[VIDEO] Sen. Coons on the path forward to pass a DACA fix

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) today joined MSNBC’s Kasie Hunt to discuss the path forward on DACA.

“What appeals to our base for some primary several years from now is not what I’m worried about. I’m worried about how to solve real problems and my gut is at the end of the day, that is what people are looking for in a next national leader as well. So, for my colleagues who are hoping that they might be on the ticket in 2020, I don’t think simply moving further and further to left is the best way to accomplish that. I think showing we can solve big problems is the way to encourage people to believe that Democrats belong in control of the Congress and back in the White House,” said Senator Coons.

“If he can just let the Senate be the Senate, let us work together for two weeks and find a solution, I think in the end, he might be on the path to sign into law something that gets the border security investment that he wants and he ran on, and a solution to the DACA problem that he says he also wants,” said Senator Coons.  

Full video and audio available here.

Sen. Coons on reopening the government: Well, I think a piece of it was that you had 15 and then 20 and then 25 senators, Democrats and Republicans, spending hours together over the last few days being direct, being honest, listening to each other about how we move forward. Part of it, yes, was talking about how do we get a pathway towards resolving DACA, the Dreamer status, how do we allow the young people part of the community to have a path toward citizenship and invest in border security. But the bigger conversation was about how do we fix the Senate and do appropriations bills on time, where we don’t have a whole menu of programs like community health centers or children’s health insurance or disaster relief or defense funding that’s been waiting and waiting for month after month which is where we were last Friday. After the weekend spent together, we had more trust than expected and that allowed us to agree it was worth risking reopening and then working hard together on a solution. 

Sen. Coons on next steps: I’m hopeful that President Trump is saying to them, folks, I may have run as a hardline anti-immigrant candidate but to govern as president, I need to bring people together and find a bipartisan solution. And I hope he’s preparing them for the fact that if we get a bipartisan bill out of the Senate, the President will embrace it. That may not be what is happening. My new year’s resolution was to be hopeful. It’s a very rosy picture. But they may inspire the President to do the opposite. To engage in a hard-edged way that will make this debate much more difficult. Just two weeks ago, we saw that division, the same President on Tuesday bringing in a bipartisan group, said we need to solve this issue and — I think he said I want to sign a bill of love. And then Thursday Trump, after talking to the hardliners in a famously vulgar exchange, trashed the whole thing and created the crisis that led to this weekend’s shutdown. If he can just let the Senate be the Senate, let us work together for two weeks and find a solution, I think in the end, he might be on the path to sign into law something that gets the border security investment that he wants and he ran on, and a solution to the DACA problem that he says he also wants. But if he divides the Senate again, it will be very difficult for us to make progress. 

More on Trump: I pray and hope that he wants to be a successful President and I think to be successful he has to have a Congress that takes up and tackles big issues rather than a divisive President who merely inflames the worst instincts in the American people. 

Sen. Coons on the Democratic Party: I know what the people of Delaware asked me to do overwhelmingly, which is to come here and try to find solutions. I spent a huge amount of time this weekend meeting with and listening to individual senators, Republicans and Democrats, and then with a larger and larger group of Republicans and Democrats. What appeals to our base for some primary several years from now is not what I’m worried about. I’m worried about how to solve real problems and my gut is at the end of the day, that is what people are looking for in a next national leader as well. So, for my colleagues who are hoping that they might be on the ticket in 2020, I don’t think simply moving further and further to left is the best way to accomplish that. I think showing we can solve big problems is the way to encourage people to believe that Democrats belong in control of the Congress and back in the White House. 

