U.S. Senator Chris Coons, a member of the Senate Budget Committee and of the bipartisan group of senators seeking balanced deficit reduction, issued the following statement after Moody’s Investors Service warned that if Congress fails to take the actions necessary to avert the so-called “fiscal cliff” and stabilize our nation’s debt, the United States’ credit rating will likely be lowered.
“The warning from Moody’s today is just the latest in a long line of reminders that it is long since time that Washington gets serious about the dangerous deficits and staggering debt that loom over our economic recovery. I hear regularly from business leaders, local government officials and community leaders in Delaware who are wondering why Congress doesn’t appear more concerned about the so-called ‘fiscal cliff’ that threatens to undo the progress we’ve made in rebuilding our economy. It is frustrating that so many in Washington seem willing to wait until after the election to address this crisis. We need to act now. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to heed the warning from Moody’s today and join me in working seriously on solutions for steering clear of the ‘fiscal cliff’ and confronting our deficits in a balanced and responsible fashion.”
The Council on Foreign Relations reported Tuesday on staged attacks by Boko Haram operatives on the telecommunication infrastructure in several states in Nigeria.
It is unclear what the goal of these attacks is, beyond accusations that the cell companies are helping security services track the group. Boko Haram’s “martyred” founder, Mohammed Yusuf, did not reject modern technology, and, presumably, Boko Haram operatives also use cell phones. If attacks on cell phone infrastructure continue, and if ALTON members do suspend service, the consequences will be dire for outside communication with the North. In a region characterized by high unemployment, the collapse of manufacturing and too little investment in agriculture, destruction of communication facilities can only make things worse for most people.
On Tuesday, Senator Coons met with over 30 members of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) for a breakfast discussion about how America’s investments in global development and diplomacy are critical to our national security and economic growth, as well as a reflection of our values as a nation.
The breakfast included top leaders from the business, military, faith and nongovernmental communities. Patrick Bellon, Executive Director of Veterans for Common Sense, emphasized the effectiveness of development in promoting security and preventing conflict. Tom Callahan, Vice President of Government Affairs for PAE, Inc. described the importance of leveraging the generosity of the American people to build a coalition of support for addressing pressing global issues.
Chris expressed his strong support for the International Affairs Budget, emphasizing that “the roots of conflict are fed by misery and poverty” and noting that by responsibly funding international development initiatives, the United States can save lives and encourage sustainable growth to foster long-term stability around the world.
He also took the opportunity to recognize Senators Graham, Leahy and Isakson for their support of a strong and effective International Affairs Budget and thanked the more than 400 Delawareans who attended the Opportunity: Africa conference in Wilmington earlier this year.
Monday, September 10 at 7:30 a.m. — The Senator will speak to the Public Relations Society of America Delaware Chapter membership meeting. Senator Coons will discuss the evolving state of political communications in government and campaigns, highlighting the increased role of social media and the 2012 Presidential election. Christiana Hilton, 100 Continental Drive Newark, DE — Open to press.
Monday, September 10 at 1:45 p.m. — The Senator will visitNorth Georgetown Elementary School in the Indian River School District. Principal Rick Evans will give Senator Coons a tour of the school’s English Language Learning classrooms during the visit. 664 North Bedford Street, Georgetown, DE – Open to press.
Tuesday, September 11 at 9:00 a.m. — The Senator will speak at a U.S. Global Leadership Coalition breakfast. The U.S.Global Leadership Coalition is a broad-based network of 400 businesses and NGOs; national security and foreign policy experts; and business, faith-based, academic and community leaders in all 50 states who support a smart power approach of elevating diplomacy and development alongside defense in order to build a better, safer world. 385 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.
Tuesday, September 11 at 10:45 a.m. — The Senator will attend the Congressional Remembrance Ceremony for Eleventh Observance of September 11, 2001. Members of Congress will participate in a bipartisan, bicameral 9/11 Congressional Remembrance Ceremony on the Capitol’s East Front Steps. The venue is the same spot where members spontaneously sang “God Bless America” after a news conference on the day of the attacks 11 years ago. East Front Steps, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.– Open to press.
Tuesday, September 11 at 2:15 p.m. — The Senator will attend a Senate Foreign Relations Committee business meeting. The meeting will focus on several pieces of legislation and the nomination of the Honorable Richard G. Olson of New Mexico to be Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. U.S. Capitol Room S-116, Washington, D.C. – Open to press.
Wednesday, September 12 at 10:00 a.m. — The Senator will attend a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, “The Citizens United Court and the Continuing Importance of the Voting Rights Act.” Witnesses will include Anthony Johnstone of the University of Montana School of Law, Michael A. Carvin of Jones Day, and Elisabeth MacNamara of the League of Women Voters. 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. — Open to press.
Wednesday, September 12 at 3:00 p.m. — The Senator will speak to members of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. Members will be in Washington to meet with lawmakers. U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. — Closed to press.
