[VIDEO] Sen. Coons: “Michael Flynn ought to be called to testify in front of committees of Congress”

WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Judiciary Committees, today joined CNN to discuss the investigation into General Michael Flynn’s contact with the Russian ambassador.

“It’s interesting and important here, not just what the current Trump administration’s relationship with Russia is and will be, and whether that complicates our national security, but what relationship the Trump campaign had with senior levels of the Russian government and with Russian intelligence officials,” said Senator Coons. “It’s publicly reported in many sources that four senior Trump campaign officials were already under investigation by the FBI. And I think we need to let that investigation go where it goes, and then we need to make sure on a bipartisan basis in Congress that whatever complicating relationship President Trump may have with Russia does not impact our national security.”

Full audio and video available here.

Excerpts from the interview:

Senator Coons on Michael Flynn’s contact with the Russian ambassador and the leaks that told the media about it: “Well, the credible allegations that the Trump campaign at the highest levels was in regular contact with Russian intelligence are the big deal here. And it’s striking that President Trump is now criticizing what he calls the “fake media” for having attacked the man he just fired. A man he fired for lying to him. Or to be more concise, a man he fired weeks after he knew he lied to him, but only fired him after it became clear in the press that he had lied to the vice president and implicitly the president. I’d encourage the Senate Judiciary Committee on a bipartisan basis is going ahead and finding out exactly what’s behind General Flynn’s contacts with Russian intelligence.”

Senator Coons on being a Senate Democrat in this situation: “As you just heard in the previous interview, you have House committee leaders who found the time to have 12, 13, 14 hearings into the incidents in Benghazi, but don’t seem interested at all in a Russian attack on our democracy through a concerted campaign of contacting the Trump campaign, getting and leaking information from the Clinton campaign, and directly undermining our democracy. That’s very concerning. In the Senate, I am hopeful that the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is proceeding on a bipartisan basis, will get access to all the relevant information—all the reports of conversations and e-mails and move forward to thoroughly investigate this. I am on the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee, both of which have Republican chairs who have indicated a willingness to pursue this issue where it goes in the interest of national security and defending our constitutional order, and I’m encouraged by that.”

Senator Coons on whether Michael Flynn should be called to testify: “Well, I think Michael Flynn ought to be called to testify in front of committees of Congress. Frankly, there’s a lot of information here. There are a lot of e-mails and of conversations. I’m not going to comment on the specifics of the transcripts that you’re referring to. I think there’s a lot to look at here. I think it’s important that we proceed in a deliberate and thorough way. That’s why I think that’s it important that General Flynn testify. I think it’s important that we have General Flynn testify, because there’s a lot of information here and it’s misleading for folks to cite just one transcript of one conversation when in fact there’s a large body of data here.”

Senator Coons on the Trump administration’s relationship with Russia: “Well, that’s exactly the question we need to get to the bottom of. It’s interesting and important here, not just what the current Trump administration’s relationship with Russia is and will be, and whether that complicates our national security, but what relationship the Trump campaign had with senior levels of the Russian government and with Russian intelligence officials. It’s publicly reported in many sources that four senior Trump campaign officials were already under investigation by the FBI. And I think we need to let that investigation go where it goes and then we need to make sure on a bipartisan basis in Congress that whatever complicating relationship President Trump may have with Russia does not impact our national security. So, I was encouraged that a bipartisan bill that’s called Restraining Russia’s Aggression, Senate Bill 94, now has 20 co-sponsors, both Republicans and Democrats including Republicans and Democrats in leadership and it is a show of bipartisan concern about complicated relationships between President Trump and Russia. Certainly one of the areas throughout the course of the campaign and in the first few weeks of this tumultuous Trump administration that have caused real concern for our allies in Europe is Mr. Trump’s puzzling and repeated statements of praise for Vladimir Putin who is a thug and an autocrat, who has murdered journalists and his political opponents and invaded neighboring countries, and we now know sought to undermine our democracy directly.”

Senator Coons on Rep. Chaffetz’s reluctance to look into it: “That’s a striking question. And I think President Trump, rather than attacking the real news such as CNN and rather [than] trying to change the subject to who did or didn’t leak what, should be calling on his allies in Congress to fully investigate this matter. President Trump and Vice President Pence ought to be coming clean in directly addressing this matter so that we can all move on or so that it can be appropriately resolved and addressed.”

