proprietary information’ while refusing to disclose which giant corporations and Trump donors had accessed money meant for small businesses. Strong oversight isn’t about political punishment, it’s about making sure that the people who really need relief are the ones who receive it. Real accountability demands a watchdog, not a lapdog, to stop the waste, fraud and favoritism pervading this Administration,” said Senator Blumenthal. 

“As families and small businesses struggle to stay afloat during a historic mass unemployment crisis that has seen more than 40 million workers file for unemployment, President Trump and his administration have continued to do what they do best-spread corruption, enrich giant corporations, muzzle the truth and reward their megadonor allies,” said Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. “I’m proud that our CORE Act boldly responds to this corrupt behavior by ensuring the public knows which businesses are getting COVID-19 relief, shining a light on big-money corporate lobbying for these funds and allowing whistleblowers who see illegal, dangerous or wasteful behavior by corporations and the government to speak out without fear.”

“COVID-19 relief must go to those who need it most. American families, small businesses, health care providers and state and local governments are hurting and we must do all we can to block special interests and corporate insiders from gaming the system,” said Congressman Sarbanes. “The CORE Act will establish robust oversight and anti-corruption standards to prevent just that and ensure the Trump Administration does not waste taxpayer dollars with giveaways to their wealthy and well-connected political donors.”

Joining the CORE Act as original cosponsors in the Senate are Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). 

“As our country continues to address the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial that federal assistance is used for its intended purpose rather than line the pockets of corporate executives. Those who come forward to report misuse of funds or wrongdoing must be protected from retaliation or punishment. I am proud to lend my whistleblower protections to this broad package of reforms. Now more than ever, we must maintain the American people’s faith that taxpayer dollars are not abused. This legislation will allow us to do that,” said Senator Harris. 

Joining the bill as co-sponsors in the House of Representatives are Representatives Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Max Rose (D-N.Y.), Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.), David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Susan Wild (D-Pa.), Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.), Stephen F. Lynch (D-Mass.), Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Katie Porter (D-Calif.), Josh Harder (D-Calif.), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), Kim Schrier, M.D. (D-Wash.), and Kathy Castor (D-Fla.). 

The CORE Act would:

• Prohibit Conflicts of Interest: The bill addresses and eliminates conflicts in the selection or hiring of contractors or advisors and the distribution of relief grants and loans, similar to the conflicts provisions in the 2008 Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). The bill further requires Federal ethics officials to impose revolving door restrictions on officials involved in the administration of relief; requires White House task force members who work on pandemic response to file public reports detailing their financial interests; and expands the scope of CARES Act conflict of interest prohibitions on industry assistance going to certain companies affiliated with senior government officials to include small business aid and additional senior officials. The bill provides an additional $25 million to the Office of Government Ethics to administer these rules.
• Empower & Protect Inspectors General: The bill requires that inspectors general (IGs) can only be fired for good cause and requires the President to inform Congress when any IG, including an acting IG, is removed from their post. The bill further requires that IG vacancies be filled automatically by the first assistant to the last IG, and that acting IGs enjoy civil service protections, ensuring that they have some recourse if they face retaliation. Any member of the staff of an unlawfully fired IG would be allowed to file suit to challenge the firing, as would any member of the public harmed as the result of such action. The President’s decision to fire or otherwise discipline an IG or acting IG would trigger an automatic, public review by the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency Integrity. 
• Strengthen the Congressional Oversight Commission: The bill grants the Congressional Oversight Commission, which was established in the CARES Act, with subpoena authority for testimony and documents and expands its jurisdiction to include all COVID-19 relief funding, including the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program.
• Strengthen CARES Act Executive Branch Accountability & Oversight Entities: The bill requires the Treasury Secretary to submit a weekly list of any instances in which the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Relief (SIGPR) or the Pandemic Relief Accountability Committee (PRAC)-both established in the CARES Act-believe the executive branch has unreasonably denied them information in the course of their oversight. If the Treasury Secretary omits or misrepresents instances of wrongdoing to Congress, he would be liable for perjury. If the Treasury Secretary fails to provide a required filing, the bill prevents the Secretary and any other senior political appointee in the Treasury Department from being paid.
• Protect Whistleblowers: The bill establishes strong whistleblower protections for private sector workers (including essential workers) and government contractors who may witness waste, fraud, or abuse or be victims of misconduct related to Coronavirus relief. These provisions, modeled after the whistleblower protections Congress included in the 2009 Recovery Act, would protect Americans who call out wrongdoing, protect against all retaliation, and establish a safe, secure, and anonymous process for whistleblowers’ claims to be investigated by OSHA. The bill also establishes a direct channel for whistleblowers to submit complaints directly to the SIGPR, PRAC, and the Congressional Oversight Commission. The provision to protect whistleblowers was drafted with Senator Harris.
• Restrict and Disclose Lobbying & Political Spending: The bill requires lobbyists to make monthly disclosures regarding all lobbying related to COVID-19 relief spending or lending. The bill also codifies the Obama Administration’s restrictions on Recovery Act lobbying activity, which would restrict all COVID-19 relief lobbying activity to public, written submissions and prohibit closed door meetings and phone calls between government officials and companies seeking relief. Monthly disclosures would include any documents provided by those companies to government officials, including White House staff. Additionally, any company that receives a direct grant or loan from Treasury, after enactment of the bill, would be prohibited from engaging in political spending or lobbying expenditures for a least a year after any loan is fully repaid. Finally, the bill bolsters the ability of the Justice Department to enforce lobbying violations under this section.
• Improve Transparency & Disclosure around Industry Stabilization Funds: The bill dramatically improves transparency about where industry stabilization funds are going. It requires recipients of emergency funding or support, including contractors and grantees, to provide regular, public reporting about how that money is being used. The bill codifies the Federal Reserve Board’s announcement that it will disclose the names and amounts borrowed for each participant in their lending facilities backstopped with CARES Act money and requires recipients to provide a detailed description of how the assistance was used. The bill requires recipients to disclose compensation and workforce data, including the mean, median, and minimum wages of all non-executive employees; the number of workers before and after the receipt of assistance; and the salaries of executives, including bonuses and capital distributions. The bill further requires certain corporations that receive financial assistance to disclose whether they have been charged with violations of federal law and the nature of those alleged violations. It also ensures more transparency for  Paycheck Protection Program by requiring the Small Business Administration to publicly disclose on its website, on a weekly basis, basic information about lenders and recipients, including loan amounts. Finally, the bill automatically discloses the text of lucrative contracts held by companies involved in the administration of relief.
• Strengthen Enforcement: The bill allows any individual harmed by a company’s misuse of industry stabilization funds to seek recourse through the courts to ensure that harmed parties, like workers fired after a company committed to not fire anyone after receiving funds, have the ability to bring private lawsuits and seek damages against aid recipients who do not adhere to aid terms. The bill also holds senior executives of companies that violate assistance terms personally liable to taxpayers, including by having their executive compensation seized.

