New Castle County’s bond rating now at risk because of Tea Party Republicans’ unwillingness to avert default crisis

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Budget Committee and the former County Executive of New Castle County, issued the following statement after Moody’s announced that New Castle County was one of 162 local governments in 31 states whose AAA bond rating will be reviewed for downgrade because of Washington’s inability to reach a compromise on how to raise the nation’s debt ceiling and avert a default crisis.

“We’ve been hearing for weeks about how Tea Party Republicans’ inability to accept responsibility for fulfilling the nation’s obligations would trickle down and impact municipalities’ own AAA bond ratings. This morning we woke up to find that nightmare is coming true.

“In six years as County Executive, I worked very hard with the County Council, with the county workforce, and with the public to make extremely difficult choices to achieve balanced budgets and maintain our AAA bond rating. In Delaware, we know what it means to share in the sacrifice, which is why the state has managed to be one of just a few to maintain its own AAA bond rating through the hard work of Governor Markell and the state legislature. Since coming to the Senate nine months ago, I’ve worked hard to convince my colleagues that similar sacrifices must be made in Washington as well, and that bipartisan compromise is the only way forward. The level of intransigence in the face of the obvious need to restore economic stability and market confidence has been frustrating.

“Only a fraction of the nation’s 3,000 counties were able to retain their AAA ratings during the recession, and municipalities across the country are now facing similarly difficult choices every day. I know how hard those decisions are and how significant the costs will be for everyone who borrows money. Whether it’s a local government trying to build a new police station or a small business trying to make payroll or a student trying to go to college, the impacts of default will reach every American.

“It’s disheartening to think that years of extremely difficult work at New Castle County maintaining our AAA bond rating could be tossed aside by weeks of reckless stubbornness by Tea Party Republicans. While we have record annual deficits and a dangerous national debt that need to be urgently addressed, defaulting on America’s mortgage is not the way to do it.

“The announcement from Moody’s today affects municipalities in 31 states, including those of the very Tea Party Republicans who are insisting on steering our nation’s economy off this cliff. I hope that this sobering news will instead help steer them to a responsible compromise.”

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Senator Coons applauds committee passage of the National Blue Alert Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement after the Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to pass the bipartisan National Blue Alert Act of 2011, which establishes a national network system that allows states to quickly communicate information to the public related to law enforcement officials who are seriously injured or killed in the line of duty.  Senator Coons is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and an original cosponsor to the legislation.

“When our police are wounded or killed on duty, catching the suspect before they inflict harm on others becomes the top priority of law enforcement agencies,” Senator Coons said. “This bill will better foster the wide-spread, rapid dissemination of information to the general public regarding a violent fugitive in order to bring the suspect into custody quickly. Our brave police officers put themselves in harm’s way day-in and day-out to protect our communities. Providing them with resources that allows for them to better communicate between agencies and states isn’t a partisan issue and I’m glad to join my colleagues from both sides of the aisle today to create safety across state lines.”

Ten states, including Delaware, currently are in the process of implementing their own statewide Blue Alert system. This bill will provide other states with resources to implement the system.

Specifically the National Blue Alert Act of 2011 will:

• Set forth general guidelines regarding when and how a Blue Alert should be issued. Specifically, when a law enforcement agency can confirm indications of death or injury of a police officer, the suspect remains at large, and sufficient information about the suspect getaway vehicle exists.
• The information is then disseminated through media outlets and reported to state crime report agencies and the FBI’s National Crime Information Database.
• Designate $10 million from the Department of Justice’s existing COPS Technology grants program funding toward Blue Alert development, training, and technologies.
• Establish a Blue Alert national coordinator within the Department of Justice to develop operational guidelines that states could adopt voluntarily.

Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) was the original sponsor of the act. In addition to Senator Coons’ cosponsorship, other senator who cosponsored the bill include, Senators Richard Blumenthal (D – Conn.), Rob Portman (R – OH), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Lindsey Graham (R – S.C.), Amy Klobuchar (D – Minn.), Jon Kyl (R–Ariz.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D – R.I.).

Senator Coons praises sale of Allen Family Foods and welcomes Harim USA to Delaware

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) today welcomed approval of a deal to sell Seaford’s Allen Family Foods to Harim USA, the American division of South Korean meat producer Harim Holdings Co.

