Senators Cardin, Coons, and Kaine applaud Senate Foreign Relations Committee passage of Tunisia Quartet Resolution

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today praised the Committee’s passage of S.Res. 330, which congratulates the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet for winning the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize.  The resolution commends the Quartet for forging peaceful political compromises and reaffirms the United States’ commitment to support Tunisia as it continues on the path to democracy, stability, and prosperity. 

“The successful passage of this Resolution in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee underscores the critical role that civil society actors and organizations must play in any sustainable reform effort,” said Senator Cardin.  “The U.S. will continue to support Tunisia’s democratic transition, economic stabilization, and security.  Going forward, I encourage the Tunisia’s civil society organizations to continue working with Tunisia’s elected leadership and the Tunisian people to preserve national unity, remain committed to dialogue, and stay the course of inclusivity and fundamental freedoms.” 

“I’m pleased the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed our resolution commending the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet for winning the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize,” said Senator Coons.  “The Quartet’s role in mediating peaceful compromises to disagreements about Tunisia’s political future was instrumental in setting the country on a path to democracy, stability, and prosperity.  Recent political conflicts and public protests demonstrate that Tunisia has not reached the end of that path.  Now more than ever, I urge the Tunisian people to follow the example of the Quartet and make the tough compromises necessary for democracy to flourish.  The United States will remain a close partner of the Tunisian people in these efforts.” 

“The Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet represents what can be achieved when citizens, despite different political affiliations and diverse backgrounds, decide to work together in good faith to ensure a better future for their country,” said Senator Kaine.  “The Quartet’s commitment to an inclusive, peaceful dialogue to reach difficult, political compromises resulted in an historic election and democratic transition.  I look forward to supporting Tunisia as it continues the hard, yet necessary, work of building the strong democracy its people deserve.”

Bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives introduce new legislation to create regional manufacturing hubs, invest in manufacturing jobs

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), along with Representatives David Cicilline (D-RI), Richard Hanna (R-NY), Tom Reed (R-NY), Tim Ryan (D-OH), John Katko (R-NY) and Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), today introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to boost American manufacturing. This legislation would grow the manufacturing industry across the country by creating a permanent program that designates local regions as “Manufacturing Communities,” which would put them in the front of the line to receive federal economic development funding specifically for the purpose of investing in manufacturing.

“Manufacturing has enormous power to create jobs, foster innovation, and drive America’s continued economic recovery.” said Senator Coons. “Helping support manufacturing in Delaware and across the country has been a top priority since my first day in the Senate. That is why I’m pleased to support this important bill.” 

To bolster more growth in the American manufacturing industry, this bill would create a permanent program to competitively award regions with the “Manufacturing Community” designation. This designation would give these communities preferred consideration when applying for up to $1.3 billion in currently available federal economic development funding for manufacturing. This legislation encourages a regionally-driven approach to strengthening the manufacturing industry. To compete for funding through this program and earn the “Manufacturing Communities” designation, communities would create regional partnerships with key stakeholders such as local and state economic development officials, local governments, manufacturers, labor organizations, and higher education or other training providers. 

In order to earn the Manufacturing Communities designation, communities would demonstrate the significance of manufacturing in their region and develop strategies to utilize their “Manufacturing Communities” designation in making investments in six areas:

• Workforce training and retraining;
• Advanced research;
• Infrastructure and site development;
• Supply chain support;
• Promotion of exports and foreign direct investment; and
• Operational improvement and capital access for manufacturers that supports energy or process efficiency, equipment or facility upgrades, the development of business incubators, among other activities.

A current Administration program has launched 24 “Manufacturing Communities” around the country. This proposal will make this program permanent, allowing existing communities the opportunity to continue to implement their manufacturing strategies, and allowing new communities the opportunity to receive a designation.

The Senate version of the bill, led by Senator Gillibrand, is titled the “Made in American Manufacturing Communities Act.” The House version of the same bill is led by U.S. Representative David Cicilline and titled the “Make it in America Manufacturing Communities Act.”

