[VIDEO] Sen Coons on President Trump’s travel ban: “I’m gravely concerned about what it’s doing to weaken or destabilize our partnerships”

WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today joined Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC to discuss foreign policy under the Trump administration, including last week’s military operation in Yemen and the recent travel ban, which Senator Coons addressed directly. “I’m gravely concerned about what it’s doing to weaken or destabilize our partnerships with Muslim and Arab allies in the region,” Senator Coons said.

“Any time we send men and women in our armed forces into harm’s way, we need to make certain that they have the training, the equipment, the planning and the support that they deserve before they go ahead and I think the fact that this executive order, which was rushed, and this raid, have put some real strain on our partnership with Yemen in our fight against AQAP, which is one of the most deadly terrorist organizations in the world, is something we should all regret and something the Trump administration should consider closely in the weeks ahead,” said Senator Coons.

Full video and audio available here.

Excerpts from the interview:

Senator Coons on President Trump’s executive order and rollout: I think this has been unsettling. Senator Rob Portman, Republican from Ohio, said that the thing that wasn’t vetted was this executive order, this travel ban, rather than the vetting of refugees from seven countries. I’m gravely concerned about what it’s doing to weaken or destabilize our partnerships with Muslim and Arab allies in the region. The assault on Mosul is ongoing right now. The assault on Raqqa is beginning. And, in our fight against ISIS, I don’t think we can afford to strain our partnership with Iraq. In a hearing yesterday in front of the Foreign Relations Committee, both a Republican and a Democratic witness agreed that the way this travel ban was rolled out has frankly put us more at risk in our conduct against terrorist organizations in Yemen, in Iraq, and elsewhere in the region and I frankly question the wisdom of how and why this travel ban was rolled out by this administration. 

Senator Coons on conflicting reports about what happened with the raid in Yemen: First, we have to pause and be grateful to the family of SEAL Ryan Owens, whose life was lost in that raid in Yemen. I had the honor of meeting his entire extended family, his widow, his children, his parents and siblings, and I first want to stop and say how grateful we all are as a nation for his service and for his sacrifice, and I do think that, in the weeks ahead, we’ll see some strains in the relationship with Yemen, as a result of civilian casualties, and I do think the Trump Administration is going to have to review more closely how they prepare for and plan for raids like this. Any time we send men and women in our armed forces into harm’s way, we need to make certain that they have the training, the equipment, the planning and the support that they deserve before they go ahead and I think the fact that this executive order, which was rushed, and this raid, have put some real strain on our partnership with Yemen in our fight against AQAP, which is one of the most deadly terrorist organizations in the world, is something we should all regret and something the Trump administration should consider closely in the weeks ahead.

Senator Coons on the decision-making process of foreign policy decisions like the Yemen raid: Donald Trump as a candidate was critical of President Obama for having a thorough and detailed and, at times, lengthy review process before giving the go-ahead on raids such as this raid into Yemen, and my hunch is that the Trump administration is now reconsidering that criticism. Many of us on the Hill were concerned when the National Security Council was revised in order to include Steve Bannon, President Trump’s political adviser, as one of the core members of that National Security Council. I do think that all of us owe our men and women at arms a thorough and deliberative process before we put them in harm’s way. It is my hope that the Trump administration will reconsider their process and take this seriously in the weeks ahead.

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[VIDEO] Sen Coons: “I am not going to do to Judge Neil Gorsuch what Republicans did to Merrick Garland”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today joined Fox Business to discuss his “no” vote on Betsy DeVos’ nomination and the upcoming confirmation hearings for Circuit Court Judge Neil Gorsuch, President Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court.

Full video and audio available here.

Excerpts from the interview:

Sen. Coons on Republican opposition to Pres. Obama’s appointments: I haven’t taken that same approach. I have voted or will vote for General Mattis for Secretary of Defense, for Linda McMahon for Small Business Administrator. I’ve met with both of them and found them to be qualified. I’ve reviewed their records of service and was encouraged by what I think they will be able to do for our country. On the issue of the Supreme Court, I am not going to do to Judge Neil Gorsuch what Republicans did to Merrick Garland, and refuse to give him a hearing. [That was] an unprecedented and extreme step. I think he should get a hearing and the American people should hear his views and his record and go from there.

