Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States Senator for Florida Marco Rubio

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) reintroduced the Terrorism Survivors Student Loan Deferment Act, legislation that would allow survivors of terrorist attacks to receive automatic deferments of their federal student loan payments. Although in the aftermath of a terrorist attack, such as the 2016 tragedy at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, survivors can be eligible for some relief, the extreme nature of their circumstance is not automatically recognized. Rubio’s bill would grant the U.S. Department of Education the authority to provide automatic federal student loan deferments to any survivor of a terrorist attack. Rubio first introduced this legislation in September 2016. 
 
“We should do everything in our power to help those who survive a terrorist attack to get their life back on track,” Rubio said. “While in the aftermath of a terrorist attack, survivors like those of the horrific Pulse nightclub shooting, can be eligible for some relief, existing law does not automatically recognize these types of extraordinary circumstances. Giving survivors some time to regroup by delaying their student loan payments is just commonsense.” 
 
Rubio’s Terrorism Survivors Student Loan Deferment Act would: 
 

• Not count against the typical three-year maximum deferment allowance, but would provide a one-year pause for victims so they can either get back on their feet or pursue further deferment or forbearance. 
• Direct the U.S. Secretary of Education to establish anti-fraud protections. 
• Apply to borrowers of Federal Direct Loans under part D, older part B loans and Perkins Loans.  
• Designate the federal agency in charge of investigating the terrorist attack as responsible for identifying those affected as victims.

Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand

June 10, 2021

Bill Provides A One Year Window To Apply For Debt Relief; Will Keep Farmers Operating For At Least Two Years After Receiving Loan Forgiveness

Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, introduced The Relief for America’s Small Farmers Act to provide economic relief for small farmers suffering from massive financial losses due to reduced demand and supply chain disruptions during the coronavirus pandemic. Small farms across the nation struggled to access emergency federal farm aid and received minimal Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) benefits at a time when the supply chain was devastated by school and restaurant closures. The Relief for America’s Small Farmers Act will fortify the nation’s food supply and provide direct relief to alleviate crippling debt for the nation’s most vulnerable farmers.

“After more than a year of grappling with financial hardship caused by the pandemic, many of New York’s 30,000 farmers and farmers across the country need urgent and direct loan forgiveness to alleviate their debt and keep operations running,” said Senator Gillibrand. “While Congress has passed many laws since the beginning of the pandemic to aid our nation’s farmers, they simply did not go far enough to sustain small farmers through this difficult time; farmers need urgent and direct loan forgiveness so they can pay their workers, upgrade equipment, and keep food on American tables. I will fight to include this legislation in the upcoming infrastructure package to make certain our farmers are not left behind.” 

“Farmers across Oregon and throughout America work long days, day in and day out, to ensure that when we go to the local grocery store, there will be plenty of food on the shelves for our families,” said Senator Merkley. “We know that the pandemic has made surviving in this difficult industry even more challenging, and that our family farms need help to weather the storm. Passing the Relief for America’s Small Farmers Act would help ensure that support is delivered.”

“After over a year of dealing with a world-wide pandemic, Congress cannot hesitate to pass legislation that supports the current pressing needs of public health and economic recovery. Small farmers were struggling prior to the pandemic under crushing debt, loss of markets, low prices and erratic weather events. Rural America cannot recover without legislation that provides immediate relief and looks to the longer-term challenge of economic recovery and establishing a more sustainable rural economy. The Relief for America’s Small Farmers Act begins that process by focusing on the oppressive debt that burdens family scale farmers and ranchers — producers who have struggled for years in an increasingly concentrated agriculture sector, farmers and their rural communities that are still struggling. In these difficult times, debt forgiveness is critical to immediately support small-scale producers and keep them in business, while in the long term it will act as a down payment toward strengthening local food systems that can revitalize rural communities.” – Jim Goodman, Board President of the National Family Farm Coalition.

“The debt relief in this act is going to small farmers who have been left out of the benefits of most other USDA programs – farmers who have had to struggle trying to survive, who couldn’t get commercial credit, and had no borrowing option but FSA.” – Benny Bunting, Lead Farmer Advocate at RAFI-USA.

