Senator Coons statement on new Trump tariffs

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) issued the following statement today after President Trump imposed tariffs of 25% on goods from Mexico and Canada and 10% on goods from China:

“When President Trump accepted the nomination at the Republican National Convention last July, he made this promise to the American people: ‘starting on day one, we will drive down prices to make America more affordable.’ Today, on day thirteen of his presidency, he imposed tariffs that will send prices skyrocketing.

“China, Mexico, and Canada are our three largest trading partners. American families will soon pay higher prices for avocados and appliances, diesel fuel and dog toys, car parts and Christmas lights, tomatoes and tequila, beer and gas. It’s the largest tax increase on working Americans in a long time, and it will cost them thousands of dollars every year. President Trump is making America expensive again.

“These countries will promptly retaliate against President Trump’s tariffs with tariffs of their own. Thanks to President Trump’s needless trade war, the workers, businesses, farmers, and ranchers who produce American exports will soon find it harder to reach their foreign customers. These tariffs will hit Delaware’s poultry growers, who export more chickens to Mexico and Canada than anywhere else, especially hard.

“These tariffs not only make Americans poorer, they also make us less safe. One of our biggest assets is our global network of allies and partners, while our adversaries only have nervous neighbors and client states. Today, President Trump is transforming two of our closest partners into nervous neighbors. It sends a clear message to would-be allies: aligning with the United States won’t protect you from economic bullying. Judging the various levels of today’s tariffs, it may put you even more at risk.”

ICYMI: Senator Coons warns about Russian efforts against Romania and Moldova in interview with The Counteroffensive

WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) sat down with The Counteroffensive’s Tim Mak to encourage continued western support for Romania and Moldova, both of which are victims of intensive Russian coercion campaigns in eastern Europe amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Last month, Senator Coons led a congressional delegation to Moldova and Romania, where he saw firsthand Russia’s attempts to undermine the independence and democracy of both countries. Romania, a crucial NATO ally, faced widespread Russian interference in their November presidential election that propelled pro-Russia NATO-skeptic candidate Calin Georgescu to first place before the election was annulled. Meanwhile, Moldova also faced intensive Russian interference, including disinformation and vote-buying campaigns, in its October presidential election and a referendum on joining the European Union, which ultimately passed despite Russia’s efforts. The country is also dealing with an energy crisis, as Russia started off the year by cutting off gas supplies to Moldova’s only power plant, with devastating consequences for Moldovan civilians now struggling through the winter. 

In the interview, Senator Coons also encouraged President Trump and Republicans not to abandon Ukraine nearly three years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country.

The Counteroffensive: TOP DEM SENATOR: DON’T TAKE EYES OFF MOLDOVA, ROMANIA 

As violent as the war in Ukraine is, there are broader Russian threats that the United States needs to pay attention to, said Sen. Chris Coons, a senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Coons recently returned from a Congressional delegation to Moldova and Romania, and gave an exclusive interview with The Counteroffensive to share lessons learned.

“Russia has a playbook, and it has a set of plays that it’s running,” and not just in Ukraine, he said, referring to hybrid warfare techniques that include threats to Moldova’s energy security and influence operations in Romania.

“Their sabotage operations are continuing right now across Central and Western Europe: fires and attacks and assassinations; and that their influence operations using social media; cyber attacks; good old fashioned bribery – are actually having an influence on politics,” he warned. “These are not isolated.”

Read the full article here.

Ahead of expected Trump tariffs, Senators Coons and Kaine introduce legislation to require congressional approval of new tariffs on U.S. allies

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) yesterday introduced the Stopping Tariffs on Allies and Bolstering Legislative Exercise of (STABLE) Trade Policy Act, which would rein in chaos that President Trump could create by unilaterally imposing tariffs on trading partners like the ones expected to go into effect this weekend on Canada and Mexico.

The STABLE Trade Policy Act would institute a requirement of congressional approval before a president could impose new tariffs on U.S. allies and free trade agreement (FTA) partners. Currently, the president can impose tariffs on any nation using authorities that Congress created to combat national security risks and address international emergencies. The bill reclaims congressional authority over trade policy and limits the president’s ability to treat allies as enemies.