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Bipartisan bill ends student loan tax penalty for families suffering from child’s death or permanent disability

WATCH: Sens. Coons, Portman discuss the legislation on Fox News Channel

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Angus King (I-Maine), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) re-introduced legislation to eliminate a tax penalty levied on student loans forgiven for families after the death of their child and Americans who develop permanent disabilities. Congressmen Peter Roskam (R-IL) and Ron Kind (D-WI) are also re-introducing a House companion bill.  Senators Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), John Hoeven (R-ND), Patty Murray (D-WA), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Tom Carper (D-DE), Susan Collins (R-ME), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT),  and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) also joined as original co-sponsors of the bill. 

While the federal government forgives certain federal student loans in the case of the death or disability of the borrower, the IRS treats this cancelled debt as income, which can result in tens of thousands of dollars in immediate tax liability. The Stop Taxing Death and Disability Act would eliminate this unfair tax, which simply replaces one financial burden with another and serves no public policy purpose.  The tax on discharged loans is not only an unnecessary tax, but it also prevents the Department of Education from streamlining the loan forgiveness process. 

The Senators’ interest in this issue was spurred by the outreach from constituents around the country, including in Delaware, Maine, and Ohio, who were facing the consequences of this misguided policy. 

“Taxing Americans who are grieving the death of a child or adjusting to a life-changing disability is simply unconscionable,” said Senator Coons. “We forgive these student loans because that’s the right thing to do as a country.  Requiring these Americans to pay a surprise tax is counter to the intent of forgiving the loans in the first place and serves no public policy purpose whatsoever. Today my colleagues and I are offering a simple bipartisan bill that eliminates this unfair tax, and I urge Congress to pass our bill immediately.”

“For the federal government to hit a family who just lost their child or a person who just became disabled with a surprise tax on a forgiven loan is not only appalling – it’s plain wrong,” Senator King said. “No one in America should have to endure the pain or financial hardship caused by this senseless policy. This bill is not only a common-sense fix, it’s just the compassionate and right thing to do.”

“Families like the Carducci family of Steubenville, Ohio, who have a child who has become permanently and totally disabled are going through unimaginable grief,” Senator Portman said. “Because of this tragic disability, they cannot afford a massive student loan bill, sometimes of tens of thousands of dollars.  Other families have a lost a child, and are forced to pay a significant tax penalty on forgiven student loans while they are still grieving. The last thing that families in these situations need is that kind of financial burden. Our legislation would provide relief to them at a difficult time.”

The federal government authorizes the forgiveness of certain federal loans in the case of the death or total and permanent disability of the borrower, including:

• Student loan discharge for death.  Congress has acknowledged the tragic circumstances of when a parent loses a child by authorizing the Department of Education to forgive outstanding federal student loans that a parent borrowed on behalf of their child prior to their child’s death. Many private lenders also discharge student loans that are co-signed by a parent if their child dies.
• Student loan discharge for disability.  Each year, thousands of Americans, including veterans, develop disabilities or chronic health conditions so severe that they are determined by the federal government to be totally and permanently disabled. In recognition of the tremendous burden of their disabilities, Congress authorized the Department of Education to forgive outstanding federal student loans held by these Americans. Many private lenders also discharge student loans as a result of total and permanent disability.

Despite these provisions, individuals who suffer great personal loss or severe injury are often shocked to learn that the IRS requires them to pay income tax on the amount of student loans forgiven by the federal government and private lenders. A one-time discharge can result in tens of thousands of dollars in immediate tax liability.

The Stop Taxing Death and Disability Act:

• Exempts from income tax federal and private student loans that are discharged due to the death of a child or total and permanent disability. Congress already exempts certain discharged federal student loans from income taxes. Under Section 108(f) of the Internal Revenue Code, public sector employees, including teachers, public defenders and librarians, who meet length of service requirements, are exempt from paying income tax on discharged loans. The Higher Education Act also provides for the tax-exempt forgiveness of student loans due to the closure of a borrower’s school. This bill simply adds federal and private student loan discharges as a result of death or total and permanent disability to the existing list of tax-exempt discharges.
• Allows a parent whose child develops a total and permanent disability to qualify for student loan discharge.  The bill resolves an inconsistency in statute by authorizing the Department of Education to discharge federal loans owed by a parent of a child who becomes totally and permanently disabled. Currently parents are allowed to discharge federal student loans if they develop a total and permanent disability, or if their child dies, but not if their child develops a total and permanent disability. The bill also exempts this new type of discharge from income tax. 

