Coons, Colleagues Unveil Bipartisan Amendment to Protect Dreamers, Strengthen Border Security

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) and a bipartisan group of 15 other Senators unveiled legislation this evening to protect “Dreamers” and to strengthen border security.  The Senators are part of the Common Sense Coalition, a group of 25 Republican, Democratic, and Independent Senators convened by U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), who have been meeting nearly every day in Senator Collins’ office to develop a framework to address Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and other immigration issues.

The lead sponsors of the legislation are Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Angus King (I-ME), and the original cosponsors include Senators: Collins, Manchin, Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), and Mark Warner (D-VA).

“This bipartisan legislation represents our best opportunity to make long overdue changes to our immigration laws that will allow 1.8 million Dreamers to live without fear of deportation, make robust investments in border security, and ensure that family reunification remains one of the core values of our immigration system,” said Senator Coons. “This process has not been easy, and this bill is not perfect, but Delawareans sent me to the Senate to not only fight for our values, but to also work across the aisle to get things done.  While this isn’t the bill I would have drafted, I believe this is a good, honest compromise, and I will support it on the Senate floor tomorrow.”

“About two weeks ago, my good friend, Senator John McCain from Arizona, reached out to me to propose that we work together and introduce a narrow, bipartisan immigration proposal, which only included provisions on border security and a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers,” Senator Coons added.  “Though I have hoped for a broader compromise like the one we reached this evening, I believed and still believe it was critical to this debate to put forward a relatively simple and bipartisan bill that focused on the most pressing issues in front of us. I am glad that our bill will also receive a vote on the Senate floor tomorrow, I’m honored to have worked on it with Senator McCain, and I believe it has played an important role in moving us closer to a solution.”

Highlights of the bipartisan proposal include:

Legal Status and Path to Citizenship for Young People Brought to the US as Children.

The amendment provides legal status and a path to citizenship to individuals who were brought to the U.S. as children. To obtain this status, these individuals must: 

• Have arrived in this country by June 15, 2007, in most cases;

• Have been continuously present in the U.S. since June 15, 2012, the date of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Executive Order;

• Have been under age 18 when they entered the U.S., and under age 38 on June 15, 2012; 

• Meet educational requirements or be serving in the U.S. Armed Forces (or have been honorable discharged from military service); 

• Pay any federal tax liability incurred while working legally in the U.S.; and

• Pass background checks, medical exams, and register for the Selective Service, if applicable. 

Individuals do not qualify if they are convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor, or three or more misdemeanors.

Individuals who are registered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program automatically qualify unless they have engaged in conduct would make them ineligible.  DACA registrants may apply for permanent legal residency after seven years and for citizenship after 10 years.  Others who are eligible could apply after 12 years. 

PROHIBITION ON DACA BENEFICIARIES SPONSORING THEIR PARENTS FOR CITIZENSHIP

The amendment includes language prohibiting parents from using their Dreamer children’s newly granted citizenship to apply for citizenship themselves. 

BORDER SECURITY

The amendment authorizes and appropriates $25 billion in funding for Northern and Southern border security over the next 10 years.  The bill requires DHS to provide detailed reports to Congress on its security plan, including physical barriers, fencing, tactical infrastructure, technology, personnel, and the milestones for implementing this plan

Funding after the first year is released each year once the DHS Secretary certifies that at least 75 percent of the goals for the prior year have been reached.  Sixty votes would be required in order to prevent funding for each fiscal year.

The bill also directs the Secretary to prioritize enforcement resources against aliens who:

• Have been convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor, three or more misdemeanors;
• Are a threat to national security or public safety; or
• Are unlawfully present and arrived in the U.S. after June 30, 2018.

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Sens. Coons, Flake press Strava CEO on privacy, data-security failures after fitness tracking app reveals sensitive information of U.S. military service members

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), co-chairs of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, sent a letter to James Quarles, CEO of the fitness app Strava, regarding Strava’s privacy and data-security practices. Their letter comes after an Australian student and analyst confirmed that anyone with internet service could utilize the fitness app to locate users, including those at known and unknown U.S. military bases around the world. 

The full letter can be found below:

Mr. James Quarles

Chief Executive Officer

Strava, Inc. 

500 3rd Street #110

San Francisco, CA 94107

February 14, 2018

Dear Mr. Quarles:

We write regarding Strava’s privacy and data-security practices in light of recent news reports indicating that the company publicly shares personal consumer data that may put its users at risk. 