“Congress gave the president the authority to impose tariffs so that he could combat our enemies in the event of a national security crisis, not so that he could pursue grudges against our allies and neighbors. If the president is going abuse this power to bully and coerce our allies, Congress should take this authority back,” said Senator Coons. “If this weekend’s tariffs go into effect, they’ll do catastrophic damage to our relationships with our allies and raise costs for working families by hundreds of dollars a year. Congress needs to stop this from happening again.”

“Virginians want costs to go down, not up. But President Trump’s plans to impose broad-based tariffs would raise the price of everyday goods and hurt our economy,” said Senator Kaine. “It’s time for Congress to make it clear that no president should abuse existing tariff authorities designed to protect America’s national security from threats posed by our adversaries to slap tariffs on our allies and closest trading partners. I’m proud to introduce this legislation with Senator Coons to take that step to protect Americans’ pocketbooks from sharp price hikes and safeguard our relationships with our allies.”

The introduction of STABLE Trade Policy Act comes shortly before President Trump’s across-the-board tariffs on Canada and Mexico are expected to go into effect. On his first day in office, President Trump pledged 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada to go into effect February 1. The two nations, both members of the U.S.M.C.A. trade agreement that President Trump negotiated, accounted for almost one-third of all U.S. goods imports last year. Additionally, President Trump has promised 10% tariffs on China. President Trump has already threatened and then rescinded tariffs on Colombia.

Specifically, the STABLE Trade Policy Act would:

• Require the president to explain to Congress any proposal to impose tariffs on allies and FTA partners.

• The president must explain why challenges with allies cannot be better addressed through diplomacy or other mechanisms.
• The president must assess of how tariffs will impact the U.S. economy and U.S. foreign policy interests. 

• Require congressional approval for new or additional tariffs on imports from allies and FTA partners.

• The bill constrains tariff authorities created by Congress to combat national security risks and address international economic emergencies. 
• The executive branch retains full authority to impose safeguard tariffs to combat unfair trade practices.

The full bill text is available here.

Senator Coons decries President Trump’s freeze on almost all foreign assistance in speech on Senate floor

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Appropriations and Foreign Relations Committees, condemned President Donald Trump’s executive order (EO) to pause almost all U.S. foreign assistance in a speech on the Senate floor yesterday, calling it unconstitutional and harmful to U.S. security and values.

Last week, following the Trump EO, the State Department issued a “stop-work” order that halted all current foreign assistance and paused new projects, with narrow exceptions. This abrupt action created widespread confusion, further complicated by the White House budget office’s decision to send and then rescind a separate memo that had ordered a freeze on all federal grant spending. The actions have left essential aid programs and global partnerships in a state of uncertainty, weakening the United States’ standing around the world.

In his remarks, Senator Coons emphasized that foreign assistance is not charity, but an investment that strengthens our security and economy. The Trump EO by contrast, harms our allies and friends, and benefits adversaries like China. It has halted payments to contractors rebuilding Ukraine’s electrical infrastructure in the wake of Russian attacks and frozen support that is critical to ensuring Taiwan’s defense. This pause has halted vital pandemic surveillance work that keeps us safe from lethal diseases and rapidly emerging pandemics, at a time when we are seeing new outbreaks of highly transmissible diseases like Ebola in Uganda and Marburg in Tanzania. The pause has impacted critical global health funding, including PEPFAR, which provides HIV treatment for more than 20 million people living with HIV globally. U.S. institutions that monitor global elections like the National Democratic Institute and International Republic Institute are also frozen in the run-up to elections in nations like Moldova and Romania that are expected to be targets of Russian interference. This reckless step harms U.S. credibility and economic stability and creates long-term consequences that weaken our allies and empower our adversaries.

Senator Coons also underscored that while foreign assistance accounts for less than 1 percent of the federal budget, its strategic significance is crucial.

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

WATCH HERE.

Senator Coons: Mr. President, I’m speaking today in strong opposition to President Trump’s illegal executive order of last Friday night that pauses all of our foreign assistance and development assistance. Let’s be clear: our development assistance, our foreign aid, isn’t about charity. It’s about security, and it’s about values. We have alliances and partnerships around the world that are undergirded by our soft power – by our partnerships and investment in helping make our world safer, more stable, and more secure. What happened last Friday night, at the end of the workday and there was no one there to answer urgent questions – was a freeze on all foreign assistance, with a very narrow exception for food aid, and it has caused chaos in the global community that delivers aid and assistance around the world. 

