Category: US Senate

Source: United States Senator for Florida Marco Rubio

Washington, D.C. —  U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) released the following statement after the Biden Administration announced it would revoke Trump-era bans on TikTok and WeChat, and order yet another security review.

“The Biden Administration cannot ignore the serious threat to personal privacy and U.S. national security posed by high-risk foreign apps, including Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat,” Rubio said. “A comprehensive policy with serious teeth starts by establishing a framework of standards that must be met before a high-risk, foreign-based app is allowed to operate on American telecommunications networks and devices. If President Biden is serious about protecting Americans’ user data and our security from malicious Chinese apps and software, he should instruct the U.S. Department of Commerce to take the steps outlined in my APP Act.”

In October, Rubio introduced the Adversarial Platform Prevention (APP) Act, which would establish a set of data protection and censorship related standards and restrictions that must be met by high-risk foreign software, like Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat, in order to legally operate in the United States. The APP Act comes after Rubio announced in an op-ed that he would introduce legislation and called on policy makers to “adopt a more expansive approach to protecting data and our national security.” The bill would require a warning label, annual public disclosures, localization requirements for U.S. data, and would remove Section 230 protections for covered high-risk foreign software. A one-pager of the legislation is available here and the text is available here.

Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand

June 09, 2021

[Watch Video Here]

Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand introduced Second Circuit Court of Appeals judicial nominee Eunice Lee ahead of her confirmation hearing. Throughout her career, Lee has represented more than 380 indigent clients in proceedings before state and federal appellate courts. “Her approach to the law will ensure that all who come before the court are given the chance to be heard. And her voice and her experience will bring an important and much needed new perspective to the bench,” said Gillibrand during opening remarks. Full remarks as prepared below:

Remarks As Prepared:

Chairman Durbin, Ranking Member Grassley, and members of the Judiciary Committee, it is my honor to join you today to introduce Eunice Lee, nominee to be a judge on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. 

Ms. Lee grew up in a military family and saw the importance of public service from an early age. That commitment to serving your community and protecting the rights of others has been a cornerstone of her legal career, which she has spent in service to those most in need.

Following her graduation from Yale Law School and clerkships in both the Southern District of Ohio and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, she joined the Office of the Appellate Defender in New York City. During her twenty years at the Office of the Appellate Defender, Ms. Lee served as supervising attorney and represented clients who were in great need of legal assistance but could not afford representation. She dedicated her practice to ensuring that everyone interacting with our legal system – regardless of their financial circumstances – was able to be heard.

In 2019, Ms. Lee joined the Federal Defenders of New York where she has advocated on behalf of her clients throughout the federal post-conviction and appellate processes by developing and presenting a full picture of their lives that is not exclusively defined by their mistakes.

Throughout her career, Ms. Lee has represented more than 380 indigent clients in proceedings before state and federal appellate courts on direct appeal, in post-judgment motions, and in habeas proceedings. Working on those cases gave her an acute awareness of the awesome power of our judicial system. She fundamentally understands the staggering effect that the law can have on people’s lives, and its disproportionate impact on low-income individuals convicted of crimes. Her clients are people who are desperately relying on the promise of fairness from the legal system, and she has fought to deliver on that promise throughout her professional life.

She is uniquely positioned to bring a critically important perspective to the bench of the Second Circuit. If confirmed, Ms. Lee would be the first and only judge on the circuit with experience as a federal public defender, and just the second Black woman to serve on the circuit’s bench.

Her recognition that every decision has far-reaching effects and her commitment to fairness throughout the entire legal process — regardless of the outcome for individual clients — will be among her greatest strengths as a judge. Her approach to the law will ensure that all who come before the court are given the chance to be heard. And her voice and her experience will bring an important and much needed new perspective to the bench.                                 

Thank you.

Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand

June 09, 2021

Gillibrand Calling For Funding For CDC Research and Surveillance And For The Department of Defense Tick-Borne Disease Research Program; Despite High Number Of Lyme Disease Cases In United States, Federal Investment In Research And Prevention Remains At Just $191 Per Case

Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand called for $12 million for the Department of Defense’s Tick-Borne Disease Research Program (TBDRP) and additional funding for tick-borne disease research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). New York State has experienced an overwhelming increase of ticks, Lyme disease, and other tick-borne diseases with 92,577 cases of Lyme being reported over the last two decades. Despite the high number of vector-borne diseases in New York and across the country, the federal investment in research and prevention for these diseases remains low, with just $191 spent per case of Lyme disease. 

