Senator Coons appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Friday to talk about his bipartisan work in the Senate to help innovative startups grow and create jobs. Between 1980 and 2005, all net new jobs created in the U.S. were created by firms five years old or less. Watch below.
Since a March coup ousted the nation’s president, inter-communal and sectarian violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) has resulted in widespread chaos and lawlessness. Despite a rapidly deteriorating situation, the mass violence and suffering of civilians has been met with far too little international outrage or assistance. The recent decisions by the African Union (AU) to expand its stabilization force and the United Nations to strengthen the Peacebuilding Office are welcome moves that could lay the groundwork for expanded protection for civilians and accelerated progress toward greater stability. The U.S. administration should step up with assistance to help ensure that AU forces can carry out their mission effectively and support UN and AU efforts to promote reconciliation and democracy in this troubled country.
An October 31 press release by a number of respected international NGOs starkly describes the situation in the CAR and issues a strong call for greater international focus on the country.
As advocates and organizations dedicated to the prevention of violent conflict and mass atrocities, we are deeply disturbed by the violence that is plaguing CAR. The most recent wave is tipping the situation beyond control and is taking a trajectory towards large-scale interreligious and intercommunal violence.
We urge the international community to act swiftly to prevent atrocities and ensure civilian protection. The international community must rapidly expand its presence in the country, extend protection beyond a few selected sites, and allocate the resources necessary to address the complex and protracted nature of humanitarian needs.
As chair of the Senate Foreign Relations African Affairs Subcommittee, Senator Coons is deeply concerned about the ongoing situation in the CAR, and is committed to working within the committee and with the administration and non-governmental partners to support peacekeeping, humanitarian, and democracy efforts in the country.
Monday, November 4 at 10:15 a.m. – The Senator will greet job-seekers and employers at the Delaware delegation’s New Castle County Job Fair. The final delegation job fair of the year will feature more than 50 employers hiring for full and part-time positions. Embassy Suites, 654 S. College Ave., Newark, DE – Open to press. Contact Brian P. Cunningham at 302-573-6345.
Monday, November 4 at 12:30 p.m. – The Senator will address students at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Delaware. Senator Coons will discuss his work in the Senate on job creation, economic growth, and budget issues, and take questions from the group. Osher Life Long Learning Center, 2700 Pennsylvania Ave., Wilmington, DE – Open to press.
Tuesday, November 5 at 10:00 a.m. – The Senator will chair a Judiciary Subcommittee on Bankruptcy and the Courts hearing on proposed changes to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure related to the scope of discovery and presumptive limits on the use of discovery devices. 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. – Open to press. Contact Jamie Serlin at 202-224-5042.
Tuesday, November 5 at 2:30 p.m. – The Senator will attend a Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The committee will hear testimony from witnesses including Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) on the United Nations Treaty, which seeks to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by persons with disabilities. 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. – Open to press. Contact Foreign Relations Committee’s Adam Sharon at 202-224-4651.
Tuesday, November 5 at 6:00 p.m. – The Senator will speak at the NAS clean energy finance forum about his Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act, which would help to address financing barriers to clean energy technology development and deployment. National Academy of Sciences, West Court, 2101 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. – Closed to press.
Wednesday, November 6 at 9:00 a.m. – The Senator will attend a Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee meeting. The meeting will focus on issues affecting seniors, including retirement security, expiration of the Older Americans Act, reliable access to Medicare, the solvency of Social Security, and the availability of supportive services like transportation and nutrition assistance. U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. – Closed to press.
Wednesday, November 6 at 3:00 p.m. – The Senator will preside over the Senate until 4:00 p.m. Senate Chamber, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.
Thursday, November 7 at 4:00 p.m. – The Senator will preside over the Senate until 5:00 p.m. Senate Chamber, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.
Friday, November 8 at 7:00 p.m. – The Senator will attend the 3rd annual MSQuerade Ball hosted by the Delaware Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Proceeds from the event benefit the Delaware Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, which serves the more than 1,550 Delawareans living with MS. World Café Live at The Queen, 500 North Market Street, Wilmington, DE – Open to press. Contact Linda Risk, Development Director at 302-655-5610.