“It is terrific news for Delaware that hundreds of our neighbors who have worked at Allen Family Foods will be able to keep their jobs thanks to this sale,” Senator Coons said. “The best way to strengthen our communities is to ensure that more and more Americans have access to good, quality jobs, and this deal does just that. This outstanding news — combined with Mountaire’s planned expansion at its facilities in Millsboro and Selbyville — is a promising sign that the tide is turning for the job market in Sussex County.”

In new web video, Senator Coons lays out the consequences of default

WASHINGTON – In a new web video, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) explains why our nation defaulting on its debt would have real and painful impacts on a wide range of Americans. The video lays out the various commitments the U.S. would be unable to meet if the debt ceiling — “America’s mortgage” — is not raised.

“Flirting with the possibility of default on our nation’s mortgage is risky business,” Senator Coons says in the video. “Republicans, both here in the Senate and in the House, who say that the consequences wouldn’t be serious aren’t taking this seriously enough.”

The 3-minute, 54-second video was recorded in the Senator’s Washington office late Thursday, and features an interactive display that compares the $307 billion in America’s monthly obligations to the $172 billion America takes in each month. With government obligations itemized to scale, Senator Coons uses the display to demonstrate the services that would go un-funded if the nation were to default and only pay its core obligations.

“There are thousands of other places where federal employees and agencies do things that actually make a daily difference in the lives of Americans,” Senator Coons says.

Senator Coons is a member of the Senate Budget Committee.

The video can be viewed on Senator Coons’ website here:

http://www.coons.senate.gov/blog/post/video-consequences-of-default

A transcript of the video follows: 

Hi, I’m Senator Chris Coons from Delaware, a member of the Budget Committee and like you, someone who’s been watching with growing concern as we’ve come closer and closer to defaulting on America’s mortgage. 

I thought I’d take a few minutes and help explain what’s really at stake and what the debate is here in the United States Congress. There are some – Republicans – in both the House and the Senate who’ve said that there is no real impending default crisis and if there is, it’s not that big a deal… the consequences for our families and our country won’t be that great. They suggest that we’ve got enough coming in in income every month as a federal government to meet our core commitments. I’d like to take a minute and see how that argument really stacks up. 

Every month, the United States government takes in about $172 billion, and every month, we spend about $307 billion – and that’s the core of our problem. We could meet some of our most important obligations. Social Security benefits: we could actually meet those every month with the money that’s coming in. We also want to make sure we don’t leave behind the hundreds of thousands of seniors and folks who are disabled who rely on Medicare and Medicaid to provide monthly healthcare tokeep them and their families strong, healthy, and secure.

So let’s say we’re going to meet these core commitments: Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. And, of course, we’re also a nation at war, so we wouldn’t leave behind our troops in the field, our veterans, and our critical national security and defense infrastructure, so let’s make sure we meet that commitment too. And as I said, there’s folks that say on top of those three core commitments, we can also continue to meet interest on our national debt. So their argument is, ‘with $170 billion a month coming in, we can meet our core commitments — what’s the problem? We’re just going to have some other things that we won’t be able to meet.’

Well, what’s in the rest of these commitments that we’ve made as a country month in and month out?

First among them is unemployment insurance. There are still millions of Americans who are relying on monthly unemployment insurance to stay in their homes, to feed their families, and to keep their head above water in these very difficult economic times. I guess we’ll just forget about that commitment.

There’s thousands of other places where federal employees and agencies do things that actually make a daily difference in the lives of Americans. In education: in continuing to pay the Pell Grants that keep thousands of students in colleges. In labor: in the inspectors who make sure that workplaces are safe and healthy. In folks who operate our justice system, in federal courts, in FBI agents, the federal prisons. What happens when we simply stop paying the prison guards? There are so many other areas. We’re going to stop doing basic cancer research. We won’t fund any more of the folks who staff the FAA and make sure that our airplanes are flying safely. We’re not going to bother paying for border security or border patrol. We’re, frankly, just going to let all of those commitments go. And the consequences of default for working families all over this country would be just awful. 

Flirting with the possibility of default on our nation’s mortgage is risky business, and Republicans, both here in the Senate and in the House, who say that the consequences wouldn’t be serious aren’t taking this seriously enough. Whether as a senator who has to worry about America’s place in the world or as a father who’s concerned about my family and my community, I take this very seriously.

It’s my hope that you, too, see this as clearly as I do and as all of us here who are Senate Democrats do. We need to come together to find solutions and to take this seriously. We cannot afford for America to default.