“New York is a hotspot for Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, and our communities have felt the impact of these diseases for years,” said Senator Gillibrand. “New York has experienced 92,577 reported Lyme cases alone over the past two decades. Vector-borne diseases are a growing public health crisis, and it’s critical we deliver funding for research, surveillance, prevention, and outbreak response to help us combat the often-devastating and life-altering impacts of these illnesses.”

“When I became severely ill in 2010, it took ten doctors and multiple false negative test results before being diagnosed with Lyme disease and the co-infection babesia,” said New York advocate and Project Lyme Executive Committee Chairman David Roth. “There are enormous gaps in our understanding of the pathology of these diseases and their treatment, and there is a tremendous need for better diagnostic tests. I want to thank Senator Gillibrand for her leadership on this issue and for consistently fighting for increased funding for research of these diseases.”

Senator Gillibrand’s $12 million request in appropriations funding for the Department of Defense’s Tick-Borne Disease Research Program (TBDRP) would support innovative research that addresses fundamental issues and knowledge gaps related to tick-borne illnesses. Additional funding for the implementation of the Kay Hagan Tick Act would help states build a public health infrastructure for Lyme and other vector-borne diseases to support early detection and diagnosis, improve treatment, and raise awareness and fund the Centers of Excellence for Lyme and tick-borne disease leading the scientific response against tick-borne diseases. It also would help HHS to develop a national strategy for vector-borne diseases, including tick-borne diseases, in an effort to coordinate efforts among various government agencies. Senator Gillibrand is also committed to securing funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to expand underfunded programs in the area of prevention to identify and validate prevention and control methods.

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection carried by deer ticks, which can be transmitted through a bite to a human or animal. If left untreated, the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi travels through the bloodstream, manifests itself in body tissues, and causes mild or severe symptoms, depending on the case. Lyme disease begins as a rash at the location of the tick bite and then spreads to the nervous system, heart, and joints. Early diagnosis and antibiotic treatment are crucial to recovery, and appropriate antibiotic use in the early stages of Lyme disease typically results in a swift recovery. Untreated and undiagnosed Lyme disease can lead to debilitating effects on a person’s health. Currently, there are at least 18 known infectious tick-borne pathogens, with 20 conditions and 13 illnesses resulting from tick bites. The United States has more than doubled the number of Lyme disease cases reported 15 years ago, nearing 500,000 cases and costing an estimated $1.3 billion in direct medical costs annually. New York State remains the #1 target for tick-related disease in the United States. For more information on reported New York Lyme disease cases by county, click here.

Senator Gillibrand has long fought for federal funding for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease, which have contributed to a major spike in cases across New York State. For the past several years, Gillibrand’s tireless advocacy has delivered increased funding for Lyme and tick-borne disease research in the yearly government funding package, including $16 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the 2021 bipartisan package. This funding amounts to a $2 million increase over the previous year’s level. After securing the Kay Hagan Tick Act in the 2019 yearly government funding package, she continued her fight to secure an additional $5 million in funding to help New York and other states combat tick-related disease. She previously secured a $2 billion increase in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, which could be used to expand and build upon existing NIH-funded Lyme disease research that is already occurring at New York institutions, such as Stony Brook, Columbia University, in the SUNY system, and at Hunter College. 

The full text of Senator Gillibrand’s FY22 request letter calling  for DoD funding can be found here.

For more information on Reported New York Lyme Disease Cases by County, click here.

Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

June 09, 2021

New legislation includes $10 billion investment to protect military communities from toxic PFAS chemicals

(Washington, DC)  – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) in introducing two pieces of legislation – the Clean Water for Military Families Act and the Filthy Fifty Act – that would direct the Department of Defense (DOD) to identify and clean up per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at U.S. military installations with some of the highest detections across the country, including Pease Air National Guard Base in New Hampshire.  

PFAS exposure has been linked to a number of serious health conditions, including cancer, liver damage, decreased fertility and increased risk of asthma and thyroid disease. The presence of PFAS substances in the drinking water supplies of hundreds of contaminated military sites across the country, including Pease Air National Guard Base in New Hampshire, jeopardizes the health, safety and well-being of service members, their families and adjacent communities. These two pieces of legislation would take important steps to address contamination in local drinking water supplies by these toxic chemicals. 