Strava collects geo-location information from personal fitness trackers and from its downloadable mobile app to reveal a user’s workout history, location, and movements. It then matches that information with biographical information, such as a user’s first and last name and profile picture, and makes all of it available to other app users.

Since November 2017, the company has shared online a comprehensive “heat map” of its users’ movements over the past two years. The heat map is available not only to other app users, but to the general public on the Internet. While Strava has explained that the heat map contains aggregated and anonymized location information, the data posted can be easily cross-referenced with other publicly available information to identify individual users. This information could jeopardize users’ personal safety in various ways, including revealing a user’s daily activities, frequented locations, and sensitive health information. The implications of making this information widely available could even impact national security by revealing the whereabouts of sensitive locations.  

The increasing popularity of fitness tracking devices and other wearable technologies raises questions about the types of data they collect, store, and share, and the degree to which consumers control their personal information. Companies, like Strava, that offer services through these devices and technologies must address these concerns by following industry standards regarding privacy protection and by prioritizing data security within their corporate culture. 

Unfortunately, it seems that Strava has failed to demonstrate that it takes these concerns seriously. In particular, Strava’s fitness app makes it very difficult to opt out of unwanted data-sharing.  While the app’s services offer useful information to the user, it seems that many consumers are either confused by Strava’s opt-out provisions or simply unaware of what information is being tracked. To be meaningful, privacy terms and opt-out privacy requirements must be clear and understandable.  

On January 29, 2018, you issued a response to questions of public safety associated with the heat map. Specifically, you stated: “In building [the fitness app], we respected activity and profile privacy selections, including the ability to opt out of heatmaps altogether… Please know that we are taking this matter seriously and understand our responsibility related to the data you share with us.” 

You also included a list of action items that Strava is undertaking in response to what it has learned. These include “reviewing features that were originally designed for athlete motivation and inspiration to ensure they cannot be compromised by people with bad intent,” “increas[ing] awareness of [Strava’s] privacy and safety tools,” and “simplifying [Strava’s] privacy and safety features to ensure [users] know how to control [their] own data.”

As Chairman and Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law, we have a longstanding interest in the privacy and security of consumers’ personal data, including information collected by wearable, geo-location tracking technology.   

We therefore request that Strava provide answers to the following questions:

1. Please identify Strava’s privacy terms and policies for use of its fitness tracking application as communicated to the consumer at the time of purchase or download.  

1. Please provide a comprehensive list of the actions Strava took while creating and maintaining its fitness tracking app that “respected activity and profile privacy selections” of its users.

1. In light of Strava’s commitment to “understand [its] responsibility related to the data [users] share with [it],” please describe how Strava collects, stores, and shares consumer data. 

1. To what extent does Strava’s business model rely on collecting and sharing data with third-party GPS location service providers?

1. To what extent does Strava’s business model rely on collecting and sharing data with device manufacturers or software application developers? 

1. What protections, if any, does Strava have in place to protect the data it collects, stores, and shares?

1. Is Strava’s fitness tracking app able to operate without a third-party GPS location service provider?

1. If so, does Strava operate its own GPS location service? 

1. If not, please identify any and all third-party GPS location service providers that Strava uses to maintain its fitness tracking app. 

1. What steps, if any, has Strava taken in fulfilling its commitment to implement the following relevant action items:

1. Reviewing features that were originally designed for athlete motivation and inspiration to ensure they cannot be compromised by people with bad intent;

1. Increasing public awareness of the company’s privacy and safety tools; and 

1. Simplifying the company’s privacy and safety features to ensure consumers know how to control their data.

1. Please describe the different privacy settings Strava currently offers to consumers who use its fitness tracking app, including the actions the user must take to opt-out of each data-sharing opportunity and the information that is made public under each setting.   

We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter.

                                                                Sincerely,

[VIDEO]: Sen. Coons on immigration debate: “We shouldn’t finish until we have a deal.”

WASHINGTON – This morning, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined MSNBC’s Morning Joe to discuss the latest in the immigration debate in the Senate.

“The reason why Senator McCain called me last week and said, let’s give this a trial move ahead, is because, it’s a bill that was written by Will Hurd, Republican Congressman, former CIA operative who has the longest Texas-Mexico border in his district of any district in the country, 800 miles,” said Senator Coons. “Will Hurd teamed up with Pete Aguilar of Southern California. It has 54 cosponsors in the House—27 Republicans, 27 Democrats. So, Senator McCain, who is a great friend and someone I deeply admire, was willing to partner up with me and introduce it. It only focuses on Dreamers and border. That’s it.” 