Sen. Coons on an immigration bill: As you know all too well, five years ago a group of us worked for an enormous amount of time, I was a more junior senator, I was on the Judiciary Committee, and we had a three-week long markup and passed a big immigration reform bill, it got 68 votes, Republicans and Democrats. Went to the House and they never took it up. It just died. And by the way, ironically back then dealing with DACA, dealing with Dreamers was seen at the easiest of all of the hard issues. So, that this is now the hardest issue suggests just how far the politics have moved. It will be very difficult for Speaker Ryan to put a bill on the floor without the majority of his caucus unless he has support from the President. And with support from the President, he can do this. And if he doesn’t, he can’t. So, the President will decide two or three weeks from now, does he want to lead the country and solve big problems. Millions of people voted for him believing that is who he would be as President and at times he has shown some skill in that. And at times he’s shown the exact opposite. 

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[VIDEO] Sen. Coons: “If the President is not going to be constructive, we need him to stay out of this”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined CNN New Day this morning to discuss the government shutdown.

“There is not a lot of trust here. That’s how we got here. President Trump very famously in a vulgar exchange more than ten days ago now rejected a strong bipartisan deal that would have moved us forward. If the President is not going to be constructive, we need him to stay out of this and let the Senate be the Senate and resolve it. And I dedicated all of yesterday to meeting with Republicans to try and rebuild that trust,” said Senator Coons. 

Full video and audio available here.

Excerpts from the interview below:

Sen. Coons on whether the government will reopen today:  I hope that it will. We should end this government shutdown. What brought us into this was the chaos of trying to negotiate with President Trump over a number of important issues. As you well know, we’ve got undone homework in the Senate. We haven’t resolved for months funding disaster relief for hurricanes and wildfires, reauthorizing community health centers and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, addressing DACA and border security, and coming up with an agreement for how much we will invest in defense. 

More on the shutdown: We are going to have a caucus meeting where we will consider what is the final offer on the table from the Republicans. I am hopeful we can move forward. But we need to have a commitment we can in fact, move forward on all of these things. It is progress that Majority Leader McConnell said last night that DACA and border security are important, and we will proceed to them. But, what does that mean? If you’re negotiating to buy a car, it is good enough to have agreed on the price. But, at some point, you have to look at the details. So, we have to look at the details right now.

More on the shutdown: If I can trust that we will in fact, in the next three weeks resolve, and we’re very close to having resolved, Children’s Health Insurance Program, we can do that today. Community health centers, we can do that today. That there will be a vote on a strong bipartisan deal on DACA and border security. And, that we can deal with investment in defense and domestic priorities. I’ll remind you on Friday, the Department of Defense said no more short-term CRs. We need to move forward with funding the Department of Defense. That’s why Republicans joined us Friday night in rejecting a 30-day CR. 

Sen. Coons on defense funding: And I’ll remind you, we Democrats offered a three-day CR so we could stay here all weekend, hammer out the details, and reopen on Monday. That was rejected. And Senator McCaskill of Missouri, who’s a strong advocate for our military, offered an amendment that would ensure our armed forces got paid during any shutdown, that there wouldn’t be interruption for them. That was rejected. There is not a lot of trust here. That’s how we got here. President Trump very famously in a vulgar exchange more than ten days ago now rejected a strong bipartisan deal that would have moved us forward. If the President is not going to be constructive, we need him to stay out of this and let the Senate be the Senate and resolve it. And I dedicated all of yesterday to meeting with Republicans to try and rebuild that trust. 

More on Republicans: One of the challenges we have as a body is that there are several members who are part of this negotiating group who pretty famously had promises from Leader McConnell that certain things would happen by certain dates. And, frankly, those promises weren’t kept. 

More on McConnell: I’m seeking reassurances from Republicans in his caucus that they will also insist on this process, on moving forward. I think we can get there today. I will continue working on it. But I’ve got to have trust that we are committed to solving all of these problems, which we can. 

More on the shutdown: I think if you also ask the question, what is your highest priority, making sure we invest more in our Department of Defense while we are conducting combat operations around the world and investing more in domestic priorities like access to higher education and rebuilding our roads. That would be even higher. 

