Coons, Schumer, Murray, Shaheen, Reed, Warner, Schatz, Kaine, Duckworth, Kelly, Bennet, Slotkin, Kim release joint statement to raise alarm about President Trump’s steep concessions to Beijing

WASHINGTON – Today, Ranking Senate Defense Appropriator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Appropriations Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Senate Armed Services Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.), Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations Ranking Member Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Senate Armed Services Committee member Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Senate Intelligence Committee member Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Senate Armed Services Committee member Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), and Senate Subcommittee on National Security and International Trade and Finance Ranking Member Andy Kim (D-N.J.) released the following statement about public reporting that President Trump is pausing export controls on critical technology sold to China as part of an effort to secure a trade deal with Beijing:

“President Trump has spent the past six months eroding our advantages over China, but recent developments make clear how willing his administration is to sacrifice American economic and technological leadership for symbolic “wins” with China in its self-inflicted trade war.

“In just the last two days, we have seen reporting that the Trump administration has cancelled a long-planned high-level security dialogue with Taiwan and denied the president of Taiwan the ability to transit the United States—a longstanding tradition respected by administrations of both parties. These developments come right on the heels of a decision to pave the way for the sale of advanced AI chips to China and to freeze export controls on additional American technologies enabling them to now flow to China, even as Beijing tightens export controls on the United States. Independent media reports today suggest these moves are an attempt to secure trade concessions, curry favor with President Xi Jinping, and ensure President Trump gets a visit to China. The president is demonstrating to Beijing that he can be cajoled into giving up America’s core interests.

“In the face of lackluster domestic economic forecasts and anemic interest from Beijing in achieving a real breakthrough in talks, President Trump and his economic team have ceded leverage and negotiating power to Beijing in a desperate attempt to lure President Xi to a meeting with President Trump. Even more dangerously, they risk putting American national security, technological advantage, and economic prosperity on the chopping block in order to do so.

“President Trump is handing our primary geopolitical adversary the keys to the castle of 21st century global technological dominance. Doing so will enable Chinese leadership in artificial intelligence, infusing the Chinese military with the technological advantage it needs to continue hostile operations across the globe. He is signaling his ambivalence about standing with Taiwan, our long-term partner in the region and a powerhouse of the global economy. And he is emboldening Beijing to take aggressive actions and seek even more aggressive concessions in whatever trade negotiations may follow.

“President Trump and this administration must reset their dangerously weak approach to China and make clear they will no longer accept symbolic wins in exchange for steep American concessions. An administration convinced it can renegotiate the world order needs to stop negotiating against itself.”

Senators Coons, Schiff, Schatz, Schumer, Rosen Lead 40 Senate Democrats in Calling for Large-Scale Expansion of Humanitarian Aid in Gaza and Resumption of Diplomatic Efforts to Secure a Ceasefire and End the War

Washington, D.C. – A broad group of 40 Senators, led by U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai’i), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), today expressed unified alarm about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, called for the large-scale expansion of humanitarian aid, and urged the Trump Administration to resume diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire agreement and end the war.

“The acute humanitarian crisis in Gaza is also unsustainable and worsens by the day. Hunger and malnutrition are widespread, and, alarmingly, deaths due to starvation, especially among children, are increasing. The ‘Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’ has failed to address the deepening humanitarian crisis and contributed to an unacceptable and mounting civilian death toll around the organization’s sites. To prevent the situation from getting even worse, we urge you to advocate for a large-scale expansion of humanitarian assistance,” the Senators wrote.

The letter, sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, underscores the remaining viable pathway that would end the war, bring home Israeli hostages, ensure Hamas can no longer pose a serious military threat to Israel, and achieve a diplomatic resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Senators also affirm their opposition to the permanent forced displacement of the Palestinian people, which would be contrary to international humanitarian law and a sustainable and lasting peace.

