Cotton Introduces First Total U.S. Ban on TikTok, Employee Visas

Source: United States Senator for Arkansas Tom Cotton

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Caroline Tabler or James Arnold (202) 224-2353
March 16, 2023

Cotton Introduces First Total U.S. Ban on TikTok, Employee Visas

Washington, D.C. — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today introduced the SAFETY on Social Media Act, legislation that will sanction untrustworthy social media services like TikTok that are controlled by China and other adversary nations.
Bill text may be found here.

“TikTok captures vast amounts of private information on users—including American citizens—and provides the Chinese Communist Party with access to that information. TikTok also allows the Chinese Communist Party to manipulate the content Americans see. This bill will eliminate the threat TikTok and apps like it pose to Americans’ private information,” said Senator Cotton.

The SAFETY on Social Media Act would:

·      Blacklist and sanction untrustworthy social media services like TikTok that are controlled by adversary nations.

·      Not leave the decision to sanction the companies to the administration.

·      Force the Federal Communications Commission to remove blacklisted apps from app stores.

·      Require internet service providers to block access to the sites of those sanctioned companies. 

·      Make foreign employees of sanctioned companies ineligible for most visas.

·      Require U.S. national employees to register as foreign agents. 

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Sen. Cramer: USDOT Awards Three Affiliated Tribes $1.96 Million for Medical Care, Equipment Delivery Using Drones

Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, announced the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) awarded the Three Affiliated Tribes $1,966,345 to support the use of drones for medical care and equipment delivery.

The resources will be administered through USDOT’s Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grant Program, which was established in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to conduct demonstration projects focused on advanced community technologies and systems. Grant partners include Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, University of North Dakota, Northern Plains UAS Test Site, Thales, and Airspace Link.

Sen. Cramer Discusses Silicon Valley Bank Failure on Newsmax: “We Should Resist Making Knee-Jerk Responses”

Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.***

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Banking Committee, joined “Eric Bolling The Balance” on Newsmax to discuss Silicon Valley Bank and the fiscal and monetary contributors to its collapse. Excerpts and full video are below.

On Next Actions Following Recent Bank Failures:

“We should resist making knee-jerk responses until we know more about what happened at each of these banks. What were the fundamentals? How much of it is related to the upside-down situation related to a fast spike in interest rates and deposits? How much of it is capitalization, how much of it is not?

“It certainly does seem that there were some people who were asleep at the switch, whether it’s management, the board, perhaps Fed regulators, because it does appear there were some warning signs – acknowledged warning signs that weren’t headed in time to salvage these situations, and so there’s a lot we have to learn before we certainly jump to some sort of systemic solution to what might be a fairly localized problem.“

On Overspending, Tightening Monetary Policy as Contributors:

“When we were already in what you have to consider a pretty hot economy coming out of the COVID pandemic, […] a new president comes into office and the first thing he does is, he wants to get in on the act, passes on a straight party line vote this $2 trillion American Rescue Plan, follows that up with a nearly trillion dollars more in the Green New Deal stuff. It was just pouring fuel on the fire.

“It all starts with a spike in inflation, which then led to the necessity of the Federal Reserve to do what they do, and that is raise interest rates in an effort to slow that down. But even while they were raising interest rates, the federal government was continuing to overspend, over-tax, overregulate, hurt the supply side of the economy. You really had forces working against each other. And then you have the fallout that we’re experiencing now.”

Senators Coons, Cornyn, Tillis, Whitehouse introduce legislation to ensure copyright protection and public access to safety standards

Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) today introduced legislation to enhance public access to universal safety standards and codes. The Protecting and Enhancing Public Access to Codes (Pro Codes) Act of 2023 ensures safety standards do not lose copyright protection when they are incorporated into law by name, as long as they are accessible for free on a publicly available website.

“Universal standards become universal for a reason: because they work. People across Delaware are protected from electrical and fire hazards because of standards developed by experts in the field,” said Senator Coons. “At no cost to the taxpayer, nonprofit organizations use a transparent process to develop safety standards for the public that benefit our communities and promote reliability and collaboration among industries. I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to support the nonprofits by ensuring that they receive the credit and benefits for their important work while maintaining public access to the vital information contained in standards.”

“For years, experts developed safety standards that protect Americans from fires and electrical hazards, and it is crucial that these organizations can maintain their copyright protections while making these guidelines available to the public for free,” said Senator Cornyn. “This legislation protects copyrights while allowing these groups to provide these often life-saving safety procedures at no cost to the taxpayer.”