The bill has been endorsed by: The American Legion; Student Veterans of America; Veterans Education Success; Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors; American Council on Education; National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA); AccessLex Institute; the American Federation of Teachers; National Council of Higher Education Resources (NCHER); National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients); The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS), Young Invincibles; Education Finance Council; Higher Education Loan Coalition; American Foundation for the Blind; American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR); Association of University Centers on Disabilities; Autistic Self Advocacy Network; Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation; Goodwill Industries International; Justice in Aging; Lutheran Services in America Disability Network; National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys; National Alliance on Mental Illness; National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities; National Association of Disability Representatives; National Disability Rights Network; National Down Syndrome Congress; National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR); Paralyzed Veterans of America; The Arc of the United States; United Spinal Association; and the National Disability Institute; ACCSES; American Association of People with Disabilities; Bazelon Center for Mental Health; Community Legal Services of Philadelphia; Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund; Mental Health America; National Association of State Head Injury Administrators; Parent to Parent USA; Special Needs Alliance; United Cerebral Palsy

“Student Veterans of America applauds the dedication Senators Coons, King and Portman have shown in supporting the families of fallen service members,” said Will Hubbard, Vice President of Public Affairs, Student Veterans of America. “Fallen service members with student loans are eligible to have their student loans discharged, however, this discharged amount of debt is considered income and is taxable. In the past, we have seen families who have lost a loved one, receive a tax bill for this discharged student debt. It is unconscionable that the families of the fallen in their time of grief are burdened by this backwards policy. This bill aims at changing this tax issue so that those families who have already paid the ultimate price are not additionally saddled by a discharged student loan tax. We at SVA fully support this bill and hope to see it move forward quickly.”

“The Stop Taxing Death and Disability Act would make an important difference to people with work limiting disabilities who have their student loans discharged. It is common sense that someone who cannot pay back their student loans due to a total and permanent disability cannot afford to pay taxes on the discharge of those loans,” said Kim Musheno, Chair of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD). “CCD thanks Senators Coons, King, and Portman for leading a bipartisan group of Senators to introduce this legislation to ensure that people with disabilities are no longer hurt by the unintended economic consequences of utilizing this important loan discharge provision.”

“Taxing people who have had their federal and private student loans canceled due to a total and permanent disability or because of the death of their child is grossly unfair and defeats the purpose of those loan cancellation programs,” said Persis Yu, director of the National Consumer Law Center’s Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project.  “This bill will ensure that vulnerable student loan borrowers are not forced to trade an unaffordable student loan debt for an unaffordable tax debt. We applaud Senators Coons, King and Portman for their leadership on solving this problem. Congress should move quickly to pass this legislation.” 

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ICYMI: First on CNN: Sen. Coons, Rep. Zoe Lofgren join court to challenge Trump’s travel ban

WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, below is an exclusive article from CNN spotlighting the effort by U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) to challenge President Trump’s travel ban. Coons and Lofgren will lead an amici curiae brief signed by Members of Congress in support of Plaintiffs suing President Trump over his recent executive order banning travel to the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Read the full article below:

CNN: First on CNN: Congressional Democrats join court challenge to Trump’s travel ban

By Tal Kopan

Democrats in the House and Senate are joining the court challenge to President Donald Trump’s travel and refugee ban, arguing it violates the Constitution.

The effort is being led by California Rep. Zoe Lofgren in the House and Delaware Sen. Chris Coons in the Senate, according to details shared first with CNN. The brief was expected to be filed on Thursday.

In the House, the effort already has more than 65 signatures, including leaders like House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman Michelle Lujan Grisham and Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley, as well as the top Democrats on the House Judiciary and House Homeland Security committees. The group hopes to have more signatures by the time they file the briefing.

In the Senate, the effort has a dozen signers, including most Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee and its top Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and No. 2 Senate Democrat Dick Durbin. 

The group is filing an amicus curiae — or a friend of the court brief — in the New York case Darweesh v. Trump. The case was brought by two Iraqis, Hameed Khalid Darweesh and Haider Sameer Abdulkhaleq Alshawi, who were granted visas to the US after supporting the US military in Iraq.

When the ban went into effect, Darweesh and Alshawi were detained at John F. Kennedy International Airport, prompting a lawsuit to be filed on their behalf by the American Civil Liberties Union, Yale Law School Clinic, the International Refugee Assistance Project and the National Immigration Law Center. They were eventually allowed to enter the US but their case challenging the constitutionality of the executive order continues. The New York attorney general has intervened to join the case, and supportive amici briefs include major US universities and the Anti-Defamation League. 