Senator Coons backs Administration’s funding request to fight Zika virus

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after the Obama Administration announced it is asking Congress for more than $1.8 billion in emergency funding to prepare for and respond to the Zika virus both at home and abroad. 

“As the Zika virus continues to spread in the Americas, we should not wait any longer to take strong, decisive action to lead the fight against this virus,” said Senator Coons. “The Ebola crisis taught us that the United States is uniquely positioned to lead the international community’s response to global health crises. By applying our attention and unmatched resources, the United States can and should lead the international effort to stop this virus, and I applaud the President’s request for funding that will allow us to do just that. This funding will support critical research into the origins and outcomes of the Zika virus so that facts, not fear, determine the international community’s response, and it will support ongoing efforts to treat and control virus outbreaks. I urge my colleagues in Congress to grant this emergency funding request immediately.” 

Senator Coons was a leading voice in the Senate in calling for a strong response from the United States in the fight against Ebola. In December of 2014, he became the first Senator to travel to Liberia after the virus started spreading there earlier that year.

Senators Applaud Electrify Africa Bill Becoming Law

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.), all members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today applauded President Obama’s signing of the Electrify Africa Act of 2015 (S.2152) into law. The bipartisan legislation, which was unanimously approved by the Senate last year and passed by the House of Representatives this week, will leverage private sector resources through loan guarantees to help 50 million Africans access electricity for the first-time and add 20,000 megawatts of electricity to the grid by 2020. Providing access to electricity will stimulate economic growth while also improving access to education and public health. 

“I’m pleased Electrify Africa is now law and will enable the leveraging of private sector resources to promote first-time access to electricity for millions of people in Africa,” said Senator Corker. “With limited foreign assistance dollars, we need to focus on projects like energy that can be a catalyst for long-term growth throughout the region and reduce poverty. Our legislation will establish an all-of-the-above approach to energy generation while helping implement the best practices necessary for maintaining a reliable and financially viable electric grid. I appreciate the support of my colleagues in the House and Senate and the president for enacting this fiscally responsible approach to sustainable development in Africa.”

“Access to electricity remains one of the fundamental development challenges in Africa, with direct impacts on public health, education, and economic growth,” said Senator Cardin. “Now signed into law, this bipartisan effort draws upon American leadership and ingenuity to provide first-time access to clean, affordable, sustainable energy, and consultation with local African communities.  By working with African governments to attract private sector investment and partnering with American firms that are on the cutting edge of the power solutions Africa seeks, we can make great strides in addressing African energy poverty and promote inclusive economic growth for communities in Africa and at home.” 

“U.S. foreign assistance works best when it is targeted toward the most pressing needs and can be leveraged to help recipients further develop their economies,” said Senator Rubio. “The Electrify Africa Act will enhance our current assistance programs in Africa and help expand access to electricity, which is essential to support poverty reduction and promote economic development.” 

“The Electrify Africa Act signed into law by the President today is a product of real, bipartisan cooperation and support from important organizations like the ONE Campaign and the National Rural Electrical Cooperative Association,” said Senator Coons. “The passage of this bill has the potential to transform the entire continent of Africa by helping countries reduce poverty and drive economic growth through greater access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable power. If we can do more to provide power to the people of Africa, the benefits will go far beyond improving energy access. Greater access to reliable energy means kids can study under the light of a lamp, hospitals can run equipment to better diagnose disease or illness, and refrigerators will be able to keep food from spoiling. The Electrify Africa Act builds on the success of President Obama’s Power Africa initiative, which has shown the potential of reliable power to transform schools, homes, and industry across the continent. I saw some successful Power Africa projects firsthand on a trip last summer, and came away even more determined to pass this legislation. I would like to thank Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Corker and Ranking Member Ben Cardin, as well as House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Ed Royce, Ranking Member Eliot Engel, and all of their staffs, for their hard work to pass this bill.”