“Standards development organizations (SDOs) draft important safety standards that protect the American people from things like fire and electrical hazards, and their standards should continue to be eligible for copyright protection,” said Senator Tillis. “I believe the Pro Codes Act strikes the right balance to ensure those developing safety standards are able to afford to do their crucial work, while providing the public with free digital access to these standards.”

Nonprofit SDOs use significant resources to bring stakeholders together and develop effective, impartial, and consensus-based standards on a wide array of safety issues at no cost to taxpayers. SDOs fund their work developing these standards by selling copyright-protected copies of their standards to firms that use them in their business, including development and construction. However, federal courts have endangered SDO’s copyright protections by ruling that SDOs lose the benefit of copyright protection for their safety standards when they are incorporated by reference into law by federal, state, and local governments. The Pro Codes Act supports SDOs and encourages them to continue providing an important public service at no cost while ensuring SDOs retain copyright ownership of their standards.

Senator Coons is the Chair of the Judiciary Committee’s Intellectual Property Subcommittee.

“Safety standards protect lives and property, and our country’s exceptional system for developing them is independent, consensus-based and doesn’t cost the taxpayer a dime. That’s why the legislation introduced by Senators Coons, Cornyn, Tillis, and Whitehouse is so critical, and we’re enormously grateful for their leadership on this issue. We need Congress’ support to ensure organizations like ours can continue developing standards that save lives, make communities more resilient, and foster economic growth for generations to come, as we have for more than 125 years,” said Jim Pauley, President and CEO of the National Fire Protection Association.

“The Pro Codes Act is a clear win for standards development organizations, lawmakers, scholars, and the public. It would ensure that codes and standards continue to be protected against infringers while guaranteeing that the public has access to them when they are incorporated by reference into law. We thank Senators Coons, Cornyn, Tillis, and Whitehouse for introducing this important legislation,” said Keith Kupferschmid, CEO of Copyright Alliance.

“The rigorous, consensus-based standards developed by ASHRAE and other SDOs are essential to public health, sustainability, safety, and security,” said 2022-23 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) President Farooq Mehboob, Fellow ASHRAE. “ASHRAE proudly supports this legislation and will continue our work to provide vital standards for adoption or incorporation by reference – another step towards realizing our vision of a healthy and sustainable built environment for all.”

“Standards development organizations work tirelessly to enhance community resilience and sustainability as well as to protect the health and safety of communities around the world through the development of life safety codes and standards,” said Gabriel Maser, Senior Vice President of Government Relations for Code Council. “Our standards development system costs taxpayers nothing and has worked efficiently for over 125 years. The advancement of the Pro Codes Act is essential towards protecting this transparent and balanced system, the value of which is well recognized in the U.S. and abroad.”

“Since IAPMO’s founding nearly a century ago, promoting public health and safety has been at the center of our work. We applaud Senators Coons, Cornyn, Tillis, and Whitehouse for introducing the Pro Codes Act, which will help ensure that the public-private partnerships critical to keeping our homes and offices safe will continue in the future. The drinking water we rely on in our buildings is protected by rigorous codes and standards, which IAPMO helps create. With a growing list of challenges threatening the resiliency of our water systems, it is essential that the intellectual property of these codes and standards remain protected so that our communities can continue to benefit from the safety, innovation, and efficient embedded within,” said Dain M. Hansen, Executive Vice President for Government Relations, The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) Group.

A one-pager on the Pro Codes Act is available here.

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Senator Coons urges Biden administration to increase focus on South Sudan ahead of renewal of U.N. mission

Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) to urge the Biden administration to deepen its engagement in South Sudan as the United Nations expects to renew the mandate of its mission in the nation later this week. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, the group stressed the need for accountability for South Sudan’s leaders amid continued deadly conflict, humanitarian crises, political corruption, and failures to institute basic tenets of democratic governance in the nation since it became an independent state in 2011. The Senators cited the passage of Senate Resolution 380, calling for a review of U.S. policy toward South Sudan, and the upcoming renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) as imperatives for action from the Biden administration to drive progress in the country.

“We urge the administration to deepen its engagement on South Sudan with an eye toward accountability for spoilers to the peace process, corruption and human rights violations, and a path to sustainable peace, including free and fair elections – the country’s first as an independent state,” the Senators wrote. “We also urge the administration to consider whether additional sanctions and other accountability measures on senior officials in the South Sudanese government, military, and National Security Service, or individuals and actors in the region who enable corruption and the perpetuation of conflict in South Sudan, could contribute to the pursuit of these goals.”