“We ask that the Administration make this clear as it seeks an end to the war,” the Senators wrote. “We stand in strong support of diplomatic efforts to return all hostages, end the fighting in Gaza, and bring humanitarian relief for the safety and prosperity of the Israeli and the Palestinian people.”

The letter from Coons, Schiff, Schatz, Schumer, and Rosen was also signed by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Lisa Blunt-Rochester (D-Del.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D, Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai’i), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

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

Dear Secretary Rubio and Special Envoy Witkoff:

With recent efforts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas being unsuccessful, the situation in Gaza remains perilous. Efforts to secure an agreement are as critical and urgent as ever and we urge the resumption of good-faith talks as quickly as possible. While we appreciate that additional aid is beginning to enter Gaza, the humanitarian situation remains dire. Yet there still remains a viable pathway to end this war, bring home Israeli hostages, and achieve a diplomatic resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Israeli hostages, held in Gaza by Hamas since their brutal attack on Israel on October 7^th, have suffered far too long, as have their families. It is imperative that those still living be brought home as soon as possible, before more perish as the war drags on. And it is essential that the remains of those presumed killed – including Americans Omer Neutra and Itay Chen – be reunited with their loved ones. After many months of despair, it is long past time to bring all of the hostages home.

The acute humanitarian crisis in Gaza is also unsustainable and worsens by the day. Hunger and malnutrition are widespread, and, alarmingly, deaths due to starvation, especially among children, are increasing. The “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” has failed to address the deepening humanitarian crisis and contributed to an unacceptable and mounting civilian death toll around the organization’s sites. To prevent the situation from getting even worse, we urge you to advocate for a large-scale expansion of humanitarian assistance and services throughout the Gaza Strip, including through the use of experienced multilateral bodies and NGOs that can get life-saving aid directly to those in need and prevent diversion.

Beyond a negotiated ceasefire, a permanent end to this war will also require an end to Hamas rule in Gaza and ensuring that Hamas can no longer pose a serious military threat to Israel. We reaffirm our strong support for continued U.S.-led diplomacy with Israel, Palestinian leaders, and other partners in the Middle East in pursuit of the long-term goal of a negotiated two-state solution with Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in lasting peace, security, dignity, and mutual recognition.

Finally, we write to underscore our strong opposition to the permanent forced displacement of the Palestinian people. This would be antithetical to international humanitarian law, to a sustainable end to this war that prioritizes the long-term safety and security of Israelis and Palestinians alike, to achieving a lasting peace in the Middle East, and expanding the Abraham Accords. We ask that the Administration make this clear as it seeks an end to the war.

We stand in strong support of diplomatic efforts to return all hostages, end the fighting in Gaza, and bring humanitarian relief for the safety and prosperity of the Israeli and the Palestinian people.

Top Senate Democrats sound alarm on administration’s decision to resume AI chip sales to China

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Chris Coons (D-De), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense; Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence; Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Minority Leader; Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee; and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking Committee, sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick expressing “grave concern” over the Trump administration’s decision to reverse course and allow U.S. companies to sell certain advanced semiconductors to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

The move, which reverses previous restrictions imposed due to national security risks, will permit the sale of Nvidia’s H20 chip, despite its demonstrated utility in advancing China’s AI capabilities. In the letter, the senators warn this decision marks “an abrupt departure from the administration’s position in April that the PRC’s continued access to these types of chips posed a serious national security risk,” and stands in direct contradiction to the administration’s own AI Action Plan. In the letter, the senators emphasize that “restricting access to leading-edge chips has been the defining barrier for the PRC’s efforts to achieve AI parity.”

The letter outlines how advanced semiconductors like the H20 play a critical role in China’s ability to train large-scale AI models and deploy them across global cloud infrastructure, boosting the capabilities and global reach of PRC firms like Alibaba, Tencent, and DeepSeek.