“For too many of our service members and their families, PFAS exposure has exposed them to serious health concerns and anxiety. It is critical that we take every step necessary to prevent and remediate contamination by these toxic chemicals at the bases and communities where our military families live and work,” said Senator Shaheen. “I’m proud to introduce these two pieces of legislation with Senators Padilla and Gillibrand to help clean up military bases infected by PFAS contamination and protect the health and wellbeing of our service members and their loved ones. I urge members on both sides of the aisle to join us in this common-sense, urgently needed effort.” 

“Service members put their lives on the line to make sure that we are safe, secure, and free, and it is unacceptable that many service members and their families are exposed to toxic chemicals on military bases here at home,” said Senator Hassan. “These bills will help more military families and surrounding communities have access to safe drinking water by increasing oversight and expediting the PFAS cleanup process. I will continue to work with my colleagues in the Senate to address PFAS contamination so that Granite Staters and all Americans have safe drinking water.” 

The Clean Water for Military Families Act would require the Department of Defense to conduct investigations and remediate PFAS contamination at and surrounding DOD installations in the U.S. and state-owned National Guard facilities. Specifically, the bill authorizes a one-time, $10 billion investment for the investigations and clean-up to ensure military families have access to clean, pollutant-free drinking water. 

The Filthy Fifty Act would help expedite the testing, cleanup, removal and remediation of PFAS at all U.S. military installations and State-owned National Guard facilities by setting testing and cleanup deadlines for PFAS remediation at the most contaminated DOD sites in the country. The bill establishes a list of “priority installations” with 50 bases in the U.S. that have among the highest detections of PFAS.  

Read the text of the Clean Water for Military Families Act HERE. 

A one-pager on the Clean Water for Military Families Act can be found HERE. 

Read the text of the Filthy Fifty Act HERE. 

Senators Shaheen and Hassan lead efforts in Congress to uncover the potential health effects related to PFAS contamination, respond to the chemical exposure and remediate polluted sites. Shaheen has fought to secure – which Hassan supported – consistent federal support for the PFAS health impact study that she established four years ago. Because of their efforts, Pease is serving as a model site for the nationwide study. The study at Pease is actively seeking participants. In February, Shaheen reintroduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) to provide rural communities under economic strain during the COVID-19 pandemic with $1 billion in emergency assistance to repair, modernize and renovate failing water infrastructure. She has also championed legislation, the PFAS Testing and Treatment Act that Senator Hassan also cosponsored, that would provide substantial federal funding for PFAS remediation in drinking water, and groundwater, including private wells. In addition, Shaheen and Hassan joined a bipartisan group of Senators in urging Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to allow state, tribal and local governments to use funds allocated through the American Rescue Plan to address contamination from PFAS, including in local water supplies. Last month, Shaheen asked leaders from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about the agency’s efforts to address exposure to toxic PFAS chemicals in New Hampshire during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing.  In April, the Senators joined their colleagues in passing the bipartisan Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act, which included amendments added by Senators Shaheen and Hassan to address contamination in drinking water supplies from PFAS and other contaminants. Senator Hassan recently joined a bipartisan group of 11 senators in calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to set standards for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in bottled water to ensure that bottled water products are safe for drinking. In May, the bipartisan Comprehensive and Overdue Support for Troops (COST) of War Act of 2021 passed in the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. It includes key pieces of Senator Hassan’s bipartisan bill, the Toxic Exposure in the American Military (TEAM) Act, which addresses health care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances. 

Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

June 09, 2021

Washington, DC – Today, chairing a hearing  of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Economic Policy, United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) delivered remarks on the opportunities and risks that digital currencies present. 

Following Senator Warren’s remarks the following will testify: Dr. Neha Narula, Director of the Digital Currency Initiative at MIT; Lev Menand, Academic Fellow And Lecturer In Law at Columbia Law School; J. Christopher Giancarlo, Senior Counsel at Willkie Farr & Gallagher; and Dr. Darrell Duffie, Adams Distinguished Professor Of Management And Professor Of Finance at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. 

The hearing is being livestreamed HERE and HERE.

Transcript: Building A Stronger Financial System: Opportunities of a Central Bank Digital Currency
U.S. Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Economic Policy
Wednesday, June 9, 2021

Senator Warren: Let me start by saying good afternoon, and welcome to this session’s second hearing of the Economic Policy Subcommittee. Today’s hearing focuses on the opportunities presented by a central bank digital currency. This is a bipartisan hearing – in fact, it was Ranking Member Kennedy’s suggestion to hold it – and I want to thank him and I want to thank his team for working so closely with us to get it put it together.

