Ahead of Friday’s Asia-Pacific summit, bipartisan lawmakers call on Biden to host 2023 meeting

WASHINGTON — In a letter to President Biden, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), along with Senator Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and U.S. Representatives Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) and David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), who co-chair the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, called on the United States to host the APEC meetings in 2023. APEC is a forum of 21 member economies working to accelerate regional integration and free trade in the Pacific rim. President Biden will participate in the APEC Leaders’ Virtual Retreat this Friday.

“We write to ask that you seize the opportunity for the United States to host the APEC meetings in 2023,” the lawmakers requested. “APEC members represent seven of the top 15 markets in the world for U.S. goods exports, and according to estimates from the Department of Commerce, over 6.1 million American jobs are supported by U.S. exports of goods and services to the APEC region.”

The lawmakers concluded, “We must play a leadership role in this forum to ensure that we do not cede ground and allow the economic rules of the road to be written by others who attempt to use APEC to push harmful policies or to weaken our positive agenda on issues like digital trade, data privacy, anti-corruption, state-owned enterprises, and infrastructure.”

The full letter is available here and below. 

Dear President Biden:

We write to ask that you seize the opportunity for the United States to host the APEC meetings in 2023. We also encourage you to attend the key Indo-Pacific Leaders’ summits this November, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting, hosted virtually by New Zealand, and the East Asia Summit, hosted by Brunei, and to also ensure that the United States is represented at the appropriate levels at Ministerial and technical meetings throughout the year.

We commend the importance the administration places on continued American leadership on the world stage, including through engagement in multilateral organizations, which are key vehicles for advancing U.S. foreign policy on a range of issues from security to socioeconomic interests to trade. As we work together to compete with the People’s Republic of China from a position of strength, we should use all appropriate bilateral and multilateral tools available, including participation and leadership in and with the members of the APEC forum and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (and associated ASEAN-centric institutions including the East Asia Summit), key regional institutions that offer opportunities to maximize our influence across the Indo-Pacific region.

Through APEC, we work with partners in Asia – including Taiwan – and Latin America toward building an interconnected regional economy. Taken together, APEC’s 21 members account for 38% of the world’s population, and in 2019 they generated a collective GDP of $53 trillion, accounting for 61% of global GDP and 47% of world trade. APEC members represent seven of the top 15 markets in the world for U.S. goods exports, and according to estimates from the Department of Commerce, over 6.1 million American jobs are supported by U.S. exports of goods and services to the APEC region. In short, our ability to continue to open markets and build a class of consumers for U.S. products in the Indo-Pacific is inextricably linked to the future economic health of the United States.

As an APEC member, the United States is able to engage regional partners, like Australia, Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan, and to manage strategic competitors – namely, China – on a range of economic policy issues, and work with these partners toward regulatory and policy reforms that are favorable to U.S. firms, workers, and consumers. If we step back, other APEC members who do not share our interests or values are there to fill the void. We must play a leadership role in this forum to ensure that we do not cede ground and allow the economic rules of the road to be written by others who attempt to use APEC to push harmful policies or to weaken our positive agenda on issues like digital trade, data privacy, anti-corruption, state-owned enterprises, and infrastructure. Such efforts may also serve to or to bolster their own domestic agendas and political narratives.

As 2023 APEC host, the United States would be able to set APEC’s agenda, shaping the institution and the region around our economic priorities, which could include trade as well as environmental cooperation, strengthening health systems, building resilient supply chains, and economic inclusion for women and other segments of the population not able to reach their full potential. The United States could also work to secure like-minded partners, like Australia and Japan, as future hosts to help ensure continuity of the U.S. agenda. The Republic of Korea, already a strong partner in the region, is slated to host APEC in 2025.

Strong support exists from within the U.S. business community for hosting APEC in 2023. In February, the National Center for APEC, which represents over 40 Fortune 500 companies, wrote a letter encouraging your administration to announce as soon as possible your intention to host APEC in 2023. They noted that “an early announcement would demonstrate clearly the United States’ enduring commitment to active leadership to the region, starting with the economic and trade agenda.” We join them and echo their call for the United States to demonstrate our commitment to the Indo-Pacific region through hosting APEC in 2023, which will ensure that we are critical drivers in writing the economic rules of the road for this region that will shape the next decade. 

