Sen. Coons statement on President Trump’s nomination of Heather Nauert as US Ambassador to the United Nations

WILMINGTON – Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement following President Trump’s announcement that he will nominate State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations:

“I look forward to meeting Heather Nauert and reviewing her record and qualifications for this critical post. Previous U.S. Ambassadors to the UN have brought a wealth of relevant experience to this position – from time spent as successful governors, veterans of the Senate, renowned scholars of international affairs, or seasoned diplomats – and rightfully so. This position represents our country’s values and interests at an invaluable international forum the United States helped create to advance global peace and prosperity following World War II. 

“I am concerned that President Trump fails to understand this and instead views the United Nations as a constraint on American power instead of an institution where he can summon the best of American leadership. I respect the role that Heather Nauert has played as State Department Spokeswoman and her time spent traveling overseas and supporting the administration’s agenda under Secretaries Pompeo and Tillerson. I look forward to questioning her about what she hopes to achieve at the United Nations, her priorities, and her knowledge of international affairs.”

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Sen. Coons’ statement on the nomination of William Barr as Attorney General

WILMINGTON – Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and co-author of the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act, issued the following statement following President Trump’s announcement that he will nominate former Attorney General William Barr to lead the Department of Justice:

“A nomination for Attorney General is long-overdue, given that Matthew Whitaker has been serving as the Acting Attorney General for a month without Senate confirmation, and the number three position at the Justice Department has been occupied by an acting official since February.

“Having served as Attorney General in the Bush administration and in other leadership roles at the Justice Department, Mr. Barr has the background and experience you would expect of a nominee for this post. However, I am concerned that he holds, and has long advanced, a very expansive view of presidential power.

“Mr. Barr has cast doubt on the ability of an independent counsel to investigate the president and hold members of the executive branch accountable. He has also openly criticized the current Special Counsel investigation into Russian interference, which the President continues to attack and undermine. Mr. Barr must demonstrate that he would be an independent Attorney General committed to the Constitution and the rule of law, not the President who nominated him. It will be critical that Mr. Barr assure the Senate and the American people that the Special Counsel investigation would continue without any interference. 

“As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the confirmation process is a responsibility I take seriously. I will closely examine Mr. Barr’s record, experience, and his views on issues including executive power, civil and voting rights, protections for those with pre-existing conditions, the environment, and more, to determine whether he will protect the rule of law and the rights of every American, or instead use this position as a partisan tool, manifesting the President’s worst tendencies and policies.”

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Sen. Coons, bipartisan colleagues introduce resolution to hold Saudi Crown Prince accountable for killing of Jamal Khashoggi

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Delaware), Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Dianne Feinstein (D-California), Marco Rubio (R-Florida), Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts), and Todd Young (R-Indiana) introduced a Senate Resolution that holds Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman accountable for contributing to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, the blockade of Qatar, the jailing of political dissidents within Saudi Arabia, the use of force to intimidate rivals, and the abhorrent and unjustified killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“The United States Senate should speak in a clear, bipartisan voice to say that we will not tolerate the kinds of egregious human rights violations we’ve seen from Saudi leadership and, in particular, from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,” said Senator Coons.  “The world has long looked to the United States to lead on human rights, and this is an important moment to show that we will not compromise our core values.”

“I believe it’s vitally important to U.S. national security interests to make a definitive statement about the brutal murder of an American resident – Mr. Khashoggi – who has three American citizen children,” said Senator Graham. “This resolution – without equivocation – definitively states that the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia was complicit in the murder of Mr. Khashoggi and has been a wrecking ball to the region jeopardizing our national security interests on multiple fronts. It will be up to Saudi Arabia as to how to deal with this matter. But it is up to the United States to firmly stand for who we are and what we believe.”

“The world is entitled to know all the perpetrators of this terrible murder, and they must be held accountable. President Trump’s willingness to ignore the crown prince’s role in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is unacceptable,” said Senator Feinstein. “Our resolution corrects that by condemning the crown prince’s actions and stating he should be held responsible for this murder, the blockade in Qatar and for human rights abuses in the Saudi Arabia and Yemen.” 

“Our values as Americans must be central to our foreign policy.  Saudi Arabia is an important ally but not an ally at any cost.  There is no doubt that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman knew about the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, condoned it, and at worst was actually involved in directing it,” Senator Rubio said. “The U.S. must demand accountability and press for the release of all Saudi political prisoners, including blogger Raif Badawi and women’s rights activists.” 

“Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is not the reformer he pretends to be. He is a thug and under his rule, the Kingdom has cracked down forcefully on dissent, taken aggressive actions against neighbors like Lebanon and Qatar that have destabilized the region, created an unprecedented humanitarian crisis through its brutal war in Yemen, and decided it may commit extraterritorial killings with impunity,” said Senator Markey. “Saudi Arabia is heading in the wrong direction, and the benefits of our relationship with the Kingdom are quickly being outweighed by Mohammad bin Salman’s blatant disregard for fundamental freedoms and international norms. It is time to re-think our relationship with Saudi Arabia, and President Trump must make publicly clear that the United States will not tolerate this behavior by anyone, even our so-called friends. This resolution would ensure that the United States Senate is on the record as condemning the Crown Prince’s murdering of an American journalist and that we will not tolerate the actions of a regime that violates basic human rights and freedoms.”

“The failure over the last year and half to utilize all available U.S. leverage with respect to Saudi Arabia’s actions in Yemen has left the Crown Prince with the mistaken impression that the United States will turn a blind eye to his increasingly brazen atrocities. Those who suggest we must sacrifice our principles for security will have neither,” said Senator Young.     

The Graham-Feinstein-Rubio-Markey-Young-Coons Resolution:

·         condemns in the strongest possible terms the murder of Jamal Khashoggi;

·         finds that as Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman was in control of the security forces at the time of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder;

·         based on evidence and analysis made available to this institution, the Senate has a high level of confidence that Mohammed bin Salman was complicit in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi;

·         urges the United States Government and the international community to hold all parties, including Mohammed bin Salman, involved in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi accountable;

·         calls on the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to negotiate directly with representatives of the Houthi movement in order to end the war in Yemen, agree on a political resolution, reverse the humanitarian crisis, and refocus efforts on defeating al Qaeda and ISIS in Yemen;

·         calls on the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to negotiate a political solution to its dispute with Qatar expeditiously and in a way that restores diplomatic relations with Qatar; and

·         urges the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to immediately release Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, the Saudi women’s rights activists, and other detained political prisoners.

Full text of the resolution is attached. 

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ICYMI: Sen. Coons in The News Journal: “Congress has a chance to pass major, bipartisan criminal justice reform now”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, published an op-ed in The News Journal on criminal justice reform.  

Congress has a chance to pass major, bipartisan criminal justice reform now

By Chris Coons

At a time when Congress, the White House, and the nation seem hopelessly divided, there is one critical, even difficult issue on which many Republicans and Democrats, conservative and progressive groups, and President Trump agree: criminal justice reform.

The American criminal justice system is broken, and it has been for a long time. The mass incarceration explosion resulting from the “war on drugs” and “tough on crime” policies of the last four decades has left us with prisons that are overcrowded and costly and inmates that are often unfairly sentenced and forgotten. 

For too long, our system has focused too much on criminalization and incarceration and too little on justice and rehabilitation.

Recognizing the urgent need to address this disparity, a remarkable bipartisan coalition in Congress has worked together for several years to craft legislation that would make the criminal justice system fairer, and now, we’re ready to vote on the bill and have the president sign it into law.

To read the full column, click here. 

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Senators urge U.S. News to consider a school’s role in spurring social mobility in 2020 college rankings

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) today sent a letter urging U.S. News & World Report to further change their methodology for college rankings by more expansively considering a school’s diversity, inclusion, and representation.

“U.S. News may claim that it now adequately addresses economic diversity by adjusting its new Pell metrics by the share of the student body receiving such grants.  But this adjustment still leaves in the background the question of how widely schools open their doors to such students,” the Senators wrote.  “Moreover, it fails to consider the importance of diversity, inclusion, and representation in its own right.  At the schools U.S. News rates most highly, this approach means the heart of the problem remains inadequately considered.  Without an exclusive metric assessing the access a college or university provides to historically underrepresented students, deep inequities will continue to be masked.” 

The letter is available here and is copied below. 

December 3, 2018

Mr. Brian Kelly

Editor

U.S. News & World Report

1050 Thomas Jefferson St NW

Washington, DC 20007  

Dear Mr. Kelly:

We write regarding the recent updates to the 2019 U.S. News & World Report (“U.S. News”) Best Colleges Rankings.  While the 2019 edition includes modest improvements to reflect colleges’ role in boosting social mobility, we urge you to consider further changes to your methodology by more expansively considering a school’s diversity, inclusion, and representation.  We join others in questioning whether the changes represent a true embrace of social mobility, as your ranking system still fails to consider the extent to which colleges enroll historically underrepresented students.   As the leading mass media ranking outlet, we fear U.S. News continues to create a perverse incentive for schools to adopt or maintain policies that perpetuate social and economic inequalities.  We urge U.S. News to comprehensively update its rankings to recognize the colleges that transform the lives of millions of historically underrepresented students and their families instead of the privileged few.  