Issued January 27, Trump’s executive order bars citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from entering the US for 90 days, all refugees for 120 days and indefinitely halts refugees from Syria.

The case is similar to but unrelated to the lawsuit in the 9th Circuit, which resulted in a nationwide halt of enforcing the order. Appellate judges refused the Trump administration’s request to reinstate the travel ban, but no judges have yet ruled on the constitutional challenges to the order itself. Several lawsuits have been filed nationwide and are working their way through the judicial system.

The Democrats’ filing identifies its lawmakers as “committed to ensuring that our immigration laws and policies both help protect the nation from foreign and domestic attacks and comport with fundamental constitutional principles, such as religious freedom and equal protection under the law.”

The filing argues that the executive order violates the First Amendment’s protection of freedom of religion and the Fifth Amendment’s due process clause. It also argues the order violates the Immigration and Nationality Act by discriminating on the basis of nationality. 

The amicus argues that while the law may have been written to appear neutral, its intent was to discriminate against Muslims, an argument that has been made in other court filings as well, often citing Trump and his surrogates’ own comments leading up to the signing of the order.

The order “is vastly overbroad — targeting both individuals and countries in a way that does nothing to further the order’s stated purpose of ‘protect[ing] the American people from terrorist attacks by foreign nationals admitted to the United States,'” the brief states. “The upshot is that the order does exactly the opposite of what it intends—undermining, rather than enhancing, the nation’s security.”

Trump has defended the ban as necessary for national security, and the administration notes that the seven countries whose nationals were banned under the order were designated as high risk by the Obama administration and Congress. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly has described the nations as “failed states” where it is near impossible to get information about applicants to come to the US that is adequate enough to vet them. 

The White House is keeping its options open regarding the ban. A source familiar with the decision-making told CNN last week that the Justice Department will not immediately appeal the Ninth Circuit’s decision to the Supreme Court and is considering rewriting the order.

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Senator Coons introduces bipartisan, bicameral legislation to establish U.S. Chief Manufacturing Officer position

Washington, DC – Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Steve Daines (R-MT) joined Representatives Tim Ryan (D-OH), Tom Reed (R-NY) and Dan Lipinski (D-IL) today to introduce legislation to establish the position of U.S. Chief Manufacturing Officer in the Executive Office of the President.

The U.S. Chief Manufacturing Officer (CMO) will be responsible for coordinating manufacturing-related policies and activities across agencies. The CMO will also develop a national manufacturing strategy to revitalize the manufacturing sector, spur economic growth, and expand United States competitiveness.

“Manufacturing is critical to innovation and entrepreneurship in the United States.” said Senator Coons.  “Across many federal agencies, the U.S. Government makes decisions every day that impact this important sector. It’s critical that we make sure federal efforts are effective, coordinated and informed by an overall strategy. That’s why I’m proud to introduce the Chief Manufacturing Officer Act — bipartisan, bicameral legislation that will ensure federal policy helps manufacturers grow and create jobs.”

“Manufacturing has long been a source of good–paying, stable jobs for many in Maine and across our nation,” said Senator Collins.  “The establishment of a United States Chief Manufacturing Officer would help develop a national strategy and coordinate federal policies to grow and enhance the competiveness of our manufacturing sector.  By focusing our efforts to revitalize this important industry, we can protect high-quality manufacturing jobs and create new economic opportunities in the years to come.”

“Domestic manufacturing plays an integral role in supporting hardworking families and nearly 3,000 small businesses across our state,” Daines stated. “Manufacturing jobs pay an average of 17 percent higher wages than non-manufacturing jobs and we need policies in place that enable small businesses to be globally competitive and help create more of these high-paying jobs.”

On average, each manufacturing job creates additional three to four jobs due to the required research, development and process design, and needed supply chain and post sales services. However, manufacturing employment, output and exports are all affected by such issues as tax policies, state of infrastructure and transportation, small business regulations, environmental regulations, trade policies, innovation ecosystems, workforce development, and education initiatives.

“A Chief Manufacturing Officer in the Executive Office of the President that sets a strategy based on rapid innovation is the best support our government can give American manufacturers as they respond to the opportunity and challenges of an increasingly connected, automated world,” said Douglas K. Woods, President, the Association For Manufacturing Technology.

“We firmly believe the Office of the Chief Manufacturing Officer will provide the president and the nation with an executive officer who will strengthen the U.S. economy by shaping national manufacturing policy, promoting greater innovation and R&D investments to expand advanced manufacturing, and enhancing the competitiveness of American manufacturers in ever-changing domestic and global markets,” said Rusty Patterson, President, the National Council for Advanced Manufacturing (NACFAM).