Sincerely,

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[VIDEO] Sen. Coons: Bipartisan package will be ‘single greatest investment in infrastructure in the history of our country’

Sen. Coons: ‘I do think we can pursue both’ bipartisan infrastructure package and larger reconciliation package 

Coons, author of Civilian Climate Corps Act: ‘One of the pieces of that big proposal that I’m really excited about is the Civilian Climate Corps’

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the group of 22 senators working on a bipartisan infrastructure package, joined Andrea Mitchell to discuss the two tracks of legislation to improve infrastructure across the country.

On the bipartisan infrastructure deal, Senator Coons said, “I’m working hard with senators like Rob Portman of Ohio and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona to pull together the last details and to get to a text this weekend. […] This bipartisan infrastructure package will literally be the single greatest investment in infrastructure in the history of our country. […] It is something that all of us can come together around and because of the jobs that will be created, the way it will help us compete with China and other countries around the world, it’s going to enjoy strong bipartisan support.”

On the $3.5 trillion package unveiled by Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee Tuesday evening, Senator Coons noted it will invest in things “like child care, like making community college free, like supporting individuals and families and financial needs through something like the Child Tax Credit which is hitting mailboxes and inboxes today all over the country providing $300 per child for tens of millions of families […] One of the pieces of that big proposal that I’m really excited about is the Civilian Climate Corps – something that will put tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of younger Americans to work around our country strengthening our environment, investing in resiliency, helping our National Park Service and our public lands in a way that confronts climate and puts younger Americans to work and gives them an opportunity to serve. I literally just spoke to Senator Sanders about this on the floor a few moments ago. I’m optimistic about it.”

Full audio and video available here. A transcript is provided below. 

Q: Joining me now is Senator Chris Coons – who is part of the group of 22 members that is negotiating the bipartisan infrastructure package as well and was in the room, of course, for the caucus meeting yesterday. Take us inside that room. You have Joe Biden returning to the Hill among friends but different factions in the caucus, but from all reports, they were really well united as he went around the room.

Sen. Coons: President Biden yesterday got several standing ovations from the Democratic caucus, and what was encouraging was to hear several of the senators that ran against him for president like Budget Committee chairman, Bernie Sanders, say very positive, very supportive things. President Biden is helping pull us together as a caucus as we try to accomplish two goals at the same time. One is to finalize the details of this bipartisan infrastructure package where I’m working hard with senators like Rob Portman of Ohio and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona to pull together the last details and to get to a text this weekend, and the bold, big proposal that is coming out of the Budget Committee supported by all the Democrats on that committee that would move forward a $3.5 trillion proposal to invest in things that will actually make a real difference in people’s lives – like child care, like making community college free, like supporting individuals and families and financial needs through something like the Child Tax Credit which is hitting mailboxes and inboxes today all over the country providing $300 per child for tens of millions of families. That is the sort of bold vision that Chairman Sanders is putting forward and folks like Senator Sinema and Senator Manchin are working with me and many others on the bipartisan infrastructure package. President Biden did a great job of engaging our caucus and keeping all of us growing in the same direction. 

Q: Senator, let me just ask you about that bipartisan compromise package. Do you risk losing any members of that Republican-Democratic coalition because of this big package that has virtually no Republican support? You know, this two-track parallel jiu jitsu act that you guys are performing has never been done before. 

Sen. Coons: So, Andrea, this bipartisan infrastructure package will literally be the single greatest investment in infrastructure in the history of our country. We haven’t kept up to speed. We haven’t been competitive with other countries around the world in infrastructure. This is a bill that focuses on traditional, hard infrastructure – things like roads and bridges and tunnels and highways – as well as 21^st century infrastructure like broadband. It is something that all of us can come together around and because of the jobs that will be created, the way it will help us compete with China and other countries around the world, it’s going to enjoy strong bipartisan support. That is different from the much broader and bolder $3.5 trillion plan. That is a plan where Democrats will support it and Republicans will oppose it. That’s a plan that focuses on areas where we have a strong divergence: increasing taxes on the very wealthiest Americans and on the most profitable corporations that pay no taxes and using those additional resources to strengthen the social infrastructure of our country to invest in things like childcare and daycare, quality education, access to opportunity. And that’s a place where we’re going to fight it out in the fall where Republicans are all going to line up in opposing it and Democrats, hopefully, in the Senate will all line up in support of it. I do think we can pursue both of these because one, infrastructure is an area that we’ve all agreed on for the entire decade that I’ve been here in the Senate – we just haven’t gotten it done. The other is where our parties pretty sharply diverge.