America’s best colleges and universities are those that look like America, educate all of our students, and prepare them for a diverse and global workforce.  As the primary mass media arbiter of college prestige relied upon by many students, families, and colleges, U.S. News has an obligation to assess American higher education fairly.  U.S. News should acknowledge and correct for the role its rankings have played in fueling the collegiate arms race and preserving regressive admission policies like legacy enrollment and early decision.  This approach prioritizes prestige and exacerbates America’s deeply ingrained and racialized wealth disparities. 

We appreciate that U.S. News has taken a first step this year in the consideration of low-income students by accounting for both the graduation rate of Pell Grant recipients at an institution and whether a college graduates those students at the same rate as their peers.  Colleges should urgently work to close gaps in access to and outcomes at their campuses, and we are grateful that U.S. News has incorporated measurements of that work into its rankings for the first time. 

Those two indicators, however, each make up only 2.5 percent of the ranking’s methodology.  While the new indicators are a noble start, they amount to a negligible change and pale in comparison to the substantial weight given to identifying wealthy and exclusive colleges—regardless of whether they serve a broad cross section of America’s students.  Sixty-five percent of a school’s ranking is still based on a vague measure of expert opinion (20 percent), faculty resources (20 percent), student excellence (10 percent), student spending (10 percent), and alumni giving (5 percent).   Additionally, U.S. News made very narrow changes to the metrics that value prestige, such as eliminating the acceptance rate metric that before comprised only 1.25 percent of the formula and reducing the weight on standardized test scores by a fraction of a percentage point. Inevitably, ranking systems reflect their creators’ views about what makes for a good college.   In the end, even after these tweaks, U.S. News’s methodology reflects an assumption that a college’s success in fundraising matters to its quality as much as its success in serving students from every walk of American life.  We believe judgments like that are indefensible.

U.S. News may claim that it now adequately addresses economic diversity by adjusting its new Pell metrics by the share of the student body receiving such grants.  But this adjustment still leaves in the background the question of how widely schools open their doors to such students.  Moreover, it fails to consider the importance of diversity, inclusion, and representation in its own right.  At the schools U.S. News rates most highly, this approach means the heart of the problem remains inadequately considered.  Without an exclusive metric assessing the access a college or university provides to historically underrepresented students, deep inequities will continue to be masked.  For example, the nation’s most selective colleges currently enroll only 14 percent Pell students and have a median endowment of $1.2 billion,  but we know that 40 percent of all high school graduates are low-income,  and of those that score in the top 10 percent of the ACT, 20 percent are low-income.   Meanwhile, the thousands of colleges doing the hard work of enrolling and supporting underrepresented students have a median endowment just one-hundredth the size of their more selective peers—$10 million.   While this year’s changes are steps in the right direction, they fall short of truly acting to recognize colleges—including many of our nation’s minority-serving institutions and community colleges—that serve as our country’s engines of social mobility and incent others to do so.  We encourage U.S. News to take that next and more meaningful stride. 

As our country’s public conversation again grapples with the repercussions of stark wealth inequality—including the tremendous overrepresentation of alumni from elite high schools, colleges, and law schools across all three branches of our federal government and in other powerful positions of leadership—our nation’s wealthiest colleges must face public scrutiny and accountability for the role they play in either alleviating or cementing income inequality. 

We urge U.S. News to use its influential platform to better align its rankings with the three longstanding goals behind federal financial aid: improving college access, supporting student success, and providing every talented student a pathway to economic stability and meaningful participation in our country’s economic, social, and civic life.  Doing so will provide colleges and universities with a single, clear roadmap for how to pursue academic excellence and how diversity, inclusion, and representation are key indicators of the extent to which a college contributes to those goals.

We all have a stake in combatting rising social immobility and providing a fair pathway of opportunity for all.  We ask that U.S. News make further improvements in next year’s 2020 Best Colleges Rankings and build on its initial steps to address a college’s role in spurring social mobility.  We hope that U.S. News will work hard to recognize the colleges that educate America’s diverse students and prepare the next generation of diverse American leaders.  We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

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Sens. Coons, Lankford pen letter urging delay of new tax liabilities on nonprofits

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.), co-chairs of the National Prayer Breakfast and the Senate Prayer Breakfast, sent a letter to the Secretary of the Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, expressing their concerns about the challenges faced by tax-exempt organizations, such as charitable nonprofits, houses of worship, and foundations, regarding compliance with new tax liabilities. 