CORE Act endorsements include Accountable.US; African American Ministers in Action; American Family Voices; Americans for Financial Reform; Campaign for Accountability; Center for Biological Diversity; Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW); Clean Elections Texas; Coalition to Preserve, Protect & Defend; Common Cause; Daily Kos; DemCast USA; Democracy Initiative; Democracy 21; Earthworks; Ambassador (ret.) Norman Eisen, White House Special Counsel for Ethics and Government Reform. 2009-11; End Citizens United/ Let America Vote Action Fund; Equal Justice Society; Financial Accountability and Corporate; Transparency Coalition (FACT); Fix Democracy First; Free Speech for People; Global Witness Government Accountability Project; Government Information Watch; Greenpeace USA; Indivisible; International Corporate Accountability Roundtable (ICAR); League of Women Voters of the United States; Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network (LiKEN); Main Street Alliance; Mainers for Accountable Leadership; Mount Zion Community Outreach; MoveOn.org; National Association of Social Workers; NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice; New Mexicans for Money Out of Politics; Oil Change International; Open the Government; Oxfam America; Norman J. Ornstein; Richard W. Painter; Patriotic Millionaires; Peace Action; People for the American Way; Progressive Democrats of America; Project on Government Oversight (POGO); Public Citizen; Publish What You Pay-US; Sierra Club; SMART Elections; Stand Up America; Transparency International U.S. Office; James A. Thurber; Union of Concerned Scientists; Voices for Progress; 20/20 Vision; and 350 Humboldt.

“The CORE Act offers commonsense oversight and transparency measures solely dedicated to ensuring that our taxpayer dollars are being awarded to those in need and spent according to the intent of the law,” the 57 organizations wrote in their letter of support. “Experience has taught us that corruption and waste can diminish the impact and cost-effectiveness of emergency spending programs by the government. Experience has also taught us that oversight measures like those contained in the CORE Act can prevent that corruption and waste.”

“The gravity of our current crisis demands a responsible allocation of bailout funds. The process must be free from conflicts that favor special interests, and that requires robust oversight. CARES Act implementation to-date has been fraught, with loopholes that have allowed large companies to get cash meant for smaller businesses. We must course-correct, and ensure that taxpayer dollars help the public, workers, and protect our health. Public Citizen strongly supports the reforms proposed by Senators Warren and Blumenthal and Representatives Jayapal and Sarbanes for the next relief package to make sure that this happens,” said Lisa Gilbert, Vice President of Legislative Affairs for Public Citizen.

“The funds provided in the CARES Act are critical to an effective pandemic response, which can mean the difference between life and death, but with such massive amounts of money involved, they will be a natural target for fraud and influence. So ensuring these funds go where Congress intended is equally critical.  All members of Congress should want immediate and thorough oversight into whether taxpayer funds are being spent fairly and without fraud or influence; these provisions would be a crucial step toward that needed oversight,” said Noah Bookbinder, Executive Director, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).

A bill summary is available here. The bill text can be viewed here.

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