Now, the core subject of this hearing is not Bitcoin, or Dogecoin, or any other cryptocurrency. Instead, it’s the explosion of cryptocurrencies over the last decade, that has created the context for understanding the potential value and risks of digital currency.

There are substantial difficulties with our current payment system.  Nearly 33 million Americans have been locked out of the traditional banking system. They’re forced to use check cashers and payday lenders for basic banking services.  And even those with traditional checking and savings accounts find that many of the largest banks have proven to be untrustworthy, gouging customers for overdraft or other fees or, in the case of Wells Fargo, just outright cheating their customers with fake accounts and fake services for which customers paid dearly.

So what are the alternatives? Digital currencies have been hyped as a solution to these problems. Early advocates claimed that cryptocurrencies would open up the financial system and deliver fast, cheap, and secure payments to anyone with an internet connection. Others pointed out that crypto was a way to avoid the risks of dealing with the giant banks that squeezed customers dry. 

But crypto’s promises haven’t come to pass. Instead, here’s what’s happening in the real world with cryptocurrencies.

Cryptocurrencies have turned out to be a fourth-rate alternative to real currency. First, cryptocurrencies are a lousy way to buy and sell things. Unlike the dollar, their value fluctuates wildly depending on the whims of speculative day traders. You know, in just the last two months, the value of Dogecoin increased by more than ten-fold and then declined by nearly 60%. Now that may work for speculators and fly-by-night investors, but not for regular people who are looking for a stable source of value to get paid in and to use for day-to-day spending.

Second, crypto is a lousy investment. Unlike, say, the stock market, the crypto world currently has no consumer protection – none.  As a result, honest investors and people trying to put aside some savings are at the mercy of fraudsters.  Pump and dump schemes are outlawed in the case of ordinary stock, but they have become routine in crypto trading. One study found that the level of price manipulation in cryptocurrency is – and I quote – “unprecedented in modern markets.” 

And third, crypto has become a haven for illegal activity. Online theft, drug trafficking, ransom attacks, and other illegal activity have all been made easier with crypto.  Experts estimate that last year more than $412 million was paid to criminals in ransom through cryptocurrencies.  And unlike other payment systems that make it tougher to move money illegally, a key feature of crypto is its secrecy. So just in the past few weeks, cryptocurrencies made it possible for hackers to collect a ransom to release the Colonial pipeline hack and to free JBS, the world’s largest meat producer, from a paralyzing cyberattacks. And every hack that is successfully paid off with a cryptocurrency becomes an advertisement for more hackers to try more cyberattacks.

Finally, there are the environmental costs of crypto. Many cryptocurrencies are created through “proof-of-work” mining. It involves using computers to solve useless mathematical puzzles in exchange for newly minted cryptocurrency tokens. Such mining has devastating consequences for the climate. Some crypto mining is set up near coal plants, spewing out filth in return for a chance to harvest a few cryptocoins. Total energy consumption is staggering, driving up demand for energy.  If, for example, Bitcoin – just one of the cryptocurrencies – were a country, it would already be the 33rd largest energy user in the world – using more energy yearly than all of the Netherlands. 

And all those promised benefits-the currency that would be available at no cost to millions of unbanked families and that would provide a haven from the tricks and traps of big banks-well, those benefits haven’t materialized.

Meanwhile, cryptocurrency has created opportunities to scam investors, assist criminals, and worsen the climate crisis.  The threats posted by crypto show that Congress and federal regulators can’t continue to hide out, hoping that crypto will go away. It won’t. It’s time to confront these issues head on.  

Crypto has significant problems, but our current payment system also has significant problems.  Both the government and banks have dragged their heels for years, resisting innovation and evidently taking the same hide-and-wait approach to facing the worldwide movement into cryptocurrencies. 

Central bank digital currency, which is often called CBDC because the world needs another acronym, digital currency from central banks, has great promise. Legitimate digital public money could help drive out bogus digital private money. It could help improve financial inclusion, efficiency, and the safety of our financial system – if that digital public money is well-designed and efficiently executed, which are two very big “if’s.” 

So I’m looking forward to hearing from our witnesses today about how a central bank digital currency would work, why it might be necessary, how it intersects with cryptocurrency, and – most importantly – how it should be set up so that all Americans can enjoy its benefits.