Wrote the senators, “Limiting the PRC’s access to advanced compute has been a focus of Congress: one with a strong bipartisan commitment across both chambers and both parties. The PRC’s development of advanced AI capabilities represents a clear risk to the United States’ national and economic security, and the administration’s willingness to trade away that security is extremely troubling. While chipsets like the H20 and MI308 have differing capabilities than the most advanced chips like the H100, they give the PRC capabilities that its domestically-developed chipsets cannot. The capabilities that chips like the H20 allow the PRC, demonstrated by the importance that the PRC places on access to them, should be the principal factor driving any decision to allow sales to China.”

The senators also condemned the administration’s decision-making process, criticizing the lack of congressional consultation and warning against the use of export controls as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations.

“Furthermore, we take issue that this administration is permitting adversaries access to technologies critical to national security as part of trade discussions without consultation or input from Congress. While the Executive Branch is entrusted with vital authorities to negotiate trade agreements and protect our national security, these authorities by no means should be treated as in tension, particularly when such an approach has the effect of jeopardizing both economic and national security goals. We shouldn’t be trading away key technological advantages as if they are concessions in a trade negotiation,” the senators concluded. “We urge you to swiftly reverse course on these ill-advised actions and protect American advantages across the compute stack.”

The full text of today’s letter to Secretary Lutnick is available here.

Senators Coons, Tillis, colleagues re-issue bipartisan call for immediate release of renowned economist Gubad Ibadoghlu

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Penn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) released the following statement on the anniversary of the arrest of Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu:

“Two years ago this week, Azerbaijani authorities arbitrarily detained internationally renowned economist, anti-corruption expert, and academic Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu. Dr. Ibadoghlu, who has held academic positions at leading American universities, was falsely charged with fabricating foreign currency and possessing extremist materials. These allegations are widely regarded as politically motivated and baseless. Dr. Ibadoghlu has consistently demonstrated a staunch and unwavering commitment to democracy, good governance, and human rights – both in his homeland and in the United States, where he has lived and worked.

“Azerbaijani authorities have still not brought Dr. Ibadoghlu to trial and have indefinitely suspended his pre-trial investigation, leaving him in what seems to be indefinite detention without the possibility of release. Dr. Ibadoghlu has spent 274 days in inhumane conditions, subjected to degrading treatment that has severely deteriorated his health and violated his fundamental rights. He is currently suffering from a life-threatening health condition and has been denied access to the specialized medical treatment he needs, putting his life in even graver danger. Outside the prison walls, Dr. Ibadoghlu’s family is facing growing threats and acts of retaliation.

“We strongly condemn the Azerbaijani government’s continued persecution of Dr. Ibadoghlu and urge the authorities to release him – and all other political prisoners – immediately and unconditionally. His case is an opportunity for the Azerbaijani government to demonstrate credibility and goodwill. Taking the right action now could generate the kind of international support for which any country seeking to be a global leader should strive.”

Senators Coons and Tillis are Co-chairs of the Senate Human Rights Caucus.

Senators Coons, Reed, Durbin, Shaheen, Warner, and Schatz Call on Trump Administration to Engage Netanyahu to Immediately Change Course in Gaza

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Ranking Defense Appropriator Chris Coons (D-DE), Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI), Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA), and Ranking State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriator Brian Schatz (D-HI) released the following statement urging the Trump Administration to press Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to immediately change course in its war in Gaza:

“Humanitarian conditions in Gaza are appalling and unconscionable. This week, more than 100 NGOs—including Mercy Corps, Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, and Oxfam—warned of mass starvation spreading across Gaza. Following Prime Minister Netanyahu’s nearly 3-month blockade of humanitarian assistance, three-quarters of the population is facing emergency or catastrophic levels of hunger.

“The handful of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites are wholly inadequate to meet the needs of this starving population. Widespread problems have made GHF aid delivery chaotic and dangerous, leading to the deaths of an estimated 700 people. Yet the Trump Administration recently approved $30 million for GHF, overriding established procedures and waiving consultation with Congress.