Enacted in December 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act applies the Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT) of 21% to tax-exempt organizations in an unprecedented manner. Historically, nonprofits have paid UBIT if they operated unrelated businesses or trades. However, under the new law, nonprofits must now use a significantly different method of calculating and reporting the income and loss for each unrelated business or trade in ways that are unclear. The new law also directs nonprofits to pay UBIT on employee benefits, such as transit passes, parking spots, and provided meals for the first time. 

“Nonprofits in Oklahoma, Delaware, and all across the country provide countless services to Americans in need, including combating homelessness, lifting faith, providing health care to the medically underserved, and improving outcomes for disadvantaged youth,” the Senators wrote. “Employees of nonprofits often have the same access to parking and meals that others in the community have because the nonprofit serves the whole community. Eating a meal with the homeless in their shelter should not be a taxable benefit for their employees; it is part of the work of the nonprofit.”

“Requiring these organizations to pay a federal tax on these employee benefits, something they have never been required to do before, will cause them to not only face an increased operating cost, but also an administrative burden.”

The new tax liabilities took effect on January 1, 2018, giving nonprofits just a few days over the holidays to understand and adapt to the new tax liabilities and budget for the unanticipated costs. Many organizations were in the middle of their fiscal years at the time and had to adjust their systems and procedures retroactively. Additionally, Treasury and the IRS have not issued Final Rules on either section of the new law, leaving many questions unanswered for charities, houses of worship, foundations and other tax-exempt organizations and their professional advisers, despite these organizations writing to the Department and IRS. 

The letter written by Senators Coons and Lankford urges the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service to delay the implementation of the new UBIT sections until one year after the Final Rules are issued. The delay would provide additional time for the Department to work with Congress and the tax-exempt community to address the confusion and operational compliance challenges faced by charitable nonprofits, houses of worship, and foundations, so that they are able to continue providing critical services to communities without undue burden or interruption.

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

November 27, 2018 

The Honorable Steven Mnuchin 

Secretary

U.S. Department of the Treasury

1500 Pennsylvania Ave NW 

Washington, D.C. 20220

Dear Secretary Mnuchin: 

We write to call your attention to the challenges that tax-exempt organizations, including charitable nonprofits, houses of worship, and foundations, are experiencing regarding compliance with the new Internal Revenue Code Sections 512(a)(6) and 512(a)(7) under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Public Law No. 115-97) enacted in December 2017. 

As you know, under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, two sections apply the Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT) of 21% to charitable nonprofits, houses of worship, and foundations. While we understand that nonprofits have historically paid UBIT if they operated unrelated businesses or trades, Section 512(a)(6) imposes a significantly different method of calculating and reporting the income and loss for each unrelated business or trade for nonprofits in ways that are unclear.

Section 512(a)(7) directs nonprofits to pay UBIT on employee benefits such as transit passes, parking spots, and provided meals for the first time. Nonprofits are organized around a cause, mission, or community need, and employees of nonprofits often have the same access to parking and meals that others in the community have because the nonprofit serves the whole community. Eating a meal with the homeless in their shelter should not be a taxable benefit for their employees; it is part of the work of the nonprofit. Parking is most often not an unrelated business for a nonprofit, and it is only an issue in the narrow case that the nonprofit leases their parking spaces on days or times they are not normally used for the nonprofit. If a nonprofit owns spaces in an urban area for the use of their employees, that is no different than providing the employee office space to work during the day or a bike rack to store their bike. That is not unrelated business. If a nonprofit is near a large university and they use their parking lot as a fundraiser during a sports game or concert, it is the same as using their parking lot to set up a table to sell lemonade on a summer afternoon as a fundraiser. A parking lot is not a benefit to most nonprofits, it is an essential part of their reach into the community. Parking lots for nonprofits are often gravel and unstriped; it is not even possible to note a cost per space, because there is no way to accurately determine how many spaces they have on their open lot.  

Requiring these organizations to pay a federal tax on these employee benefits, something they have never been required to do before, will cause them to not only face an increased operating cost, but also an administrative burden by filing 990-T forms with the IRS for the first time.  