Senator Coons praises Pentagon progress on implementation of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a cosponsor of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010, issued the following statement on the Department of Defense’s certification on Friday that it is prepared for gays and lesbians to serve openly in the United States armed forces:

“This is an important moment for the men and women of our armed forces and a significant step forward as we work to end discrimination by the federal government against LGBT Americans, especially those who serve our nation in uniform. With its certification of readiness today, the Defense Department is confirming what our military personnel told us last year — that our armed forces will continue to be the most capable and professional fighting force in the world, regardless of the sexual orientation of those within its ranks.”

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is discrimination, plain and simple. As the brave men and women who serve our country in uniform have the courage to fight for our freedom, we should likewise defend theirs.  I was proud to not only vote to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell during the lame duck session, but to cosponsor it. I have closely monitored its implementation these last seven months and look forward to seeing the ban on service finally lifted once and for all this September.”

Senator Coons seeking applicants for Senate Page Program

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) is now accepting applications for the Senate Page Program’s fall 2011 session from qualified high school juniors.

“The Senate Page Program is a wonderful opportunity for young Delawareans to gain firsthand experience with the legislative branch,” Senator Coons said. “It helps encourage our young people to be engaged, lifelong participants of America’s civic and political systems. This is the first opportunity my office will have to sponsor a page since coming to the Senate and I am looking forward to reviewing the applications of Delaware’s brightest young stars.”

The fall session runs from September 6, 2011 to January 27, 2012. The deadline for submitting applications is August 8, 2011.

To be considered for the program, an applicant must be a United States citizen or subject to agreements of the Department of State, and must have a Social Security number.  Applicants must be a junior in high school who will be 16 or 17 years old on or before September 6. Applicants must verify a minimum grade point average of 3.0 or a home school transcript and a certification of immunization to qualify for attendance at the school. Applicants are required to be covered by health insurance; if not covered, they will be required to enroll in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.

Students interested in applying should contact Senator Coons’ Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-5042 to obtain an application and for additional information about the Senate Page Program.

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Senators introduce bill to encourage offshore wind energy production

WASHINGTON – Today, Sens. Tom Carper (D-Del.), and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine)  introduced legislation to provide critical financial incentives for the investment in offshore wind energy. Joining Sens. Carper and Snowe as cosponsors are Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio).

Specifically, the Incentivizing Offshore Wind Power Act provides the offshore wind industry with enhanced stability by extending investment tax credits for the first 3,000 MW of offshore wind facilities placed into service – which is an estimate of 600 wind turbines. These tax credits are vital for this new clean energy technology because there is a much longer lead time for the permitting and construction of offshore wind turbines, compared to onshore wind energy.  Once awarded a tax credit, companies have five years to install the offshore wind facility. Companies cannot receive other production or investment tax credits in addition to the offshore wind investment tax credit.

The bill defines offshore facilities as any facility located in the inland navigable waters of the United States, including the Great Lakes, or in the coastal waters of the United States, including the territorial seas of the United States, the exclusive economic zone of United States, and the outer Continental Shelf of the United States.

“This legislation is essential to encourage the continued growth of this fledgling industry,” said Sen. Carper. “Guaranteeing these tax incentives for the first 3,000 MW will spur the industry to get these projects up and running, and encourage further development even in these challenging economic times. This support will allow companies like NRG Bluewater Wind to continue to invest in clean, stable wind energy off our nation’s shores in places like Delaware. Harnessing our nation’s offshore wind will give us reliable, clean energy; create good-paying American jobs in manufacturing and construction; and reduce harmful pollution that damages our lungs and impacts our climate.”

“Offshore wind is an American resource that has enormous electricity generation potential that is more consistent than onshore wind while located adjacent to major cities,” said Sen. Snowe, a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over tax issues. “This legislation provides a clear and consistent tax credit that will put our nation on the path to achieving our goal of operating 20 percent wind energy by 2030 and develop an incentive for energy companies to invest in this breakthrough technology.  I applaud Senator Carper’s leadership in developing this legislation and look forward to working with my colleagues on the Finance Committee to enact this bill into law.”

Offshore wind offers enormous potential for producing clean domestic energy and good jobs in areas located close to large population centers along the coasts. Because offshore wind blows faster and more uniformly at sea than the wind on land, it is a huge untapped resource for clean American power.  According to the University of Delaware, the winds off the Atlantic Coast have the potential of generating 330 Giga-watts of power. That is enough power to replace about 300 dirty, large coal plants and enough power to support nine states from Massachusetts to North Carolina.