“While some established humanitarian organizations have been allowed to resume very limited operations, a number of restrictions and security challenges prevent them from fully functioning. To make matters worse, this week’s expansion of Israel’s military operation into central Gaza for the first time in the conflict has put at risk these few remaining operations. Moreover, the UN estimates that nearly 88 percent of Gaza is no longer accessible to civilians, leaving approximately two million people confined to a troublingly small remaining area.

“Meanwhile, hostages remain in captivity in Gaza, including American citizens, and three out of four Israelis are calling for an end to this war. Last September, the IDF assessed that Hamas had been largely defeated militarily from its peak strength when it heinously attacked Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023 and is now effectively a “guerilla terror group.” As we know from our own experience following the attacks of September 11, 2001, there is no solely military solution to defeating a terrorist group. Continuing this war with no discernable end is not in Israel’s national security interest, and the lack of a viable “day after” plan has been a glaring mistake.

“We call on the Trump Administration to use its considerable leverage to press Prime Minister Netanyahu to:

• Reach a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that releases the hostages as soon as possible.
• Support a surge in humanitarian assistance that provides both a sufficient amount of humanitarian aid and credible mechanisms for effective distribution, including the verification and monitoring of assistance to ensure equitable distribution and to prevent Hamas from diverting assistance. Established humanitarian organizations like the World Food Programme have the experience and ability to renew their delivery of assistance without civil unrest. We must allow them to do their jobs.
• Dramatically reform or shut down the Gaza Humanitarian Fund and resume support for the existing UN-led aid coordination mechanisms in Gaza with enhanced oversight to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches civilians in need.
• Establish a “day after” plan for Gaza where Hamas does not retain power, Israel disavows annexation of the West Bank and further integrates into the region, a reformed Palestinian Authority is fostered and empowered, and regional partners are included in rebuilding.
• Create a framework for a viable path back to a two-state solution that will allow the Israeli and Palestinian people to live side by side in security, dignity, and prosperity.”

Senators Coons, Cornyn, colleagues introduce bill to protect state and local judges

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), and John Cornyn (R-Texas) today introduced the Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act, which would establish a State Judicial Threat Intelligence and Resource Center to provide technical assistance, training, and threat monitoring for state and local judges and court personnel.

“Public servants should be able to do their jobs free from threats to themselves or their families – and that includes our state and local judges,” said Senator Coons. “Our nation has seen increasing political violence that has too often ended in tragedy – threatening those just trying to serve their country and threatening our democratic system built on respect for the rule of law. I’m proud this bipartisan bill unanimously passed the Senate last year and I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this bill to the president’s desk.”

“With threats against judges and their families increasing at an alarming rate, more must be done to protect them,” said Senator Cornyn. “This legislation would establish a much-needed resource center to identify and respond to bad actors, ensuring our nation’s courts and the Americans who work in them every day are safe.”

“Every day, judges make difficult and deeply personal decisions affecting the lives of citizens in their states,” said Delaware Supreme Court Chief Justice Collins J. Seitz, Jr. “State court judges desperately need a nation-wide resource to address the growth in threats and violence directed at the state courts, their judges, and the public servants who make their work possible.”

In addition to Senators Coons and Cornyn, the bill is also co-sponsored by Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)

“Judges perform a critical community service at every level of our justice system,” said Senator Moran. “Regardless of how a judge rules on a case, any form of harassment or intimidation is unacceptable. In response to growing threats and attacks against members of the judiciary, this legislation would provide needed resources and support to local law enforcement tasked with protecting judges and courthouses.”

“Online mobs have increasingly lobbed violent threats against judges, including in Rhode Island, for ruling against the Trump administration. Judges and court officials must be able to conduct their work without fearing for their lives or their family’s safety,” said Senator Whitehouse. “This timely bipartisan bill would bolster security at courthouses and judges’ homes to help protect the integrity of our judicial system. We also need to make sure that orchestration of threats is properly investigated.”