Full audio and video available here.

Excerpts from the interview:

Sen. Coons on whether there will be a vote today: I’m very hopeful we’ll get a vote today. Now, the leadership has to agree on exactly which votes are coming to the floor. But the McCain-Coons bill at this point is the only bipartisan bill that is likely to get a vote. The origin of the bill is in the House. The reason why Senator McCain called me last week and said, let’s give this a trial move ahead, is because, it’s a bill that was written by Will Hurd, Republican Congressman, former CIA operative who has the longest Texas-Mexico border in his district of any district in the country, 800 miles. Will Hurd teamed up with Pete Aguilar of Southern California. It has 54 cosponsors in the House—27 Republicans, 27 Democrats. So, Senator McCain, who is a great friend and someone I deeply admire, was willing to partner up with me and introduce it. It only focuses on Dreamers and border. That’s it. 

More on McCain-Coons: The whole idea of having an open debate is we put out a bill that is the Trump agenda that Grassley introduced that’s very broad and touches on a very wide range of issues. We put out something that’s just border, just Dreamers. Have a debate, take a vote. See which one gets 60. If it’s neither, take amendments.

Sen. Coons on Sen. McConnell: He said he would start with a neutral base bill and he did. He said he would allow us to proceed to this debate and he did. What I don’t think is reasonable is the statement by Senator Cornyn yesterday that we have to be done by tomorrow, by Thursday. 

Sen. Coons on why they are rushing: I don’t understand either. There is no deadline tomorrow. The only deadline is March 5th, which was a deadline created by the President. 

Sen. Coons on the process: That’s right. And there haven’t been committee hearings on this. I’ll remind you, Mitch, the Republican Majority Leader, Senator McConnell, is a fan of regular order, as am I. We have a lot of senators who are just coming up to speed on the minutia, on the details of what these immigration policies would do. 

Sen. Coons on working on Saturday: We could work all weekend. In fact, to me the most encouraging development was the Common Sense Coalition, two dozen senators, Republicans and Democrats, that Senator Collins and Senator Manchin have led that met over and over and over, we’re meeting again this morning. We started meeting on the Saturday of the shutdown. As a way to try to get to an agreement to get us out of shutdown. It has started. We shouldn’t finish until we have a deal. 

Sen. Coons on bipartisanship: I do think that Chairman Corker and now Ranking Member Cardin, now Ranking Member Menendez respect each other well, worked together well on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to make it possible for us to preserve the benefits, the progress of the JCPOA, while still addressing the significant and unresolved problems with Iran’s reckless ballistic nuclear program, its human rights violation, and its support of terrorism in the region. It’s a tricky path. We have a President who refuses to continue certifying and we’ve got vital allies in Europe who have real concerns about the threat of our withdrawal from the JCPOA. I do think the Foreign Relations Committee on which I serve is the most bipartisan committee that I’m on and it has made great progress in tackling a whole series of problems. I’ve enjoyed working with Senator Corker. We had several bipartisan bills in the last Congress. We’re about to introduce a new one in the weeks ahead. I have found him a great partner to work with and I think he will work very well with Menendez to save what there is worth saving about the JCPOA. 

Sen. Coons on Corker reconsidering reelection: He’s a wonderful partner. He is not answering that question, at least not when I asked him. 

Sen. Coons on White House security clearances: It’s striking that someone as senior, the person who literally was deciding what was going in front of President of the United States, had a temporary security clearance and as FBI Director Wray testified, one that clearly was operating under a cloud where there were questions that had been resolved and presented. I think we have a White House that continues to really struggle with its relationship with the intelligence community, with its handling of classified material, the way the President has acted in terms of refusing to release the Democratic memo is another unanswered question of what’s the goal and what’s the objective here. I thought Devin Nunes’ memo was a partisan slap of the FBI when you read it and look into the details, there’s not much there, there. Not unlike other things that have come out of the White House in recent days. I’ve been disappointed by the infrastructure proposal, for example. So, there’s a lot where there was a lot of noise made about this memo. I don’t think there’s a lot of substance there. And the absence of a Democratic response I think leaves an incomplete conversation. 