Sen. Coons on Judge Gorsuch’s nomination: I’m concerned about his position on access to justice and plaintiffs. I’m concerned about how he sees the balance of power between our branches and I’m concerned about some of his opinions and writings. [However], I’ve heard from a number who’ve practiced with him positive things as an individual, but I have not yet met with him and I am really in the beginning stages of reading into his record, his decisions, his opinions and the work he did both as an attorney and now is a Circuit Court judge. So, I am working to keep an open mind and to provide him the fair hearing that Merrick Garland never received.

Sen. Coons on his “no” vote for Ms. DeVos: I listened to the confirmation hearing of Betsy DeVos and in my view she just didn’t have the experience, the background, or the insight. She’s not in the mainstream of American education policy and she, frankly, flunked the test of being able to identify core issues of federal education policy. For example, she had no idea what the IDEA was, which is the federal statute that protects children with disabilities and makes sure they get access to high-quality education. She couldn’t identify the difference between growth and proficiency, which are core ideas in how we measure progress in education. [Additionally], the agenda she pursued in Michigan, providing taxpayers access to funding through vouchers to derail funding from the traditional public schools and send it to private or parochial schools without accountability, struck me as the sort of [policy] that I’m surprised Republicans would ever support and that virtually every democrat has opposed.

Sen. Coons on alternative educational programs: As I said on the floor earlier in a speech, I spent more than a decade working with the “I have a Dream” Foundation, an organization that provides educational scholarships and opportunity to kids in the toughest schools in the country. I’ve been to the most violent, most difficult, most failing schools in America and I understand and empathize with the yearning of parents and students to have alternatives. [However], to have alternatives without accountability is a disastrous path. In my home state we have charter schools. We have school choice. In some cases it’s worked out well. Our governor had the courage and the foresight to shut down failing charter schools. That is something Betsy DeVos fought against. I don’t think Republicans have ever stood for taxpayer dollars being spent without appropriate accountability. That was a key area of concern for me.

Sen. Coons on Democrats’ opposition to cabinet picks: It troubles me that we’ve had, in the six years I’ve been a Senator, obstruction and an inability for us to work together. Republicans vigorously obstructed President Obama’s attempts at confirmation for Supreme Court Justice, District Court judges, and senior positions in his administration.

Sen Coons, colleagues introduce bipartisan legislation to track National Guard cyber capabilities

24 Senate Democrats Urge Senate Leaders to Protect the BLM Rule that Prevents Natural Gas Waste, Safeguards Health and Economic Growth

WASHINGTON – Today, 24 Senate Democrats, led by U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), urged Senate leaders to defend the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Methane and Natural Gas Waste Prevention Rule, which protects air quality and prevents the waste of taxpayer-owned natural gas on federal and Tribal lands, by opposing efforts to dismantle it through the rarely used and extremely dangerous process set out in the Congressional Review Act. 

In a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Maria Cantwell (D. Wash.), the senators argued that dismantling the rule is a shortsighted and overly aggressive approach that would waste hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer-owned natural gas resources each year — particularly New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming — risk public health, enrich entrenched corporations and yet stifle new industry growth. Additionally, federal law directs the BLM to require producers to use all reasonable precautions to prevent waste of oil or gas produced on public land, and a federal judge in Wyoming ruled last month the new methane rule is within the BLM’s authority. 

The existing rule “seeks to limit the waste of public and tribal natural gas resources currently estimated to total $330 million per year,” the senators wrote. “In 2013 alone, the amount of federally owned natural gas wasted due to venting and flaring resulted in lost royalties to the nation and states, included nearly $4 million for Colorado, nearly $7.7 million for New Mexico, and more than $14.8 million in Wyoming. This is millions of dollars that could go to state infrastructure needs, schools, and emergency services.” 