“Establishing a single officer to govern manufacturing policy will ensure that sustained investment in advanced manufacturing initiatives—such as training and educating a skilled workforce, building a robust and enduring domestic manufacturing base, and further developing industrial technologies—will protect our national security and ability to compete globally in the most efficient and effective way possible,” said Thomas G. Loughlin, ASME Executive Director.

“Manufacturing constitutes a vital pillar of the U.S. economy and remains a key provider of high-wage, high-value-add jobs for American workers. But it’s clear that policymakers need to be doing more to ensure this critical industry thrives. ITIF supports legislation to designate a Chief Manufacturing Officer in the White House,” said Robert Atkinson, ITIF President.

“With technology advancing rapidly, our manufacturing workforce has to be prepared to retrain several times during their career,” said Robert G. Kiggans, Former Chairman, IMS International. “This bill could not happen at a better time. We should move quickly!”

This legislation has been supported by: American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Association For Manufacturing Technology (AMT), Automation Federation (AF), International Society of Automation (ISA), Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF), Intelligent Systems International (IMS-I), Manufacturing Alliance of Communities (MAC), National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), and National Council for Advanced Manufacturing(NACFAM).

[VIDEO] Sen. Coons on Trump: “What did he know and when did he know it?”

WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today joined MSNBC to discuss the resignation of President Trump’s National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and the ongoing investigation into Russian interference.

“Why was General Flynn allowed to continue to be National Security Advisor, to be in the highest level of security deliberations for weeks, when it was known that he may well be compromised?” said Senator Coons.  “Was he freelancing on his own? Was this inadvertence? Was this incompetence? Or was this intentional? And frankly, I think this leads to an important question: what did President Trump know? What did he know and when did he know it, and why wasn’t there action taken sooner to protect our national security? We have ballistic missiles going off in North Korea and Iran; we have an active military campaign against ISIS. This is no time for a National Security Council led by someone who is a clear security risk.”

Full video and audio available here. 

Excerpts from the interview:

Senator Coons on the resignation of National Security Advisor Michael Flynn: “Well, this is a very striking development. To learn that General Flynn not only lied to the administration, to the Vice President and put him in the very awkward situation of having to defend that misrepresentation, but to know now that the Department of Justice notified the Trump administration—the incoming administration—that General Flynn had been compromised and could be subject to blackmail by the Russians, because an intercept as you were just describing in that previous segment indicated that he had lied to the most senior members of this administration, that raises some real questions. Why was General Flynn allowed to continue to be National Security Advisor, to be in the highest level of security deliberations for weeks, when it was known that he may well be compromised?”

Senator Coons on the fact that, according to Kellyanne Conway, General Flynn was still a full member of the National Security Council even after warnings that he had misled them had reached the White House: “I’m very concerned about this. This raises obvious questions. General Flynn served for decades as a senior military officer, as a flag-ranked officer. I think a clear question is: was he making these phone calls to the Russian ambassador about our sanctions against Russia for their invasion and occupation in Crimea, for their interference in our election casually? Was he freelancing on his own? Was this inadvertence? Was this incompetence? Or was this intentional? And frankly, I think this leads to an important question: what did President Trump know? What did he know and when did he know it, and why wasn’t there action taken sooner to protect our national security? We have ballistic missiles going off in North Korea and Iran; we have an active military campaign against ISIS. This is no time for a National Security Council led by someone who is a clear security risk. 

Senator Coons on what happens next: “There is an ongoing investigation in the Senate Intelligence Committee. That needs to be a thorough, wide-open investigation of this entire trail. There also, frankly, should be a hearing and there should be an investigation on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and on the Senate Judiciary Committee. This isn’t just about what happened with General Flynn. This is about Russian interference in our last election and about upcoming elections in our vital allies in Europe. We’ve already heard from national leaders in Germany and France and Holland that they’re seeing exactly the kind of actions by the Russians to interfere with and undermine their democratic elections as happened here. This is an important issue of national security, and we need to address it in a bipartisan way. I am hopeful that ultimately Republicans will join with Democrats here in the Senate and agree that we need an independent study. We need an independent commission to investigate this. But, as of right now, the Senate Intelligence Committee is the committee handling it.”