“Years of policy pushing farmers to “get big or get out” have resulted in a decades-long trend of farm loss and farm consolidation. This legislation focuses on supporting those farms who have not been able to benefit from federal support the way larger farms have.  It comes at a necessary time: between natural disasters, high input prices and now the impacts of the pandemic, small farmers need this debt relief now.” – Edna Rodriguez, Executive Director of RAFI-USA.

“We support the Relief for Small Farmers Act because it will bring essential relief to small farmers,” said Rural Coalition Chairperson John Zippert. “The pandemic has shown that this investment in a diverse and pluralistic small farm sector adds important resilience to our food system. Family-sized farmers, including many of people of color farmers, stepped up to feed their communities during the past year.”

Family farms received minimal benefits from CFAP and have struggled to access emergency federal farm aid which has been allocated to USDA throughout the pandemic. These measures are not nearly enough to support small farms and keep them operating throughout the coronavirus pandemic and beyond. The Relief for America’s Small Farmers Act would directly address this crisis and help nearly 40,000 farmers get back on their feet by providing a one-time debt forgiveness of up to $250,000, across three types of USDA FSA loans: Direct Farm Operating, Direct Farm Ownership, and Emergency Loans. All farms with an average adjusted gross income of up to $300,000 for the previous five years will be eligible, regardless of the  commodities they grow. While many debt relief programs exclude farmers from future benefits, this legislation would ensure that farmers who receive debt forgiveness or write-downs maintain their eligibility for further USDA Direct and Guaranteed loans. Additionally, this bill would ensure that farmers receive the full relief by making the forgiveness nontaxable and provides a one year window to apply for debt relief to keep farmers operating for at least two years after receiving loan forgiveness. Additionally, this legislation authorizes the Department of Treasury to provide $10 billion in emergency funding for loan forgiveness.

New York is home to one of the most diverse agricultural industries in the country and is largely composed of small and medium-sized family operations. However, even before the coronavirus outbreak, farmers across New York and the country faced economic hardship caused by tight margins, growing debt, natural disasters, and an unstable trade market. Over the years, farm bankruptcies have continued to rise, with many small farms just one natural disaster or bad farm season away from bankruptcy. Now, the coronavirus pandemic has become the bad season they feared, as closed schools, restaurants, farmers markets, have disrupted the nation’s food supply and devastated revenue streams for farmers in New York State. 

Dairy is New York’s primary agricultural product, yet farmers have been forced to dump millions of pounds of milk while prices plummeted and processing plants close in response to COVID-19. The current problems are compounded by years of financial hardship which has led to an average of 12,000 farmers leaving the farming business between 2011 and 2018. This financial distress has damaged rural mental health and contributed to the growing epidemic of farmer suicides in the United States. The Relief for America’s Small Farmer’s Act would help put farms back on the path to economic stability, while ensuring that relief is provided directly to the farmers that need it most.

As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Gillibrand has prioritized support for farmers throughout the crisis who have been harmed by the fallout caused by COVID-19. In addition to previously announcing the Relief for America’s Small Farmer’s Act, Senator Gillibrand has called on the administration to support dairy producers and provide assistance for local food producers who have experienced losses due to the coronavirus outbreak. In July of 2020, Senator Gillibrand was joined by Senators Wyden (D-OR), Booker (D-NJ), and Sanders (I-VT) urging Senate leadership to prioritize the Relief for America’s Small famers Act in the future coronavirus response package.

Original cosponsors of this bill include Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Cory Booker (D-NJ). The House companion bill was introduced by Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY-18).

The Relief for America’s Small Farmers Act has been endorsed by over 100 leading farm and agriculture advocacy organizations, including: National Family Farm Coalition, Rural Coalition, Rural Advancement Foundation International – USA (RAFI-USA), National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, National Young Farmers Coalition, Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, and Farm Aid.

Full text of the legislation can be found here and a summary can be found here.

Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), and James Lankford (R-Okla.) reintroduced the Li Wenliang Global Public Health Accountability Act, legislation to authorize the President to sanction foreign officials who suppress or distort information about international public health crises, including Covid-19. Bill text may be found here.