In addition, the rule was written after years of public and industry outreach and carefully balances the needs of the growing oil and gas industry as well as the importance of addressing the public health impacts caused by natural gas waste. Not only will the rule improve air quality to protect everyone exposed to smog — particularly children, senior citizens and those suffering from asthma — but it will also support a rapidly expanding segment of the oil and gas industry specializing in methane waste mitigation.

“Manufacturing, development and outfitting of oil and gas wells with these technologies is a vibrant and growing American business already located in 46 states throughout the country. This burgeoning industry needs the certainty that comes with a common baseline standard across the West to invest in growth,” they wrote.

The Congressional Review Act (CRA) process has rarely been used in the past because it is so extreme. But this year, Republicans are taking aim at many new standards that protect consumers, taxpayers and public health, including the natural gas waste rule. Using the CRA, Republicans could wipe out entire regulations, and by law, the agency is barred from setting any rule that is “substantially the same.” Given the hostility of the administration and congressional Republicans toward laws to protect the environment and consumers — combined with the normally slow pace of Congress — that likely means that such protections couldn’t be put into place again through law or regulation for years. As a result, American families would pay the price with their health while corporations would get wealthier at their expense.

The senators said there is no justification for such an extreme tactic. “The CRA is an improper and radical way to address potential issues that some members may have with this particular regulation,” they wrote. “The provisions of the rule are based on recommendations from several independent government studies as well as stakeholder input at public forums in 2014. Over almost three years, the federal government undertook 8 public forums and read through more than 300,000 public comments. After receiving numerous requests from the public, the BLM extended the 60 day comment period on the proposed rule an additional 14 days. This has been a remarkably open, transparent process that has incorporated comments and suggestions from all stakeholders including state and local governments, industry, native nations and the public at large…. At a minimum, we believe that the public deserves full consideration of this measure on the floor to ensure we are fully protecting the health and interests of the American taxpayer and minimizing preventable waste of federal resources because the American people see a fair return on the investment of their resources.”

In addition to Udall and Wyden, the letter was signed by Senators Michael F. Bennet (D-Colo.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Cory A. Booker (N.J.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).

The full text of the letter can be found here and below.

Dear Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer, Chairman Murkowski  and Ranking Member Cantwell:

As you know, the Department of the Interior finalized the Methane and Waste Prevention Rule to prevent the needless waste of federally owned natural gas resources in November of 2016. We, the undersigned Senators, urge you to protect the hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue due to American taxpayers for the development of publicly owned energy resources by ceasing efforts to dismantle this regulation using blunt instruments, such as the Congressional Review Act (CRA).

The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management rule seeks to limit the waste of public and tribal natural gas resources currently estimated to total $330 million per year. In 2013 alone, the amount of federally owned natural gas wasted due to venting and flaring resulted in lost royalties to the nation and states, included nearly $4 million for Colorado, nearly $7.7 million for New Mexico, and more than $14.8 million in Wyoming.  This is millions of dollars that could go to state infrastructure needs, schools, and emergency services.  This rule revises decades-old regulations pursuant to the agency’s statutory obligation under the Mineral Leasing Act to ensure “that the permittee or lessee will, in conducting his explorations and mining operations, use all reasonable precautions to prevent waste of oil or gas developed in the land.” (Sec. 16 amended) Under the law, BLM has the obligation to conserve the oil and gas resource, prevent waste, and ensure that taxpayers receive a fair return on production from federal leases. 

The Congressional Review Act is an exceedingly blunt tool for Congress to undertake to address any lingering concerns about commonsense revisions to an  aging rule. In fact, in 2010 the non-partisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) called for the Department of the Interior to improve its data collection and address the limitations of its previous regulation, which is exactly what the new rule does. But the CRA would undo these waste minimization and taxpayer protection guidelines – and it would do so without public input, and in a way that would make it difficult to address GAO’s good governance recommendations going forward. The CRA is an improper and radical way to address potential issues that some members may have with this particular regulation.