[VIDEO] Sen. Coons on Morning Joe: “If I were president, I would dismiss the National Security Advisor who had lied to the Vice President and who was on record as having lied to me”

WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today joined “Morning Joe” on MSNBC to discuss foreign policy under the Trump administration, including recent comments made by Stephen Miller, senior adviser to President Trump, and by General Michael Flynn, current National Security Advisor to President Trump.

“I was very troubled that Steve Bannon was elevated and earlier that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs was apparently sidelined. So I’m concerned, both about Mike Flynn’s, General Flynn’s, uneven relationship with the truth, the very embarrassing situation he put the Vice President in, and I do think if President Trump is going to continue to be a stronger effective voice in international relations, he has to have a National Security Advisor he can trust and a National Security Council that is functional,” said Senator Coons. “He has got a strong Secretary of Defense, a promising Secretary of State. But if his National Security Advisor is untrustworthy and his National Security Council staff is in turmoil, that’s a big deal for us in terms of international relations.”

Full video and audio available here.

Excerpts from the interview:

Senator Coons on Stephen Miller’s latest words: “That is a simply stunning statement. The idea that a senior adviser to the President would go on camera and say the President’s authority will not be questioned shows both a striking lack of understanding of the structure of our government, a complete lack of respect for judicial independence. It’s going to make the confirmation of Judge Gorsuch a lot harder and will make the question of judicial independence more pressing, and if the President doesn’t walk that back, I think the President will have more and more problems on a bipartisan basis. Privately, I know many [Senate Republicans] are concerned. Publicly, I’m waiting to see some action. But, the challenge isn’t talk; it’s actions at this point.” 

Senator Coons on President Trump’s meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister: “As a candidate, President Trump said a lot of alarming things about pushing back our nuclear umbrella from Japan from South Korea, about perhaps moving away from the ‘One China’ policy, and just in the last few days, we’ve seen him reverse those positions in the face of a North Korean nuclear missile launch that could threaten American bases in Japan and American property territory in Guam. He stood clearly shoulder-to-shoulder with our Japanese allies. I am hopeful he’ll take stronger steps to defend them. He is now realizing we need China’s help in pushing back on Korea’s aggressive actions, and I think he is beginning to get his feet under him and realizing that the global environment is a very difficult one.” 

Senator Coons on the Trump administration’s approach to global foreign policy: “The role of Mike Flynn, the National Security Advisor, is even more concerning. You just had up a piece from The New York Times that talks about turmoil on the National Security Council. Typically, it’s the National Security Advisor who is closest to the President and makes sure the information flow to the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense continues and that the process is professional and appropriate and thorough. Turmoil is not a word I like to hear describing the National Security Council. And I was very troubled that Steve Bannon was elevated and earlier that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs was apparently sidelined. So I’m concerned, both about Mike Flynn’s, General Flynn’s, uneven relationship with the truth, the very embarrassing situation he put the Vice President in, and I do think if President Trump is going to continue to be a stronger effective voice in international relations, he has to have a National Security Advisor he can trust and a National Security Council that is functional. He has got a strong Secretary of Defense, a promising Secretary of State. But if his National Security Advisor is untrustworthy and untruthful, and his National Security Council staff is in turmoil, that’s a big deal for us in terms of international relations.”

Senator Coons on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s comments about North Korea: “This I think will be the first big challenge for President Trump, which is confronting North Korea’s aggressive nuclear weapons program. The Senate can and should on a bipartisan basis take tougher action. We are making progress in assembling a bipartisan group of Senators to insist that sanctions against Russia be rolled back without approval by the Senate, and I think we can and should step up and take stronger action against North Korea and against Chinese firms that have been involved in supporting North Korea’s programs. Frankly, the President needs to take control of his national security apparatus. If Mike Flynn genuinely lied, and there’s lots of evidence about this, and if I were president, I would dismiss the National Security Advisor who had lied to the Vice President and who was on record as having lied to me.”

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ICYMI: Sen. Coons in IPWatchdog: “Developments in the law of intellectual property are beginning to create real roadblocks for future innovation”

“Whether or not one gets a patent or that patent survives in court should not depend on which patent examiner your case is assigned to, or what judge you appear in front of.”

“If we are regularly seeing such levels of inconsistency, then we have an area where the jurisprudence is insufficiently clear, and which may necessitate congressional action to provide clarity and consistency.”

WILMINGTON, Del. – In case you missed it, IPWatchdog published a blog post based on a speech that U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, gave in December at a conference entitled “The Supreme Court’s Section 101 Jurisprudence: Dangers for the Innovation Economy.” In the speech, Senator Coons discussed how increasing uncertainty in the law over what inventions may receive patent protection is hurting small businesses and the medical and software industries in Delaware and around the country.