As Senator Lankford and I mentioned in our previous letter to the Department and IRS regarding the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on the charitable deduction, nonprofits in Oklahoma, Delaware, and all across the country provide countless services to Americans in need, including combating homelessness, lifting faith, providing health care to the medically underserved, and improving outcomes for disadvantaged youth. Also, as co-chairs of both the National Prayer Breakfast and the Senate Prayer Breakfast, we believe that we have a moral obligation to support our neighbors most in need, and nonprofits play an essential role in doing just that. 

The new unrelated business income taxes on tax-exempt entities ostensibly took effect on January 1, 2018. Nonprofits had only a few days over the holidays to learn of and try to understand these new tax liabilities, adapt their accounting systems and procedures to secure full compliance, and budget for the unanticipated costs. Many organizations were in the middle of their fiscal years on January 1, and thus were expected to adjust their systems retroactively. 

It is the responsibility of the Department of the Treasury to issue regulations that provide guidance to the affected communities in order to enable them to comply with the new law. We understand that on August 21, 2018, Notice 2018-67 was released with interim guidance regarding issues arising under Section 512(a)(6). However, many questions remain unanswered for charities, houses of worship, foundations and other tax-exempt organizations and their professional advisers on both sections, despite these organizations writing to the Department and IRS. Also, on November 8, the Department of the Treasury and IRS published a 2018-2019 Priority Guidance Plan, placing guidance for Section 512(a)(7) on this list. However, this still does not provide taxation clarification for nonprofits. 

We urge the Department and IRS to delay the implementation of both Section 512(a)(6) and 512(a)(7) until one year after Final Rules are issued. It is essential that the Department of the Treasury and IRS engage the regulated community during the formal rulemaking process to identify not only how the wording of the new provisions is causing confusion and operational compliance challenges among nonprofits and their professional tax advisors, but also possible regulatory solutions.

Mr. Secretary, we believe strongly that a one year delay in implementing the Final Rules is a necessary step that will provide additional time for the Department to work with Congress and the tax-exempt community, including America’s charitable nonprofits and houses of worship, so that they are able to continue providing critical services to communities in Delaware, Oklahoma, and across the country without undue burden or interruption. 

We urge you to act swiftly on this matter.

Sincerely,

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Senator Coons calls on President Trump to work with allies at G20 summit to urge Chinese President Xi Jinping to end China’s discriminatory economic practices

WASHINGTON – Prior to the G20 summit in Buenos Aires and a meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement calling on President Trump to work with our European and Asian allies to pressure China to change its discriminatory trade practices such as intellectual property theft, forced technology transfer, and cyber hacking of foreign firms.

“In Buenos Aires this weekend, President Trump should exercise leadership and work with those who share our values and our preference for free markets and democratic governance to pressure China to end its discriminatory practices and further open up its economy. By imposing tariffs on trusted allies like Canada, Sweden, Germany, and South Africa under the guise of national security concerns, President Trump has divided us from our closest partners in these efforts.  This summit is an opportunity to repair those relationships and work together to pressure China.

“President Trump is right to have zeroed in on China’s unfair trade practices, but a trade war with China isn’t good for the world’s economy over the long term, and it’s not good for the U.S. economy either. The G20 summit in Argentina provides the United States with an invaluable opportunity to end the tariffs and begin a real negotiation to change the way the world trades with China.

“Politically, economically, and ideologically – we’re competing with China more often than we are cooperating. We need to seek areas where we can partner with China. In areas where we cannot, the United States is best served by emphasizing American values and deepening and strengthening relationships with allies and partners around the world.”

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Sens. Coons, Young introduce bipartisan bill to support entrepreneurs

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Todd Young (R-Indiana) introduced the Innovators to Entrepreneurs Act of 2018 today. This bipartisan bill encourages broader participation in the successful National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program and provides additional training for innovators to learn how to turn their research into a company. 

“Training our most promising entrepreneurs to navigate the transition from the laboratory to the marketplace supports U.S.-grown startups and small businesses and increases our competitiveness on the global stage,” said Senator Coons. “We wisely invest billions of taxpayer dollars every year into scientific research and development, and this legislation builds a bridge for our best research to directly benefit society.”

“Entrepreneurs fuel Indiana’s small business community and have the power to transform our lives,” said Senator Young. “This legislation will support Hoosier entrepreneurs by investing in research and innovation, and empowering individuals to turn their ideas into products and businesses.” 