The provisions of the rule are based on recommendations from several independent government studies as well as stakeholder input at public forums in 2014.  Over almost three years, the federal government undertook 8 public forums and read through more than 300,000 public comments.  After receiving numerous requests from the public, the BLM extended the 60 day comment period on the proposed rule an additional 14 days.  This has been a remarkably open, transparent process that has incorporated comments and suggestions from all stakeholders including state and local governments, industry, native nations and the public at large.

This regulation will help ensure taxpayers, state governments, and tribal nations receive every dollar due for the use of publicly owned resources at a reasonable cost to producers. The regulations are commonsense and cost effective, as ICF International also found that up to 40% of natural gas can be captured with a cost of just a penny per thousand cubic feet of natural gas produced. And, by phasing in requirements, the rules will enable producers to plan for an orderly transition to ultimately cut flaring in half at oil wells on public and tribal lands.   

In addition, this regulation will support a rapidly expanding segment of the oil and gas industry specializing in methane waste mitigation. Manufacturing, development and outfitting of oil and gas wells with these technologies is a vibrant and growing American business already located in 46 states throughout the country. This burgeoning industry needs the certainty that comes with a common baseline standard across the West to invest in growth.  The Methane and Waste Prevention Rule would also encourage significant infrastructure investments to move recoverable natural gas to plants and refineries. 

Finally, leaked natural gas imposes stark public health risks.  High levels of smog can harm everyone, but children, senior citizens, and people with asthma are particularly at risk of heart attacks, hospitalization, and lower quality of life.  Natural gas releases frequently include other toxic chemicals that impact health, such as hydrogen sulfide, toluene, xylene, benzene and formaldehyde.  These toxic air pollutants increase the chance of cancer, respiratory, neurological, reproductive, developmental and other serious health problems. 

At a minimum, we believe that the public deserves full consideration of this measure on the floor to ensure we are fully protecting the health and interests  of the American taxpayer and minimizing preventable waste of federal resources because the American people see a fair return on the investment of their resources.  Thank you.

Sincerely,

[VIDEO] Sen. Coons at National Prayer Breakfast: “It is amazing what prayer can challenge us to do”

WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) delivered closing remarks at the 65^th annual National Prayer Breakfast this morning. Senator Coons co-chaired the breakfast this year with Senator John Boozman (R-Ark.).

The Senator’s full remarks as delivered are below:

Thank you, Mr. President. We are coming near the end of this prayer breakfast.

The presence of the divine spirit with us in this room with us resting on each heart and radiating outwards reinforces for me what scripture insists is one of our most basic obligations: to love our neighbor as ourself. We are all children of God, each of us created in his image. And though we might have different images as we look out at each other today, it is in that spirit of prayer and love for all of us that we have gathered. 

Rabbi Lookstein, thank you for sharing with us this morning the words of Solomon from Torah that we must continue to proclaim liberty for all of God’s children.” To Congressmen Vargas and Aderholt, thank you for your prayers for the poor and for justice, and your reminder that we should pray for those in leadership in our republic. 

Thank you Bart Millard and Mercy Me for sharing about your father and sharing about how your life has been transformed through prayer, and in song helping us to imagine what our eyes will see when his face is before us and when his glory surrounds us. And thank you for reminding us that God’s love can transform us.

Thank you Chaplain Black for your service and for your spirit and for reminding us that with prayer all things are possible. From healing our nation’s divisions and our difficult racial history, to making our voices heard in heaven, as long as we pray with that earnest need, you have not just an appointed position, Chaplain, but an anointed position.

And to my partner and friend Senator Boozman, thank you. It’s been a wonderful journey together.

And Mr. President, thank you for joining us this morning and for keeping this tradition, one that really does matter, in which every President has joined this breakfast as we humble ourselves and pray for our nation, for wisdom, and for hope.

As I said in the opening, the weekly Senate Prayer Breakfast, the House Prayer Breakfast, the parliamentary prayer breakfast[s] around the world are opportunities for us to come together with those who are our opponents, those with whom we fight and struggle in the daily work of politics. We gather, we humble ourselves, and we see God’s face.