Sen. Coons on the path ahead for Democrats: I think Democrats need to show that we are willing to work hard across the aisle to move forward, but that we are going to get these things resolved. And I’ll remind you, we are months overdue in a Republican-controlled Congress in addressing things that affect tens of millions, hundreds of millions of Americans from the opioid crisis to disaster relief to community health centers to Children’s Health Insurance Programs. We spent months, while Republicans tried unsuccessfully to repeal the Affordable Care Act and tried, ultimately successfully, to pass a $1.5 trillion tax cut bill. That’s what they have been doing, and they have left these important pieces of homework undone. I believe in the goodwill of the Republicans I’ve been negotiating this weekend that we can get all of these done in the short-term. Let’s hope we can move forward today. 

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Sens. Coons, Isakson statement on WTO decision that duties imposed by China on American chicken are unfair

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), co-chairs of the Senate Chicken Caucus, released the following statement in the wake of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) ruling yesterday that China has failed to comply with an earlier ruling faulting them for anti-dumping and countervailing duties imposed on U.S. chicken imports.

“We are very pleased with the World Trade Organization’s decision supporting our position that duties imposed by China on U.S. chicken products are unfair and harmful to American famers. As co-chairs of the Senate Chicken Caucus, we take unfair duties on U.S. poultry very seriously. China has imposed duties on U.S. chicken since 2010 and has been faulted by the WTO for them before. Despite China’s continued efforts to justify these duties, this latest decision from the WTO indicates that their rationale is not effective and their duties are, quite simply, an unfair trade practice. The economic health of America’s agricultural sector is directly tied to its access to foreign markets, and China should be held accountable for failing to abide by international trade agreements and effectively closing their market to American chicken farmers.”

Sen. Coons, Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers File Brief in Crucially Important Supreme Court Privacy Case

Washington, DC— Today, Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Chris Coons (D-DE), together with Representative Doug Collins (R-GA) and other bipartisan members of Congress, filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in United States v. Microsoft Corp., also known as the Microsoft Ireland case. This crucially important case involves US law enforcement’s authority to compel internet service providers and others to disclose information stored outside the United States to US law enforcement. Hatch and his colleagues argue in the brief that the Court should not interpret federal law to reach overseas in this way but should instead allow Congress to address the issue legislatively. In particular, Hatch and his colleagues point to Hatch’s bipartisan International Communications Privacy Act, or ICPA, as a commonsense solution that properly balances the various privacy, security, and law enforcement interests involved.

“Congress is working hard to address the issue of law enforcement access to data stored abroad,” Hatch said. “Our bipartisan brief explains why the Court should allow Congress to complete its legislative work on this issue rather than jumping in and twisting federal law to reach outcomes Congress never intended or contemplated. As I’ve long said, the question of whether and when law enforcement’s authority should reach overseas is a policy question for Congress, not the courts. My bipartisan International Communications Privacy Act resolves this question in a balanced, comprehensive way, and I urge the Court to allow my colleagues and me to complete our work rather than rendering a decision that will upend legislative efforts and create substantial problems for service providers and their customers.” 

Highlights from the brief include:

“This Court has long recognized that Congress ordinarily intends for its acts to apply only within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States. That understanding is embodied in the ‘presumption against extraterritoriality’—an important canon of statutory construction intended to reserve to Congress, rather than the courts, the complex and consequential policy decision of whether and in what circumstances federal law should reach beyond the nation’s borders.” (p. 2)

“The Solicitor General also argues that [federal law] should be interpreted to authorize the seizure of data stored outside the United States in order to avoid undermining law enforcement and national security interests. Those interests are undeniably important. But those policy considerations—all of which are the product of technological developments that significantly post-date the [statute’s] enactment—do not justify distorting the [statute] to apply in circumstances that Congress neither considered nor intended. Congress, not this Court, is the appropriate branch to address the Solicitor General’s concerns—through affirmative legislation. Indeed, there is growing bipartisan support within Congress for enacting a comprehensive framework to govern the circumstances in which a warrant may be utilized to secure access to data stored overseas. Whether and to what extent such a procedure should be authorized is a prerogative reserved to Congress.” (pp. 3-4)