“The Chinese Communist Party silenced Dr. Li and many others for attempting to speak the truth about the coronavirus outbreak and Beijing’s involvement. Meanwhile, they stood by as the virus spread around the world – resulting in loss of life and loss of livelihood for millions. Any actions by foreign governments to suppress those who provide pertinent information about public health crises are unacceptable, and they must be held accountable to the fullest extent,” said Blackburn.

“Dr. Li tried to warn his country and the world about the coronavirus, but was silenced by the Chinese Communist Party. By hiding the truth about the virus, the CCP turned a regional health problem into a global catastrophe that has killed millions. To honor Dr. Li, our bill seeks to punish foreign officials responsible for suppressing information about international health crises, including the Wuhan virus,” said Cotton.

“Doctors and scientists across the world deserve robust protections that allow them to sound the alarm on international public health concerns without fear of government suppression,” said Tillis. “Dr. Li Wenliang heroically tried to warn Chinese citizens about COVID-19, only to be silenced by the authoritarian Chinese Communist Party until his tragic death. The Chinese government must be held accountable so no other nation feels emboldened to cover-up a public health crisis that can turn into a global pandemic. I am proud to work with my colleagues on this commonsense legislation.”

“Throughout the past year, we saw Communist China lie and spread propaganda in an attempt to cover up a global pandemic, silencing any and all who dared speak the truth. This legislation will give the United States the authority to sanction any foreign official who suppresses or distorts information about global health, like the Chinese Communist Government did. When lives are at risk, we can’t take any chances,” said Scott.

“The American people and the entire world deserve to know the origins of this pandemic, which China continues to cover up. We need to ensure there are real consequences for foreign officials who try to cover up their country’s role in an international crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic going forward,” said Daines.

“The Chinese government’s efforts to suppress information about the coronavirus ultimately led to this pandemic,” said Lankford. “The Chinese Communist Party detained and arrested doctors who raised concerns instead of sharing information with the world and working collaboratively to contain the disease. We must hold foreign governments accountable, including China, for attempting to suppress information about public health emergencies, especially if that information can help prevent the loss of American lives.”

Background:

• The Li Wenliang Global Public Health Accountability Act is sanctions legislation modeled after the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

• It would authorize the president to sanction foreign officials who suppress or distort information about international public health crises, including the coronavirus.

• These sanctions include inadmissibility to the United States, revocation of existing U.S. visas, and the blocking of all property within the United States.

• This legislation would provide Congress with the authority to request that the president review specific foreign officials for sanctions eligibility. Within 120 days of receiving such a request, the president must report to Congress on whether he/she intends to impose sanctions.

Source: United States Senator for Maryland Chris Van Hollen

June 10, 2021

Proposal Has Broad Support from American Public & a Wide Range of Advocacy, Economic, Labor, and Nonprofit Organizations

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Congressman Don Beyer (D-Va.) reintroduced their Millionaires Surtax legislation to help close the gap between the wealthy and everyday Americans and raise significant revenue to make new investments that will grow the economy and protect working families.

The Millionaires Surtax would apply an additional 10-percentage point tax to incomes above $2 million for married couples or above $1 million for individuals. It would apply equally to wages and salaries as well as to capital gains and other investment income. The bill, which is co-sponsored by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), would increase federal revenue by $634 billion over 10 years and would only impact the richest 0.2 percent. It is a practical, mainstream approach to raising significant revenue that doesn’t require a major new tax overhaul – and avoids some of the common loopholes that the wealthy often try to exploit in order to game the system.

“Right now, everyday Americans are shouldering our nation’s tax burdens, while many of the very richest skate by without paying their fair share. This is fundamentally backwards – and creates a growing opportunity gap that is harder and harder for American families to overcome. It’s time to right this wrong. The Millionaires Surtax is one step we can take to invest in policies that bring prosperity and opportunity to all Americans,” said Senator Van Hollen.

“The Millionaires Surtax is a sensible plan to restore fairness to the tax code, fight rising inequality, and fund important priorities for the American people,” said Congressman Beyer. “The Republican tax cuts, as we feared, led to enormous benefits for the wealthy. Our legislation would require the wealthiest to pay their fair share and help prevent tax avoidance, which has been an enormous problem in enforcing our tax code. It would also benefit working people by providing revenue to help offset the cost of key legislative initiatives, for instance infrastructure investments. This is an idea whose time has come.”