“Offshore wind has great promise to generate tremendous amounts of clean, affordable energy,” said Sen. Menendez.  “This targeted, temporary incentive will be critical in jumpstarting the industry and creating thousands of jobs.”

“An investment in offshore wind energy is an investment in our country’s economic future and national security,” said Sen. Coons. “I’ve seen the opportunities from the NRG Bluewater Wind project off Delaware’s coast and understand the hurdles this company and many other developers are facing to get their projects off the ground. However, I’m encouraged by this bipartisan legislation to expand offshore wind energy through targeted tax incentives. By tapping the offshore wind energy sector, we are further ensuring our country remains a leader in clean, renewable energy development that will create a wealth of new high-tech jobs in the region.”

“While offshore wind has the potential to create good jobs, limit our dependence on foreign sources of energy, and reduce carbon pollution, the industry needs the long-term planning horizon this bill would provide,” said Sen. Whitehouse. “Sites such as Quonset Point in Rhode Island stand ready to create jobs by building turbines for offshore wind farms, creating a new domestic manufacturing industry and bringing much-needed economic development.”

A number of proposed offshore wind projects are moving through the development process – including projects in Delaware, Rhode Island, and New Jersey.  Projects have also been discussed off the shores of Maine and the Great Lakes states. Should we mention Massachusetts?

In Delaware, NRG Bluewater Wind has estimated it will create 1,200 jobs during construction – and approximately 300 jobs for operation and maintenance throughout the life of the project.  

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Judiciary Committee approves bill to crack down on counterfeit products sold to the military

Washington – In response to increasing numbers of counterfeit products in the military supply chain, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced the bipartisan Combating Military Counterfeits Act (S. 1228) earlier this year to crack down on criminals who traffic in these dangerous goods.  Today the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee approved this legislation by voice vote.  The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), John McCain (R-AZ), Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

“Our troops serving overseas have enough things to worry about each day – faulty equipment distributed by unscrupulous criminals should not be one of them,” said Senator Whitehouse.  “This bill will enhance the ability of prosecutors to keep counterfeit goods out of the military supply chain, and I will work hard to see that it is passed by the full Senate.”

“The sale of counterfeit goods not only costs American jobs and harms our economy, but when counterfeits enter the military supply chain they threaten our national security and endanger our men and women in uniform,” said Senator Leahy.  “This is an issue I raised with the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator at a hearing last year.  I applaud Senator Whitehouse’s leadership in addressing it, and am proud to support this bill.”

“Counterfeit parts pose an increasing risk to our national security, to the reliability of our weapons systems and to the safety of our men and women in uniform,” said Senator John McCain. “This legislation will ensure that prosecutors can bring the full weight of justice down on those who traffic in military counterfeits. I am proud to cosponsor this legislation with my colleagues, Senators Whitehouse, Graham and Kyl.”

“This commonsense legislation would hold criminals accountable who put our troops in danger,” said Klobuchar. “As a former prosecutor, I believe we need to crack down on traffickers who knowingly sell counterfeit military goods – it is dangerous, it is wrong, and prosecutors must have the tools they need to bring these individuals to justice.”

“With so many of our troops deployed, it is disturbing to think that inferior, counterfeit goods are making it into the hands of our men and women in uniform,” Senator Coons said. “It is a dangerous, flagrant practice and it needs to be stopped, and I was glad to join my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee this morning in moving this bill forward.”

Said Blumenthal, “Our troops deserve the best equipment to keep them safe and enable them to complete their missions as they defend our freedoms at home and abroad.  The increasing incidence of quality-control problems in military contracting is both unacceptable and dangerous.  This bill will curb the proliferation of counterfeit goods in the military supply chain by imposing stronger penalties for those who traffic in these goods, creating a proactive strategy to reduce the possibility that these often insufficient and defective products will end up in the hands of our service members.  I applaud Senator Whitehouse and my colleagues for their leadership on this bill and will continue to join in these efforts to support our troops.”

A January 2010 study by the Commerce Department quoted a Defense Department official estimating that counterfeit aircraft parts were “leading to a 5 to 15 percent annual decrease in weapons systems reliability.”  Similarly, the Government Accountability Office has reported that the Defense Department discovered in testing that it had procured body armor that was misrepresented as being “Kevlar,” and that a supplier sold the Defense Department a personal computer circuit that it falsely claimed was a $7,000 circuit that met the specifications of a missile guidance system.