Q: And let me button this down by saying on the $3.5 trillion package, I know that the Budget Chairman wouldn’t have produced it unless everybody was signed on. But are you sure you’ve got [Senators] Manchin and Sinema on that number and the pay-fors? 

Sen. Coons: Look, Senator Mark Warner of Virginia – very successful in business, one of our more moderate members – is on the Budget Committee. He was part of the effort to pull that together and to get it out of committee. I am optimistic that that broad package will enjoy support from every member of our caucus. I was encouraged by what I heard yesterday. But obviously – maybe not obviously – it is worth repeating that what comes out of the Budget Committee is a broad framework. Then the details have to be worked out over the next couple of weeks even months by the different committees of jurisdiction. We are much closer to final text, to a concrete – pun-intended – infrastructure proposal from the bipartisan group than we are on the other much bigger proposal. That’s going to take weeks to work out the specifics of exactly what it’s going to mean in terms of changes in tax policy and in terms of changes in spending. One of the pieces of that big proposal that I’m really excited about is the Civilian Climate Corps – something that will put tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of younger Americans to work around our country strengthening our environment, investing in resiliency, helping our National Park Service and our public lands in a way that confronts climate and puts younger Americans to work and gives them an opportunity to serve. I literally just spoke to Senator Sanders about this on the floor a few moments ago. I’m optimistic about it.

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Sen. Coons applauds expanded Child Tax Credit as monthly payments begin to reach Delaware families

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) applauded the expanded Child Tax Credit as the monthly payments begin to reach tens of millions of families across the nation. Starting July 15, 2021, eligible families will begin receiving monthly payments of up to $300 for every child under 6 and $250 for every child aged 6 to 17. These payments were made possible by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, which Senator Coons voted to pass in March 2021.

“Today represents a historic investment in our kids, our families, and our future,” said Senator Coons. “The expanded Child Tax Credit will provide direct monthly payments to hard-working families up and down the First State who are struggling to afford health care, housing, groceries, and child care. I am proud to have supported this expansion that will deliver one of the most significant reductions in child poverty in history.”

To qualify for monthly Child Tax Credit payments, families must have:

• Filed a 2019 or 2020 tax return and claimed the Child Tax Credit on the return; or given their information in 2020 to the IRS to receive the Economic Impact Payment using the Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here tool; and
• A main home in the United States for more than half the year (the 50 states and the District of Columbia) or file a joint return with a spouse who has a main home in the United States for more than half the year; and
• A qualifying child who is under age 18 at the end of 2021 and who has a valid Social Security number; and
• Made less than certain income limits: households earning less than $75,000 for single filers, $112,500 for heads of households, and $150,000 for joint filers.

Families are encouraged to visit the IRS website to ensure they receive their checks. Most families who are eligible will not need to do anything to receive these payments; IRS will use the information they have on file to automatically deposit the funds into their bank account or through a mailed check.

Previously, families would receive the Child Tax Credit once a year. This year, the IRS will pay half the total credit amount in advance as monthly payments beginning July 15. Families will claim the other half when they file their 2021 income tax return. These changes apply to tax year 2021 only.

For more information on Child Tax Credit payments, click here. A guide from the IRS is available here.

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Nation’s first comprehensive CO2 infrastructure bill passes committee

WASHINGTON — Today, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources voted to advance the full text of the Storing CO₂ And Lowering Emissions (SCALE) Act as part of a larger energy infrastructure package. The landmark bill was first introduced by U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.) and U.S. Representatives Marc Veasey (D-Texas) and David McKinley (R-W.Va.) in March to drive deployment of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology and the vital accompanying infrastructure in the United States. Underinvestment in CCUS has left the country behind in the adoption of a crucial tool in the fight against climate change, and this bill represents the largest government investment in CCUS infrastructure in U.S. history.

If passed and signed into law, the SCALE Act will help develop CCUS infrastructure as a critical means of reducing emissions of CO₂ – or carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas – while creating regional economic opportunities and thousands of jobs. 