Wednesday, September 12 at 6:00 p.m. — The Senator will attend the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Ambassadors Ball. To raise vital funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, this black-tie gala hosts members of the Washington Diplomatic Corps, Congressional leaders, and a variety of local and national celebrities. Over the past 33 years, the Ambassadors Ball has raised more than $15 million for the Society's movement toward a world free of MS.Ritz Carlton, 1150 22nd Street NW, Washington, D.C.
Thursday, September 13 at 8:30 a.m. — The Senator will deliver remarks at a National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) Breakfast. Senator Coons will discuss his ideas for boosting American innovation and manufacturing, including reauthorization and expansion of the Research and Development Tax Credit and the creation of similar credit for innovative new businesses. Hyatt Regency, 400 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. – Closed to press.
Thursday, September 13 at 10:00 a.m. — The Senator will attend a Senate Judiciary Committee business meeting. The meeting will focus on the Child Protection Improvements Act of 2011 (S. 645). 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. – Open to press.
Friday, September 14 at 9:00 a.m. — The Senator will speak at the Delaware National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials(NAHRO) Annual Conference. NAHRO is committed to help create a nation in which all people have decent, safe, affordable housing and economic opportunity in viable, sustainable communities. Dover Downs, 1131 North DuPont Highway, Dover, DE
Friday, September 14 at 11:30 a.m. — The Senator will attend the Delaware Volunteer Firefighter’s Association Conference Luncheon. This luncheon is a part of the weeklong conference hosted by the Delaware Volunteer Firefighter’s Association and the Ladies Auxiliary Mutual Relief Association. Dover Sheraton Conference Center, Dover, DE – Open to press.
Friday, September 14 at 1:15 p.m. — The Senator will join Governor Markell in attending the Grand Opening of Acorn Books. Approved for a low interest loan through the Delaware State Small Business Credit Initiative, Acorn Books will offer books and magazines to the greater Kent country region. 1030 Forrest Avenue, Dover, DE – Open to press.
Saturday, September 15 at 1:00 p.m. — The Senator will attend the annual Delaware Volunteer Firefighter’s Association Parade. The Clayton Volunteer Fire Company and the Smyrna Volunteer Fire Company compete in the annual Delaware Volunteer Firefighter’s Association parade in September each year. Dover, DE – Open to press.
Sunday, September 16 at 3:00 p.m. — The Senator will attend the Police Academy Dedication Ceremony for Lt. Joseph L. Szczerba. The ceremony will celebrate the official renaming of the police academy building as the Lt. Joseph L. Szczerba to recognize Joe’s sacrifice and commitment to the training and mentoring of young police officers. Kimberton Police Academy, Kimberton Drive, Newark, DE — Open to press.
U.S. Senator Chris Coons, a member of the Senate Energy Committee, expressed strong support on Thursday for President Obama’s plan to speed up investments in America’s industrial energy efficiency, including combined heat and power. The Executive Order will enhance American manufacturing competitiveness and create jobs, while also improving our nation’s energy system and reducing harmful emissions.
“Continuing to develop our industrial energy efficiency standards will better ensure American manufacturing remains competitive in today’s international market,” Senator Coons said. “Our manufacturing sector is the backbone of our economy, and it’s imperative that we do all we can to help our businesses succeed and create jobs. President Obama’s proposal is an investment in our economy, our environment, and our energy security. I applaud President Obama for this Executive Order and look forward to continuing to advocate for the development of clean, safe, reliable energy sources.”
The Executive Order will:
Set a national goal of 40 GW of new combined heat and power installation over the next decade;
Direct DOE and EPA to convene stakeholders through ongoing regional workshops to foster a national dialogue to identify, develop, and encourage the adoption of best practice policies and investment models;
Direct all Federal agencies to use existing federal policies to support investment in industrial energy efficiency and CHP, provide public information on the benefits of unlocking investment in industrial energy efficiency, and support manufacturers and states to share best practices and access technical assistance.
Investments in industrial energy efficiency, including combined heat and power, offer significant benefits to manufacturers, utilities and communities across the country, including: Improving U.S. manufacturing competitiveness; creating jobs now through investments upgrading our manufacturing facilities; offering a low-cost approach to new electricity generation capacity to meet current and future demand; significantly lowering emissions; and enhancing grid security.
For more details on the President’s plan, click here.
To learn more about Senator Coons’ work towards clean, sustainable energy, click here.
I wanted to share some good news. Thanks to your support, our resolution condemning Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army for their crimes against humanity passed the Senate unanimously earlier this month.
In passing our resolution, which was cosponsored by 45 senators and hundreds of citizen cosponsors from across the country, the Senate took a stand in support of ongoing international efforts to remove Kony and his top commanders from the battlefield.
Our resolution, which I drafted with Republican Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, called for the U.S. to continue to enhance its mobility, intelligence and logistical support of regional forces protecting civilians and pursuing the LRA. Kony and the LRA have terrorized Uganda and its neighbors in central Africa for more than two decades, tearing families apart and destroying communities. Joseph Kony represents the worst of mankind, and he and his commanders must be held accountable for their war crimes.
The Senate has taken an important step in passing this resolution and saying with one voice that the United States of America will not stand by silently in the face of mass atrocities.