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Source: United States Senator for Ohio Sherrod Brown

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) visited communities across Ohio to push for Congress to invest in America’s infrastructure. He also made stops to meet with workers and volunteers at a local foodbank, visit a small business that was kept afloat during the pandemic with the help of Payment Protection Program (PPP) loans, and meet with school administrators and local farmers to discuss ways to bolster rural agriculture programs.

During stops in Toledo, Lima, Columbus, and Zanesville: Brown met with local officials, community leaders, and residents to discuss the need to improve Ohio’s roads and bridges, repair water and sewer systems across the state, and better support the child care industry for both workers and parents. Brown is working in Congress to pass these critical investments in Ohio’s infrastructure and communities.  

Read what they’re saying about Brown’s infrastructure stops across Ohio:

NBC 4, WNWO, Toledo: Sherrod Brown visits Toledo to talk federal infrastructure plan

• “[Brown] said infrastructure is more than just roads and bridges. It also includes child care and water quality, something that has been a major concern in Toledo for nearly a decade.”

The Toledo Blade: Sen. Brown visits Toledo to push for infrastructure investment

• “For Toledo residents, the plan’s success means safer water, lower utility bills, and a reduced risk of lead poisoning. The new infrastructure will boost economic development and public health in the region, while cleaning a polluted Lake Erie, the source of Toledo’s drinking water, Mr. Brown and other Democratic leaders said.” 

Lima News: Brown: Lima on right path, would benefit from Biden plan

• “Brown went on to praise the city for improvements it has made to its water infrastructure in recent years. Lima Mayor David Berger also advocated for the proposal, saying that it would provide funding that would not only update the city’s water systems, but open up new opportunities as well.”

Zanesville Times Recorder: Sen. Brown: Good-paying jobs, broadband on horizon with federal infrastructure bill

• “What would a massive federal infrastructure investment mean for Southeast Ohioans? If you ask U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, it’d mean new jobs — good-paying ones at that. Putting more than $1 trillion in federal money into infrastructure projects across the nation would fund critical, long-neglected infrastructure improvements and bring some economic opportunities in the process, according to the Cleveland Democrat, who pitched the American Jobs Plan bill to community members Thursday at Secrest Auditorium. But this bill isn’t just about roads, bridges and highways. It redefines the term ‘infrastructure,’ pitching day care, schools, education, health care and broadband internet as the next generation of public works in America. If passed in its current form, the bill says it would deliver broadband to every area that lacks it.”

Brown also made stops in Cleveland and Athens: where he met with workers and business owners. In Cleveland, Brown met with the staff, volunteers, and National Guard members at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank who have scaled up operations to feed hungry Ohioans during the pandemic. In Athens, Brown visited Federal Hocking Middle School to discuss his support for local agriculture and farm to school programs, which help open up new markets for local farmers while providing schoolchildren healthy meal options. Brown then met with the owners of Brenen’s Coffee Café to hear how small business PPP funds in American Rescue Plan helped local businesses like this stay afloat. Brown helped write and pass this legislation into law.

Read more about what they’re saying about Brown’s visits to Cleveland and Athens:

WTAM, Cleveland: Food Bank To Continue Muni Lot Food Distributions

• “U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, on Wednesday, visited the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, where Brown thanked Food Bank staff and volunteers for all they do to help the needy, while Food Bank officials thanked Brown for his support of federal funding for programs that allow the Food Bank to provide meals to needy children while school is out.”

NBC 3, WKYC, Cleveland: Sen. Sherrod Brown visits Greater Cleveland Food Bank to highlight efforts to feed Ohioans during COVID-19 pandemic

• “Brown also focused on the important work the GCFB is doing to help Ohio families in need, as well as their work to make families aware of the relief programs and benefits available to them – including the Child Tax Credit (CTC). Brown was one of the biggest proponents for the expansion of the CTC in the American Rescue Plan and is working to make it permanent.”

WSYX, ABC 6, Columbus: How far did the Paycheck Protection Program go and was it worth it?

• “Brown said small businesses needed help more than big businesses during the pandemic. He says paying back the debt incurred by the $300 billion second PPP installment, along with the rest of the recovery packages, will be easier now.”

The Athens Messenger: Sen. Sherrod Brown visits Athens County

• “Federal Hocking Local School District was recently awarded an implementation grant to invest in the district’s Farm to School program, a program that aims to enrich students’ lives through education and bringing locally grown, farm-fresh food into schools.Brown lauded the program. ‘It will teach local kids in the school system more about foods and brings more money into the community,’ Brown said.”