I grew up in a small church in Delaware, and there was a men’s prayer group in that church. That church did bold things — it welcomed refugees, it fed the hungry and homeless — but one Sunday morning, a visiting pastor asked if anyone had ever tried to make real the challenge of Isaiah 61 and other challenges from our Old Testament that said to visit the widow and the orphan, to visit those in prison, to feed the hungry, and to welcome the stranger.

And he said, “I’m going to the prison here in Delaware, in Smyrna, to visit with prisoners. Will anyone come with me?” This was a suburban, Republican, Presbyterian congregation — we did everything decently and in order — and a few men surprised themselves by finding their arms raised, and then went to this place to visit with people quite different from themselves, and to feel the spirit move them, to challenge them, to be brothers with people who had lived very different lives.

One of those men became close friends with a convicted murderer named Paul. One of those men welcomed that man, Paul, into his home, where he was raising three young boys and took a great risk, because of the power of that prayer group. That man is my father.

It is amazing what prayer can challenge us to do. 

And so Mr. President, we shared a solemn and very difficult moment yesterday as you came to my home state of Delaware. We traveled together, along with many leaders of our military and members of Congress. As we gathered with the family of a Navy SEAL, Ryan Owens, to comfort his widow, his young children, his parents, and his family, and as we marched and assembled and prayed, at the very edge of his flag-draped coffin, I could see the weight of your office upon your shoulders.

And so with the same courage my father had in his prayer group, I might ask if you’d just come stand with me, and John, if you’d stand alongside him, and if you all please would bow your heads a we pray for a moment as Solomon did, as David did, Heavenly Father, we ask that you would give our President your wisdom, that you would open our hearts and his heart, that you would give us a heart for all your children. A heart of humility, and grace. Amen.

Bipartisan, bicameral letter encourages Pres. Trump to support key Manufacturing Council recommendations

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) joined with Representatives Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) and Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) to urge President Donald Trump to utilize the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Manufacturing Council to support his Manufacturing Jobs Initiative. In particular, the letter expresses support for Manufacturing USA Institutes and encourages further work to strengthen manufacturing and defense supply chains and cybersecurity.

“Manufacturing is the lifeblood of the American economy, driving innovation, delivering high-wage jobs, and engaging new technologies to create high-value products that are in demand around the world,” the members wrote. “Since its creation in 2004, the Manufacturing Council has provided a forum to bring together private and public sector leaders to inform strategy and policy that supports this critical sector in the United States.  We believe the expertise, insights, and policy recommendations that the Council provided will be an important resource for the new administration.”

A link to a PDF version of the letter is available here.

Full letter below:

January 31, 2017

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We write to express our support for the recent announcement of your Manufacturing Jobs Initiative and your intent to seek counsel from CEOs and business leaders who can provide valuable insights and recommendations for creating manufacturing jobs and promoting economic growth.  As you move forward with this Initiative, we want to bring your attention to prior work of the Department of Commerce’s Manufacturing Council that may accelerate your efforts. 

Manufacturing is the lifeblood of the American economy, driving innovation, delivering high-wage jobs, and engaging new technologies to create high-value products that are in demand around the world.  Since its creation in 2004, the Manufacturing Council has provided a forum to bring together private and public sector leaders to inform strategy and policy that supports this critical sector in the United States.  We believe the expertise, insights, and policy recommendations that the Council provided will be an important resource for the new administration. 

Over the past few years, the Manufacturing Council has offered a number of strong policy recommendations that deserve consideration.  We particularly support recommendations to promote successful approaches for the Manufacturing USA Institutes (the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation).  Public investment in the Manufacturing USA Institutes is more than matched by private sector investment, demonstrating that the effort is market-driven.  The work of these Institutes will help ensure that the United States leads the world in R&D and the implementation of cutting-edge technologies.

In the Manufacturing Council’s final report issued on August 3, 2016, the Council also recommended that public and private leaders focus on strengthening manufacturing and defense supply chains as well as cybersecurity.  These are two critical policy areas because manufacturing increasingly employs digital communication methods from design to production to delivery.  These are just a few of the recommendations that should be a core part of an agenda to create manufacturing jobs.