For days, there were questions unanswered. What did this mean in Ukraine, in Lebanon, where there are wars and ceasefires, where critical grant funding and work by contractors helps put the lights back on after Russian attacks on the electrical infrastructure in Ukraine, where ceasefire implementation in Lebanon was ongoing. In parts of the world where we were continuing to bring home to the United States those who served alongside us in Afghanistan, Afghan SIVs waiting for processing, abandoned in Qatar and here in the United States. 

A halt on drug supplies that helped keep 20 million people living with HIV through the program PEPFAR, long supported by presidents and Congresses of both parties. A freeze on activity to counter fentanyl and narcotics trafficking, to push back on Chinese and Russian disinformation, and to promote democracy. With urgent upcoming elections, the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute are frozen in their activities and forced to lay off or furlough their workforce. Let me thank Secretary Rubio for responding to urgent calls to broaden the aperture for humanitarian waivers for this freeze, but let me also say that with dozens and dozens of the most senior people at USAID put on furlough, implementing this got harder, and with thousands of contractors who work for USAID in countries around the world dismissed or laid off, the consequences will be severe. 

I’ll just give you one example. I suspect everyone listening has heard of the disease Ebola. I suspect not everyone has heard of the disease Marburg. They are related. They’re highly transmissive and deadly viruses. There is a new outbreak of Ebola in the capital of Uganda. There’s an ongoing outbreak of Marburg in the neighboring country of Tanzania. This freeze pauses the pandemic surveillance work, the urgent public health work, the assistance we provide that makes sure that we are safe from a rapidly emerging and lethal global pandemic that we put in place after the last pandemic. 

When we halt foreign assistance, it has consequences. It’s just one percent of our total budget. Most Americans think it’s a big percent of our spending, but it’s one percent, actually, less than one percent of the total federal budget. And there’s a winner here, and it’s not the American taxpayer. Freezing programs like this causes chaos and often costs more to restart them after a review. The winner is China. Our biggest global competitor and adversary is delighted that we’ve handed them an opportunity to say to communities and countries around the world that we are not a reliable partner – that despite contracts and promises, commitments, and programs, they now have months to crow about how we have abandoned our partnerships with county after country around the world. China is delighted when we layoff, or furlough, or cut the resources that help fuel the work of our diplomats and our development professionals. And China has seen its opportunity to expand its influence through programs like the Belt and Road Initiative. They’ve spent a trillion dollars on projects across the Global South in the last decade, and our ability to counter Chinese influence, to make strategic investments, has been put gravely at risk by putting on hold the workforce and the contracts that help deliver them. 

The administration may be claiming that this pause is temporary, but its effects will not be. The lasting impacts on small businesses, on contractors, on NGOs and loss of expertise, loss of their workforce, loss of their credibility I think will be lasting, dangerous, and harmful.

Senator Coons statement on reports of Delawarean plane crash victims

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) issued the following statement after reports that three Delawareans were among those killed in last night’s plane crash near Washington Reagan National Airport:

“I’m devastated to hear the news that at least three Delawareans died during last night’s air collision. Sasha Kirsanov, Sean Kay, and Angela Yang went to Wichita to pursue their passion for figure skating. It is a tragedy that none of them returned home to our state. Delaware is a state of neighbors, and tonight we hold all of our neighbors a little closer. My heart goes out to Sasha’s wife Natalia, the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club, and every other Delawarean touched by the three of them.”

Under questioning from Senator Coons, FBI Director nominee Patel refuses to assert FBI’s independence or demonstrate willingness to resign over illegal directives

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) questioned President Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI Director, Kash Patel, at his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing today, where he pressed him on whether his allegiance to President Trump would mean the end of the Bureau’s independence and whether he’d resign if asked by the White House to do something illegal.

Senator Coons pressed Patel on several issues at the hearing today. Under questioning, Patel stated that, as FBI Director, he would answer to the President. In contrast, Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi said that, if confirmed, she would answer directly to the Constitution and the American people.

Senator Coons also asked Patel, as he asked FBI Directors Chris Wray and James Comey during their own confirmations, about whether Patel would resign rather than carry out an illegal order from Trump, as Wray and Comey committed to doing. Patel repeatedly refused to make the same commitment.

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

WATCH HERE.