“As the author of the SCALE Act, I am thrilled to see continued bipartisan backing to build this crucial infrastructure that will connect the full carbon capture value chain, help reduce emissions, and create thousands of high-wage jobs,” said Senator Coons. “Carbon capture, utilization, and storage will play a critical role in meeting mid-century climate goals, supporting high-paying manufacturing jobs, and maintaining American competitiveness. I’m glad the Senate took an important bipartisan step in this direction, and I look forward to advancing the bill into law.”

“If the world wants less carbon in the atmosphere while preserving jobs, the answer is sequestering carbon. Passing this bill in committee supports that vision,” said Dr. Cassidy. “There is no better place in the world than our state to sequester carbon. This bill creates jobs, lowers emissions and is a win for Louisiana.”

“Carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) is one of the most critical technologies we can invest in to combat climate change globally while ensuring we are utilizing the full potential of our vast energy resources. As we transition to a cleaner energy future, increased investment in CCUS and carbon removal technologies will keep our energy affordable and reliable while reducing emissions and ensuring our continued climate leadership. The SCALE Act does just that by complementing and building on the nearly $6 billion for CCUS research, development, deployment, and commercialization I secured in the Energy Act of 2020. It will advance the build-out of much needed CO₂ infrastructure and support thousands of clean energy and manufacturing jobs across the country, including in traditional energy producing communities like those in West Virginia. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advance this legislation into law,” said Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

How the SCALE Act supports carbon capture: Interconnected CO₂ transport systems that collect CO₂ from capture sources and deliver it to shared CO₂ storage sites are the key backbone infrastructure needed for widespread carbon capture deployment at the necessary scale to achieve economy-wide emissions reductions. Yet, deployment of CO₂ infrastructure faces critical cost barriers that require federal support to overcome. Many countries and regions, including the European Union, the UK, Norway, Australia, and Canada, have already committed billions to construct CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure to decarbonize heavy industry, and the United States is currently lagging behind. The SCALE Act would provide the federal support needed to kick-start a CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure build-out over the next decade to get the United States back on track. This new transport infrastructure will enable CO₂ to be transported from the site of capture to locations where it can be used or stored safely underground.

To support carbon capture and job growth, the SCALE Act would:

• Establish the CO₂ Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (CIFIA) program, which will provide flexible, low-interest loans for CO₂ transport infrastructure projects and grants for initial excess capacity on new infrastructure to facilitate future growth. Modeled after the existing TIFIA and WIFIA programs for highway and water infrastructure, CIFIA will help facilitate private sector investment in infrastructure critical for reaching net-zero emissions. The bill also includes grants for Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) studies for CO₂ transport infrastructure.
• Build upon the existing Department of Energy (DOE) CarbonSAFE program to provide cost sharing for deployment of commercial-scale saline geologic CO₂ storage projects. The program would give priority to larger, commercial saline geologic storage projects that will serve as hubs for storing CO₂ from multiple carbon capture facilities.
• Authorize increased funding to EPA for permitting Class VI CO₂ storage wells in saline geologic formations and providing grants for states to establish their own Class VI permitting programs to ensure rigorous and efficient CO₂ geologic storage site permitting.
• Provide grants to state and local governments for procuring CO₂ utilization products and support state and local programs that create demand for materials, fuels, and other products made from captured carbon. The bill also adds the objective of developing standards and certifications for products that use CO₂ to DOE’s carbon utilization program.

In the Senate, the bill is also cosponsored by U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). In the House, cosponsors include U.S. Representatives Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), Alexander Mooney (R-W.Va.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.), Susan Wild (D-Pa.), Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa), Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.), Tom Cole (R-Okla.), Scott Peters (D-Calif.), Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio), Jefferson Van Drew (R-N.J.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), and James Himes (D-Conn.).

A one pager on the bill is available here. Bill text is available here.

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[VIDEO] Sen. Coons discusses Central America, DFC with USAID Administrator Samantha Power

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Chair of the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee (SFOPS) that funds the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), discussed a series of topics with USAID Administrator Samantha Power in a SFRC hearing on USAID’s 2022 Budget Request.

Citing his recent trip to Guatemala, and a visit to Raices de Amor, a shelter for trafficked youth, Senator Coons said, “one of the inspiring aspects of that visit was that it was a locally developed and run program.” He continued, “I’d be interested in hearing what you think is a possible strategy for increasing the localization of our assistance programs. Devoting a larger share of development assistance funds to supporting initiatives implemented by local partners, and what role additional staff would have in making that possible.” Administrator Power responded that the USAID is off to a good start with the New Partnerships Initiative and the Local Works initiative, but must continue to work to lower the barrier to entry for smaller local organizations.