“ICPA is designed to balance the ‘many interests that must be recognized when law enforcement agencies seek information from providers . . . .’ ICPA balances these interests first by clarifying that the government can compel disclosure of ‘the contents of a wire or electronic communication that is stored, held, or maintained by the provider . . . only pursuant to a warrant issued using the procedures described in the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure’ or in accordance with state law. ICPA then authorizes the government to compel disclosure of data stored outside the United States in certain circumstances. . . . Because extraterritorial application of U.S. law can create conflict with foreign law, ICPA balances the need for U.S. law enforcement agencies to obtain communications of non-U.S. persons with the importance of avoiding offense to foreign countries.” (pp. 33-34)  

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Carper, Coons Statement on the Trump Administration’s Proposal to Expand Oil and Gas Drilling off the Coast of Delaware

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tom Carper, top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) submitted the following statement ahead of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) workshop in Dover, Delaware regarding the Trump Administration’s recent proposal to revise the current 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program (Five-Year Plan) and potentially expand offshore oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic Ocean. Under the current Five-Year plan, which was finalized in November 2016, no expanded oil and gas drilling is allowed off the Atlantic or Pacific Coasts. 

“Delaware is home to 28 miles of coastline that includes beautiful beaches, vibrant communities and thriving businesses that are critical to our state’s economy. Many of our local economies rely on fishing, tourism and recreational activities that depend on a healthy coast. The Trump Administration’s proposal, released earlier this month, to revisit the offshore drilling program three years ahead of schedule and potentially expand oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic is shortsighted. This decision ignores the input of both scientists and coastal residents and unnecessarily jeopardizes the environmental and economic well-being of the entire East Coast, including the First State.

“This is not a partisan issue. Republican governors and lawmakers from states up and down the East Coast also recognize that this is the wrong move. Recently, after facing opposition from Republican Governor Rick Scott of Florida, the Trump Administration decided to exempt only that state from this potential drilling expansion. That is wrong. Florida may have more coastline than our state and be home the president’s beach resort, but Delawareans deserve to have their voices heard just as much as Floridians.

“Delaware’s beaches bring in $6.9 billion each year and support 10 percent of our state’s workforce. An oil spill off our coast would be devastating, resulting in severe environmental and financial costs that would last for generations.

“We urge President Trump and Interior Secretary Zinke to listen to the coastal residents who will be most impacted by this decision, abandon this proposal and maintain the coastal protections outlined in the current Five-Year plan.” 

[VIDEO] Sen. Coons on Graham-Durbin immigration deal: “I think if that gets to the floor, it gets 60 votes. The question is whether the President can hear yes”

Sen. Coons: House CR “doesn’t address things that all of us are looking to solve, community health centers, disaster relief funding and DACA”

Sen. Coons: “I hope in the time we still have, the days between now and Friday, that Republican and Democratic leaders will sit down and hammer out the framework of a deal the President will sign off on.”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, last night joined CNN’s Wolf Blitzer to discuss possible government shutdown and DACA.

“Here’s the good news I think in the Senate, there is a bipartisan bill that’s been hammered out by Senator Graham, Senator Durbin, six senators, Democrat and Republican, that makes the critical investments in controlling the border and border security, that the Department of Homeland Security, the Trump Administration, asked for this year and that would solve DACA, the dreamer problem. I think if that gets on the floor, it gets 60 votes. The question is whether the President can hear yes when he’s the one who invited this group into the White House a week ago Tuesday and asked them to come up with a deal,” said Senator Coons. 

Full audio and video available here. 

Excerpts from the interview: 

Sen. Coons on General Kelly: That’s a gracious way for General Kelly, the chief of staff, to say that what Trump was getting people to chant at his campaign rallies was implausible and unrealistic. The idea we would build a concrete wall that stretches 2,000 miles from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean and get Mexico to pay for it was an implausible campaign promise at best. What he’s now saying is not only was that uninformed but also unworkable. That’s not a credible solution to securing the border. Here’s the good news I think in the Senate, there is a bipartisan bill that’s been hammered out by Senator Graham, Senator Durbin, six senators, Democrat and Republican, that makes the critical investments in controlling the border and border security, that the Department of Homeland Security, the Trump Administration, asked for this year and that would solve DACA, the dreamer problem. I think if that gets on the floor, it gets 60 votes. The question is whether the President can hear yes when he’s the one who invited this group into the White House a week ago Tuesday and asked them to come up with a deal.