I-Corps connects scientists and engineers with the technological, entrepreneurial, and business communities necessary to move discoveries from the laboratory to the market. The Innovators to Entrepreneurs Act of 2018 expands the eligible pool of applicants for the I-Corps program, allowing the participation of aspiring entrepreneurs that have already demonstrated their merit by being awarded Small Business Innovation Research or Small Business Technology Transfer grants from any federal agency. 

The bill also authorizes a “Phase II” I-Corps program that would provide additional hands-on, immersive learning classes for participants who have already gone through the current I-Corps training. This “Phase II” course would help entrepreneurs develop business plans to the point where they are ready to attract venture capital funding. A similar bill, led by Representatives Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) and Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), has been endorsed by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and by I-Corps founding program officer and M34 Capital CEO Dr. Errol Arkilic. That bill passed the House in April. 

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Sens. Coons, Portman lead bipartisan letter to President Trump supporting US-UK trade agreement post-Brexit

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio), co-chairs of the Senate U.K. Trade Caucus, today led a bipartisan group of Senators in sending a letter to President Trump supporting a bilateral trade agreement with the United Kingdom after its departure from the European Union next year.

“The economic ties between the United States and the United Kingdom are longstanding and significant. The United Kingdom is the fourth-largest export market for American goods and services, and the United Kingdom is our seventh-largest trading partner overall,” the Senators wrote. “We believe a trade agreement with the United Kingdom would confirm and enhance our commercial partnership and our security alliance, and we look forward to working with you and your administration to expand opportunities for Made in America products to be sold to our friends and allies in the United Kingdom.”  

Coons and Portman launched the Senate UK Trade Caucus in May to build congressional support for a bilateral trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom.  

The letter can be read in its entirety here.

November 16, 2018

President Donald J. Trump

The White House

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Trump,

We were pleased to receive the notification of your intent to initiate trade negotiations with the United Kingdom after its departure from the European Union next year.

The economic ties between the United States and the United Kingdom are longstanding and significant. The United Kingdom is the fourth-largest export market for American goods and services, and the United Kingdom is our seventh-largest trading partner overall. Notably, the United States has a $15 billion trade surplus with the United Kingdom.

The United States has no better ally than the United Kingdom. Our alliance is rooted in shared values and common political and cultural traditions, and it is strengthened by the shared sacrifice of the First and Second World Wars, the creation of NATO, and military and intelligence cooperation to confront 21st century challenges, including the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. This special relationship is an expression of the deeply shared values between our nations.

Reaffirming this crucial alliance through a new trade agreement will enhance the already close commercial ties and shared values between the United States and the United Kingdom, and it will highlight the critical role trade agreements can play in anchoring important strategic relationships. 

Although bilateral trade negotiations cannot begin until the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, we agree that the United States should be at the front of the line for an agreement because we believe our country would benefit from an expeditious deal with a sovereign United Kingdom. We are encouraged by the efforts of the U.S.-UK Trade and Investment Working Group, and we thank you for supporting its work.

From the Cornish tin miners who brought their expertise across the Atlantic to the profitable services, financial, and intellectual property-intensive trade of today, the longstanding ties between the United States and the United Kingdom are profound. We believe a trade agreement with the United Kingdom would confirm and enhance our commercial partnership and our security alliance, and we look forward to working with you and your administration to expand opportunities for Made in America products to be sold to our friends and allies in the United Kingdom. 

Sincerely,

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Sens. Coons, Tillis join VP Pence in condemning violence against Burma’s Rohingya

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), co-chairs of the Senate Human Rights Caucus, issued the following statement in response to Vice President Pence’s criticism of the treatment of Burma’s Rohingya. 

“As co-chairs of the Senate Human Rights Caucus, we have repeatedly condemned the persecution of the Rohingya Muslims in Burma’s Rakhine State and called on the Government of Burma to release Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo. We applaud Vice President Pence for affirming the United States’ commitment to a free and independent press and delivering a strong criticism of the treatment of the Rohingya during his meeting with Burmese State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi at the ASEAN Summit on Wednesday. We join the Vice President in calling on the Government of Burma to hold the perpetrators of violence against the Rohingya accountable, and we are grateful to the people of Bangladesh for welcoming the more than 700,000 Rohingya who have been forced to flee their homes. We remain committed to supporting these refugees and urge the Government of Bangladesh to ensure that any repatriation of refugees to Burma is voluntary, safe, and dignified. The Government of Burma should take immediate steps to improve conditions for the Rohingya and other ethnic and religious minorities in Burma, including providing a pathway to citizenship for the Rohingya.”

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