The legislation requires the president to create a comprehensive strategy for United States’ engagement with sub-Saharan Africa in developing a broad mix of power solutions to increase electricity access and reliability. It encourages the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), USAID, the U.S. Department of Treasury, U.S. Trade and Development Agency, World Bank, and African Development Bank to prioritize loans, grants, and technical support that promote private investment in projects designed to increase electricity access and reliability.

WMDT: Sen. Coons and former Rep. Castle work together to fund Pulmonary Fibrosis research

WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, WMDT reporter Jobina Fortson interviewed U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) and former Congressman Mike Castle (R-Del.) last week about their fight against Pulmonary Fibrosis. Recently, Senator Coons secured funding through his seat on the Senate Appropriations Committee for a first-of-its-kind Fibrosis Research Center in Boston’s Mass General Hospital, building on years of work started by former Rep. Castle.

You can watch the clip here: http://bit.ly/20k7s5 

WMDT:Coons and Castle making waves in Fibrosis research

By Jobina Fortson

WILMINGTON, Del. – Mass General Hospital in Boston has announced the establishment of the Fibrosis Research Center within the Department of Medicine. It’s the first of its kind.  It’s also all happening in part because of U.S. Senator Chris Coons’ push for more Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF) research.

Senator Coons says, “I am more optimistic now than I’ve been at any point in the last five years that we will have an effective treatment; and hopefully God willing a cure.”

Senator Coons has become the congressional face for the disease. PF happens when lung tissue becomes damaged and scarred. It kills roughly forty-thousand Americans a year. Former Congressman Mike Castle’s brother and sister unfortunately fall into that category. 

Castle says, “It’s just very difficult when people are just gasping and can’t breathe. That’s ultimately how they die. I was there when my sister died and it was a very difficult experience to go through.” 

When Coons won the senate seat back in 2010, Castle asked if he could carry the torch to fight for awareness. It was something he had been doing while in congress. Pulmonary Fibrosis has no cure and no known cause.

Senator Coons goes on, “Their only hope is a double lung transplant which is rare and incredibly expensive. In most cases they pass away within three to five years. Several of the folks I met with when I first became a senator in 2010 have now passed away from the disease.”

However, that’s not to say major strides haven’t been made. Coons has used his appropriations committee assignment to increase funding opportunities for PF, introduced legislation establishing a PF registry, and encouraged the National Institute of Health’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to develop fibrosis across organs. It’s an initiative that funds research studying how fibrosis affects organs in the body. Coons and Castle believe what’s coming to Mass General is just the next step.

Castle says, “It’s wonderful when the really top people in the medical profession start to pay attention to something like this.”

Officials with Mass General expect to have the Fibrosis Research Center up and running by late Spring.

Bipartisan bill from Coons, Risch, Shaheen would keep 7(a) loans available to small businesses

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) today introduced the “Help Small Businesses Access Affordable Credit Act,” which would ensure that American small businesses are able to access affordable credit during periods of high demand for 7(a) loans.  

Specifically, the bill provides the Small Business Administration (SBA) with the flexibility to adjust the loan limit established by Congress each year if demand exceeds the limit.  In the previous two years, 7(a) lending reached the loan limit before the end of the fiscal year.  Last year, the SBA was forced to suspend new 7(a) loans until Congress passed legislation raising the limit, which disrupted small business lending.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and we should do everything we can to ensure that our innovators and entrepreneurs have access to affordable credit,” said Senator Coons.  “This commonsense bill will allow the Small Business Administration to continue to meet the high demand for loan guarantees without unnecessary disruptions.  Businesses should be focusing on expanding operations and creating jobs and that’s exactly what this legislation is designed to support. ” 

“Access to capital remains one of the biggest challenges facing small business owners,” said Senator Risch. “The 7(a) program has helped provide billions of dollars to America’s small businesses, the engine that drives American job creation and our economy.” 