Sen. Coons: We had a constructive conversation last week, I appreciate your taking the time. In particular, a conversation about the prosecution of the World Cup bombing in Uganda that took the life of a Delawarean whose family I knew, I found moving. But the role you have been nominated for is central – central to our security as a nation, central to the protection of our constitutional rights, and I voted to confirm Trump’s previous FBI director, Chris Wray. I believe he’s lived up to the bureau’s motto of serving with fidelity, bravery and integrity, and I also think my vote for him and for many of Trump’s cabinet in the first term shows I take my constitutional advice and consent rule seriously and do not reflexively vote against his nominees.

I look at three factors when I assess a nominee. Qualifications and experience; policy views and whether they are in the best interest of the American people; and character and capacity to do the job independently where called for. My colleagues have referenced quotes from Attorney General Barr, National Security Advisor Bolton.

The FBI is enormous: 38,000 agents, $9 billion budget. I am troubled by your lack of senior law enforcement leadership. We disagree on some important policy views. But the thing that bothers me the most is a whole series of statements you have made in a variety of settings that suggest you would struggle to be independent from White House direction or control, as has long been the modern history of the FBI.

Who does the director of the FBI work for, Mr. Patel?

Mr. Patel: Senator, thank you for that question. The immediate report for the Director of the FBI is into the Office of the Deputy Attorney General. Then, that report is taken into the Office of the Attorney General and ultimately the White House in the chain of command there.

Sen. Coons: So the FBI works for the White House?

Mr. Patel: No, the FBI is a member of the Department of Justice, and has been the long-standing application—

Sen Coons: And who does the Department of Justice work for?

Mr. Patel: They are in the executive branch, as all members do at the White House.

Sen. Coons: Attorney General Bondi gave a different answer when I asked her the same question— that they work for the Constitution and the American people. President Trump has made clear in public statements he wants to use the FBI to persecute political adversaries. He has publicly said that folks ranging from Liz Cheney, to Adam Kinzinger, to former Vice President Harris should be investigated and criminally prosecuted. If President Trump were to order you to open an investigation into any of these individuals, let’s say, Vice President Harris, would you?

Mr. Patel: Senator, this question speaks directly to my ability to leave political bias and allow independent behavior to be the only guiding light. As a public defender, I learned that in the harshest of arenas. And any law enforcement investigation, if I’m confirmed at the FBI, will only be launched on the following qualification: a factual, articulatable, legal basis to do so. The president has said publicly that he will allow the FBI to remain independent, and I have said as much as well.

Sen. Coons: So, if FBI agents brought to you a factual legal basis, a predication, and you are about to refer it to a prosecutor, and you get a call from the White House saying, “don’t proceed, this is a major donor, this is someone close to the president, this is inappropriate.” What would you do?

Mr. Patel: Simple. You – I think you answered it partially in your, in your question. The line agents, the brick agents who are trained to bring investigations on behalf of the FBI will make that decision-making process, and they will only have my full support so long as it upholds absolutely every value of the Constitution, and that’s it.

Sen. Coons: So your predecessor – I went back and looked, and I asked the same questions of Director Comey and Director Wray. Director Wray, quoting former Attorney General Bell, said you should be willing to resign if necessary over conduct if you are pressed to engage in it that’s unethical, illegal or unconstitutional. If pressed by the president, would you resign?

Mr. Patel: Senator, my answer simply is I would never do anything unconstitutional or unlawful, and I never have in my 16 years of government service.

Sen. Coons: Would you be willing to resign the post of FBI Director if pressed and given no choice but to obey the order or resign?

Mr. Patel: Senator, I will always obey the law.

Sen. Coons: Does obeying the law require you to – as Attorney General Bell said, as FBI Director Wray said – refuse the order or resign?

Mr. Patel: I don’t – I’m not familiar with the extent of the law you are referring to, but my answer is simple in my 16 years of government service. We will simply follow the law, and I have done that in Obama Justice Department [sic], Republican Justice Departments, in the Obama military, in Republican civilian capacity. I have never once wavered from my constitutional oath of office.

Sen. Coons: Mr. Patel, your predecessors in this role have been clear that they would be willing to resign if forced or directed to do something unethical or illegal. I’ll proceed.

One of your past statements that is concerning me – it’s both a post on Truth Social and something you said in a podcast, The Sean Morgan Report: that your predecessor, Chris Wray, has broken the law. We need to prosecute him. The FBI should go after people like him. And the month before this, in July 2023, you said there should be a criminal referral for FBI Director Wray. If confirmed, are you going to follow through on these previous statements that Director Wray needs to be prosecuted?