Regarding the role of the Development Finance Corporation (DFC) in international development, Senator Coons said, “I’d be interested in your views on how you ensure that the DFC remains focused on development, and what your role will be in strengthening the DFC as we expand its capacity to compete on behalf of the United States in partnership with the private sector against the increasing influence that China is having around the world.” Administrator Power responded that the orientation of leadership at the DFC is “to meet these needs in developing countries recognizing that that is going to be profitable for everybody over time.”

Full audio and video available here. A transcript is provided below.

Sen. Coons: Thanks, Chairman Menendez, Ranking Member Risch, and in particular Administrator Power, thank you for your testimony and for your continued service to our nation. I am pleased to see the Biden administration’s budget request for USAID includes investments to address the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic and to bolster our ongoing role in global health, foreign assistance in the Indo-Pacific – specifically to counter China’s influence there and in other regions of the world – and demonstrates our commitment to fighting climate change. And I look forward to working with you to improve the effectiveness of USAID. Like Senator Johnson, as he was just describing it, I too have just returned from Guatemala and have a number of questions about how we are going to effectively deliver assistance in a way that will bend the curve of a number of challenging developments there. I visited a shelter for trafficked youth, as did you in your recent trip. And one of the inspiring aspects of that visit was that it was a locally developed and run program. Our assistance to that particular initiative did not require funding to go through a governmental agency, it goes directly to an NGO. So, Administrator, I’d be interested in hearing what you think is a possible strategy for increasing the localization of our assistance programs. Devoting a larger share of development assistance funds to supporting initiatives implemented by local partners, and what role additional staff would have in making that possible. And I might, and perhaps this is motivated by that trip, recommend piloting that in a region, for example, Central America, where we lack credible national government partners in development.

Administrator Power: Yes, I mean, this is – your last point about lacking important government partners is an important complement, I think, to the exchange I just had with Senator Johnson. I mentioned violence and economic despair, but the governance and corruption trends are really going in the wrong direction, requiring us to think very creatively about how we steward these resources, that we hope, again, that you’ll be generous enough and that the American people be generous enough to provide in order to deal with those causes of despair and migration that can be tackled within the region. So the question you pose on how to strengthen our relationship with local partners can sound a little bit abstract, a little bit wonky, a little bit sort of inside foreign assistance, like a perfect Samantha Power, Chris Coons exchange. But it’s so important because as I tried to say briefly in my opening statement, it is the essence of whether the development we do is going to be sustained over time. And because we USAID want, and you all as well, and the President want to move quickly. Often, there’s just a lot of gravity pulling us toward very large, often U.S.-based contracting partners that may deign to enlist local partners as part of the overall contract or grant. But fundamentally, the investments are not made in that internal capacity and that ability to have the accounting capacity, the ability to comply with USAID regulations, which many of which are in place in order to be responsive to the need for oversight that you have. So the shorter answer is, I think we’re off to a good start with the New Partnerships Initiative and the Local Works initiative, which both, again, I think came out of a partnership between USAID and Congress. I think that we need to try to lower the barriers of entry because it is so onerous to work with USAID for these small local organizations. And we need to invest in the internal capacity those organizations have to meet the legitimate oversight questions and challenges that we absolutely have to retain in order to do our jobs as stewards.

Sen. Coons: Well, I look forward to working with you on tackling USAID’s procurement process, the challenges, both in terms of regulations and staffing that you face in terms of trying to be flexible so that you can better respond to changing circumstances such as we’re seeing in Ethiopia or Afghanistan or Haiti, where developments challenging changes in circumstances require more than just disaster aid but require us to change prioritization or strategies around development. If I might – just a quick last question, Mr. Chairman. The Development Finance Corporation is a new tool that through its loan programs can reduce the cost of financing development by leveraging private sector resources, and the Senate just passed an important bipartisan bill that supports the expansion of the DFC’s lending authority to enable our competition with China – something Chairman Menendez, Ranking Member Risch really championed through this committee. I’d be interested in your views on how you ensure that the DFC remains focused on development, and what your role will be in strengthening the DFC as we expand its capacity to compete on behalf of the United States in partnership with the private sector against the increasing influence that China is having around the world.

