New Delaware delegation celebrates over $13 million in federal funding for critical infrastructure project

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester and Congresswoman Sarah McBride (all D-Del.) today celebrated over $13 million in federal funding coming home to Delaware as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program, a program funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

This funding will be used to elevate the 58-year-old bridge on State Route 9 over Red Lion Creek, ensuring it lies above the 50-year Federal Emergency Management Agency stillwater elevation – the water level observed during major flood events. This project is critical for Delaware, a state extremely vulnerable to flooding, especially along its coastline.

“When it comes to severe weather caused by climate change, Delaware is on the front lines with unprecedented flooding and rising sea levels, and this project is vital to protect both the First State’s communities and our economy,” said Senator Coons. “This $13 million RAISE grant from the Biden-Harris administration will help make the Route 9 corridor safer for travelers while addressing flood events exacerbated by climate change. I look forward to continuing to work with Senator Blunt Rochester and Congresswoman McBride to fight for more investments like this one in the future that deliver for Delawareans.”

“I am grateful to the U.S. Department of Transportation for awarding a RAISE Grant of over $13 million for critical improvements along State Route 9,” said Senator Blunt Rochester. “Delaware is the lowest-lying state in the nation by mean elevation, making us especially susceptible to the impacts of the climate crisis. Those include more frequent and severe extreme weather events and flooding, which have made State Route 9 impassable at times. This federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – which I was proud to champion in Congress – will go a long way toward making this critical piece of our state’s infrastructure more resilient for many years to come. Thank you to the Biden-Harris administration for this important investment in the First State’s economy and long-term safety.”

“I’m so thrilled that the Delaware Department of Transportation has been awarded over $13 million from the RAISE Grant program to ensure that Route 9 remains a vital corridor for our state,” said Congresswoman McBride. “Every year, Delawareans face washed-out roads, worsened by climate change and a rising sea level. Route 9 has connected dozens of our rural communities and small towns to good-paying jobs and provided access for all of us to enjoy recreation in our wildlife areas. This grant will help to raise the bridge that connects vital communities in Delaware, Bear to Delaware City, bridge 1-305 over the Red Lion Creek, to ensure that our communities can maintain connectivity and economic competitiveness for generations to come. I join Delawareans in thanking our favorite neighbor, President Biden, for this critical investment in rebuilding our infrastructure.”

“These federal funds support our efforts to improve the Route 9 corridor and address its vulnerability to flooding and sea level rise,” said Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) Acting Secretary Shanté Hastings. “Making improvements like this new bridge ensures that this roadway will continue to be accessible for decades to come.”

The Delaware River and its tributaries are expected to rise 17 inches by 2050 and nearly 4 feet by the year 2100, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Geological Survey. The new bridge will factor in those sea level rise estimates and add a foot of freeboard for extra protection. The project will also improve safety measurements for the hundreds of cyclists who use the bridge annually and allow for full access to industrial hubs like the Blue Diamond industrial park and the Delaware City Refinery. 

This project is part of DelDOT’s broader $300 million comprehensive Route 9 resiliency program, designed to deliver cost-efficient, comprehensive improvements. 

ICYMI: MSNBC highlights Senator Coons’ efforts to relieve financial burdens for American hostages and wrongful detainees

WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, MSNBC aired a segment today on U.S. Senator Chris Coons’ (D-Del.) legislative efforts to relieve financial burdens faced by American hostages, wrongful detainees, and their families upon returning home. Senator Coons is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. 

Americans who are held abroad as hostages or wrongful detainees face IRS fines and interest for unpaid taxes despite having no ability to pay while imprisoned. Senator Coons first learned of this issue when Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post reporter wrongfully detained for 544 days in Iran, returned home to find he owed tens of thousands in fines and late fees to the IRS. Senator Coons’ bipartisan Stop Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act with Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) cleared the Senate last year but stalled in the House. The senators plan to reintroduce the legislation later this year.