• Brown also stopped at Brenen’s Cafe in Athens to meet with the owners and discuss the success of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. […] Dani Underhill, president of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, said the PPP loans were crucial in preserving Athens’ service-industry-reliant uptown economy. ‘It meant everything,’ Underhil said. ‘I mean truly — that federal funding helped give a life preserver to our businesses who were floundering in the toughest parts (of the pandemic),’ Underhill said. ‘It was literally the deciding factor between some businesses staying afloat and some businesses having to close.’

Source: United States Senator for Ohio Sherrod Brown

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) hosted a news conference call as he leads bipartisan legislation with Sens. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Rob Portman (R-OH) to ensure children enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are tested for lead poisoning at the appropriate ages. Early detection helps ensure children with lead exposure receive the care they need to treat any adverse effects. Testing can also help identify lead hazards that pose serious health and safety threats to children and could cause irreversible and long-term health, neurological, and behavioral damage.

“Too many children in Ohio are being poisoned by their own homes, and too many Ohio families learn that their children have been exposed to toxic levels of lead only after they begin to experience symptoms,” said Sen. Brown. “We need to make sure that all children in Ohio receive the testing necessary to diagnose lead poisoning as early as possible and ensure appropriate follow-up care.” 

Brown was joined on the call by Dr. Edward M. Barksdale, Jr., MD, Surgeon-in-Chief at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital (UH Rainbow) in Cleveland.

“As the Chief of Surgery at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, I witness first-hand the devastating impact of lead poisoning on not just the immediate health but also the long-term wellbeing of children and the community. While primary prevention of lead exposure is our ultimate goal, testing of high-risk children at recommended ages is very important: to prioritize intervention to prevent further lead exposure in kids with elevated blood levels, identify children who require medical management for very high levels, and to connect children with services to support their healthy development. We appreciate the Senator’s drawing attention to the importance of access to lead testing for children, and his support for preventing lead exposure as a critical pediatric public health imperative,” said Dr. Barksdale.

Lead poisoning causes significant health, neurological, behavioral, intellectual, and academic impairments. When absorbed into the body, especially in young children, lead can damage the brain and nervous system, stunt development and growth, and cause learning or behavioral problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), lead-based paint hazards, such as dust containing lead and chips from deteriorated lead-based paint, are the most common source of lead exposure for U.S. children.

Children with lead poisoning require ongoing medical treatment and may need special education services, and studies have demonstrated the profound impact of childhood lead poisoning on outcomes such as school graduation rates. Lead poisoning prevention preserves a child’s ability to reach his or her full potential.

Medicaid estimates that there are currently over four million children who live in homes that expose them to lead. In 2018, more than 3,800 Ohio kids tested positive for lead levels.

Lead was used in house paints before it was regulated away in 1978. As a result, much of Ohio’s housing stock built before 1980 likely contains some lead-based paint. According to a study done by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, over two-thirds of occupied housing units in Ohio are old enough to contain at least some lead-based paint. That study found that of these units, 427,875 – or 9.4 percent of all households – are either home to young children or have young children present at least eight hours a week (such as a home-based childcare provider), and are considered to be at risk of lead-based paint hazard.

While primary prevention is the best way to reduce lead exposure and improve outcomes, early detection is critical for addressing the detrimental long-term impacts of lead exposure. While Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) have taken steps to address this crisis by requiring lead poisoning screening of children, only 60 percent of Ohio’s high-risk children receive screenings. More must be done to strengthen and enforce these screening requirements and improve data coordination across state programs. Brown believes Congress must ensure that every child at-risk receives timely screening and appropriate care.

Specifically, the Preventing Lead Poisoning Act of 2021 would:

• Codify 2016 guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which was issued at Brown’s urging, that requires all children enrolled in Medicaid receive a lead screening test at specific ages;
• Create parity to ensure all children enrolled in either Medicaid or CHIP are tested for lead by extending the existing lead testing protocols in Medicaid to standalone CHIP programs;
• Strengthen reporting standards for both CHIP and Medicaid programs, and direct the CDC to publish best practices for states on data collection; and
•  Authorize $5 million per year for FY22 and FY23 for the CDC to award grants for states to improve their reporting on childhood blood lead testing.