“South Sudanese leaders have failed to make meaningful progress toward holding free and fair elections, a condition of both the 2015 Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in Republic of South Sudan and the 2018 Revitalized Agreement,” the Senators continued. “The United States, alongside our partners in the international community, must be clear about real expectations and benchmarks for drafting a permanent constitution and the credible conduct of elections, which will include a vital role for UNMISS. Alongside this however, we must be prepared to take action against those, even at the highest levels, who continue to impede South Sudan’s transition.”

“To date, the international community has failed to meaningfully contribute to changing the course of events in South Sudan. We encourage you to seize the opportunity presented by the renewal of the UNMISS mandate to make needed changes to support the people of South Sudan on their path toward peace and democracy, while holding accountable those who have denied it to them,” the Senators concluded.

Read the full letter here.

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Hoeven Pushes Back on Biden’s Tax-and-Spend Budget, Outlines Impact on American Consumers & Businesses

Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven

03.16.23

WASHINGTON – During remarks delivered on the floor of the U.S. Senate this week, Senator John Hoeven pushed back on President Biden’s tax-and-spend policies and outlined the negative impact that the president’s budget request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 would have on American consumers and businesses.

“I support a Balanced Budget Amendment, and have done so since I first came to the Senate. I think that is something we need to pass,” said Hoeven. “The president’s budget, however, goes in the wrong direction. President Biden’s $6.9 trillion proposal is full of the same tax-and-spend policies that do not balance the budget, do not help reduce inflation, and instead they levy higher taxes on hard-working Americans and spend money we don’t have. In total, the budget proposes $4.7 trillion in new taxes on the American people.

“The president’s budget calls for increasing the corporate tax rate to 28 percent. This is higher than the average corporate tax rate in Europe, which is currently 21.7 percent. It’s even higher than the tax rate in China, which is 25 percent… Of particular concern to my state of North Dakota are the proposed tax increases on energy production, including oil, gas, and coal. In fact, the Biden budget intends to increase taxes by $31 billion on fossil fuel companies, while also proposing $86 billion in new taxes. That’s an over $100 billion tax increase on our energy job creators.

“What the budget fails to recognize is that these taxes are borne by consumers in higher prices at the pump, higher electric bills and higher costs when they go to the grocery stores. That’s where the taxes are ultimately paid. We need to create more incentives to produce more energy in this country and bring down the cost of energy in this country. There is an energy component in almost every product you can think of. Producing more energy will help with inflation across the board.

“The president’s budget is the wrong proposal at the wrong time. Congress must work to find savings, reduce our debt and deficit and responsibly fund our priorities without increasing taxes on hard-working American taxpayers.”

Hoeven’s full remarks can be viewed here.

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Press Releases 03/16/2023 Tillis, Colleagues Fight To Stop Biden Administration From Turning Lawful Gun Owners Into Felons

Source: United States Senator for North Carolina Thom Tillis

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) and more than 40 Republican senators introduced a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to prevent the Biden Administration’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) from enforcing an anti-Second Amendment pistol brace rule. 

“The Biden Administration is out of line trying to enforce this pistol brace rule, which violates law-abiding citizens’ Second Amendment rights,” said Senator Tillis. “The ATF should never have promulgated this rule. I am proud to introduce this legislation with my colleagues to protect the Second Amendment and keep this rule from being enforced.”

Earlier this month, Senator Tillis joined an amicus brief contending the ATF’s new pistol brace rule. In 2021, Senator Tillis sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Acting Director of the ATF Marvin Richardson expressing concerns and opposition to this rule.

The rule, titled Factoring Criteria for Firearms with Attached Stabilizing Braces, would reclassify pistols as short-barreled rifles if they have a stabilizing brace attachment, even though many disabled veterans and other Americans rely on these braces to use their firearms. Under this rule, lawful gun owners could face up to 10 years in jail and thousands of dollars in fines if they fail to register pistols with stabilizing braces with the ATF. In addition, if gun owners do not register their firearms, they would have to destroy the firearm, surrender their firearm to the ATF, or remove the brace so that it cannot be reattached.

In 2012, the Obama-Biden Administration’s ATF determined that pistol brace attachments do not change the classification of a pistol to that of a rifle. Despite this, the Biden Administration in 2021 directed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to propose a rule to clarify when a pistol with a brace attachment should be designated as a rifle. As a result, the DOJ announced the “stabilizing braces” final rule earlier this year.  

Full text of the CRA resolution is available here.

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Press Releases 03/16/2023 Tillis Announces North Carolina Awarded Grant to Improve Behavioral Healthcare

Source: United States Senator for North Carolina Thom Tillis

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) announced the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is awarding the state of North Carolina a $1 million, one-year planning grant which will allow North Carolina to compete for a slot in the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) demonstration program. This announcement is the first of two rounds of awards. Funding for this grant comes from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that Senator Tillis helped negotiate and pass into law. 