Sen. Coons on government shutdown: It’s never happened that the government has shut down when it’s controlled by one party. When one party has the House, the Senate and the White House. And your earlier reporting made it clear House Republicans who have the majority are struggling to get enough votes to pass their preferred version of a temporary funding bill. Even that version doesn’t address things that all of us are looking to solve, community health centers, disaster relief funding and DACA. I hope in the time we still have, the days between now and Friday, that Republican and Democratic leaders will sit down and hammer out the framework of a deal the President will sign off on. If he won’t, he’s the author of this mess, he’s the one who blew up this week and, frankly, the shutdown will be on him.

Sen. Coons on North Korea: Absolutely. I think this was a very constructive statement. For President Trump to recognize what many of us have been briefed on, which is that North Korea is managing to evade China’s partnership with the United States and the world community in enforcing sanctions to try to squeeze their economy, that Russia is actually helping them evade those sanctions, that’s an important step forward for President Trump to recognize publicly, that Vladimir Putin’s Russian regime is not just being unhelpful but is undermining our national security.

Sen. Coons on Bannon and the Mueller investigation: Very significant. He played a very important role in the campaign, in the transition, in decisions in the early days of the administration. In fact, I think he still has some real sway in this administration even after his falling out with President Trump. If you just look at the actions of last week. I’ll remind you, he may not be in front of a Grand Jury, but my attorneys advised me that federal statute provides he would still face perjury charge if he were to be untruthful in testifying in front of the Special Counsel’s investigators, and I think he’s got a lot to testify about.

More on the Russia probe: Look, it’s been reported about Steve Bannon’s testimony to the House Intelligence Committee that he was consulting with the White House during his testimony, that he was asserting some sort of executive privilege that would have attached to his service on the campaign and the transition. Even conservative Republican Trey Gaudy recognized that that is twisting executive privilege out of all recognition. Republicans and Democrats promptly subjected him to a subpoena. I think it’s important that we will have clear direction on the Judiciary Committee and the Intelligence Committee about what the contours are of executive privilege. The White House has to assert it. It’s the executive who has the privilege they can assert, not former employees.

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Senator Coons announces Class of 2022 U.S. Service Academy nominations

DOVER, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons today announced his U.S. Service Academy nominations for the Class of 2022. Three students have earned the Senator’s principal nomination and will be offered academy appointments should they meet all medical, physical and academic requirements. Senator Coons has also submitted the names of 23 additional outstanding young Delawareans for consideration. Senator Coons also nominated 10 individuals to the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

“Nominating these gifted young men and women to the U.S. Service Academies is a sincere honor and a responsibility that I take very seriously,” Senator Coons said. “The next few years will be challenging – academically, mentally and physically – but I am confident in their ability to rise to the challenge and to come through this experience well-equipped to join the ranks of America’s finest military officers.”

Principal Nominees:

• United States Naval Academy,  Annapolis, Maryland
• Principal Nominee: Nicholas Graham of Wilmington, Delaware Military Academy

• United States Air Force Academy,  Colorado Springs, Colorado
• Principal Nominee: Robert Vadnais of Newark, St. Mark’s High School

• United States Military Academy at West Point, West Point, New York
• Principal Nominee:  Alyssa Spell of Lewes, Cape Henlopen High School

Alternate Nominees:

• Alex Angell of Selbyville, Sussex Technical High School
• Ellen Banker of Wilmington, Padua Academy
• Elise Buonopane of Wilmington, Delaware Military Academy
• Rachel Carlton of Newark, Caravel Academy
• Kathryn Certesio of Newark, Delaware Military Academy
• Madison Cook of Camden, Caesar Rodney High School
• Michael Devine of Wilmington, Archmere Academy
• Steven Ferrandino of Dover, Caesar Rodney High School
• Grace Lombardi of Bear, Red Lion Christian Academy
• Mary McCann of Hockessin, Charter School of Wilmington
• Dylan Norman of Seaford, Seaford High School
• Aidan O’Connor of Wyoming, Caesar Rodney High School
• Cooper Pampuch of Wilmington, Delaware Military Academy
• Jack Windham of Dover, St. Thomas More Academy
• Jacob Wandless of Magnolia, Polytech High School
• Jack Whittam of Lewes, Cape Henlopen High School
• Andrew Zimmerman of Magnolia, Caesar Rodney High School

United States Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point:

• Alex Angell of Selbyville, Sussex Technical High School
• Kevin Bryan of Wilmington, Delaware Military Academy
• Kathryn Certesio of Newark, Delaware Military Academy
• Markus Cook of Bear, Delaware Military Academy
• Helen Davis of Dagsboro, Indian River High School
• Michael Devine of Wilmington, Archmere Academy
• Chris Trentham of Middletown, Delaware Military Academy
• Jacob Wandless of Magnolia, Polytech High School

Senator Coons’ Service Academy Selection Board interviewed each applicant and made recommendations to the Senator. The Board, appointed by the Senator, is comprised of:  Karen Berry, Ron Frazier, Heath Gehrke, Larry Henigan, Scott Kessel, Fran Mahon and Terry Wright.

“I am deeply grateful to the members of my Service Academy Selection Board for volunteering their time to interview the talented Delawareans who wanted to serve their country,” Senator Coons said. “Their counsel was invaluable, and I appreciate their service.”

For additional information regarding service academy nominations, visit coons-staging.creativengine.com/learn/academies.

[VIDEO] Sen. Coons discusses potential shutdown on Morning Joe: “Once again…the President is sort of jerking the wheel of the bus of our nation left and right, left and right”

Sen. Coons: Secretary Nielsen’s testimony “suggested that part of being a loyal Cabinet member is not being truthful, even in sworn testimony before a Senate committee”

Sen. Coons: “I think it’s clearly the President’s responsibility that he couldn’t hear yes on a strong bipartisan group of senators made tough compromises and delivered the deal that he was looking for”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined MSNBC’s Morning Joe to discuss the possible government shutdown and immigration. 

“There’s millions of Americans who voted for Donald Trump thinking, based on his business experience, based on his long record of getting big projects done in New York City and elsewhere, from his early days fixing the Wollman Rink to his accomplishments in business at least as they perceived them, they thought he’d be able to bring folks together and move us past some of these long, difficult, divisive issues. That’s who we saw last Tuesday when he chose to bring a big, bipartisan group into the White House and say ‘bring me a deal, I’ll sign it, I’ll take the heat.’ And, as Senator Graham said yesterday, who knows where that guy went.”

Full audio and video are available here.

Excerpts from the interview below: 

Sen. Coons on the DHS Secretary’s testimony: Well, that was a remarkable hearing yesterday. One in which a secretary, a Cabinet member, who was actually in the room, kept saying that she didn’t know things that we all know to be true – the idea that Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen couldn’t confirm that Norway is majority white, couldn’t confirm that she knew what sort of obscenities the President had used, and what they meant, suggested that part of being a loyal Cabinet member is not being truthful, even in sworn testimony before a Senate committee. It was a divisive and difficult hearing. It had initially been scheduled for us to do oversight on some very important matters: disaster relief to Puerto Rico, the wall and what we should do, immigration policy. I’m encouraged that Senator Lindsey Graham and Senator Dick Durbin presented a really strong and bipartisan compromise to the President and gravely concerned that the President, who welcomed them last Tuesday, threw this out the door and created such a mess last Thursday. And this hearing was just one of the pieces of the wreckage. 