American hostages face widespread financial burdens, including diminished Social Security and retirement benefits, as well as lowered credit scores. Senator Coons remains committed to advancing legislation that addresses these challenges, including:

• The Fair Credit for American Hostages Act with Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) would empower former hostages and detainees to restore credit scores that may have been negatively impacted during their detention. 
• The Retirement Security for American Hostages Act with Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.) would ensure that hostages and wrongful detainees are not penalized in calculating their Social Security benefits. 
• The Countering Wrongful Detention Act with Senator James Risch (R-Idaho) will provide the government with new tools to deter state and non-state actors from wrongfully detaining Americans. Much of this bill was enacted as part of the fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act that President Biden signed in December, but several crucial components remain unpassed.

Ali Vitali: The word that Jason used when I spoke with him was, “This is absurd.”

Senator Coons: It is absurd. This is a simple fix to a problem that you can understand once you sit down and talk to the agency, but Congress should fix this and fix it now. 

Ali Vitali: Especially amid the growing urgency of more Americans wrongfully detained by U.S. adversaries – most recently, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and WNBA star Brittney Griner. 

Senator Coons: A number of countries – authoritarian countries – are seizing Americans and using them as leverage. And so one of our challenges is making sure that we’re connecting with their families.

Jason Rezaian: Our hope – and, you know, we’re a small community of people; several dozen, maybe a couple of hundred, Americans who have been subjected to this kind of hostage-taking – our hope is that people after us don’t have to deal with these sorts of hurdles when they get home, and I don’t think that they need to.

The full segment can be watched here.

Delaware delegation celebrates posthumous award of Presidential Citizens Medal to two Delaware civil rights advocates

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.) today applauded President Joe Biden for posthumously presenting the Presidential Citizens Medal to two civil rights advocates from the First State. 

Judge Collins J. Seitz Sr., and Delaware’s first Black attorney, Louis L. Redding, played substantial roles in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, in which the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of their race was unconstitutional.

“The courage and tenacity shown by Judge Collins J. Seitz Sr., attorney Louis L. Redding, the Bulah Family, and the many people involved in ending racial segregation in public schools was remarkable,” said Senator Carper. “I am proud that Judge Seitz and Louis Redding have been posthumously honored by President Biden for their important role in history.”

“Collins Seitz and Louis Redding were visionaries whose advocacy ensured that Delaware played a leading role in removing the stain of racial segregation from U.S. public education,” said Senator Coons. “These men are heroes and deserving of one of our nation’s highest civilian honors. While I wish Seitz and Redding had been alive to receive these awards themselves, I’m grateful President Biden recognized their contributions to ending segregation that will inspire generations to come.” 

“It is more important now than ever that we tell the full story of our shared history, including the heroic courage of those who helped, as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice,” said Congresswoman Blunt Rochester. “It is fitting that both Judge Collins J. Seitz Sr. and Louis Redding, who each played significant roles in ending racial segregation in public education in Delaware and across the country, are being awarded one of the nation’s highest civilian honors. I am grateful to President Biden for recognizing their achievements in this historic way and for helping to cement their legacies as staunch advocates for racial and educational justice.”

Redding became the first Black attorney admitted to the Delaware bar in 1929, championing civil rights and education equality reforms throughout his career. He played a crucial role arguing against segregation in the landmark cases of Bulah v. Gebhart and Belton v. Gebhart. Judge Seitz’s ruling in the Gebhart cases was combined with cases from other states in an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court that became known as Brown v. Board of Education. Of the five cases that ultimately became part of Brown, Gebhart is unique as it was the only state decision that actually required that Black children be admitted to previously segregated schools. This ruling made Seitz the first judge in America to integrate a previously white-only public school.

The Presidential Citizens Medal is an award granted by the president to Americans “who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.” It is recognized as the second-highest civilian award bestowed by our government.

The Delaware congressional delegation for the 118th Congress, consisting of Senators Carper and Coons and Congresswoman Blunt Rochester, sent a letter last month urging President Biden to posthumously recognize Seitz and Redding, writing, “As you are aware, this year marked the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling. … There is no better moment in time to also honor the life and legacy of two Delawareans whose courageous actions led the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Plessy v. Ferguson doctrine in its 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision.”

In 2022, President Biden signed into law the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park Expansion and Redesignation Act, sponsored by Senator Coons and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.). The act established National Park Service Affiliated Areas in Delaware, Virginia, and the District of Columbia and expanded the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kansas. The legislation was crafted in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Senator Coons statement on the passing of President Jimmy Carter

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement today on the passing of former President Jimmy Carter:

“President Carter was a profoundly decent and ethical man who served our country well during a difficult period.