“We’re seeing an alarming surge of dangerous threats and actions targeting judges across this nation – stoking the flames of violence towards public servants and their families,” said Senator Shaheen. “Our bipartisan legislation offers a commonsense solution to this troubling trend by establishing a State Judicial Threat Intelligence and Resource Center to implement enhanced security measures to keep judges, their families and their staff out of harm’s way.”

U.S. Representatives Lucy McBath (D-Ga.-06) and Michael McCaul (R-Texas-10) introduced companion legislation in the House.

The Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act would create a State Judicial Threat Intelligence and Resource Center to:

• Provide technical assistance to state and local judges and court personnel around judicial security
• Provide physical security assessments for courts, homes, and other facilities where judicial officers and staff conduct court-related business
• Conduct research to identify, examine, and advance best practices around judicial security
• And be housed within the existing State Justice Institute, a private nonprofit and nonpartisan corporation established by Congress in 1984

The legislation is supported by the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ), National Center for State Courts (NCSC), Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA), National District Attorneys Association (NDAA), Council of Chief Judges of the State Courts of Appeal (CCJSCA), National Association for Presiding Judges and Court Executive Officers (NAPCO), American Judges Association (AJA), and National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ).

“Across the nation we have seen threats on and attacks against state and local judges increase, including near-fatal attacks on state judges in Texas and Ohio and attacks on or threats against state judges in California, Idaho, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Rhode Island, and Wyoming,” said Chief Justice Matthew Durrant, Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice and President of the Conference of Chief Justices. “We urge the swift passage of the Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act, which is an important step in protecting our state and local judges and, by extension, the rule of law.”

“This legislation is vital to the security of every state judge in America,” said National Center for State Courts President Elizabeth T. Clement. “We urge Congress to take action today to help keep our judges safe.”

“Unlike the federal judiciary, the 30,000 state and local judicial officers across the nation lack a resource center on judicial security, standardized incident reporting, and access to threat evaluations,” said Regina deChabert Petersen, Administrator of Courts for the Judiciary of the Virgin Islands and President of the Conference of State Court Administrators. “The Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act would help protect our local and state court personnel by providing them with technical assistance, increased threat tracking, and physical security assessments for court buildings and their homes.

“As public servants, prosecutors deserve to fulfill their duties free from fear or threats. The Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act is important legislation as it provides the necessary support to keep our state and local judges, prosecutors, and court staff and their families safe, preserves the rule of law, and safeguards our judicial systems,” said Nelson Bunn, Executive Director of the National District Attorneys Association.

A one-pager on the bill is available here.

The text of the bill is available here.

ICYMI: Senator Coons cites his faith as a reason to reject Trump’s budget bill and urges his party to talk openly about faith on SiriusXM’s “Mornings with Zerlina”

WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined “Mornings with Zerlina” on SiriusXM Progress on Friday as part of her week-long series on faith and politics, where he talked about how his faith motivates his public service, especially in fighting for vulnerable communities impacted by President Trump’s sweeping budget bill and rescissions package which both passed the Senate this month.

Senator Coons and Zerlina Maxwell discussed the need for Democrats to speak more openly about faith as a source of compassion and how faith plays into issues like climate change, health care, and global affairs. Senator Coons also talks about the rise of Christian nationalism in America right now and how evangelical conservatives have placed themselves at the center of the intersection of faith and politics in the popular imagination.

A link to the interview and key excerpts are available below.

LISTEN HERE.

Republicans push through Trump’s budget reconciliation bill

Maxwell: As a person of faith, what do you want our listeners at home to know about the damage of this particular law and how it flies in the face of so many faith teachings about how we should take care of people who are vulnerable and hurting?

Senator Coons: There are lots of us in the Democratic caucus in the Senate who first felt called to public service to help others, to try and strengthen our country, to address the issues of health equity, of hunger, of lack of access to clean air and water, to safe housing through a concern for each other that’s rooted in seeing other Americans of different backgrounds and different states and different needs as children of God – as people fully deserving of the respect and the investment and the support that that entails. This bill – this law now, as you pointed out – is going to do massive damage.