More on immigration: Well, that’s exactly the challenge we’re going to be confronting both on the floor today and tomorrow and in the Common Sense Coalition debates. I think we should be doing this in two phases. I think we should be focusing first on a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and a robust plan for border security, both southern and northern borders. I think that is a responsible deal that allows the President to get what he’s been looking for and allows those of us who are advocates for the Dreamers to secure some stability for them. There are many other issues that are unresolved and unaddressed from temporary protective status to H1B and H2B Visas. One of the challenges we face is we’re negotiating with someone like Donald Trump who doesn’t seem to take yes for an answer, he claims to be a great dealmaker but in several famously pointed or uneven exchanges he’ll accept a deal on Tuesday and reject it on Thursday, I think the hardening of his position doesn’t make this week easier. I think he should let the Senate do its work and then see what he’s willing to accept. 

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Sens. Coons, Flake release statement congratulating former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement:

“As members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, we congratulate former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on receiving the Mo Ibrahim prize for African leadership. We hope that other African leaders follow her example. Ruling democratically and justly and stepping down at the conclusion of an elected term should become the rule and not the exception on the continent. We celebrate Sirleaf’s example and congratulate her on this well-deserved prize.”

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Coons, Wicker seek benefits parity for National Guard & Reserves

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) today introduced legislation to close the benefits gap for members of the National Guard and Reserve forces deployed on certain preplanned missions overseas. Specifically, the “National Guard and Reserves Benefit Parity Act,” S. 2416, would address gaps in early retirement eligibility, high-deployment allowance, and pay reductions for mobilized federal civilian employees.

“I’m proud to introduce this important piece of legislation with Senator Wicker that will fix the benefits parity gap that disadvantage the National Guard and Reserves,” said Senator Coons. “I will continue to work with my Republican counterparts to pass this bill into law this year to ensure that our nation’s Guardsmen and Reservists are given the benefits they have earned.” 

“Significant strides have been made in recent years to ensure that Guardsmen and Reservists are entitled to the same benefits as their active-duty counterparts while deployed,” Senator Wicker said. “But more work needs to be done. This proposal, which has the backing of the National Guard Association of the United States, aims to close the three remaining gaps in benefits that were not fixed in legislation last year. There is broad support for this bill in Congress, and I am hopeful that we can work swiftly to enact it into law.” 

The 2012 version of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) established a new mobilization authority allowing the Department of Defense to deploy Guard and Reserve forces for preplanned missions – known as “12304b” missions – in support of combatant commanders. Although these Reserve Component members perform the same duties as their active-duty counterparts, they were not eligible to receive the same benefits.

The most recent NDAA and the 2017 “Forever GI Bill” corrected some of these inequalities, such as eligibility for pre-mobilization health care and transitional healthcare, eligibility for post-9/11 educational assistance, and access to rehabilitation for veterans with service-connected disabilities

The “National Guard and Reserves Benefit Parity Act” would fix the three remaining issues by: 

• Reducing the age at which a Guardsman or Reservist is eligible to receive military retirement pay by three months for every 90 days mobilized under 12304b authority within a single fiscal year;

• Providing officers and enlisted Guardsmen and Reservists with a monthly allowance for each month during which they are deployed, if they meet criteria already defined under other mobilization authorities; and

• Protecting federal civilian employees who are members of the Reserve or National Guard from a reduction in pay when activated by providing a “reservist differential” payment, which already exists under other mobilization authorities.

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Bipartisan bill from Sens. Coons, Gardner supports startup businesses

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) today re-introduced the Support Startup Businesses Act, which would allow awardees of federal research and development grants to use a portion of that funding to create a startup business.  

Specifically, the bill authorizes Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program awardees to allocate up to 5 percent of their awards for activities that are critical to building businesses, including services such as market validation, intellectual property protection, market research, and business model development. Currently, the SBIR program offers very limited financial support to awardees for commercialization activities. 

“Startups are the engine of job creation in the U.S., but the rate of startup creation is well below historical norms,” said Senator Coons. “This bill will provide our world-class scientists and engineers with the support they need to translate their cutting-edge research into new startup companies that fuel economic growth. I’m proud to work with Senator Gardner to introduce this bipartisan legislation.” 

“Entrepreneurs face many challenges when it comes to starting and building a viable small business,”said Senator Gardner. “Given that startups are the foundation of our local economies and support nearly all new net job creation throughout the country, it’s essential that we make it easier for them to succeed. The Support Startup Businesses Act will help our entrepreneurs by giving them flexibility with a portion of federal funding to help bring their innovations to market and create jobs.” 