“He was the most successful former president in my lifetime. Through the Carter Center, he made incredible strides toward the eradication of tropical disease and, building on his legacy as president – particularly the Camp David Accords – promoted conflict resolution and peace-building efforts.

“A longtime Baptist deacon and Sunday school teacher, he never shied away from talking about his commitment to faith or its impact on his politics. I long admired him for his honesty and strong moral compass.

“His death is a loss for our country and world, just as the loss of Rosalynn, the love of his life, was as well. Annie and I extend my deepest sympathies to his children, Jack, James III, Donnel, and Amy; grandchildren; great-grandchildren; and the other members of the Carter family during this difficult time.”

Senators Coons and Risch, Representatives Stevens and Hill celebrate enactment of their bipartisan Countering Wrongful Detention Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and James Risch (R-Idaho) and U.S. Representatives Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) and French Hill (R-Ark.) celebrated President Biden signing their Countering Wrongful Detention Act into law this week. The Countering Wrongful Detention Act creates new tools for the U.S. government to deter states from wrongfully detaining Americans abroad and supports hostages, wrongful detainees, and their families upon their return home.  The bill was passed as part of the fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that President Biden signed into law on Monday.

“President Biden’s enactment of the Countering Wrongful Detention Act is a fitting capstone for his administration’s successful work bringing more than 70 Americans who were wrongfully detained or held hostage overseas safely home,” said Senator Coons. “As we continue our efforts to return every American held unjustly overseas, we must do more to deter this abhorrent practice from taking place at all and provide additional support for families while their loved ones are wrongfully detained. The enactment of this law is a critical step in that direction, and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to ensure Americans are safer as they travel the world.”

“Protecting Americans abroad is an important responsibility of the U.S. government,” said Senator Risch. “Unfortunately, pariahs like Russia, China, Iran, Venezuela, Syria, and others choose to take Americans and others hostage to leverage them for political or financial gain. The United States must create a more effective deterrent to preventing the wrongful detention of Americans abroad. The Countering Wrongful Detention Act creates that deterrence by naming and shaming those who wrongfully detain Americans and tasks the executive branch with creating a strategy to reduce the likelihood of U.S. nationals being unlawfully or wrongfully detained in the future. It is time we put those who wish to do America and its citizens harm on notice. This bill will help us do that and I’m glad to see it become law.”

“The increasing instance of hostage taking by rogue states and bad actors puts Americans traveling overseas at risk,” said Representative Stevens. “In light of the target on Americans’ backs, I’m glad a number of the provisions I authored as part of the Countering Wrongful Detention Act were just signed into law by President Biden as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. This much needed legislation will make it easier for the U.S. government to advocate for the release of hostages and those wrongfully detained, improve travel safety by advising against visiting to regions where hostage-taking is common, and enhance much needed funding for sanctions to deter such actions. For all the Americans wrongfully detained, know we are doing all we can to get you home.”

“We must deter the strong target that is on the backs of blue passport holders,” said Representative Hill. “I am proud that the Countering Wrongful Detention Act was signed into law as a part of this year’s NDAA. This legislation is much needed as it provides the State Department with critical resources to counter this despicable practice of taking and holding an American against their will. As Co-Chair of the Hostage Task Force in the House, I will not stop fighting for all American hostages and wrongful detainees and am pleased that this bill is now law.”

Among other provisions, the bill requires an administration strategy on how to deter and counter wrongful detention; authorizes increased funding to the Departments of State and the Treasury to carry out sanctions related to wrongful detention; and enhances public awareness of travel advisories for high-risk countries. The bill also includes the Privacy Act Waiver form in the U.S. passport application process so that Americans traveling internationally can proactively decide to permit the U.S. government to advocate on their behalf should they be detained by a foreign government. It also establishes timelines for the Secretary of State and relevant Department of State offices to make timely wrongful detention determinations and report on their findings.

