Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

WARWICK, RI – U.S. Senator Jack Reed paid a visit to the Pilgrim Senior Center in Warwick today to discuss the needs of senior citizens and ensure people know assistance is available for a variety of needs, including: food, housing, transportation, health care, utility bills and other essentials, plus Social Security and Medicare.

 

“Social Security and Medicare have changed countless lives for the better.  People work hard and pay into these programs throughout their lives and should be able to receive their checks when they need them.  I am committed to strengthening Social Security and Medicare and protecting the promise we have made to our seniors and most vulnerable citizens,” said Senator Reed. 

 

Reed, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, helped deliver a $400 million boost to the Social Security Administration (SSA) in the recently enacted continuing resolution that funds the federal government.  Senator Reed supported this federal funding to enhance the SSA’s customer service capabilities, hire more staff, and invest in information technology that will reduce wait times for in-person and phone service, and speed up accurate claims processing times.  Reed says the additional $400 million is a needed down payment toward ensuring the SSA can serve the American people as Congress completes its work on full-year appropriations bills.

 

Over 190,000 Rhode Islanders currently receive Social Security benefits.  Rhode Island is home to five SSA field offices and one location for the Office of Hearings Operations (Newport, Pawtucket, Providence, Warwick, Woonsocket).  Senator Reed says it’s imperative that older Americans and individuals with disabilities have access to in-person services and that the SSA do more to enhance and simplify communications with Social Security recipients.

 

“Rhode Island seniors depend on the Social Security and Medicare benefits they’ve been paying into for decades to afford basic necessities and access life-saving care.  And for the first time in years, older Americans are seeing their Social Security checks increase and their Medicare premiums drop,” noted Reed.

 

The SSA recently announced an 8.7 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to help beneficiaries keep up with rising prices.  Eligible Rhode Islanders will receive a COLA notice by mail in a few weeks providing the exact details of their new benefit amount. The SSA estimates the average benefit paid to retired workers will rise by $146 to $1,827 per month in 2023.  As a result, the average retiree will see an extra $1,752 over the course of the year, according to AARP.  For the first time in a decade, Social Security checks will increase while Medicare premiums will decrease – putting more money in the pockets of thousands of Rhode Islanders on fixed incomes.  These benefits, along with the health care savings and lower prescription drug costs made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, will help protect vulnerable Americans from rising costs.

 

The increase in Social Security benefits will impact 70 million people across the country, according to the SSA.

 

“The Social Security raise will direct benefits those who really need it and will help pay the bills, keep utilities on, and help people with the things they need to live their lives,” said Senator Reed.

 

During the discussion, Senator Reed also warned that leading Congressional Republicans have offered plans to jeopardize Social Security and Medicare, including a “sunset provision” that would force Congress to reauthorize Social Security and Medicare every five years, and let Republicans filibuster attempts to continue the programs.  House Republicans have also proposed upending the Social Security and Medicare guarantee as we know it, including privatizing Social Security and raising the retirement age to 70. 

 

“I strongly oppose sunsetting Social Security or privatizing it.  That would hurt average Americans.  The latest Republican proposal would dismantle and the automatic-funding process that ensures people who have paid into Social Security actually get the benefits they are owed.  Instead, Republicans want to subject Social Security to constant Congressional re-approval and potential filibusters,” noted Reed.  “Republicans now routinely threaten to shut down the federal government.  If they can routinely threaten to hold people’s Social Security checks hostage, it would be a disaster.  We need leaders who will prioritize a dignified retirement for all Americans and are committed to protecting and strengthening Social Security and Medicare.”

Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.) and ranking member Michael McCaul (R-Texas) issued the following statement after President Biden signed the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act into law today:

“We are proud to see that the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act has been signed into law. This new law will advance life-saving and low-cost nutrition programs to urgently address alarming rates of malnutrition globally. Today, more than 345 million people are facing acute food insecurity around the world and a famine declaration is looming in the Horn of Africa. Prioritizing effective nutrition activities and making them a core part of our existing humanitarian and development programs will strengthen the health, development, and productivity of the next generation of children and families around the world.”                                                                                                         

As Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Coons led his bipartisan bill through the Senate with Senators Wicker (R-Miss.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and John Boozman (R-Ark.) to bolster federal efforts and increase coordination to address global malnutrition. The Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act will authorize the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to scale up programs and activities to prevent and treat malnutrition globally and establish the Nutrition Leadership Council with representatives from relevant agencies to coordinate USAID’s efforts.

Click here to learn more about the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act.