“ITIF applauds Senator Coons and Senator Gardner for their leadership on behalf of America’s innovative scientists and engineers. With this legislation, budding startups getting their start in part through federal R&D funding will be better equipped to tackle the challenging task of turning research discoveries into the successful new businesses that are so vital to economic growth and our nation’s position as a global leader in innovation.  We encourage Congress to enact this bipartisan proposal,” said Dr. Robert D. Atkinson, President, ITIF.

“Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) is an important program that supports critical research and development by small business, but it falls short of its potential in helping businesses bring their products to market. With the Support Startup Businesses Act, Senators Coons and Gardner attack this shortcoming by broadening SBIR to include funding for commercialization. The bill’s enactment would help expand the opportunity to earn for the millions of small business owners and their employees across the country. Third Way applauds their effort,” said Gabe Horwitz, Vice President for the Economic Program, Third Way.

“We applaud Senators Coons and Gardner for their proposal to improve SBIR by supporting entrepreneurs’ efforts to develop their technology and business in tandem,” said Dan Berglund, President and CEO of the State Science and Technology Institute. “This change will help make the innovation process more efficient by enabling startups to consider their customers before completing their tech investment, supported by experienced venture development organizations and entrepreneurship centers around the country.”

“NCET2 applauds the bipartisan leadership shown by Senator Coons and Senator Gardner on this important bill that provides support for innovative startups commercializing the nation’s cutting-edge research. We have the world’s greatest scientists and engineers and helping them turn their work into products, services and, most importantly, American jobs, is how the U.S. continues to lead the world in military strength and national GDP within an increasingly competitive international environment,” said Tony Stanco, Executive Director, National Council of Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer (NCET2). “We support in the strongest terms Congressional efforts to pass the Support Startup Businesses Act.”

“The Support Startup Businesses Act will allow the successful SBIR/STTR programs to become even more impactful for researchers and entrepreneurs alike. I applaud Sens. Coons and Gardner on their efforts to give innovators greater access to the commercialization services they need to move their research out of the lab and into the marketplace,” said Curtis M. Hess, Interim President & CEO of the University City Science Center.

Coordinated by the Small Business Administration, the SBIR program is one of the premier federal programs for fostering innovation.  Through a competitive awards-based program, SBIR encourages domestic small businesses to explore their technological potential by engaging in R&D that has the potential for commercialization. 

The Support Startup Businesses Act would:

• Allow SBIR awardees to use up to 5% of their grants for startup-related commercialization activities.
• Require annual reporting by awardees on startup-related commercialization activities.

The bill has been endorsed by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation; State Science & Technology Institute; National Council of Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer; Third Way; and, the University City Science Center.

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[VIDEO] Sen. Coons meets with Dreamers, discusses McCain-Coons bill

Sen. Coons on McCain-Coons: “That’s the kind of balanced and bipartisan solution that I’m hoping is successful here this week.”

Sen. Coons on Dreamers: “They deserve a chance to be a part of the American Dream.”

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) met with a group of Dreamers to listen to their concerns and to discuss the upcoming debate on immigration this week.

“As young people who have lived their whole lives in the United States, who were brought here as children by their parents, they deserve a chance to be a part of the American Dream, and, I’m looking forward this week on the floor of the Senate to try move forward my bipartisan bill with Senator John McCain of Arizona,” said Senator Coons.  “It’s based on a nearly identical bill out of the House that Congressman Hurd and Congressman Aguilar introduced that has 54 cosponsors—equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats. It deals with border security, it deals with strengthening our border, and it deals with a pathway to citizenship for the Dreamers. That’s the kind of balanced and bipartisan solution that I’m hoping is successful here this week.”

Full audio and video available here.

Senator Coons’ remarks are below:

“Hi, I’m U.S. Senator Chris Coons from Delaware, and I’m thrilled to be with a group of Dreamers who’ve come to visit me today. They go to school in Dover, Delaware, at Delaware State University, and at Christian Brothers College in Memphis, Tennessee, and they’re part of a much bigger group of Dreamers that have dedicated months of their lives to coming here to Washington, to meeting with Senators and House members, with Committee staff and individual staff, to help us hear their concerns.