I recently did an event at the Delaware Food Bank with my colleagues, Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester and Congresswoman Sarah McBride, where we went through in detail the tens of thousands of children, seniors and families who will be hungry as a result of the cuts to the hunger programs of the federal government and the millions of people across the country who will lose access to health care and crowd into emergency rooms sicker with less support, more likely to go bankrupt in ways that will increase their suffering and reduce the health of our country as a whole. The bottom line is that this act, which really was centrally driven by trying to deliver bigger tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, is also going to make us hungrier, sicker, and more divided.

…

For a long time in American history, the faith community, broadly understood, was really at the center of social justice movements, whether it was the civil rights movement, or the labor movement, or the environmental movement, and that was motivated by a broadly shared compassion and concern for each other. If you think about the images of who was marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, it included priests and nuns, rabbis and protestant clergy, folks of a wide range of backgrounds. And just two weeks before the final vote on the “Big, Beautiful Bill” – which was anything but beautiful, it was a big, ugly bill – Reverend Jim Wallis and I helped convene literally hundreds of clergy, religious, civic leaders from around the country in a protest on the steps of the Capitol which began by their reading dozens of Scripture passages from Torah, from the Gospels, from other faith traditions that all put a privilege, a focus, a centrality, on caring for the poor, on caring for the needy, for the widow, for the orphan, for the outcast, and then put in sharp contrast how this law does the opposite.

Democrats needing to open up about their faith

Maxwell: You mention that more Democrats need to talk about their faith. Why is it that so many Democrats seem uncomfortable or unwilling to lean into their beliefs and to talk about it more openly?

Senator Coons: I don’t really know what’s the origin of it, other than, you know, look, we have to recognize that organized religion has harmed many people in the United States, there are certainly folks who have become distanced from their faith traditions because of their own experiences. Someone I was quite close to, and remain close to today, in law school confided in me that his initial very negative reaction was frankly because of something horrible that had happened in his parish when he was a child that had driven him away from the Catholic Church. He wasn’t judging me. He was just reflecting on an unpleasant experience. And the more that folks associate public religiosity with aggressive campaigns by Christian nationalists or exclusive focusing on reproductive freedom issues or death penalty issues, the more they think it’s a narrow concern, not something that speaks to broader concerns, but whether it’s about healthcare, the environment, our communities, or economic justice.

Rise of Christian nationalism

Maxwell: Does your faith inform the way you talk about the rise in authoritarianism or white Christian nationalism in the country right now? Because I feel like there is a space where we can talk about aligning ourselves with values that have a moral grounding that are not what the folks on the other end of the political spectrum are talking about in a moment like this one.

Senator Coons: There are passages in the Gospels and the Torah that I think speak clearly to a sense of who is my neighbor. Who are we connected to? In Christ, there is no East or West, nor Greek, nor Jew, for example, and I have always felt that the calling of the United States to be engaged with the rest of the world, to be supportive of development and addressing disasters and crises in the rest of the world, is rooted in that teaching that we are all children of God, regardless of race, religion, background, ethnicity, faith, language. And here at home, similarly, Christian nationalism presumes that we are a country that is uniquely endowed with an historic mission, and at times that has, in my experience, on the Foreign Relations Committee here, that hurts our partnerships around the world, our alliances around the world, but it also fails to reflect a real embrace of the full creation of the world and the full range of humanity, both here in the United States and around the world.

Senators Coons, Blunt Rochester statement on Third Circuit judicial nominee

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester (both D-Del.), released the following statement on President Trump’s nomination of Jennifer Mascott to fill the open Delaware seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit:

“For months, we have worked with the White House in good faith to identify and interview qualified Delawareans for this lifetime position on the Third Circuit. We interviewed several promising candidates, including sitting members of the federal judiciary, with deep roots in the Delaware legal community and the qualifications to serve our state and the Third Circuit with distinction. We were encouraged when the White House Counsel’s Office – led by a Delawarean – interviewed those candidates as well. We had hope that the advice and consent process set out in the Constitution could work because it had in the past. During President Trump’s first term, Delaware’s senators identified, and a bipartisan Senate unanimously confirmed, two consensus judicial nominees to Delaware’s federal bench.