Mr. Patel: Senator, this reminds me of the conversation you and I had, which I greatly appreciated. There is enough violent crime in this country, and enough national security threats to this country, that the FBI is going to be busy going forward preventing 100,000 overdoses, 100,000 rapes, and 17,000 homicides.

Sen. Coons: We agree that prosecuting violent crimes should be the principal focus of the FBI. What I’m trying to get to, Mr. Patel, is a whole series of very troubling – to me and many others – statements you’ve made about instead using it to pursue those who might be viewed as political opponents.

Mr. Patel: And as I told you in your office, I have no interest, no desire, and will not if confirmed, go backwards. There will be no politicization at the FBI, there will be no retributive actions taken by any FBI, should I be confirmed as the FBI director. I told you that in your office, and I will tell you that again today.

Sen. Coons: Thank you for that statement. As the Co-chair of the Law Enforcement Caucus with Senator Cornyn, one of the things I’ve worked hard on and I hope to continue to being able to work hard on with this administration is partnership between federal, state, and local law enforcement to pursue violent crime. You did say, as my colleague asked, and I’d look for a longer answer, that you want to close the FBI’s bureau headquarters on day one.

How would shutting down the FBI headquarters impact its ability to prosecute violent crime and drug traffickers? How is that possibly a serious proposal, Mr. Patel?

Mr. Patel: Thank you for bringing that up and allowing me to answer. It was to highlight the significantly greater point that I was actually making in that interview, which is well documented over and over again. 38,000 FBI employees – 7,500 FBI employees work in the Washington field office and Hoover Building alone. If you increase the aperture just slightly to encompass the National Capital Region, that is 11,000 FBI employees working in the National Capital Region. A third of the workforce for the FBI works in Washington, D.C. I am fully committed to having that workforce go out into the interior of the country where I live, west of the Mississippi, and work with sheriff’s departments and local officers and having one agent prevent one homicide and having one agent in Washington prevent one rape, and I will do that over and over and over again, because the American people deserve the resources not in Washington D.C., but in the rest of the country.

Sen. Coons: And Mr. Patel, frankly, if that had been your statement, that would be something that would be defensible. It’s the rest of it, saying you’re going to turn it into a Museum of the Deep State, that causes repeated questions and concerns from people like myself. Thank you, Mr. Patel.

Senators Coons, Lankford introduce bill to incentivize charitable giving through tax code

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) reintroduced the Charitable Act to reward Americans who give to charity and incentivize more people to donate to worthy causes. Under this new bill, Americans who donate to charities, houses of worship, religious organizations, and other nonprofits of their choice would be able to deduct that donation from their federal taxes, even if they take the standard, non-itemized deduction.

A similar provision was first enacted in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which passed in 2020. As a result of that legislation, 90 million taxpayers benefitted from the deduction, and households making between $30,000 and $100,000 increased their charitable giving the most. Charitable organizations received $30 billion in increased donations. 

“Delawareans have always risen to the occasion in support of our communities,” said Senator Coons. “Last year, Americans demonstrated our generosity by donating a collective $557 billion to charities, houses of worship, and nonprofits. I am proud to reintroduce the Charitable Act with Senator Lankford to help the federal government encourage even more Americans to embrace the civic virtue of giving to those in need.”

“America’s first safety net should never be the government—government is the least efficient caregiver by far. Our families, churches, and other nonprofits do incredible work to lift up those who need it most. Updating the tax law to incentivize giving empowers Americans to make an even bigger impact for the homeless, hurting, and hungry,” said Senator Lankford. 

This bill is supported by numerous organizations, including The National Council of Nonprofits (25,000 member organizations), Charitable Giving Coalition (175 member organizations), the Nonprofit Alliance, Faith & Giving Coalition, Leadership 18, Independent Sector, YMCA, Council on Foundations, American Endowment Foundation, Philanthropy Southwest, Christian Alliance for Orphans, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, United Philanthropy Forum, National Association of Charitable Gift Planners, Association of Art Museum Directors, the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, Association of Fundraising Professionals, Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Americans for the Arts, American Heart Association, Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement, Maryland Nonprofits, Boys and Girls Club of America, March of Dimes, and Habitat for Humanity.

In addition to Senators Coons and Lankford, the Charitable Act is supported by Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), John Curtis (R-Utah), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), and Tim Scott (R-S.C.).