Infrastructure investment provides an opportunity to direct more resources to Ohio communities to remove lead from pipes, homes, and other sources of lead poisoning. Brown has been pressing for Congress to pass historic investments in infrastructure and good-paying jobs that can’t be exported, such as those in the American Jobs Plan, which contains provisions to help build and rehabilitate housing, commercial buildings, schools, and child care facilities all over the country. It also includes provisions to help deliver clean drinking water to Ohio communities by eliminating lead pipes and service lines, thereby improving the health of our children and communities of color.  

Source: United States Senator for Ohio Sherrod Brown

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released an interim final rule restoring key provisions of HUD’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule, which implements a critical element of the Fair Housing Act but had been gutted by the Trump Administration:

“More than 50 years ago, we made a commitment to promote fair housing in our communities – but the Trump Administration broke that promise,” Brown said. “Today’s rule is a first step to restoring Fair Housing Act protections, but there’s more work to do to finally fulfill our commitment under the law. I look forward to continuing to work with Secretary Fudge and the Biden-Harris Administration to promote equity, address discrimination in our housing system, and finally close the racial homeownership gap.”

Brown fought the Trump Administration’s continuous efforts to undermine the rule. In March 2020, Brown led 36 of his colleagues in a letter urging HUD to withdraw a proposal to undermine the rule and commit to implementing HUD’s 2015 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule. In July 2020, he issued a statement condemning the Trump Administration’s final rule. He also released a report detailing the Trump Administration’s systemic efforts to roll back fair housing protections, including by redefining the obligation to affirmatively further fair housing.

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Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn

WASHINGTON – Today on the floor, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) discussed the funding for his Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act that passed the Senate this evening as part of the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video can be found here. The CHIPS for America Act passed last year as a part of the National Defense Authorization Act, but was left unfunded.

“For everything from national security to economic policy, there’s a clear and urgent need to reorient the way our country views and responds to the challenge from China.”

“The cornerstone of this legislation, of course, is funding to bolster domestic semiconductor manufacturing so the United States can compete with China and secure some of our most critical supply chains.”

“Senator Warner, the Senior Senator from Virginia, and I introduced the CHIPS For America Act last year to shore up domestic semiconductor manufacturing and reduce our reliance on other countries for one of our most critical products.”

“The vast majority of our colleagues agreed that this was an important and critical task. It was carefully crafted in a months-long, bipartisan, bicameral negotiation and, in fact, this legislation was adopted as an amendment to last year’s Defense Authorization Act by a vote of 96-4. Now, though, it falls to us to fund what we authorized.”

“It’s important that we send a clear, and distinct, and unequivocal message to our competitors and rivals.”

“Republicans and Democrats have worked together to bolster domestic semiconductor manufacturing and to confront one of our biggest looming threats from China.”

Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

To watch the interview, click here or the image above.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today joined America’s Newsroom on Fox News to discuss President Biden’s decision to end infrastructure negotiations after good-faith efforts by Senator Capito and fellow Republicans.

HIGHLIGHTS:

ON END OF INFRASTRUCTURE NEGOTIATIONS: “In the end we never got to the scope of what infrastructure is. The president still had in his plan extraneous items we felt that were not exactly physical infrastructure. They kept moving the goalposts on us. Originally, they said one trillion and they said we could write it to eight years, and we could include the baseline, which as you know is spending that we spend every year on infrastructure, which is critical. Then they said no, no we didn’t really mean that so it became confusing…the president told me yesterday on the phone, very respectfully, that he was ending our negotiation.”

ON WHITE HOUSE’S COMMITMENT TO RAISING TAXES: “The payfors that they brought to me the final time were many taxes. We had told them before we could do this without raising taxes and we gave them great opportunity to look at our payfors and how we would pay for this. I think when they brought the tax hikes before me the last time when I was in the Oval Office I knew they weren’t really serious at that point…I’m a bit disappointed and frustrated that the White House kept moving the ball on me and then finally just brought me negotiations that were untenable and then ended the negotiations altogether.”

ON IMPACT OF PRESIDENT BIDEN WALKING AWAY: “We’ve been able to agree on these things for years. I already have the surface transportation bill with Senator Carper out of our committee, unanimously. We have water/wastewater bill that we got 89-2 over the Senate floor so there’s a real hunger for this. I think the American people lose because they want to see us work together. Not to mention what happens to our infrastructure if we don’t get a more robust effort here when we have the opportunity to do it.”

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