“That was not the case this time around. The Trump administration has now nominated someone with whom we have never met and who has little– if any – connection to our state or to the Third Circuit. Ms. Mascott has never been a member of the Delaware bar and was only admitted to practice before the Third Circuit two months ago. Her key qualification appears to be that she works in President Trump’s White House Counsel’s Office. She has never been a judge of any kind, yet she is nominated to one of the highest judicial posts in the country. As far as we know, her relationship to Delaware is confined to a vacation beach house she sometimes visits in our state.”

Senator Coons statement on Senate passage of recissions package

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement after the Senate passed a rescissions package that cut roughly $9 billion from federal spending. The bill passed 51-48, with every Democrat opposing the bill: 

“Tonight, Republicans in the Senate voted to further weaken our nation’s reputation as a good and reliable partner.

“This is not about tackling our national debt. After all, it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the trillions of dollars in tax breaks for the wealthy and increased debt that these same Republican senators passed just days ago. Cutting foreign aid and disaster assistance leaves people in dire situations across the world to fend for themselves or walk into the arms of China, Russia, and terrorists who seek to exploit them.

“For decades, when the world cried out in pain America answered, because it was right, and because it made us safer. These cuts fly in the face of Jesus’ call to love our neighbors as ourselves. They fly in the face of national security experts who say that these investments make us a more respected and stronger country. They fly in the face of human decency.

“As I said on the floor of the Senate earlier, the passage of this bill and its cruel cuts to foreign assistance would make Jesus weep.”

Senator Coons is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Senator Coons’ amendment to save international disaster relief funding blocked by Republicans

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) today introduced an amendment to the Republican rescissions package that would have removed $496 million in cuts to international disaster relief, effectively saving the program. Senator Coons is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Ranking Member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

Ahead of the vote, Senator Coons spoke on the floor about the urgency of this funding to help us outcompete China, raise our standing in the world, and promote our national security. “This money doesn’t just save lives in countries around the world when they suffer from earthquakes and tornadoes, hurricanes and natural disasters,” he said. “It strengthens our standing, brings us closer to our allies, and helps us compete with China.”

International disaster assistance funding is a crucial piece of America’s foreign policy toolkit. The account responds to emergency humanitarian situations in over 60 countries and is a crucial component of our competition with China for global influence. For instance, Filipino leaders have cited disaster assistance funding as the key reason why the nation gave the United States access to nine military sites across the country.

These cuts will also have a major impact on organizations that are household names and carry out much of the disaster response, including Catholic Relief Services, Save the Children, and UNICEF.

The amendment was narrowly blocked by Republicans, 49-50. U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) voted for the amendment.

A video and transcript of Senator Coons’ remarks before the amendment vote are below.

WATCH HERE.

Senator Coons: Mr. President, it was Ronald Reagan who said “America is great because America is good.” My amendment would restore $496 million of international disaster relief funding by removing it from this rescissions package. This money doesn’t just save lives in countries around the world when they suffer from earthquakes and tornadoes, hurricanes and natural disasters. It strengthens our standing, brings us closer to our allies, and helps us compete with China.

Two months ago, I visited the Philippines on a bipartisan CODEL and was struck to learn it is the most natural disaster-prone country on earth. Today, they’re giving us access to nine new military sites. They are one of our strongest treaty partners in the region. And why? When I asked their leaders, they said, because America helps respond to disasters.

$496 million. Point-zero-one percent of the debt Republicans have just added to our nation in the past two weeks. And this money is implemented by Catholic Relief Services, World Vision, the World Food Program –

Senator Sheehy: The senator’s time is expired.

Senator Coons: I ask my colleagues to support it.