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy in New Hampshire and ensuring that they have access to credit is critical to helping them grow and succeed,” said Senator Shaheen. “We can’t risk letting essential SBA lending programs shut down due to Congressional inaction, which this legislation will help prevent.”

The 7(a) program is the SBA’s flagship small business loan program. It provides critical guarantees on loans to small businesses that often have difficulty qualifying for traditional loans. According to the SBA, in FY 2014, 7(a) lending created over 500,000 new jobs and supported  45,730 businesses. 

“I commend Senator Coons for his leadership and willingness to support small businesses across the country,” said Tony Wilkinson, President & CEO of the National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders (NAGGL). “For the past two years, the 7(a) program has faced threat of shutdown because the level of lending authorized by Congress has fallen short of where the demand has been among small business borrowers.  As a result, small businesses have hung in the balance waiting on Washington, DC to raise the no-cost lending cap in a last-minute crisis, affecting certainty, growth, and job creation.  This bill is a common sense solution and critical reform that will avert future threats to small business growth and job creation.” 

The Help Small Businesses Access Affordable Credit Act would:

• Provide the SBA Administrator with the authority to increase the 7(a) loan limit in a fiscal year by up to 10%.
• A request to increase must be sent to Congress 45 days in advance of exercising an increase.
• House and Senate Appropriations Committees must approve the increase.

The 7(a) program operates on a zero subsidy basis, so adjusting the loan guarantee level will not result in additional cost to government.

The bill has been endorsed by the National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders.

Senator Coons receives Teach For America Congressional Champion award

Wilmington, DE – U.S. Senator Chris Coons was presented with the Teach For America Congressional Champion Award for his continued efforts to expand educational opportunities for students in Delaware and across the nation. Sen. Coons is one of 12 members of Congress to be honored by Teach For America CEO Elisa Villanueva Beard and founder Wendy Kopp at a luncheon on Wednesday, February 3 at the Capitol Complex.

“I have been proud to support TFA’s work to ensure that all students have access to a quality education, regardless of their background,” said Senator Coons. “Teach For America works to give every child the chance to succeed by harnessing our nation’s most promising leaders and striving to strengthen educational excellence and equity. I would like to thank TFA CEO Elisa Villanueva Beard and founder Wendy Kopp for their vision and leadership of Teach For America, as well as TFA Delaware’s Executive Director, Laurisa Schutt for her hard work across the state. I look forward to offering my continued support to this important organization.”

Coons was selected for his unwavering support for Teach For America in Delaware and Washington, D.C.; Coons has been a champion for quality alternative certification programs, competitive grants such as i3 and SEED that enable excellent teacher training and support, and AmeriCorps funding to support those willing to dedicate themselves to serving our most vulnerable populations.

“Our Congressional champions have played an instrumental role in growing Teach For America’s impact in our first 25 years. Their support for critical funding and key policy provisions  has helped expand educational opportunity for children growing up in poverty across the country and inspired thousands of individuals to join the fight for educational equity and excellence,” said Teach For America CEO Elisa Villanueva Beard. “I am thankful for leaders like Coons who are committed to ensuring that all children in this nation have the opportunity to attain an excellent education.”

Teach For America has been a community partner in Delaware since 2009. This year, as Teach For America celebrates its 25th anniversary nationally, the Delaware regional team is excited to launch Lead For Delaware, a new, highly-collaborative, in-house principal certification program that prepares educators statewide to lead high-need schools. Currently, 40 Delaware corps members teach 2,500 local students, and an additional 90 alumni call the state home, working from all sectors to expand opportunities for children growing up in low-income communities.

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Senator Coons announces Class of 2020 U.S. Service Academy nominations

DOVER, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons today announced his U.S. Service Academy nominations for the Class of 2020. Three students have earned the Senator’s principal nomination and will be offered academy appointments should they meet all medical, physical and academic requirements. Senator Coons has also submitted the names of 24 additional outstanding young Delawareans for consideration. Senator Coons also nominated 10 individuals to the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

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

Principal Nominees are United States Military Academy at West Point (Adam Udovich), United States Air Force Academy (Michael McLaughlin) and United States Naval Academy (Derek Golembrosky).