The Countering Wrongful Detention Act seeks to empower the U.S. government with tools to deter hostage diplomacy and support U.S. wrongful detainees and their families, including:

• Requiring an administration strategy on how to deter and counter wrongful detention;
• Authorizing increased funding to the Departments of State and the Treasury to carry out sanctions related to wrongful detention;
• Enhancing public awareness of travel advisories for high-risk countries;
• Including the Privacy Act Waiver form in the U.S. passport application process so that Americans traveling internationally can proactively decide to permit the U.S. government to advocate on their behalf should they be detained by a foreign government; and
• Setting timelines for the Secretary of State and relevant Department of State offices to make timely wrongful detention determinations and report on their findings.

Senators Coons and Risch introduced the bill last month. It has been endorsed by New America’s Future Security, the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, Bring Our Families Home Campaign, and Hostage US. 

Senator Coons statement on JUDGES Act veto

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement after President Biden vetoed the Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved (JUDGES) Act of 2024, which would have increased the number of federal district judges in regions of the country facing a dramatic rise in caseloads:

“I am disappointed by this outcome, for my own state and for the federal judges throughout the country struggling under the burden of ever-higher caseloads. I’ve worked on this bill for years, and thanks to tireless bipartisan effort with Senator Young, it made it to the president’s desk. It’s highly unfortunate that it will not become law.

“Senator Young and I took pains to make this a nonpartisan process, structuring the JUDGES Act so that Congress could pass the bill before any of us – Republican or Democrat – knew who would occupy the White House in 2025 and therefore nominate the new federal judges. The Senate did its part by passing the bill unanimously in August; the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, however, waited for election results before moving the bill forward. As a result, the White House is now vetoing this bill.

“Regardless, I remain optimistic about returning to the drawing board next Congress to create the new federal judgeships our country so desperately needs. Some states – Delaware among them – are drowning under rising caseloads, and basing new federal judgeships on the rigorous and objective recommendations of the nonpartisan Judicial Conference of the United States will ease the burdens on their courts and restore swifter access to justice for all Americans.”

Senators Coons and Todd Young (R-Ind.) introduced the bill in April; it passed the Senate by unanimous consent in August and passed the House on Thursday, December 12.

ICYMI: “Democrats will have to be in the mix” in Congress next year, Senator Coons says on CNN’s State of the Union

WILMINGTON, Del. – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) appeared on CNN’s State of the Union with Dana Bashyesterday, where he highlighted how Republicans’ inability to field a governing majority means that Democrats will still play a substantial policy role in Congress next term. 

Congressional Republicans’ struggles to pass a spending bill last week due to defections from their far-right flank that were egged on by billionaire Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump is a forecast of what’s to come, Senator Coons predicted, saying that “it’s going to be difficult for them to pass much of President-elect Trump’s ambitious agenda on straight party-line votes.” As a result, Democrats will have to be partners in the legislative process despite their minority status in the House and Senate, as approving must-pass legislation will continue to be a struggle for Republicans.

Senator Coons also highlighted the role of Musk in instigating some this week’s chaos through early morning tweets and noted that he may have financially benefited from killing the initial bipartisan bill, noting that it contained at least two provisions – one governing outbound U.S. investment in China, and one governing AI-generated revenge porn – that could have harmed his financial stakes in Tesla and Twitter.

Senator Coons: We’re not just going to have President-elect Trump as a billionaire rage-tweeting at 4 a.m.; we’re going to have Elon Musk also injecting instability into how we tackle very complicated and important issues for our country. And while there’s going to be a majority with an “R” next to their name in the House and the Senate and a Republican in the White House, what we saw over the last couple of days is that they don’t agree with each other. What we just saw on this show was a Republican senator from Tennessee and a Republican congressman from Tennessee sharply disagreeing on what should happen with spending going forward and on exactly how it should all play out. You had to ask Senator [Bill] Hagerty, “do you expect a primary threat since you voted against what the president-elect asked for?” So, I think we’re in for some really rough sailing, and it’s going to be difficult for them to pass much of President-elect Trump’s ambitious agenda on straight party-line votes. … Democrats will have to be in the mix. 

Dana Bash: Well, on that, just on the raw politics of what we saw over the past few days, again, a lot of Democrats think that the way it ended up was a – just on the politics – was a political win. I don’t hear you saying that.