Support for manufacturing is bipartisan and bicameral, as evidenced by the signatories to this letter representing the Co-Chairs of the Senate Competitiveness Caucus and the House Manufacturing Caucus.  Manufacturing is a policy area where Congress and the administration can find common ground.  In recent years, bipartisan cooperation on manufacturing has led to the enactment of legislation to strengthen enforcement of trade secrets, encourage public-private partnerships aimed to revitalize manufacturing innovation, and permanently extend the R&D tax credit.  These important actions in support of manufacturers will have a direct impact on job creation and economic growth in the United States.

Finally, we support Andrew Liveris’ leadership role on the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative.  As a former Chairman and CEO of Dow Chemical, Mr. Liveris is a well-respected business leader with experience working with government, industry, and academia.  As Co-Chair of the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership Steering Committee, he set the stage for important public and private investments in research and development, including the 14 Manufacturing USA Institutes.

Thank you for your consideration.  We look forward to working together to ensure that the United States continues to produce the highest quality, most sought-after products in the world. 

Sincerely,

________________________                                                ________________________           

CHRISTOPHER A. COONS                                                                        TIM RYAN              

United States Senator                                                                           United States Representative

________________________                                                ________________________

JERRY MORAN                                                                             TOM REED

United States Senator                                                                           United States Representative

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ICYMI: Sens. Coons, Boozman celebrate National Prayer Breakfast in Washington Examiner

WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.), co-chairs of the 65^th annual National Prayer Breakfast, co-authored an op-ed for the Washington Examiner detailing the history of the National Prayer Breakfast and highlighting the role it plays in bringing Americans of all backgrounds, faiths, and political parties together through a celebration of spirituality and prayer.

Click here to read the Senators’ full article in the Washington Examiner:

Bringing our nation together through prayer

By Chris Coons and John Boozman

Sometimes it feels as though only divine intervention can bring Republicans and Democrats together in Washington. Thursday’s National Prayer Breakfast is organized by mere human beings, but it offers America a dose of what’s far too often missing here in Congress: an opportunity to celebrate our shared humanity and seek to heal some of our country’s deep divisions.

We both participate in the weekly Senate Prayer Breakfast, a Wednesday-morning senators-only gathering with the Senate Chaplain, where we pray together and share our personal stories, family concerns, and faith journeys with each other. For at least one hour a week, we leave partisan politics at the door.

Senators from a wide range of different faiths and political backgrounds join the Senate Prayer Breakfast each week. Not only does this time of reflection help us build relationships with our colleagues across the aisle by giving us an hour together each week, but it reminds each of us that the human bonds that unite us are, in fact, far stronger than our political disagreements. Dozens of our colleagues in the House of Representatives come together in a similar weekly gathering.

As we’ve often said, it’s hard to throw a rhetorical punch on the Senate floor when you’ve held hands in prayer earlier in the day. Now, as co-chairs of the 65th annual National Prayer Breakfast, which will take place on Thursday, February 2, we hope Delawareans, Arkansans, and all Americans will join us in celebrating an event that seeks to offer our nation a respite from the grind of partisan politics.

For the last 65 years, the National Prayer Breakfast has brought together religious, political, and cultural leaders in a celebration of spirituality. Since 1953, every U.S. president, from Eisenhower to Kennedy to Reagan to Obama, has attended and spoken at the breakfast. In December, we traveled to New York to extend an invitation to President Trump, and he will join us to address the 3,000 attendees from more than 130 countries who plan to attend this year.

The National Prayer Breakfast plays an important role every year, and at a time of profound and sometimes seemingly intractable political divisions, it’s worth taking a moment to highlight any issue or event that brings Republicans and Democrats together. This is especially true for members of Congress, who sometimes seem even more divided than the country we serve.

This year, following an election that often felt unprecedented in its divisiveness and acrimony, we believe Americans of all backgrounds and faiths will be well-served by an inclusive, positive, forward-looking event that seeks to bring us together. From the freedoms of religion and speech that are etched in our Constitution, to the traditions, institutions, and norms on which our democracy depends, the National Prayer Breakfast is a living example of some of our nation’s most fundamental principles.