Thank you so much for your support and commitment.
In his capacity as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, one of the things Senator Coons has kept close tabs on is China's rapidly expanding influence on the African continent. Typically that means watching investments in highways and hospitals, low-interest loans and subtantially increased trade, but the New York Times this week took a look at another area where China is making in-roads: the news.
At a time when most Western broadcasting and newspaper companies are retrenching, China’s state-run news media giants are rapidly expanding in Africa and across the developing world. They are hoping to bolster China’s image and influence around the globe, particularly in regions rich in the natural resources needed to fuel China’s powerhouse industries and help feed its immense population.
The $7 billion campaign, part of a Chinese Communist Party bid to expand the country’s soft power, is based in part on the notion that biased Western news media have painted a distorted portrait of China.
“Hostile international powers are strengthening their efforts to Westernize and divide us,” President Hu Jintao wrote this year in a party journal. “We must be aware of the seriousness and complexity of the struggles and take powerful measures to prevent and deal with them.”
Beijing’s bid to provide a counterpoint to Western influence, however, is raising alarms among human rights activists, news media advocates and American officials, who cite a record of censorship that has earned China a reputation as one of the world’s most restrictive countries for journalism.
“We are engaged in an information war, and we are losing that war,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned a Congressional committee last year, citing the growing influence of state-backed outlets like Russia Today and CCTV.
The Office of Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced on Wednesday the preliminary results of a comprehensive national survey of outdoor recreation showing a significant increase in hunters and a double-digit increase in anglers over the past five years. These results have occurred in the face of decades of decline in the outdoor recreation industry, a subject addressed by President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative implemented in 2010.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation found that hunters nationwide increased by 9 percent while anglers grew by 11 percent. Nearly 38 percent of all Americans participated in wildlife-related recreation in 2011, an increase of 2.6 million participants from the previous survey in 2006. They spent $145 billion on related gear, trips and other purchases, such as licenses, tags and land leasing and ownership, representing 1 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product.
“Seeing more people fishing, hunting, and getting outdoors is great news for America’s economy and conservation heritage,” Secretary Salazar said. “That is why, through President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative, we have been focused on helping Americans rediscover the joys of casting a line, passing along family hunting traditions, and protecting the places they love."
Senator Coons is a strong proponent of the America’s Great Outdoors initiative, designed to strengthen conservation efforts and encourage wild life related recreation across the nation. Chris has endorsed two projects in the state of Delaware as part of the national effort. In May, Chris joined Secretary Ken Salazar, Delaware Governor Jack Markell, and others to launch the Delaware Bayshore Initiative to strengthen Delaware’s Chesapeake coastlines. In October of 201,1 he helped announce the First State National Historical Park Act of 2011, which plans for the construction of a new state park.
MILFORD – Senator Coons visited the Dentsply Caulk plant in Milford on Tuesday to hear about how the company has kept growing over its 135 years in business. The company is a division of Dentsply International, the world’s largest professional dental products manufacturer.
In 2008, thanks in part to the Delaware Economic Development Office, Dentsply underwent an $8.3 million expansion to accommodate pharmaceutical and infection control manufacturing processes, and added 14-thousand square feet of processing spaces. In 2001, they spent $11 million to modernize the plant. The Milford facility also went through significant expansions in the 1990s and 1980s.
“Dentsply Caulk has become a leader in the professional dental product industry and serves as an example of how hard work, innovation and investment in the community can propel a company forward,” Chris said. “Their team has made huge strides since coming to Delaware and is improving dental equipment and products to better serve doctors and patients around the globe.”
Chris spent much of his visit learning about the low volume/high value products that Dentsply manufactures. He also learned much more about the different manufacturing techniques and unique materials used by Dentsply.
Dentsply International has facilities in 22 nations on six continents, manufacturing and distributing products in 120 countries under well-known industry brand names. Dentsply Caulk has made recent break through innovations in composite resins, for instance Prime & Bond® NT™ single component bonding agent, Aquasil Ultra Smart Wetting® impression materials and Esthet•X® HD Micro Matrix Restorative.
Dentsply Caulk has three sites in Milford, totaling over 325k sq. ft., with more than 400 associates.
U.S. Senator Chris Coons praised a new U.S. Department of Energy report issued on Tuesday that highlights strong growth in the U.S. wind energy market in 2011, which supports tens of thousands of American jobs. The report also underscores the importance of continued policy support and clean energy tax credits to ensure that the manufacturing jobs associated with this booming global industry remain in the United States.
According to the 2011 Wind Technologies Market Report, the United States remained one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing wind markets in 2011. Wind power has constituted a remarkable 32 percent of all new electric capacity additions in the United States last year and accounted for $14 billion in new investment. The wind sector employs 75,000 American workers, according to industry estimates.
“Investments made in clean energy production not only protect our environment, they also protect and grow our economy,” Senator Coons said. “This report clearly demonstrates that the wind industry is a vital part of America’s clean energy production and supports tens of thousands of jobs across the nation.”