“There’s no reason why the richest people in the country should be paying less in taxes than the workers that they employ. Period,” said Senator Brown. “Corporate greed is fundamental to the Wall Street business model and until we change that, the richest people in the country are going to continue exploiting loopholes so they don’t have to pay their fair share.”

According to polling by Hart Research Associates, the proposal has overwhelming support – 73 percent support a Millionaires Surtax, with 76 percent support from independents and moderates. Even a majority of Trump voters (57 percent) and Republicans (53 percent) favor the policy.

The Millionaires Surtax legislation is supported by over 70 organizations, including: 20/20 Vision; Action Center on Race and the Economy; AFL-CIO; Alliance for Retired Americans; American Family Voices; American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE); American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME); American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO; American Sustainable Business Council; Americans for Democratic Action (ADA); Americans for Tax Fairness; Bend the Arc Jewish Action; Blue Future; Campaign for America’s Future; Center for Popular Democracy; Center for Public Interest Law; Children’s Advocacy Institute; Coalition on Human Needs; Communications Workers of America (CWA); Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces; CREDO Action; Daily Kos; Democracy Initiative; Demos; EPI Policy Center; Faith Action Network; First Focus Campaign for Children; Franciscan Action Network; Friends Committee on National Legislation; Friends of the Earth; Health Care for America Now; Indivisible; Institute for Policy Studies – Program on Inequality and the Common Good; International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers; International Brotherhood of Teamsters; International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE); International Union, United Automobile Aerospace and Agricultural Workers of America (UAW); Jobs With Justice; Main Street Alliance; MomsRising; Movement Voter Project; MoveOn.org; National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd; National Association for Hispanic Elderly; National Council of Churches; National Disability Rights Network; National Domestic Workers Alliance; National Education Association; National Health Care for the Homeless Council; National Latino Farmers & Ranchers Trade Association; National Organization for Women; National Women’s Health Network; NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social; JusticeOther98; Our Revolution; Patriotic Millionaires; People For the American Way; People’s Action; Progressive Democrats of America; Public Citizen; Responsible Wealth; RESULTS; RootsAction.org; Service Employees International Union; Strong Economy For All Coalition; Take on Wall Street; Tax March; United for a Fair Economy; United Steelworkers (USW); Voices for Progress; Working America; and Working Families Party.

A letter of support signed by these organizations can be found here.

The Millionaires Surtax legislation would:

• Raise substantial revenue for critical needs from the richest 0.2 percent. The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center estimates the surtax would raise $634 billion over 10 years, even though it would be paid by only the nation’s richest 0.2 percent of taxpayers. The surtax does not raise taxes for 99.8 percent of taxpayers. That $634 billion could be used to make new investments in healthcare, education, housing, childcare, infrastructure, and clean renewable energy, as well as protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

• Apply to all forms of income over $2 million, both from work and wealth. It applies to salaries, wages, and private business profits currently taxed at a 37 percent rate; and returns on all investments, such as long-term capital gains and dividends, currently taxed at 20 percent. This universal application is key to successfully taxing the rich, who derive most of their income from wealth rather than work.

• Help close the wealth gap. The Millionaires Surtax would begin to address the nation’s widening wealth and income gaps that destabilize our economy and threaten our democracy. The United States is one of the most economically unequal nations in the developed world, with income and wealth gaps not seen here in almost 100 years.

“The Millionaires Surtax is very important legislation. It will ensure that the very wealthy start paying their fair share of taxes. It will generate a lot of revenue needed to support investments in affordable healthcare, infrastructure, eldercare, childcare, clean energy, and education. This will create millions of jobs and build an economy that works for all of us. And polling shows that the public strongly supports it,” said Frank Clemente, Executive Director, Americans for Tax Fairness.

“It’s become increasingly clear that the wealthiest people in America are extremely good at dodging taxes. If we want to fix that, any plan to tax rich Americans like me needs to be relatively easy to enact and hard to avoid. The Millionaires Surtax hits both targets. It’s laser-focused on only the richest Americans, it’s easy to understand, explain, and implement, and it would go a long way towards making the wealthiest Americans finally pay their fair share,” said Morris Pearl, Chair of the Patriotic Millionaires.

Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Lankford

06.10.21

CLICK HERE to watch Lankford’s Q&A on YouTube.

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today questioned Health and Human Services (HHS)  Secretary Xavier Becerra during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on the President’s Fiscal Year 2022 Budget. Lankford asked Becerra for an update on several requests he sent regarding data on the number of Unaccompanied Minors (UAC) crossing the border. He also questioned Becerra on why the department is working to eliminate the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division within the Office for Civil Rights at HHS and on language in the President’s proposed budget regarding maternal health that referred to “birthing people” instead of mothers even though the science is clear that women give birth. He also questioned Becerra about federal funding for research on human-animal hybrids using fetal tissue. 

Lankford has been long outspoken about the crisis at the border and is working to show the effects of President Biden’s open border crisis on our public safety and national security. Lankford took a trip to the Arizona border in March, during which he visited the unfinished border wall system on the southern border that was halted by the Biden Administration. Lankford also traveled to Texas with a delegation of Senators to tour the Rio Grande Valley area of the southern border as part of his ongoing work to provide necessary oversight of the crisis. Lankford spoke about the situation at the southern border on the Senate floor and sent a letter to GAO Comptroller General Gene Dodaro highlighting President Biden’s suspension of border wall funding and construction without lawful justification.

Lankford opposed Becerra to serve as HHS secretary because of his hostility toward conscience protections and his lack of experience to lead such a critical agency. During his confirmation hearings, Lankford pressed Becerra on how he plans to protect the conscience rights of Americans and ensure faith-based entities receive fair treatment. Earlier this year, Lankford reintroduced the Conscience Protection Act of 2021 to protect health care providers, including health insurance plans, from government discrimination if they decline to participate in abortions. 

Lankford has been an unabashed advocate for life in his time in Congress. During debate of the American Rescue Plan Act, Lankford offered an amendment to ensure long-standing Hyde protections, which bars the use of federal dollars to pay for abortion, were included in the bill. President Biden’s proposed budget calls for the elimination of the Hyde amendment. Lankford has stood in opposition to expanding funding for abortion providers and earlier this week called for Senator Schumer and McConnell to bring the Protecting Individuals with Down Syndrome Act to the Senate floor for a vote during the June work period. He also offered an amendment to outlaw animal-human hybrids research during debateon the United States Innovation and Competition Act, which failed on a party-line vote. 

Excerpts

On the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division

Lankford: …I was surprised to see the language in the budget stripped out much of that language that had existed in previous budgets about freedom of conscience, about freedom of religion, and it also seems that you’re eliminating the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division. Is that true?…

Becerra: We are going to continue to do the work to protect the religious civil constitutional rights of all Americans under HHS purview. We are going to continue to be a solid organization through the office of Civil Rights that we have to make sure we’re protecting everyone’s rights, including religious conscience rights. 

Lankford continued to press: But you’re taking away that division as a priority and putting it under something else or where is going? 

Becerra: It continues to function, the work continues to be functioning under the office of civil rights.

Lankford: So it has not changed or it has changed?

Becerra: The work will not change. We continue to have a responsibility to protect the religious freedom of all Americans when it comes to any of the health care programs that are out there…

On language changing “mother” to “birthing people”

Lankford: I also noticed you changed a term in your budget work. You shifted from using the term “mother” to “birthing people,” rather than mother. Can you help me get a good definition of “birthing people”?

Becerra: I’ll check on the language there, but I think if we’re talking about those who give birth, I think we’re talking about…I don’t know how else to explain it to you other than…

Lankford: I was a little taken aback when I just read it and saw that the term mother was gone in spots and it was replaced with “birthing people”…is this a direction you are going…regulatory changes that are happening or what the purpose of that is.

Becerra: I think it’s probably—and again I’d have to go back and take a look at the language that was used in the budget—but I think again it simply reflects the work that’s being done. 

Lankford: The language is important always…would you at least admit that calling a mom a “birthing person” could be offensive…that they don’t want to get a ‘Happy birthing person card’ in May. Can you at least admit that term itself could be offensive to some moms? 

Becerra: Senator, I’ll go back and take a look a look at terminology that was used and I could get back to you, but again if we’re trying to be precise in the language that’s used.  

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Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

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Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

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Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

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Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

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