Administrator Power: I know I probably don’t have time really to respond in detail, but just to say that, you know, as a kind of Rip Van Winkle here, who was gone for four years, and now is back in government, I do think the enhanced capacity you all have given the DFC is, you know, from my standpoint, you know, the newest freshest tool in the toolbox. Your continued message that this is a development finance institution is really important. I didn’t have a chance, Mr. Chairman, when you were asking about the sort of full set of tools in the toolbox on COVID developing vaccine manufacturing capacity in Africa, where they’re importing 99% of vaccines, DFC has just announced a big deal with J&J in South Africa with other international financing bodies. So again, multilateral-izing what we do, and that’s going to bring more than 500 million doses online coming from South Africa by the end of 2022. I think that’s just the beginning. And certainly, my impression, and as the Vice Chair of the DFC, my impression is that that is very much the orientation of the leadership of DFC. To meet these needs in developing countries recognizing that that is going to be profitable for everybody over time.

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[PHOTOS] Senator Coons keynotes Newark-based NIIMBL’s national meeting

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Competitiveness Caucus, highlighted the critical role of the University of Delaware’s National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals, or NIIMBL, in driving research, development, manufacturing, and delivery of therapeutics and biopharmaceuticals for the world. 

As part of today‘s event, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced that $153 million in funding is being awarded to NIIMBL in grants to lead a national manufacturing effort to prevent, prepare for and respond to coronavirus outbreaks.

“My hope is that [NIIMBL] will lead not just to innovation on that site in Newark, Delaware, of course, but all over our country, that it will lead to thousands of jobs, not just in Delaware, but all over our country, and that it will deliver solutions for the challenges facing our country,” Sen. Coons said during his speech. 

“I’m going to continue to push for more funding, to push for more broad and bipartisan support, to push for more institutes and models that look just like this one,” he continued, “because I am confident that together, we can solve the challenges facing not just our country, but the world.”

NIIMBL, an organization long championed by Sen. Coons, is a public-private partnership designed to accelerate innovation in the U.S. biopharmaceutical industry, producing vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, gene therapies, and other medical products derived from biological sources. NIIMBL is a Manufacturing USA® institute sponsored by the Department of Commerce.

To view and download photos from this event, click this link.

[VIDEO] Coons: USPS delays continue to pose problems for First State

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, questioned the inspector general of the U.S. Postal Service about mail delays and treatment of periodical class mail.

The exchange between Sen. Coons and Inspector General Tammy L. Whitcomb took place during a hearing on the budget request for the USPS Office of Inspector General and USPS-related service issues.

Sen. Coons, during his opening remarks, said: “Mail delays have been one of the top issues that have caused Delawareans to call me in my office – to email, to text, to write. And often those letters are delayed in getting to my office. I’m from a small state of about 900,000 people, I’ve gotten 3,500 messages in the last year – 3,500 messages in the last year complaining about delays in postal delivery. I have gotten complaints from veterans who weren’t getting their medications in the mail. I’ve gotten complaints from small businesses that weren’t getting payment checks into them or weren’t able to get services out. I’ve gotten complaints from just families who didn’t get birthday cards from grandma to their grandchild, or notices about things that they needed to get to on time.”

During the hearing, Sen. Coons spoke about the concerns with the treatment of periodical class mail: “One particular complaint I just got last weekend was from the Cape Gazette, a local newspaper in Sussex County, Delaware, that delivers by mail their copies of their regular periodical. And they’ve noticed over the last year, just dramatic delays in handling, and they’ve gotten complaints. They’ve gone and visited different postal handling facilities, and they’ve been struck at the extent to which, because it is technically second-class mail, although newspapers have been a critical part of our country since its founding, they’re just not getting the same attention.”

The Postal Service continues to struggle with on-time delivery across all mail types. Since July 2020, Sen. Coons has received more than 3,500 messages from constituents on mail delays. Of that, 350-plus messages have been in 2021. During a recent interview at the Cape Gazette, the senator heard about ongoing delivery issues with periodical mail. The Lewes-based newspaper stated they receive up to 45 complaints a week about USPS-related delivery issues.

Watch a video of the exchange here. To download the video and a full transcript of the discussion between Coons and Whitcomb, click this link.