In his brief speech addressing the first breakfast in 1953, President Eisenhower urged attendees to “remind ourselves once in a while” to hold our heads high, preserve the essentials of a free government, and pass this nation to the next generation “as sound, as strong, as good as ever.”

“That,” Eisenhower said, “is the prayer that all of us have today.”

Senator Coons co-sponsors bill to block President Trump’s harmful executive order on refugees

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, yesterday introduced a bill, led by Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), to block President Trump’s harmful restriction on refugees and immigrants from certain Muslim-majority nations in the Middle East. Specifically, the bill would withhold any funding to enforce the executive order and declares it illegal based on the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which banned discrimination against immigrants on the basis of national origin. 

Original cosponsors of Murphy’s bill also include U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). Murphy’s bill compliments two measures set to be introduced by U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). 

“Pres. Trump’s executive order is illegal, unconstitutional, and un-American,” said Coons. “The consequences are immediate and devastating: lawful U.S. residents are being turned away from their homes, innocent refugees fleeing war have nowhere to turn, and close allies that we depend on to fight terrorism are rightly outraged. This ban only serves to make us less safe by giving ISIS a propaganda tool, and it is a direct attack on the values that make our country a beacon for inclusiveness and tolerance around the world. Congress must act immediately to block the ban or we risk religious discrimination becoming enshrined in law.”

Bipartisan, Bicameral Group of Lawmakers Introduce Energy Efficiency Legislation

Washington, DC – Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Representatives Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced the Energy Savings Through Public-Private Partnerships Act of 2017, legislation that encourages the use of Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) and Utility Energy Savings Contracts (UESCs) in federal buildings.

Mandatory federal audits already outline energy savings projects for federal facilities aimed at reducing energy consumption and saving tax dollars; however, federal agencies are currently not required to implement these changes. This legislation changes that and would allow projects to be paid for by ESPCs or UESCs. ESPCs and UESCs are innovative public-private partnerships in which private companies use their own money and resources to make energy efficiency upgrades to federal buildings. In exchange for making energy efficient upgrades, those private companies receive a portion of the money saved as a result of the increased efficiency in federal buildings. ESPCs and UESCs create private sector jobs upgrading the federal government’s estimated three billion square feet of office space at no real cost to taxpayers.

“Saving energy and taxpayer money just makes sense with public/private partnerships like this, which is why this bill has bipartisan support,” Senator Coons said.  “This legislation will simultaneously support local jobs, help the federal government save energy, and allow us to invest in clean energy, energy efficiency, and water conservation projects that are critical to our economic future.”

“Since my time in the House of Representatives, I’ve been proud to work with members of both parties to encourage energy efficiency,” said Senator Gardner. “Increasing federal buildings’ energy efficiency through public-private partnerships is commonsense  – it will lead to the creation of private sector jobs, save American taxpayer dollars, and promote a cleaner environment.”

“As the largest single user of energy in the United States, the federal government has a responsibility to lead by example on the issue of energy conservation,” said Senator Portman. “This bipartisan measure will help make the federal government more energy efficient, lower energy costs, and save taxpayer dollars, and that’s something I believe all Americans support.”

“ESPCs and UESCs have proven to be a cost-effective way to reduce energy consumption, create private sector jobs and save taxpayers millions of dollars,” said Senator Shaheen. “Encouraging the use of these innovative tools will help to improve the energy efficiency of the Federal government, which is the nation’s largest energy user.”

“Currently, the federal government is missing out on an estimated $20 billion in savings by continuing to run outdated, energy inefficient federal facilities,” Representative Kinzinger said. “The Energy Savings through Public Private Partnerships Act is a bipartisan, commonsense solution that is guaranteed to help end wasteful spending on inefficient energy programs in order to deliver savings to the American taxpayers who are footing these energy bills.”