“Nonprofits are the backbone of our communities, addressing critical needs and enhancing the quality of life for all. The Charitable Act is a vital step in restoring a proven incentive that encourages generosity and empowers nonprofits to meet growing demands, even in challenging times. We applaud Senators Lankford and Coons for their leadership and steadfast commitment to strengthening the nonprofit sector, ensuring we can continue to deliver essential services and drive positive change,” said Sheila Bravo, President and CEO, Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement.

“Bravo to Senators Lankford and Coons on this much-needed support for America’s nonprofits. They both understand from personal experience the key role the nonprofit sector plays both as a provider of critical services to millions of Americans and as a major employer in Oklahoma and nationwide. In this era of historic inflation and ever-rising costs, the need for nonprofit services has not declined—in fact, we are needed more than ever. The Charitable Act will help recreate an environment of years past where charitable givers at every level can feel incentivized and appreciated—after all, we are all in this together,” said Marnie Taylor, President & CEO, Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits. 

“Faith & Giving heartily thanks and commends Senators James Lankford and Chris Coons for reintroducing the Charitable Act to restore a charitable deduction for taxpayers who do not itemize. Giving by individuals is the financial lifeblood of many thousands of American faith communities and faith-based organizations. Yet since 2017 individual giving to religion has fallen billions of dollars short of keeping pace with inflation. No single policy is more important for restoring the health of individual giving and faith-based charities than a non-itemizer charitable deduction like the one Congress created to stimulate giving in 2020 and 2021,” Brian Walsh, Executive Director, Faith & Giving. 

“Nonprofits need tools like the nonitemizer deduction proposed by the Charitable Act to meet growing and changing community needs,” said YMCA of the USA President and CEO Suzanne McCormick. “We saw this policy unlock more giving when it was enacted temporarily during the pandemic, and we know that making it permanent will help YMCAs serve and support more neighbors every day. Senators Lankford and Coons recognize the important role nonprofits play in communities and understand that the universal charitable deduction helps nonprofits like the Y make their communities stronger. I’m grateful for their leadership.”

“The temporary non-itemizer charitable deduction implemented in 2020 and 2021 led to an additional $18 billion in donations to nonprofits. As nonprofits are faced with higher demand for services, increased costs, workforce challenges, and declining donations, the Charitable Act presents an opportunity to reinstate that incentive and provide nonprofits with more resources to carry out their mission. The networks of the National Council of Nonprofits enthusiastically endorse this vital legislation and appreciate leaders like Senator Lankford and Senator Coons who continue to be stalwart champions for these efforts and the nonprofit sector,” said Diane Yentel, President & CEO, National Council of Nonprofits.

“Generosity is a core American value that should be incentivized to help meet the evolving needs of communities,” said Kathleen Enright, Council on Foundations President and CEO. “The temporary non-itemizer deduction in the CARES Act successfully sparked more people to give. We hope Congress will cement this effective policy into law and inspire many more generous Americans to give charitably to support one another and the causes they value. We thank the House and Senate sponsors of the Charitable Act for their leadership on this issue.”

For quotes from other organizations and non-profit leaders, please click here.

Senator Coons, colleagues introduce bipartisan legislation to support firefighters with service-related cancers

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) reintroduced the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act. This bipartisan legislation, which passed unanimously out of the Senate Judiciary Committee last year, would expand federal support for the families of firefighters and other first responders who pass away or become permanently disabled from service-related cancers. The Public Safety Officer Benefits (PSOB) program—which provides benefits to first responders injured in the line of duty and to their families—currently extends protection to first responders suffering from a narrow list of injuries and illnesses. This bill would expand PSOB coverage to more first responders and their families.

“Firefighters face many life-threatening health risks. Not all of them move as swiftly as a heart attack, but families are no less deserving of benefits if they lose their loved ones to cancers they were exposed to the line of duty,” said Senator Coons. “We need to close this loophole in the PSOB program so that the families of firefighters and first responders who lost their lives due to service-related cancers or face severe disabilities receive the benefits they deserve.”

“As we are seeing in California and throughout the country, our firefighters put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe, often exposing themselves to carcinogens that can have lethal long-term effects. It’s unacceptable that firefighters who succumb to cancer from work-related exposure or become permanently and totally disabled don’t receive the same treatment as others who die in the line of duty,” said Senator Klobuchar. “Our bipartisan legislation will honor the memory and sacrifice of St. Paul Fire Department Captain Mike Paidar and so many others who risk their lives in service of their communities.”