Saturday, November 9 at 10:00 a.m. – The Senator will attend the dedication ceremony for the C-5A Galaxy 69-0014 at Dover Air Force Base. The C-5A Galaxy is the largest aircraft in the U.S. Air Force’s inventory. The C-5 will be on permanent static display at the Air Mobility Command Museum after being retired from service. Air Mobility Command Museum, Delaware Air Force Base, Dover, DE – Open to press.
Saturday, November 9 at 12:00 p.m. – The Senator will attend the dedication of Delaware’s new World War II Memorial honoring Delaware’s “Greatest Generation.” The event is hosted by the Delaware General Assembly, the Delaware Department of State, and the Delaware Veterans Commission. Legislative Hall, Dover, DE – Open to press. Contact John R. Knotts at 302-739-2293.
Saturday, November 9 at 6:00 p.m. – The Senator will attend DFRC Holidazzle, a night of cocktails and fashion benefitting the Delaware Foundation Reaching Citizens with Intellectual Disabilities. Hercules Plaza, 14th and Market Street, Wilmington, DE. – Open to press. Contact Renée J. Blessington at 302-454-2730.
Note: Schedule is subject to change.
Senator Coons was pleased to join the Caesar Rodney Rotary Club Friday to congratulate the University of Delaware’s Dr. Steve Dentel and his Engineers Without Borders students on the completion of successful projects in Cameroon and Guatemala, and hear about the group’s future plans to bring clean water to communities in Malawi.
“Clean water and sustainable infrastructure are basic human necessities that we often take for granted here in the United States,” said Senator Coons. “Under the leadership of Dr. Dentel, the Engineers Without Borders chapter of the University of Delaware has done inspiring work to expand access to clean drinking water in Cameroon and construct a bridge uniting a community in Guatemala. I look forward to hearing about the life-changing impacts they will make as they embark on their next project in Malawi. In each community they touch, these student leaders serve as remarkable ambassadors for both Delaware and the United States, and I thank them for their hard work and dedication to serving communities around the world.”
During Friday’s Rotary Club meeting, EWB students Jon Perna, Caroline Bibb, Erica Addonzinio, and Sam Meahan discussed in detail their successful Cameroon Water Distribution System project, which expanded access to quality clean drinking water in the villages of Bakang and Balatsit in Bamendjou. Students then announced their five-year commitment to projects in the areas of Blantyre and Zomba in Malawi.
The students were also on hand to accept financial support from the Rotarians. A special auction of 15 uniquely painted rain-barrels by local artists raised $6,000 for the EWB club.
University of Delaware EWB’s mission is to design and implement sustainable solutions to problems in international developing communities and bridge cultural, economical, and political divides.
Questioning witnesses during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing Thursday on the status of events in Syria, Senator Coons called for sustained efforts to hold Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accountable for violence against Syrian civilians and urged swift action to address worsening humanitarian conditions.
“While I am glad that we were able to find a way to avert the need for military action last month following this committee’s strong approval of an authorization of the use of force, in my view we cannot forget, should not forget, that Assad has murdered more than 100,000 of his own people, and this unconscionable violence continues to this day,” Senator Coons said at Thursday’s hearing.
“I am pleased that some real progress is being made in the removal of the means of delivering chemical weapons and that we are in the process of exhausting diplomatic alternatives to military force,” Senator Coons said. “But I find it jarring that eight weeks ago we sat in the same room and approved a strong policy, directed by President Obama, of holding Assad accountable for his crimes and continuing to stand with the Syrian people, yet do not seem to be making progress on a number of those shared commitments.”
The hearing was convened to update Foreign Relations Committee members on the status of ongoing efforts to eliminate the Syrian chemical weapons stockpile, the potential for negotiations, and the ongoing humanitarian crises. Witnesses included U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford, Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation Thomas Countryman, and USAID Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance Nancy Lindborg.