Full post available here.

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[AUDIO] ICYMI: Sen. Coons on ‘Rational Security’ podcast: ‘We need to be vigilant in watching closely to make sure that the Trump administration respects the rule of law [and] the separation of powers’

“The American people, through a free, fair, and open election, are entitled to their choice. Those of us in the Senate have to, I think, follow our role, as the Founders envisioned it, to serve as a speed bump, or in some cases a block.”

“I am concerned there is already a diminution of focus on one of the most important strategic developments in recent years: the idea that our adversary Russia intentionally undermined our presidential election with a concerted campaign of cyberattacks, disinformation, strategically timed news releases…that was done with approval at the highest levels of Russia, with the intention to affect the outcome.”

WILMINGTON, Del. – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, yesterday joined the ‘Rational Security’ podcast to discuss a wide range of foreign policy and national security issues, including the urgent need to investigate Russian interference in the U.S. election, the importance of standing by our allies, the prospects for bipartisan cooperation on foreign policy issues in the Senate, and the need for Congress to protect development assistance.

Click here to listen to the full episode.

Senators Coons and Gardner introduce bipartisan bill to help small manufacturers access affordable loans

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) today introduced the Investing in America’s Small Manufacturers Act, which will increase the number of affordable loans to small manufacturers through the Small Business Administration’s flagship loan guarantee programs.

Lack of access to affordable capital impacts the manufacturing sector disproportionately because of its capital-intensive nature and the need to finance inventories over longer periods than other sectors of the economy. Small manufacturers in particular have limited access to cash reserves and often have difficulty securing adequate lines of credit through traditional lenders. 

The SBA assists small businesses around the country in a number of ways, most importantly through programs that guarantee loans offered by financial institutions to qualified small businesses. Unfortunately not enough small manufacturers have taken advantage of the services that the SBA can provide.

To address these challenges, the bill authorizes an increase in the maximum SBA guarantee on loans to small manufacturers and reduces the fee small manufacturers pay on these loans.  The legislation also directs the SBA to use its resources to help small manufacturers navigate the SBA’s application process, thereby making them more attractive to lenders and increasing their ability to access much needed credit. 

“Small manufacturers are the backbone of the U.S. manufacturing industry and account for nearly half of all manufacturing jobs in the United States,” said Senator Coons. “This bill will help increase the availability of affordable capital to small manufacturers, which will allow these companies to expand operations and create new jobs. Support for manufacturing is bipartisan and a policy area where Congress and the Administration can find common ground.”

“It’s important that small manufacturers have access to the capital they need to jumpstart their businesses, and our bill will do just that,” said Senator Gardner. “The Investing in America’s Small Manufacturers Act makes it easier for small manufacturers to obtain loans that will enable them to hire and grow their workforce and boost local communities in Colorado and throughout the country.”  

“Bolstering manufacturing and other traded sectors is critical to improving U.S. economic competitiveness.  There are significant differences for U.S. job creation and prosperity between a small manufacturer and a small retail firm: The former plays a significantly more important role in driving economic growth and—through the multiplier effect—jobs. We welcome this legislation that would direct the Small Business Administration to focus more on traded-sector firms by ensuring small manufacturers have the capital they need to drive growth and create jobs,” said Dr. Robert D. Atkinson, President, ITIF.

The 7(a) and 504 programs are the SBA’s flagship small business loan guarantee programs.  These programs provide critical guarantees on loans to small businesses that often have difficulty qualifying for traditional loans. According to the SBA, in FY 2015, 7(a) and 504 lending supported over 684,000 jobs and over 60,700 small businesses. 

Senator Coons is a leading advocate for boosting manufacturing in the United States. As the co-chair of the Manufacturing Jobs for America initiative, the Senator has encouraged his colleagues to work together to advance bipartisan legislation to help manufacturers expand. As a member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, he has fought to bring special attention to small manufacturers in Delaware and around the country.

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[VIDEO] Sen Coons on President Trump’s response to Judge Gorsuch’s comments: “The larger issue here is that judicial independence is at risk”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today joined “New Day” on CNN to discuss Judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court, President Trump’s attacks on the judiciary, and the legality of the President’s recent travel ban.