United States Military Academy at West Point
Murphy Dichiaro: Newark
Jacob DiSabatino: Wilmington
Gary Gray: Magnolia
John Lazear: Newark
Josephine Marsh: Middletown
Channah Mills: Wyoming
Kevin Murray: Wilmington
Caleb Septer: Smyrna
Seung Son: Frankford

United States Air Force Academy
Michael Canning: Camden
Iosif Drane: Dover
Piper Freed: Middletown
Sean Roberts: Hockessin
Brian Schwarzkopf: Hockessin
Andrew Stant: Dover
John Walker: Wilmington
Lance White: Lewes
Ryan Weber: Newark

United States Naval Academy
Michael Canning: Camden
Ian Carlisle: Seaford
Tobias Ferl: Milton
William Frangia: Townsend
Piper Freed: Middletown
Justin Koo: Newark
Kevin Murray: Wilmington
Griffin Ott: Dover
Alexander Rosenthal: Laurel

United States Merchant Marine Academy
Ian Carlisle: Seaford
Ian Chinnery: Wilmington
Tobias Ferl: Milton
Isaac Jennings: Townsend
Brady Mattson: Wilmington
Seamus Mooney: Newark
Aidan O’Sullivan: Wilmington
Sean Roberts: Hockessin
Noah Snyder: Camden
James Trentham: Middletown

Senator Coons’ statement on potential new sanctions on Iran

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement after The Washington Post reported this morning that Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Senator Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) are “crafting new measures to address everything from Iran’s recent ballistic missile tests to the country’s human rights violations to a reauthorization of the soon-expiring Iran Sanctions Act (ISA).”

“Like Senators Corker and Menendez, I’m very concerned about Iran’s continued UN Security Council violations, its ballistic missile program, its support for terrorism, and its human rights abuses,” said Senator Coons, a member of the SFRC.  “I’m eager to see exact language from my colleagues, but in principle, I certainly support their efforts to show Iran that we are not going to tolerate its bad behavior.  We need to strictly enforce both the nuclear agreement and the other sanctions against Iran that remain in place, and we need to have credible, precise sanctions to ‘snap back’ to should Iran violate the nuclear agreement.”

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VIDEO: Senator Coons: “We can and should be tougher” on Iran

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined CNBC’s “Squawk Box” this morning to discuss recent conversations he had with leaders in Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and at the International Atomic Energy Agency Headquarters (IAEA) in Austria about pushing back on Iranian aggression.  Watch video of the interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-c9u30psgg&feature=youtu.be

Excerpts from the interview are below:

Senator Coons on what he said to leaders in Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Austria, regarding Iran: “We haven’t lost our minds and suddenly decided that Iran is a safe and easy country, the sort of country with which we’d like to be closely aligned”

“I think we have achieved some real progress towards peace with the [nuclear agreement] with Iran, but we also have to be clear with our allies: Iran is still a dangerous country, Iran still has – I think – nuclear ambitions, and is actively supporting terrorism throughout the region and the world.”

“Let’s be clear about what [Iran] had to do in order to get access to the $50 billion in Iranian frozen assets that were being held in banks around the world.  They had to ship virtually their entire stockpile of enriched uranium – twelve tons – outside of the country. It’s now under IAEA seal, outside of Iran, so they don’t have access to it to build a bomb.  They had to pour concrete into the very center of a reactor that could have produced weapons-grade plutonium. And they’ve had to give access to the IAEA to their entire system – better intelligence than we’ve ever had.”

“The point that I’ve been making on the floor of the Senate and with other colleagues is that frankly, we’ve been clear all along that we don’t accept, we don’t support, and we won’t tolerate their ballistic missile program, their support for terrorism, and their human rights violations.”

“It’s my hope that on a bipartisan basis, Senators of both parties will recognize that we can and should be tougher on this.”

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