“The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act included substantial investments in mental health and substance use services and will provide desperately-needed resources to states, local governments, schools, and health care professionals, and I’m proud that North Carolina is among the first states benefiting from the investments included in this legislation,” said Senator Tillis. “It is crucial that North Carolinians have increased access to comprehensive behavioral and substance use health services, and this announcement brings us one step closer to that coordinated care. CCBHCs have a demonstrated track record of success, increasing access and outcomes for underserved populations and I applaud HHS for their investment in our great state.”

The CCBHC planning grants will support states in their development of proposals to participate in a time-limited CCBHC demonstration program. States develop and implement certification systems for CCBHCs, establish prospective payment systems (PPS) for Medicaid reimbursable services, and prepare applications to participate in the CCBHC demonstration program. CCBHCs are designed to ensure access to coordinated comprehensive behavioral health care and are required to serve anyone who requests care for mental health or substance use, regardless of their ability to pay, place of residence, or age – including developmentally appropriate care for children and youth. 

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VIDEO: Fischer Discusses Over-The-Horizon Capabilities, U.S. Military Strategy in Middle East

Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today questioned Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, about ISIS-K in Afghanistan and U.S. military capabilities in the region. Sen. Fischer also discussed the United States’ strategy to deter Iranian and Russian aggression in the Middle East.

Click the image above to watch video of Sen. Fischer’s questioning

Following is a transcript of Senator Fischer’s questioning:

Senator Fischer: General Kurilla, how long would it take ISIS-K to generate the capability to conduct external operations?

General Kurilla: 
Specifically, ISIS-Khorasan, Senator? It is my Commander’s estimate that they can do an external operation against U.S. or Western interests abroad in under six months with little to no warning. In a classified session, I will talk about why I make that assessment. It is much harder for them to be able to do that against the homeland.

Senator Fischer:
 Senator Wicker talked to you quite a bit about over-the-horizon CT and our capabilities that we have there, or don’t have there, in Afghanistan. Do you think that you need any additional resources in our upcoming budget to increase or improve those capabilities

General Kurilla: 
So we have been funded, like I said, for some alternative airborne ISR that will help us get longer duration. But it’s not just about ISR. We’re also increasing our other intelligence efforts to get penetration into the networks that we want. A part that goes unseen a lot of times is the analytical back side. These are the analysts, the linguists, and the production capability that help us make the decisions. And there has been a significant decrease, shifted from the NDS, to go against higher priority targets. But I would like to see to make sure that we don’t lose so much of that capability that we cannot see the threat.

Senator Fischer:
 Because knowing that threat is obviously very important, as you stated, for the existence that we still see in Afghanistan of the terrorist groups that are there?

General Kurilla: 
Correct, ma’am.

Senator Fischer:
 Thank you. Have you requested authority to conduct any strikes in Afghanistan against ISIS-K targets that have been identified?

General Kurilla: 
So, in a classified setting, ma’am, I can talk about where we are in terms of the find, fix, and finish on them.

Senator Fischer:
 Okay. Do you still have a need for munitions that can hit hard and deeply buried targets? 

General Kurilla: 
I do, ma’am.

Senator Fischer:
 Do you have specific requests in that area? 

General Kurilla: 
That was in my Unfunded Priority list last year.

Senator Fischer:
 Do you plan to include it this year?

General Kurilla: 
It depends on the full funding, ma’am.

Senator Fischer:
 Would it be your recommendation and your best military advice to this committee that it should be included? 

General Kurilla: 
So we did receive funding in FY23 to include the additional procurement of the—it’s the Massive Ordinance Penetrator, which goes against hard and deeply buried targets.

Senator Fischer:
 Which are growing in number with our adversaries, is that correct?

General Kurilla: 
That is correct, ma’am.

Senator Fischer:
 What’s your assessment of Iran and Saudi Arabia reestablishing diplomatic ties? You talked about that a little bit. But how does that affect our mil-to-mil relationship that we have with Saudi Arabia?

General Kurilla: 
We have a very strong mil-to-mil relationship with Saudi Arabia. I think this agreement is, again, the culmination of three years of talks between them. The more concerning part is that China is the one that was mediating this. 

Senator Fischer:
 As we look at Iran and their proxies, throughout CENTCOM AOR, do they continue to pose a significant threat to our partners and to our own forces in the region? And what more can be done to deter Iran from those malign activities? 

General Kurilla: 
So we see Iran as the largest malign actor in the region. Less than 60 hours ago, we had rockets attack from Iranian-aligned militia group against one of our bases in Syria.

Senator Fischer:
 What more can be done to deter them? 