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Source: United States Senator for Pennsylvania Pat Toomey

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) led a bipartisan group of senators in writing U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to urge the Biden Administration to safeguard American innovation in the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) negotiations on whether to expand its waiver of IP rights enforcement for COVID-19 vaccines to also include therapeutics and diagnostics, and to seek additional information about the Biden Administration’s approach to these deliberations.
In June 2022, WTO members agreed to waive obligations under the WTO’s Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement for COVID-19 vaccine patent subject matter for a five-year period. This requires the United States to not enforce certain IP rights on behalf of U.S.-based companies at the WTO. The expansion under consideration would enable eligible WTO member countries to ignore otherwise enforceable intellectual property (IP) protections for therapeutics and diagnostics that treat COVID-19.
“Strong protections for intellectual property are the bedrock of American innovation, as evidenced by the record development of multiple vaccines to combat COVID-19. Unfortunately, the Biden Administration continues to threaten to again abrogate American IP protections, which will have devastating, long-reaching effects on access to treatments beyond those used for COVID-19. The United States must reject any effort to extend the already erroneous waiver for vaccine IP to the much broader categories of therapeutics and diagnostics,” said Senator Toomey.
“Intellectual property protections are a key driver of research and development (R&D) and job creation in Delaware and across the United States, and our innovation ecosystem has been critical for the development and deployment of tools to combat the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Senator Carper. “As World Trade Organization (WTO) member countries consider intellectual property waivers for COVID therapeutics and diagnostics, I strongly encourage the Biden Administration to consider the impact of these possible waivers on American innovation when developing a negotiating position. I look forward to receiving more detail on how the Administration is approaching the WTO negotiations, and I am eager to continue working with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai on this important issue.”
“The United States is a global leader in research and development and innovation in part because of our strong protections for IP. Additionally, the United States will continue its leadership with our partners across the globe to ensure developing countries have access to the tools and treatments needed to combat COVID, and we believe this can be accomplished without undermining U.S. leadership in medical innovation,” wrote the Senators. “American companies are committed to numerous cooperative agreements to increase global access to therapeutics and diagnostics in addition to vaccines. In fact, many countries that initially proposed this waiver are producing their own products and have not indicated that domestic demand exceeds their own supplies.”
The Senators are requesting answers to several questions surrounding this waiver, including:
What economic analysis USTR has conducted regarding the impact of the COVID-19 vaccine waiver on global vaccine supply, and how this information may inform a U.S. position on a possible waiver expansion;
How the WTO will define a “diagnostic” and a “therapeutic”;
Whether USTR has produced any analysis on the effect that waiving additional IP protections will have on R&D; and
How USTR is meeting its legal requirement to consult transparently with Congress prior to December’s decision deadline at the WTO.
Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) also signed onto the letter. The full letter is available here.

Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

Awards will boost local economy, supercharge U.S. battery supply chains and EV market

Boston (October 19, 2022) – Today, Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representatives Jim McGovern (MA-02) and Seth Moulton (MA-06), members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation, applauded the Department of Energy (DOE) announcement of awards for two Massachusetts companies – 6K Inc. and Ascend Elements – totaling more than $530 million in federal dollars as part of a federal program to support innovation in battery manufacturing, recycling, and materials processing across the United States to meet demand in the expanding electric vehicle (EV) market and to strengthen domestic supply chains.

“Massachusetts ingenuity and innovation has and continues to inspire the next generation of climate solutions,” said the members of the Massachusetts delegation. “We applaud today’s announcement from the Department of Energy awarding two Massachusetts businesses, 6K Inc. and Ascend Elements, with historic federal support as they work to supercharge our nation’s clean energy future, meet the growing demand for electric vehicles, and support good-paying jobs – not only for Massachusetts workers in North Andover and Westborough, but all across the nation.”

DOE’s awards come from its Battery Materials Processing and Battery Component Manufacturing and Recycling program, which is funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Specifically, 6K Inc. of North Andover will receive $50 million for a demonstration project aimed at domestically producing multiple battery chemistries using microwave plasma processing technology. Ascend Elements of Westborough will receive awards totaling $480 million to construct a manufacturing plant which will use recycled batteries as raw material and to reduce dependence on foreign material suppliers.

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Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20) urged the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to boost innovation through Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) and other similar programs in order to help address many of the world’s biggest challenges related to international development.

USAID’s DIV program provides grant funding to innovators and researchers to test new ideas and advance solutions for developing countries in various fields, including renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and health technology, while increasing the return on investment of U.S. taxpayer dollars. By allocating resources to scale up effectual milestone-based projects supported by DIV, USAID has a unique opportunity to deploy innovations that can help solve dynamic global development challenges.

“With over 80 offices around the world and programs in over 100 countries, USAID is uniquely positioned to harness the very best of American innovation to source and scale effective programs that can better solve complex international development challenges,” wrote Senator Booker and Representative Castro in a letter to USAID Administrator Samantha Power. “We encourage USAID to allocate sufficient funding within sector-specific Agency budgets to scale relevant and successful DIV programs.”

“America has a storied history of promoting innovation, but if we are to solve some of the biggest challenges of our time, we must do more to catalyze research and development, foster new partnerships with accountable and innovative non-traditional partners, and improve evidence-based contracting,” continued Senator Booker and Representative Castro. “These kinds of investments are not only critical to improving outcomes for millions around the world, they also position the United States as a more effective partner vis-a-vis China for countries that want to make rapid progress towards achieving development goals.”

“The scale of our shared, global challenges is enormous. To tackle issues like climate change and a growing food crisis, we’re going to need far more innovation, which includes bringing new voices to the table and finding new ways to solve problems. Senator Booker and Congressman Castro remind us that America can show global leadership through innovation – and that agencies like USAID need to play a key role,” said Walter Kerr, Executive Director of Unlock Aid, a global coalition of change agents bridging the gap between innovation and global development.

The full text of the letter can be viewed here. 

 

Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell

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