The Combating Military Counterfeits Act of 2011 complements other government efforts to protect the United State military supply chain.  The Senate Armed Services Committee has opened an important investigation into counterfeit electronic parts in the military supply chain.  The Administration is working across agencies to protect the military supply chain from counterfeits, including through the recently commenced “Operation Chain Reaction” which targets counterfeit military products.

Under the current counterfeit trafficking statute, sentences imposed on traffickers in military counterfeits do not reflect the serious dangers that these products pose to our troops.  The Combating Military Counterfeits Act would address this deficiency by creating a new criminal provision that specifically targets trafficking in military counterfeits and increasing penalties for criminals who know that the counterfeit product they sell is intended for use by the military or is identified as meeting military standards.

The bill is supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the Semiconductor Industry Association.

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Senator Coons praises new report highlighting Delaware’s continued leadership in innovation and productivity

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) praised the findings of a new report issued by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation released this week that ranks Delaware as a world leader in innovation and productivity. 

The report, The Atlantic Century II: Benchmarking EU & U.S. Innovation and Competitiveness, measures innovation-based competitiveness among a group of countries and U.S. states, focusing on indicators such as productivity, research and development, venture capital, and the number of scientists and engineers. According to its findings, Delaware placed sixth in the United States overall, however, on a per capita basis, Delawareans lead the world.

Were Delaware its own nation:

• Delaware would rank first in the world for gross domestic product per capita;
• Delaware would rank first in the world for productivity; and
• Delaware would rank fourth in the world for the number of scientists and researchers per 1,000 employed. 

“I am excited about this report’s findings but entirely unsurprised,” Senator Coons said.  “The report concludes that Delawareans are the smartest, most innovative, most productive workers in the world and should be rightfully proud of this recognition and achievement. Delaware’s workers can compete with any in the world, as evidenced by innovative companies like Fisker Automotive, NRG Energy, and DuPont that have chosen to take advantage of what our state has to offer.”

The ITIF report can be accessed at http://www.itif.org/files/2011-atlantic-century.pdf. 

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In landmark hearing, Senator Coons challenges colleagues to repeal Defense of Marriage Act

WASHINGTON – At Wednesday’s landmark Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to consider new legislation that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) said the 15-year-old law was discriminatory and urged his colleagues to support its repeal.

“Equality for all is supposed to mean, in my view, equality for all,” Senator Coons said at the hearing. “I don’t see what business it is of our federal government to reach into Americans’ hearts and judge them for whom they love.”

The Respect for Marriage Act was introduced earlier this year to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which gave states the ability waive the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the Constitution and deny legal recognition same-sex marriages performed out of state. The Defense of Marriage Act also defined “marriage” for federal purposes to exclude same-sex marriage.

For the first time on Tuesday, President Obama offered his support for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act and for the first time in our nation’s history, the majority of Americans — 53 percent — now support marriage equality.

“I’m tired of it being the law of this land that it’s ok for the government to discriminate against Americans solely because of their gender identity or sexual orientation,” Senator Coons said. “I’m tired of seeing kids grow up in a country where their government tells them discrimination is ok, and I think it is no wonder that we continue to see kids being bullied in school and see so many LGBT children take their own lives because they’ve given up hope, because, in my view, because this law simply encourages discrimination.”

Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) turned over the gavel to Senator Coons to chair the third panel of Wednesday’s hearing, leading the questioning of four key witnesses: Joe Solmonese, President of the Human Rights Campaign; Evan Wolfson, Founder and Executive Director of Freedom to Marry; David Austin R. Nimocks, Senior Legal Counsel of Alliance Defense Fund; and Edward Whelan, President of Ethics and Public Policy Center.

As chair, Senator Coons swore-in the four witnesses, apportioned time for questioning among the other senators, and maintained order in the hearing room. He also led questioning along Constitutional and principled lines to examine why the Defense of Marriage Act is wrong for America.

Senator Coons is an original cosponsor of the bill at the heart of Wednesday’s hearing — S.598, the Respect for Marriage Act — and is an ardent supporter of equality under the law for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. In addition to the Respect for Marriage Act, in the current Congress, Senator Coons has cosponsored the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the Student Non-Discrimination Act, the Uniting American Families Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Inclusion Act. During the lame duck session of the previous Congress, Senator Coons cosponsored and worked hard to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, which prevents openly gay and lesbian Americans from serving in the U.S. armed forces.

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