Sen. Coons on the motive to lie: I think you’re right, and I think what’s disheartening is that we’ve got really important work that we should be doing together. I think there’s millions of Americans who voted for Donald Trump thinking, based on his business experience, based on his long record of getting big projects done in New York City and elsewhere, from his early days fixing the Wollman Rink to his accomplishments in business at least as they perceived them. They thought he’d be able to bring folks together and move us past some of these long, difficult, divisive issues. That’s who we saw last Tuesday when he chose to bring a big, bipartisan group into the White House and say ‘bring me a deal, I’ll sign it, I’ll take the heat.’ And, as Senator Graham said yesterday, who knows where that guy went. The meeting on Thursday where other senators were present, was divisive and difficult, it wasn’t the first time, and sadly it’s probably not the last time our President will use racially insensitive or balding racist language and that’s blowing this whole thing up, making it far more difficult for us to keep the government funded, to find a resolution to disaster funding, to CHIP, to community health centers, and to dreamers and DACA. That’s what we got hired to do here. And, the folks who are being let down are the American people. This hurts our reputation globally and it makes it hard for us to work together on anything. 

More on the deal: That can only happen with Presidential leadership. Once again, we face a moment where the President is sort of jerking the wheel of the bus of our nation left and right, left and right. He could say, I’ve thought about it, I’ve looked at it, and frankly this deal with one little tweak is something I can sign off on and we need to keep the government open. It’s his job, he is the President of the United States, he and his party control the Congress. If this government shuts down because the Republican majority in the House can’t get enough votes to pass their proposal or because the President can’t accept the very deal he asked for and was brought back to him having met the former criteria he laid out, then I think it’s clearly the President’s responsibility that he couldn’t hear yes on a strong bipartisan group of senators made tough compromises and delivered the deal that he was looking for. 

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Sens. Carper, Coons join legislation to restore net neutrality

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) joined 48 of their colleagues in the Senate in supporting legislation to overturn the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) recent vote to repeal the net neutrality rule, officially known as the 2015 Open Internet Order, which the D.C. Circuit Court upheld in 2016. The Open Internet Order prohibited internet service providers from blocking, slowing down, or discriminating against content online. Repealing the net neutrality rules could lead to higher prices for consumers, slower internet traffic, and even blocked websites.

The legislation, which is being led by Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and now has the support of the entire Senate Democratic caucus, would rescind the FCC’s decision and fully restore the Open Internet Order. CRA resolutions allow Congress to overturn regulatory actions at federal agencies with a simple majority vote in both chambers. In accordance with the Congressional Review Act, the Senators will formally introduce the resolution after the rule is submitted to both houses of Congress and published in the federal register and then vote within 60 legislative days.

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Sen. Coons statement on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“On what would be the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 89th birthday, I joined the Delaware State Bar Association, the A. Philip Randolph Institute, Delaware State University and Raising Kings annual events to remark and reflect on Rev. King’s life and legacy. We discussed how Rev. King was able to make the sacrifices that he did for our nation.

“Rev. King chose hope. Hope in an environment where there was no rational reason to have any. He was faced with opposition and violence rooted in racism. There was no reason for him to believe in the promise of America. He could have turned his back in hatred on a nation that had disrespected and deserted him and millions of others.

“Instead, he pulled us forward, insisting on righteous impatience. Righteous impatience that was rooted in love and hope. As Americans, we should be determined to show that same spirit in extending a hand to those who have different political priorities or views. We should challenge ourselves to be willing to forgive those who repent, to be reconciled with those who have done wrong.

“If Rev. King were here today, he would urge us to remain hopeful but to maintain that righteous impatience. He would insist on progress towards seeing, confronting and healing the very deep divisions in our nation. 

“It is my New Year’s resolution to be more hopeful, to believe in the possibility of progress, even when times seem so difficult. The best way to celebrate the lasting legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is to continue to confront racism wherever we experience it, to speak truth to power, and remain open to loving our enemies in the hope that we will yet find a way forward together.” 

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