Senator Coons: Well, because I’m concerned about the American people and what this is going to mean. Yes, in a narrow sense, it was a political win, in that President-elect Trump demanded all sorts of things, even threatened to primary Republicans who didn’t support him, and then failed to get most of what he wanted. But you’re right to focus on what fell out of the package. You know … things like transparency in drug pricing, investments in fighting pediatric cancer, investment reviews for new American investment into China. Given that Tesla has a major new factory in Shanghai, that may actually benefit Elon Musk’s business. A restriction on AI-generated revenge porn on social media platforms – [its exclusion is] something that would benefit X. So, I do think we should look hard at what dropped out at the last minute.

The full interview can be watched here.

Senator Coons statement on December 2024 government funding bill

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) issued the following statement after voting to support a continuing resolution that will fund the government until March 14:

“I am glad to support this continuing resolution that will keep the government open for three months, fund disaster relief efforts, and reauthorize the farm bill to provide needed stability for Delaware’s farmers and growers. However, I would have much preferred to be celebrating a bill that also made meaningful reforms to lower drug prices and revamped critical workforce training programs, among other provisions. That’s what we were set to take up earlier this week, before loud voices from the far-right fringe undermined weeks of painstaking bipartisan negotiations between the House, Senate, and White House, between Democrats and Republicans. Moreover, this bill is only a temporary fix for government funding. We need to complete work on fiscal year 2025 appropriations.

“Just as we did tonight, we will continue to need bipartisan majorities next year in order to fund the government and deliver results for the American people. I hope we all resolve in the new year not to govern by tweet and to find more productive ways to legislate.”

Senator Coons is Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations (SFOPS).

Senator Coons applauds passage of Social Security Fairness Act

WASHINGTON – Tonight, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) celebrated the Senate’s passage of the Social Security Fairness Act, which will ensure millions of retired teachers, police officers, firefighters, and other public servants receive full Social Security benefits. Senator Coons is a proud cosponsor of the Social Security Fairness Act.

This legislation, which passed by a bipartisan vote of 76-20 in the Senate, will repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), two provisions that reduce or eliminate Social Security benefits for public-sector employees who are receiving certain pensions. 

“Every American who pays into Social Security deserves to receive their full benefit on retirement,” said Senator Coons. “There’s no reason that the teachers who help our kids learn or the firefighters who keep us safe should see their Social Security payments reduced, just because they’re also entitled to a hard-earned pension. Tonight, I proudly voted to pass the Social Security Fairness Act and restore full Social Security benefits to over 4,000 retirees living in Delaware and over 2 million people across the country. I’m thrilled that the Social Security Fairness Act is on its way to the president’s desk, and I’m grateful for Senator Brown’s leadership on this bill and on all the issues important to working people that he’s championed throughout his career.”

Currently, retired public servants can be prevented from receiving full Social Security benefits due to two laws from the 1970s and 1980s – the WEP and GPO, respectively. The WEP reduces benefits for individuals who also receive a public pension from a job not covered by Social Security. For example, public school teachers who don’t pay into Society Security during the school year, but need to take on part-time or summer jobs to make ends meet, will see their Social Security benefits reduced. The GPO works in a similar fashion, affecting spousal or widow(er) benefits for people who work in government jobs where the job is not covered by Social Security. While these provisions were intended to bring accountability to government benefits, they resulted in the unfair penalization of more than 2 million public servants.

The Social Security Fairness Act, introduced by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), is one of the most widely supported pieces of legislation in Congress this year. Last month, the House of Representatives passed the bill in a vote of 327 to 75, led by Representatives Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) and Garret Graves (R-La.).

Senators Coons and Graham, Representatives McCaul, Meeks, and Joyce celebrate passage of their bipartisan U.S. Foundation for International Conservation Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) celebrated passage today of his bipartisan legislation with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to create a U.S. Foundation for International Conservation (USFIC) as part of the fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill was led in the House by Representatives Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.). Representative Dave Joyce (R-Ohio) led the first version of the bill in the House. 