“The federal government has over 3 billion square feet of building space and is the largest energy consumer in the country,” Representative Welch said. “This legislation would make federal buildings energy efficient while saving taxpayer dollars, improving the environment and create private sector jobs. In the previous Congress, the House demonstrated that energy efficiency is a practical idea that cuts through partisan gridlock. In this Congress, we’ll be redoubling our efforts to get bipartisan energy efficiency legislation on the President’s desk.”

Delegation holds panel to discuss ramifications of repealing Affordable Care Act without comprehensive replacement plan

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senators Chris Coons and Tom Carper, along with Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.), today convened a panel to discuss the possible impacts to patients, hospitals and community health centers should the Affordable Care Act (ACA) be repealed and not replaced. The current administration and Congress has sent mixed signals about their plans to repeal the ACA, also known as “Obamacare,” saying it’s a priority but not offering a concrete plan to replace it.

Panelists who outlined the drawbacks in repealing the ACA included Dr. Janice E. Nevin, M.D., MPH, President and Chief Executive of Christiana Care, Kristen Isaac, outreach coordinator for Westside Family Healthcare, Lolita Lopez, President and CEO of Westside Family Health, Dr. Roy Proujansky, Chief Executive of Nemours/Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children, Steve Groff, Delaware Department of Health and Human Services, and Dr. Prayus Tailor, President of the Medical Society of Delaware.

Attendees also heard first-hand the story of self-employed Delawarean Kerry Orr, who receives her health care through the ACA marketplace. Shortly after enrolling, she was diagnosed with cancer. “Before having comprehensive health care through the ACA, my primary fear of having cancer would have been the financial ruin, not my health. With the health care coverage I receive through Obamacare, I could afford the treatments and the medications to get better.”

“From today’s discussion, it’s clear that repealing the Affordable Care Act without an adequate replacement plan would be an act of congressional malpractice,” said Sen. Coons. “Should the Republican-controlled Congress be successful in stripping away health care, more than 30,000 of our friends, family and neighbors in Delaware would have comprehensive health care access ripped away, causing a nightmare scenario not just for individual Delawareans, but also for the First State’s budget, which is already facing budget shortfalls.” 

“Like most of what we’ve heard from Republicans about their plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, President Trump’s executive action on the ACA have created instability, uncertainty, fear, and no relief for the thousands of Delawareans and millions of Americans who are scared about the future of their health care,” said U.S. Senator Tom Carper. “Today’s roundtable provided an insightful discussion on the effects that would be felt here in the first state – from patients who have been helped by this legislation to our state’s most vulnerable hospitals and health centers. I urge President Trump and Republicans in Congress to heed the warnings of our health care providers who have been calling on us to provide clear and transparent transition plans and regulatory certainty and to build on the progress achieved by the ACA before repealing any part of the health care law to ensure all Americans can keep their health insurance coverage and improve and strengthen our health insurance market.”

“We have all acknowledged that there is room to improve the Affordable Care Act to promote access and to drive costs down, but we cannot simply repeal it without a viable replacement plan,” Rep. Blunt Rochester said. “The bottom line is that not only will tens of thousands of Delawareans be stripped of their healthcare, but thousands of good-paying jobs will be lost. We have to come together and have an honest conversation, with members of both political parties at the table, about the ways we can improve quality of care and affordability for Delawareans and Americans alike.”

“In Delaware we have made tremendous progress in expanding access to care and transforming our health care system.  We are deeply concerned about the potential for tens of thousands of Delawareans to lose coverage under a repeal of the ACA and for providers to face barriers to continued innovation,” said Janice E. Nevin, M.D., MPH, Christiana Care president and CEO. “Be assured that regardless of what the future holds, Christiana Care will be here to care for our community, will continue our journey to deliver high value care, and will partner with our state and others to overcome any challenges and advance the health of all those we serve.”

“The Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) have worked together to help more children get the health coverage they need for success and health – in the early years and later in life,” said Dr. Roy Proujansky, Chief Executive Nemours Delaware Valley Operations. “With all that has been accomplished through the ACA, for children and families in Delaware and across the nation, we should be moving forward, not backward.”

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