Questioning Assistant Administrator Lindborg about steps USAID is taking to ensure delivery of U.S. aid to Syrian refugees, Senator Coons discussed meeting with Syrian refugees in Jordan earlier this year, noting that those he met “expressed anger and disappointment about the delays of promised U.S.-delivered assistance and support.” He expressed concern that months later, assistance continued to be delayed.
Lindborg noted that because many Syrian refugees are living with families in host communities, rather than in camps, USAID is focusing its efforts on development aid aimed at relieving the added stress placed on local water infrastructure, electrical systems, schools, and clinics. More work must be done to ensure we are maximizing our resources, Lindborg said.
Addressing Ambassador Ford, Senator Coons also expressed his concerns about “the very deep sense of abandonment felt by the Syrian opposition,” and emphasized the need for continued support for the Syrian opposition.
Ambassador Ford agreed, calling demonstrated solidarity with Syrian opposition “vital.” Ford pledged that the State Department would deliver on a statement issued last week by foreign ministers from 11 countries assuring Syrians that “Assad and his close associates with blood on their hands will have no role” when a transition government is established in Syria.
Delaware’s ET International, Inc. was among 100 companies profiled in a new report released today by the Science Coalition – a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of more than 50 of the nation’s leading public and private research universities, including the University of Delaware. The report, titled, “Sparking Economic Growth 2.0: Companies Created from Federally Funded University Research, Fueling Innovation and Economic Growth” highlights companies that trace their roots to federally funded university research. The companies in the report were self-selected by the member universities of the Science Coalition and are illustrative of how federal research can spur the creation of companies that bring innovations to market, create jobs, and contribute to economic growth.
ET International, Inc. (ETI) was founded in 2000 by Dr.Guang Rong Gao, a distinguished professor in computer and electrical engineering at the University of Delaware. The company originated in the university’s scientific labs and is now a leading provider of system software for advanced many-core computing systems ranging from supercomputers for highly scientific research to high-performance portable devices for smart phones. In a statement to the Science Coalition, the company noted that “Federally supported research completed at the University of Delaware and ETI” by Dr. Gao “allowed his deep-rooted belief in fundamental dataflow principles technologies to be successfully explored, designed and implemented…”
Indeed, ETI’s first phase of growth generated over $22 million in investments from the industry’s most renowned High Performance Computing organizations including The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, IBM, Intel, Cray, and Samsung. ETI’s software solutions increase performance, computing power, and efficiency to allow users to fully realize the power of many-core architectures. Built on a decade of highly complex research, ETI currently provides software, applications and custom engineering services for the energy, defense, semiconductor, digital media, and financial markets.
During a time when federal funding for R&D has been on the decline, with funding levels in 2013 at historic lows, ETI and the other companies highlighted in the report show the high return on investment yielded by federal funding of basic scientific research. Senator Coons is committed to ensuring that our nation continues to support innovative research and companies like ETI that create jobs and keep America on the cutting edge of technological innovation.
A bipartisan resolution sponsored by Senator Coons declaring October 29, 2013 to be “National Technological Innovation Day” was adopted by the Senate Monday. The declaration recognizes the important role of technological innovation in job creation and the U.S. economy, and was timed to celebrate the anniversary of ARPANET, the Internet’s precursor, created on October 29, 1969. The resolution was led by Senator Coons and co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of senators, including Senators Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga).
“America has produced some of the world’s most transformative technological innovations that have helped our economy prosper while advancing societies across the globe,” Senator Coons said. “I hope that National Technological Innovation Day will encourage Americans across the country to pause to appreciate the great work of those who came before, and rise to the challenge of becoming the next generation of inspirational American thinkers and inventors.”
A significant portion of our economy’s growth can be traced to new innovations. Since our nation’s founding, American innovators have produced the light bulb, the polio vaccine, the transistor (the main component of a computer chip), communications satellites, Global Positioning System, and the Internet, to name just a few. National Technological Innovation Day recognizes the role of America’s innovative spirit in individuals who have started successful companies and pushed the frontiers of science in the lab. More than one-third of Nobel prizes awarded, 347 in total, have gone to American citizens, reflecting the domestic culture of achievement we have created.