Well-managed protected areas such as national parks promote a number of interests in the Global South. Without effective management, these areas become vulnerable to illegal exploitation, undermining U.S. national security and economic interests. The illegal wildlife trade finances violent extremist groups and destabilizes local and regional governments. Illegal trade in natural resource commodities undermines U.S. and global markets, depresses prices, and makes it difficult for law-abiding U.S. companies to compete. The depletion of natural resources, such as water and food, intensifies regional conflicts and instability, potentially leading to armed disputes that threaten U.S. interests abroad.

Despite their critical importance, protected areas lack the long-term investment needed to support effective management. The creation of a U.S. Foundation for International Conservation that will be largely funded by private philanthropic dollars aims to close this funding gap in protected areas across Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Well-managed protected areas not only protect and restore biodiversity but also provide vital benefits to people in the regions, including clean air and water, food and medicine, poverty alleviation, sustainable economic development, and regional security.

“Smart investments in international conservation don’t just protect our environment,” said Senator Coons. “They reduce the threat of security challenges resulting from regional instability by strengthening local economies and lessening the draw of extremist groups, while cracking down on the poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking that fund terrorism. A public investment that has already been paid for will unlock hundreds of millions of additional dollars in private funds to combat security and environmental threats across the Global South. I’m delighted that this new foundation has been passed into law as part of the NDAA, and I’m looking forward to working with partners across the aisle and in the private sector to get it up and running in the coming months.”

“The U.S. Foundation for International Conservation is a win-win in that the bill leverages private capital while supporting the long-term protection of critical landscapes around the world,” said Senator Graham. “Investments in conservation lead to food security and regional stability. I am proud to work with Senator Coons, my colleagues, and stakeholders to position the United States as a leader in international conservation.” 

“I’m very pleased the NDAA included my historic, bipartisan legislation promoting public-private partnerships to strengthen global conservation efforts and counter the Chinese Communist Party’s malign influence,” said Congressman McCaul. “As chairman, I’ve had the opportunity to travel around the world and see the importance of wildlife conservation firsthand. I’ve witnessed China and various international criminal organizations devastate communities for their own gain, and this bill has the power to undercut malign actors who profit from illicit wildlife trafficking. Conservation efforts have a long history of bipartisan support dating back to Teddy Roosevelt, and I’m glad to see this tradition continue. This foundation is more than just a way to leverage the power of private contributions – it is a diplomatic investment in the U.S. foreign policy toolkit that none of our adversaries can replicate.”

“Protecting our planet’s biodiversity and natural resources that benefit communities around the globe is in America’s interests, too – as it bolsters our ability to build a more stable and sustainable future,” said Congressman Meeks. “This bipartisan initiative strengthens critical international partnerships, creates opportunities for American leadership in conservation and innovation, and helps mitigate the environmental and climate challenges that impact us all.”

“This bipartisan legislation will protect endangered wildlife and support conservation efforts around the globe,” said Congressman Joyce. “With the formation of this foundation, America will be the leader in international conservation, boosting global stability and combating illicit wildlife trafficking. I have long championed this effort as the Co-Chair of the International Conservation Caucus in Congress and I am proud to see it headed to the president’s desk.”

The U.S. Foundation for International Conservation has already demonstrated broad, bipartisan support. The standalone version introduced in the Senate is cosponsored by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Angus King (I-Maine), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.). The Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed it nearly unanimously on April 16. The House bill has 92 cosponsors, 43 Democrats and 49 Republicans; it was passed out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee by a vote of 42-7 on March 20. Representatives Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) and Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), President-elect Trump’s nominees for National Security Advisor and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, respectively, are both cosponsors.

The U.S. Foundation for International Conservation is already funded, with $100 million already allocated for it in the March 2024 omnibus government funding bill. There is another $100 million in the fiscal 2025 Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations (SFOPS) bill. Much of USFIC’s funding, however, will come from the private sector. The bill passed today requires a 2-to-1 match of private to public funds, and 10 leading philanthropists joined a letter to express their support for providing the private match for this new model.

Senator Coons and two-dozen federal agency leaders, American philanthropists, and independent experts met earlier this year to lay groundwork for implementation and discuss how to get USFIC up and running as quickly as possible.

Senator Coons is Chair of SFOPS and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Senator Graham is the SFOPS Ranking Member. Congressman McCaul is Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Congressman Meeks is Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

A full list of endorsement quotes is available here.