“Our first responders epitomize courage and selfless sacrifice, confronting both the immediate perils of their duty and lingering health risks associated with their service,” said Senator Cramer. “The exposure to dangerous carcinogens happens on our behalf. When these heroes make the ultimate sacrifice, their families should not bear these burdens alone.”

The Honoring our Fallen Heroes Act would expand access to federal support for the families of firefighters and first responders who pass away from cancer caused by carcinogenic exposure during their service. The bill would also extend disability benefits in cases where these first responders become permanently and totally disabled due to cancer.

This legislation was introduced in honor of Michael Paidar, a fire captain who died in 2020 of an aggressive form of Acute Myeloid Leukemia. In 2021, after strong advocacy from the Paidar family, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety awarded line-of-duty benefits to Captain Paidar’s widow, Julie. This was the first time that Minnesota’s state PSOB program provided a firefighter’s family with benefits for cancer incurred in the line of duty. The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act would ensure that firefighters and other first responders across the country are eligible to receive similar benefits under the federal PSOB program. 

In addition to Senators Coons, Klobuchar, and Cramer, this bill is also co-sponsored by Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

The legislation is endorsed by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies (ASCIA), Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI), Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA), Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA), Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association (Metro Chiefs), National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), National Narcotics Officers’ Associations Coalition (NNOAC), National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), and the Sergeants Benevolent Association of the NYPD. 

A full list of endorsement quotes is available here.

Senator Coons has long-advocated for firefighters and first responders’ health, benefits, safety, and well-being. He worked to pass the bipartisan Fire Grants and Safety Act, which was signed into law by President Biden in 2023, and helps local fire departments access funding for training, personnel, and equipment—all of which are especially in demand from small and volunteer fire departments. He also cosponsored the Protecting America’s First Responders Act, which was signed into law in 2021, and improved the PSOB program by allowing benefit amounts to be calculated based on the date of the award and account for cost of living increases. In 2022, he introduced the Fighting Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Act, a bipartisan bill to promote mental health programs for America’s first responders, who often face long-term effects from providing life-saving services in moments of crisis.

Ranking Member Coons statement on leadership of Defense Appropriations Subcommittee

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) issued the following statement upon the announcement that he would be the Ranking Member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense for the 119th Congress:

“Around the world today we face real threats to our nation and the post-World War Two international order that has provided us with decades of peace, prosperity, and security. Our security is threatened both by authoritarian adversaries like Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea, and from a rising tide of isolationism here at home.  

As the senior Democrat on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I will work every day so that the robust American engagement with the world that has kept us safe for so long continues. I will make sure that our military remains the most capable and lethal fighting force in the world and has the weapons and resources required to project our values and defend our interests from the Arctic to Africa, from the Indo-Pacific to the North Atlantic. Lastly, I will send a clear message to the brave men and women of our armed forces, our intelligence services, and in our foreign services who serve every day without fear or favor: we have your back.

“I look forward to partnering with Senator McConnell who will chair this crucial subcommittee. Senator McConnell has long been dedicated to a strong defense and to ensuring we continue to defend our critical global network of allies and partners.”

Senators Coons, Blunt Rochester, Congresswoman McBride statement on Trump federal spending directive

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester and Congresswoman Sarah McBride (all D-Del.) released the following statement in response to President Trump’s late-night directive unilaterally freezing federal funding appropriated by Congress:

“This blatantly unconstitutional directive will cause massive harm to Delawareans. Police and fire departments up and down the state will go unfunded. Military families stationed at Dover Air Force Base will lose access to critical programs, construction projects will go unfinished as workers are laid off, community health centers will be unable to provide critical primary care, opioid overdoses will rise as prevention programs end, and children of working families will go hungry when free lunch programs stop.

“These are not partisan programs. They are exactly what the vast majority of Americans want our government to be funding. With the stroke of a pen, President Trump defunded programs already signed into law and has made Delaware and every other state across the country less safe, less healthy, and less stable.

“We are hearing throughout the day from leaders and constituents across Delaware in state and local government, education, and the non-profit sectors concerned about this directive and are working to address their concerns. We have spoken with Attorney General Jennings about her prompt legal action against this unconstitutional directive and are grateful for her partnership. President Trump must immediately repeal this disastrous policy and return federal funding to working order. We will not stand by while our state suffers.”

Senator Coons is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.