Senator Coons to host roundtable on jobs for veterans on Monday

Senator Coons will host the first of three roundtable discussions on job creation on Monday afternoon at the headquarters of the Delaware National Guard in New Castle.  Focusing on finding ways to increase job opportunities for veterans — especially recently returned veterans of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan — this first roundtable will include participants from the military, civilian agencies, veterans groups, and Delaware businesses. 

“After working for years in the private sector and local government,” Chris said, “I know that the best ideas for creating jobs are going to come from the people on the front lines of the economic recovery.  I talk with out-of-work Delawareans and small business owners just about every day, but these roundtables will facilitate a more dynamic group discussion that I hope will generate new ideas that we can apply in Washington to help create jobs for Delawareans.”

Nationally, unemployment among veterans is 13.3%, and for those under the age of twenty-four returning from Iraq and Afghanistan the rate is a staggering 21.1%, according to the Department of Labor.  Chris joined in introducing the Hiring Heroes Act in May, which would provide additional assistance to service members transitioning into the civilian workforce, but he believes more can and must be done.  The goal of this roundtable discussion is to bring stakeholders together in order to generate new ideas that Chris can take back with him to Washington when Congress reconvenes in September. 

“After they fought for our freedom abroad, our veterans shouldn’t have to fight hard just to get a job here at home,” Chris said.  Those participating in this first roundtable will be:

• Christine F. Kubik, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, Delaware
• Daniel Young, Delaware Military Community Partners
• Jim Tribbitt, Delaware Department of Labor
• Harry Gravell, Helmets to Hardhats, National Building Trades
• Antonio “Tony” Davila, Delaware Veterans Commission
• Edward Scully, Summit Aviation
• Robert Fitzpatrick, Summit Aviation
• Wesley Schroeder, Summit Aviation
• Jeffery Brown, Tidewater Utilities
• Sheila Mittucci, Saint Francis Hospital
• Sarmite Tyus, Wilmington VA Medical Center
• Victor Santos, Delaware State University
• Wendelin Henry, Delaware State University
• Shannon Freeze-Flory, DuPont
• Patricia R. Edwards, Dover Air Force Base
• Laura Coseglia, Dover Air Force Base
• James S. Webb, Wilmington University
• David B. Rich, United States Department of Labor
• James M. Provo, Small Business Administration
• Tim Keefe, JPMorgan Chase

Graphic: The drivers of our debt

The White House has developed a fascinating infographic that looks at the actual drivers of our nation's staggering debt. It reveals that the policies of the previous administration resulted in $7 trillion in new debt, whereas the policies of the current administration have resulted in $1.4 trillion in new debt.

Video: Chris talks Afghanistan and the budget on MSNBC's Morning Joe

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Chris talked this morning with MSNBC's Joe Scarborough and Mika Brezinski, as well as the Washington Post's Eugene Robinson, former RNC Chair Michael Steele, and commentator Donnie Deutsch about our path forward in Afghanistan and about a budget mechanism Chris is proposing to help require responsible deficit reduction.

Chris talks with Andrea Mitchell about Afghanistan

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Ahead of the President's announcement tonight about the nation's path forward in Afghanistan, Senator Coons spoke with MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell about what he was hoping to hear: a change in strategy.

Senator Coons calls for shift in strategy in Afghanistan

Senator Coons this morning called on the president to reduce the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan as the beginning of a shift in strategy from counterinsurgency to counterterrorism. He made the case for change in an op-ed in The News Journal.

Chris’ op-ed follows months of Foreign Relations Committee hearings on Afghanistan progress, meetings with officials from the military, State Department, and the Afghan government, as well as a visit with troops and field commanders in Afghanistan. 

Chris concluded that the best way to keep America safe was to ensure the flexibility of our military in responding to emerging threats across the world is a substantial drawdown of our forces and a targeted strategy of counterterrorism. 

More important than determining a precise number for our initial drawdown is ensuring that we have a sustainable long-term strategy.  In his op-ed, Chris wrote: 

A substantial drawdown of forces -- which I support -- should not be the first step on a course of total disengagement from Afghanistan.  Rather, it should mark the beginning of a new, more targeted counter-terrorism strategy that more wisely focuses our military and diplomatic resources on defending America's security interests.

With al Qaeda and affiliated groups now operating in Somalia and Yemen, we need greater operational flexibility, which will necessitate the repositioning of troops and resources out of Afghanistan.

Our men and women in uniform have performed their mission with courage, dedication, and strength of character, and we owe it to them to have the best long-term strategy for securing our nation possible.

To read the full op-ed, click here.  

Senator Coons dedicates garden for families of the fallen

DOVER — Senator Coons was at Dover Air Force Base Tuesday to help dedicate the Memorial Garden for the Fallen, a carefully groomed outdoor space adjacent to the building where fallen service members' families await their loved ones' arrival back on American soil.

"May this be ever like that prophetic garden, to bring strength and comfort to those who come here in their darkest hour," Senator Coons said in a ceremony dedicating the garden. "May it be a place where they can feel the strength of our support and the peace of healing."

The garden itself was planned and tended by the Delaware Federation of Garden Clubs, which raised funds for the project on its own.

Read more on WHYY Newsworks and in the Daily Times.

Chris tours UPS facility in Newark

NEWARK — Senator Coons greeted workers at the UPS sorting facility in Newark this morning, getting a first-hand look at how packages from all over the world get to homes and businesses across the First State. This facility processes about 15 million items each year—and they do it all with about 400 employees and state-of-the-art technology.

UPS prides itself on being one of the most advanced logistics companies in the world, and also for its ability to quantify the safety and productivity of each employee.  Chris was impressed to learn that UPS can track a truck’s idle time, speed and the route of every driver.  They can even tell how long it takes before a driver puts on his or her seatbelt. Today, Chris helped hand out awards to those employees meeting safety goals.

Many employees are veterans at the Newark facility.  UPS enjoys recruiting from the military because of the similarities in work ethic.  Today, Chris was honored to meet UPS employee Master Sgt. Joe Leighton (in photo above) who is also in the Delaware National Guard.  Master Sgt. Leighton is gearing up to deploy to Afghanistan later this month.