General Kurilla: 
So one of the things that we are doing is increasing our defensive posture in these areas, and I want to thank the services for providing a capability. So particularly the Army has given us some tremendous capability in terms of counter UAS and counter rocket, artillery, and mortar at our bases forward.

Senator Fischer:
 With Syria and Iraq, what do you assess to be the situation in Syria right now, and have you seen any change in Russia’s presence in Syria? Or has that remained pretty steady since their invasion of Ukraine? 

General Kurilla: 
So, Senator, Syria is very important to Russia. They have taken very little out of Russia since their invasion. They’ve taken a small number of forces, some munitions, but, generally, it has stayed about the same. What we are seeing, though, is an increase recently in the unprofessional and unsafe behavior of the Russian Air Force in the region. 

Senator Fischer:
 Can you give us an example of that here? 

General Kurilla: 
I can. So they fly over our bases with ground attack aircraft with weapons on them in an attempt to try and be provocative. But, really, it’s unsafe, unprofessional—not what we expect of a professional air force. They want to try and renegotiate the deconfliction protocols that they violate every day. 

Senator Fischer:
 This is not new Russian behavior, is it, sir? And especially with regard to the drone incident that we recently have seen?

General Kurilla: 
It’s not new, but we have seen a significant spike since about one March in Syria. 

Senator Fischer:
 Thank you. 

General Kurilla: 
Thank you, ma’am.

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VIDEO: Sen. Moran Welcomes WSU Tech President Dr. Utash to Senate Commerce Committee Hearing

Source: United States Senator for Kansas – Jerry Moran

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) today welcomed Dr. Sheree Utash, President of Wichita State University (WSU) Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech) and Vice President of Workforce Development at WSU, to testify before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Sen. Moran served as the ranking member of the full committee with Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). The hearing was titled, “Strengthening the Aviation Workforce.”

“I’m honored to lead the hearing today and gain insight into how Congress can continue to support the growing demands in workforce, particularly in the upcoming FAA Reauthorization legislation,” said Sen. Moran. “Our nation and state’s success within this vital sector depends on those who train, educate, and prepare our students to be ready contributors within the aviation industry. In order for our nation to continue leading in aviation, it will take innovative programs like those Dr. Utash has helped implement.”

Dr. Utash serves as the president of WSU Tech, which is the largest technical college in Kansas. She also served as a member of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board under the previous Secretary of Commerce.

For more details and video of the full hearing, click here.

Click HERE to Watch Sen. Moran’s Opening Remarks

 


Sen. Moran’s full remarks as prepared for delivery:

“One of the growing challenges facing the global aviation industry today centers on workforce. Whether aircraft mechanics, manufacturers, or pilots, the demand for trained and qualified workers has only increased. 

“During the 2018 FAA Reauthorization, Congress worked to address this issue by creating the Aviation Workforce Development Grant program aimed at strengthening the pool of pilots and aviation maintenance technical workers.

“A total of $10 million in grants was awarded to more than 20 recipients, but the demand sought by all applicants totaled over $120 million.

“Industry, academia and Congress all recognize that in order to remain a global leader in aviation, we must have a strong workforce.

“I’m honored to lead the hearing today and gain insight into how Congress can continue to support the growing demands in workforce, particularly in the upcoming FAA Reauthorization legislation.

“I would like to give a particular welcome to one of our witnesses here today, Dr. Sheree Utash, President of Wichita State University’s Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology or WSU Tech. 

“Dr. Utash has served in her position as president for almost a decade, overseeing the college’s transition from Wichita Area Technical College to WSU Tech, the largest technical college in Kansas.

“WSU Tech’s commitment specializes in the delivery of career technical education while driving economic development within the region and meeting the current and future workforce needs of the industry.

“Dr. Utash oversees an innovative partnership and solution to building a talent pipeline, titled Get to WERX.

“This program offers students full-time, paid employment within the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul sector while simultaneously progressing through WSU Tech’s Aviation Maintenance Technology program.

“Dr. Utash offers a unique perspective with experience in teaching and working in both higher education and private industry, as she has helped to combat workforce challenges in both arenas.

“Aviation is one of America’s top industries, and in Kansas, aerospace and aviation make up nearly 20% of our state’s exports. Wichita is also the number one aerospace manufacturing metro in the nation.

“Our nation and state’s success within this vital sector depends on those who train, educate, and prepare our students to be ready contributors within the aviation industry.

“In order for our nation to continue leading in aviation, it will take innovative programs like those Dr. Utash has helped implement.“I look forward to hearing from her today, and our entire panel, as we work to craft FAA reauthorization legislation.” 

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