Sens. Coons, Tillis statement on demonstrations in Cuba

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), co-chairs of the Senate Human Rights Caucus, released a joint statement expressing support for the pro-democracy demonstrations in Cuba:

“As co-chairs of the bipartisan Senate Human Rights Caucus, we express solidarity with the peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators in Cuba. Decades of authoritarianism, corruption, and economic mismanagement have resulted in dire living standards for millions of Cubans. We call on President Miguel Díaz-Canel and the Communist Party of Cuba to respect the fundamental rights of the Cuban people and respond to the needs of citizens calling for freedom and reform.”

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Sen. Coons joins Sens. Kaine, Portman in bipartisan visit to Guatemala, meets with President Alejandro Giammattei, Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo, civil society and business leaders

WASHINGTON – Last week, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, traveled to Guatemala City as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation led by Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.).

During their visit, the bipartisan delegation met with President Alejandro Giammattei and Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo to discuss the ways that the U.S. and Guatemala can partner together to reduce migration, address human and narcotics trafficking, and curb the presence of transnational criminal organizations. This includes through increasing economic opportunity and social services in Guatemala and enhancing already strong law enforcement cooperation. The delegation also stressed the need for Guatemala to better tackle corruption, improve the rule of law, and continue the progress made to address violence within the country. The senators also discussed U.S. efforts to help Guatemala fight COVID-19. The delegation arrived at the same time as the U.S. donation of 1.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine to Guatemala.

“I was pleased to join Senators Kaine and Portman on a bipartisan delegation to Guatemala City, and to arrive just as the United States delivered 1.5 million vaccines to Guatemala to help stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Senator Coons. “As the Chair of the Senate appropriations subcommittee that funds foreign assistance, I appreciated the opportunity to meet with President Giammattei and Foreign Minister Brolo, civil society activists, business leaders, and members of the faith community to identify ways to strengthen the partnership between the United States and Guatemala, better support the Guatemalan people, and address issues of corruption, the rule of law, and the lack of economic opportunity that are driving irregular migration. I am encouraged that the Biden Administration has prioritized tackling these regional challenges, and I am committed to working with my colleagues in Congress and the Administration to advance this critical work.”

“I appreciate our discussions with President Giammattei, Foreign Minister Brolo, civil society, and business leaders on ways to expand bilateral relations between our two countries and how best to improve security within Guatemala,” said Senator Portman. “Guatemala’s work to root out corruption, make progress on judicial reforms, and address economic and societal drivers to unlawful migration is vital to stability in the region and I encourage leaders within the country to take the steps necessary to sustain democratic institutions and spur economic opportunities for Guatemala.”

“The U.S.-Guatemala relationship is a critical one to supporting stability and prosperity in the Western Hemisphere. Our alliance is more relevant than ever as we work together to create economic opportunities and foster alternatives to migration, including by strengthening Guatemala’s democratic institutions and the rule of law,” said Senator Kaine. “This is why I was glad to lead a bipartisan CODEL to Guatemala and hear directly from the country’s leaders, civil society representatives, and business leaders to collaborate on solutions. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, I will continue working to prioritize initiatives that support good governance and long-term stability in the region.”

The senators also met with civil society, where they discussed continued efforts to address corruption, and business leaders to discuss ways to deepen bilateral economic opportunity.

The delegation was grateful to the men and women of U.S. Embassy Guatemala City for their outstanding support of the delegation’s visit and for ably representing our country abroad.

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Senator Coons on Amtrak’s $7.3B investment in new state-of-the-art fleet

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) issued the following statement on the recently awarded Amtrak-Siemens Mobility contract to manufacture a new fleet of multi-powered modern trains.

“This upgrade to our nation’s infrastructure that will help move tens of millions of people faster, safer, and reliably is a step in the right direction,” Sen. Coons said. “I am excited for this agreement between Siemens and Amtrak, and particularly glad for what this means for the thousands of men and women who will build and maintain these train sets in America.”

The new equipment will operate on the Northeast Corridor, which runs through Delaware, long distance Palmetto, and various state-supported routes that will replace Amtrak-owned Amfleet, Metroliner, and state-owned equipment on specific routes throughout the country.

Siemens Mobility has had a footprint in Delaware since 2017, operating the Siemens Locomotive Service in New Castle. Employees there help to train Amtrak service technicians and remotely maintain its fleet of locomotives. The New Castle facility serves as the company‘s digital service, supply chain distribution center, and technical field training hub in the region.

To read the full announcement by Amtrak, visit bit.ly/3qWqXGP.