“As young people who have lived their whole lives in the United States, who were brought here as children by their parents, they deserve a chance to be a part of the American Dream, and, I’m looking forward this week on the floor of the Senate to try and to move forward my bipartisan bill with Senator John McCain of Arizona. It’s based on a nearly identical bill out of the House that Congressman Hurd and Congressman Aguilar introduced that has 54 cosponsors—equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats. It deals with border security, it deals with strengthening our border, and it deals with a pathway to citizenship for the Dreamers. That’s the kind of balanced and bipartisan solution that I’m hoping is successful here this week. 

“I want to thank these great young people for sharing with me their experience, their vision, and their hopes. Let’s get this done this week, folks. Thank you.”

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Sen. Coons, colleagues introduce legislation to provide financial flexibility to help Delaware State, other land-grant universities

WASHINGTON – Last week, in recognition of Black History Month, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and David Perdue (R-Ga.) in introducing legislation to overturn an outdated, biased policy and provide 1890s Land-Grant Universities with the same financial flexibility currently enjoyed by their peers. The Carryover Equity Act would fix a provision that prohibits 1890s Land-Grant Universities – all of which are Historically Black Universities – from carrying over more than 20 percent of their equity from one fiscal year to the next. This arbitrary provision limits the ability of these Universities to use their funds as they see fit and notably diverges from policies that govern other similar Department of Agriculture programs.

The legislation would benefit 19 institutions including the Delaware State University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Fort Valley State University, North Carolina A&T State University, Central State University, South Carolina State University, Virginia State University, and West Virginia State University.

“I am thrilled to be an original cosponsor of the bipartisan Carryover Equity Act of 2018, introduced last week, which would fix a significant and long-standing discrepancy in the treatment of funding for 1890 Extension Programs,” said Senator Coons. “The Cooperative Extension Program at Delaware State University (DSU), Delaware’s exceptional 1890 Institution, is known for its focus on research and education relevant to Delaware’s diverse agricultural community, including small-scale farms, beginning farmers, aquaculture, and small ruminants.  Ensuring that DSU has the flexibility it needs to support a range of research and education needs strengthens our farm operations and farming communities in Delaware, and I am proud to support this effort.”

In addition to Senators Coons, Van Hollen, and Perdue, this bipartisan legislation was introduced by Senators Brown (D-Ohio), Tillis (R-N.C.), Graham (R-S.C.), Kaine (D-Va.), Cardin (D-Md.), and Manchin (D-W.V.).

Text of the bill can be found here.

Sens. Coons, Lankford named co-chairs of the 2019 National Prayer Breakfast

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and James Lankford (R-OK) were today named co-chairmen of the 2019 National Prayer Breakfast. The announcement was made at this morning’s 66th annual National Prayer Breakfast. Coons and Lankford both spoke at the gathering about their weekly Senate prayer gathering, and how faith is a common bond that unites them.  

“I’m honored to lead the 2019 National Prayer Breakfast with my colleague and friend, Senator Lankford,” said Coons. “At a time when our country and Congress are deeply divided, we need to make more ways to listen to each other, trust each other, and remember that we’re called to love one another and care for our neighbors. For me, as for millions of Americans, prayer is an important way to bring together people from all faith backgrounds to listen to one another, respect one another, and share our common concerns.” 

“Prayer is a unifying force in our country,” said Lankford. “When the pressures of life build and politics divide us, prayer refocuses and recommits us to our relationship with God and each other. One of America’s greatest freedoms is the right to live your faith, or have no faith at all. Freedom of religion has played such an important part in the creation of our country; it is only fitting that we continue to recognize prayer and its important role in the lives of so many Americans through the National Prayer Breakfast.”

Each year, more than 3,000 people attend the event, and every president since President Dwight Eisenhower in 1952 has participated. House Majority Whip and US Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) was the keynote speaker at today’s event. Past speakers include Mother Theresa (1994), Bono (2006), Tony Blair (2009), Dr. Ben Carson (2013), and Senate Chaplain Barry Black (2017).

The event is always chaired by a Republican and a Democrat, and the leadership switches back and forth between the House and the Senate every year. Today’s prayer breakfast was co-chaired by Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-IL) and Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL). Last year’s prayer breakfast was co-chaired by Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and John Boozman (R-AR); Senator Coons took over for Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) mid-year.

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Sen. Coons, Sen. Judiciary Committee Democrats call for public hearings on Russian collusion & obstruction of justice

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) joined a letter led by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and signed by Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) in support of Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA) request for immediate public hearings related to potential collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.