The resolution designating National Technological Innovation Day calls on individuals to observe the day by participating in activities that celebrate the history of innovation in the US, such as educational events and exploration of how modern devices work. It also encourages American youth to continue to enhance the future by pursuing invention and entrepreneurship.
Senator Coons and 11 colleagues held a press conference on October 29, 2013 to announce the launch of Manufacturing Jobs for America, a campaign to refocus Washington’s attention on manufacturing jobs. The effort comprises 40 bills from 22 senators, many of which are bipartisan, that will help America’s manufacturers grow and prepare American workers for careers in advanced manufacturing.
Chris opened the press conference, discussing the need for progress on legislation that will strenghten America’s modern workforce, secure a more level global playing field, expand access to capital for new and smaller-scale manufactuerers, and establish a national manufacturing strategy. Citing the success of Miller Metal Fabrication in Bridgeville, Delaware, which has won manufacturing work back from China, Italy, and other countries, Chris urged renewed bipartisan efforts to accelerate America’s manufacturing revival.
Participants in Tuesday’s press conference included Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).
Watch Chris’ opening remarks:
Watch a highlight reel of senators’ remarks at the press conference:
Watch the full press conference:
Most Americans are familiar with the importance of oil for gasoline and diesel, copper for electric wiring and motors, and aluminum for packing and vehicles. However, we do not often hear about the importance of yttrium, cerium, neodymium, or lanthanum for consumer uses. These basic elements are critical for more efficient light bulbs, oil refinery catalysts, lasers, and batteries respectively.
To help secure the continued supply of minerals vital to our national defense, domestic energy, electronics production, and medical industry technologies, Senator Coons recently joined a bipartisan group of 16 senators to introduce the Critical Minerals Policy Act of 2013 (S. 1600). The legislation includes a number of provisions that would help revitalize the domestic supply of these precious minerals, many of which are in short supply domestically and come from overseas.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the United States is currently 100 percent dependent on foreign sources for 17 key mineral commodities and 50 percent dependent on overseas suppliers for some 24 additional minerals. The goal of the Critical Minerals Policy Act is to secure a more stable supply of mineral commodities by developing domestic sources, recycling existing supplies, and researching alternatives for critical minerals. Chris is also a strong supporter of efforts at the University of Delaware to develop alternatives to the use of rare earth elements, a subset of critical minerals.
Through the establishment of a federal register in the Department of the Interior (DOI), the Critical Minerals Policy Act will help officials pinpoint which minerals are subject to potential supply restrictions and develop strategies to prevent price shocks and balance market demand. Other agencies, including the Department of Energy (DOE) and USGS, will join the DOI to strengthen educational research and workforce training critical to the development of domestic mineral supply chains. The legislation would also streamline the permit and review process of critical mineral mining on public lands to reduce costs and facilitate the environmentally responsible production of domestic resources.
To further public understanding of critical mineral solutions, the Critical Minerals Policy Act would expand research programs aimed at promoting efficient mineral use and recycling across various U.S. industries. The DOE would also submit an assessment of domestically trained workers capable of carrying out critical mineral research, analysis, manufacturing, and production to enhance the domestic availability of critical minerals.
According to the National Academy of Sciences, more than 25,000 pounds of new minerals are needed every year for each person in the United States in order to make the items we use every day for infrastructure, energy, transportation, communications, health care and defense. By coordinating efforts across federal agencies, the Critical Minerals Policy Act will help to update mineral policy for the 21st century and ensure our position in the world as both an economic and technological leader.
One year ago, Superstorm Sandy devastated communities up and down the East Coast, destroying the homes and businesses of thousands of Americans. Since Sandy first made landfall, Delawareans and our neighbors have come a long way, picking up the pieces and rebuilding their lives.
In their volunteer and aid efforts, Americans demonstrated once again that we are all in this together – that when some of us face crisis, it affects us all, and requires a strong collective response. There is much work still to do, especially in those neighborhoods that were hardest hit, but I remain confident that together we will finish the work of rebuilding and renewal, and I promise I will continue to be there for all of Sandy’s victims every step of the way.