“Frankly what matters here is whether or not Judge Gorsuch, who will be up for confirmation for the Supreme Court, in meetings with Senators and then ultimately publicly demonstrates judicial independence, demonstrates his understanding that an independent judiciary is one of the cornerstones of our constitutional order, and that President Trump’s recent comments personally attacking or challenging judges, who are delaying or may ultimately overturn his travel ban, deserve respect not to be attacked,” said Senator Coons. “President Trump is not responding well to a challenge to his unvetted—I think illegal—travel ban that affects seven different majority-Muslim countries. District Court judges in several different districts across the country have stayed that ban, have challenged that ban and it’s now being considered by the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals for an emergency stay of that order and I think President Trump is going to harm both Judge Gorsuch’s chances of confirmation and his standing as president if he continues to undermine the independence of the federal judiciary.”

Full audio and video of the interview are available here.

Excerpts from the interview:

Senator Coons on President Trump’s tweets about Judge Gorsuch’s comments: “This back and forth just makes me feel like I’m back at high school. Frankly what matters here is whether or not Judge Gorsuch, who will be up for confirmation for the Supreme Court, in meetings with Senators and then ultimately publicly demonstrates judicial independence, demonstrates his understanding that an independent judiciary is one of the cornerstones of our constitutional order, and that President Trump’s recent comments personally attacking or challenging judges, who are delaying or may ultimately overturn his travel ban, deserve respect not to be attacked.”

Senator Coons on his opinion about whether Judge Gorsuch should speak publicly about his concerns about President Trump: “In my meeting with Judge Gorsuch, I will also ask him about judicial independence and I think, in due course, we will ask him about that during the confirmation hearing. I do not think it’s constructive for President Trump to weigh in on this and to level accusations against sitting Senators. I frankly think the more he stays out of this the better for his judicial nominee, but this simply highlights why judicial independence is going to be so important for me and for other Senators as we go through the process of meeting Judge Gorsuch and considering whether or not he should serve on the Supreme Court.”

Senator Coons on how President Trump targeted Senator Blumenthal after the Senator revealed Judge Gorsuch’s opinion of the President: “I think we need to focus on the larger issue here rather than the he said, she said about what Blumenthal or Gorsuch did or didn’t say. The larger issue is that judicial independence is at risk. President Trump is not responding well to a challenge to his unvetted—I think illegal—travel ban that affects seven different majority-Muslim countries. District Court judges in several different districts across the country have stayed that ban, have challenged that ban and it’s now being considered by the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals for an emergency stay of that order and I think President Trump is going to harm both Judge Gorsuch’s chances of confirmation and his standing as president if he continues to undermine the independence of the federal judiciary.” 

Senator Coons on his meeting later today at the White House with President Trump: “We have not met in the White House before. I met him over at Dover Air Force Base last week when we received the remains of an American SEAL killed in action in Yemen. I’m going to press him on the point that I think his executive order was not well-conceived and should be withdrawn, and that frankly I think his challenging the independence of the Judiciary isn’t helping and hope he might yet make more measured comments and understand the importance of the separation of powers. I do continue to hope that we will find some way to work together on the problems facing America, strengthening manufacturing. You just had Senator Cory Gardner on. Senator Gardner and I are introducing a bipartisan bill today to help small manufacturers. There are things we could do together, but as long as President Trump keeps engaging in his first three weeks as President in this style of tweeting constantly and of upsetting our allies abroad and undermining, I think, our constitutional order here at home, it will be difficult for us to find a positive common path together.”

Senator Coons on whether he should oppose Judge Gorsuch because he is not Merrick Garland: “All last year, I said in the Judiciary Committee and on the floor that it was outrageous that Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Republicans here in the Senate refused to give him even a hearing and I think for me to do the same thing back to Republicans would be hypocrisy, so I’ve said he deserves a hearing – the hearing that Judge Garland never got. That respects the American people and allows my constituents to hear his background, experience and constitutional philosophy and I think we should have that hearing on the Judiciary Committee. After that, I think we should see. But, I don’t agree that we should simply refuse to even consider his nomination.”

Senator Coons on the legality of President Trump’s travel ban: “I think it is an arguable case, as are so many, but as I looked at the details of how it was prepared, how it was implemented and what its impacts will be I think it goes against the Immigration and Naturalization Act, because it does discriminate based on nationality and religion, and I frankly think that the way it was implemented shows it violates at least the spirit if not the letter of the Constitution. The President made it clear in his campaign for the presidency that he intended to impose a Muslim ban and this is, in fact, a ban on Muslim countries. So, I think we’ll leave it to the courts to determine whether they see it as unconstitutional, but I certainly think it is illegal.” 

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