“Committee members have long been led to believe that they would have the chance to question witnesses directly – to follow up on the many questions raised by the staff interviews and to ensure that witnesses testify publicly and under oath,” the Senators wrote. “Any effort to end the Committee’s inquiry before Committee members have been able to ask a single question – and before a single witness has been questioned in public or under oath – would be a disservice to the Judiciary Committee’s long history of serving as a forum to ferret out the truth and inform the American people.” 

The Senators identified Donald Trump, Jr. and Jared Kushner as two key witnesses whose public testimony is critical to the completion of any meaningful investigation. Although Trump, Jr. appeared voluntarily for a private staff interview last year, he refused to produce documents relating to the June 9, 2016 meeting he organized with Russian agents while serving on the Trump campaign and his coordinated response with the Trump Administration once that meeting became public. Kushner, who also attended the June 9 meeting, has declined to appear before the Committee in any capacity and has also failed to produce key documents.

“We respectfully request that the Senate Judiciary Committee immediately schedule public hearings with Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and the other key witnesses in our ongoing investigation and, as needed, issue subpoenas to compel their appearances to ensure that these individuals fully account for their actions in public and under oath,” the Senators wrote. “This is an essential step toward getting us the answers that we need to fulfill our important oversight responsibilities.”  

In addition to Coons and Blumenthal, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Kamala Harris (D-CA). 

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

Dear Chairman Grassley:

Senator Feinstein has previously asked for public hearings as part of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, potential Trump campaign collusion, and any related obstruction of justice.  We support her requests.  Previously, you have also expressed your intent to hold public hearings related to potential collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. Now that you have decided to end private interviews of the participants in the June 9, 2016 meeting in Trump Tower between the campaign and a Russian delegation, the time for these public hearings has come. 

We commend the promise you made at the last executive business meeting to begin publicly releasing transcripts of the interviews that have been conducted thus far by Committee staff. However, simply releasing these transcripts is not enough. Committee members have long been led to believe that they would have the chance to question witnesses directly – to follow up on the many questions raised by the staff interviews and to ensure that witnesses testify publicly and under oath. Any effort to end the Committee’s inquiry before Committee members have been able to ask a single question – and before a single witness has been questioned in public or under oath – would be a disservice to the Judiciary Committee’s long history of serving as a forum to ferret out the truth and inform the American people.

These public hearings must involve the testimony of Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner, along with a renewed bipartisan effort to obtain the documents that have been requested but not yet produced.  While Donald Trump Jr. appeared voluntarily for a staff-level interview, he refused – before and after that interview – to produce drafts of his July 2017 statements about the June 9 meeting and communications about those drafts.  He also failed to produce his direct communications with Wikileaks until after the interview, also depriving the Committee of the opportunity to question him about those materials. 

It is also our understanding that Mr. Kushner has produced some, but not all, of the documents requested of him and – notably – that he has refused to provide any documents related to the sections of his security clearance forms that would reveal foreign travel and contacts.  Mr. Kushner has also declined to schedule even a staff-level interview with the Committee. Mr. Kushner was a key participant in the June 9 meeting, and his testimony is essential to achieve a full understanding of that meeting and of many other episodes central to our investigation. You have repeatedly pledged to require Mr. Kushner to submit to questions by the Committee. Now that you have discontinued private staff interviews with participants in the June 9 meeting – interviews that were also never intended as a complete substitute for Member-level questioning – the only way to follow through on your commitment is to demand Mr. Kushner participate in a public hearing.

Mr. Kushner’s recent decision to refuse a private interview with our Committee does not diminish the need to compel his public testimony and that of other crucial witnesses. If anything, it makes his public testimony all the more essential. The fact that Mr. Kushner spoke to other Congressional committees also does not free him from his obligation to testify before us. Those committees have different areas of jurisdiction and focus; their efforts in no way eliminate our right and responsibility to do our job.  

We respectfully request that the Senate Judiciary Committee immediately schedule public hearings with Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and the other key witnesses in our ongoing investigation and, as needed, issue subpoenas to compel their appearances to ensure that these individuals fully account for their actions in public and under oath. This is an essential step toward getting us the answers that we need to fulfill our important oversight responsibilities. We thank you again for your attention to this issue and your career-long commitment to oversight and transparency, and we look forward to working with you to complete the Committee’s investigation.

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