China

Trump reverses stances on China as currency manipulator, Ex-Im Bank
Politico
April 12, 2017
During his presidential campaign, Trump said he would designate China as a currency manipulator on the first day of his presidency to “force China to the negotiating table.” And he criticized Yellen last year precisely because she kept interest rates low, accusing her of keeping rates “artificially low” to boost the economy and help President Barack Obama.
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Casey: President Trump’s Summit with China’s President Was “All Talk, No Action” on China’s Trade Cheating
Senator Robert P.Casey, Jr. - (D - PA)
April 8, 2017
“During his summit with President Xi, President Trump failed to hold China accountable for its cheating on trade. Earlier this week, I led a letter with several Senators to President Trump identifying specific areas where China is cheating on trade and asking him to finally hold China accountable. Unfortunately, this summit was all talk and no action when it comes to China’s cheating on trade."
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U.S. SENATOR TAMMY BALDWIN CALLS ON PRESIDENT TRUMP TO HOLD CHINA ACCOUNTABLE ON TRADE DURING UPCOMING SUMMIT
Senator Tammy Baldwin - (D - WI)
April 5, 2017
“Since joining the World Trade Organization in 2001, China has consistently failed to comply with its international trade obligations. And workers across the U.S., including workers in our home states, have paid the price. You pledged to support American workers and go after trade cheaters, and we hope you take this opportunity with your first one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi to keep this promise to American workers and strongly affirm these priorities.”
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Health Care

Rep. Brat Statement on Keeping the Promise to Lower Health Care Costs
Dave Brat (R-VA, 7th)
May 4, 2017
“There is no debate that Obamacare is failing under its own weight. Too many Virginia families on Obamacare have seen double-digit premium increases year after year. Just this week Virginia saw another health insurance provider exit the marketplace due to skyrocketing prices, reducing the choices available to Virginia families."
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Congressman Brady condemns House passage of Trumpcare
Robert Brady (D-PA, 1st)
May 5, 2017
“This afternoon, the House GOP voted to make America sick again. And, I was proud to vote against this bill that takes away the basic right of our people to healthcare. It’s a sad day.
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Congressman Jim Bridenstine Votes for The American Health Care Act

Brooks Supports Health Care Bill Passage, Protects Those with Pre-Existing Conditions

New Medicare Recommendations Could Improve the Health of Chronically Ill Patients
Bipartisan Policy Center
April 25, 2017
A new report by the Bipartisan Policy Center offers recommendations to Congress and the administration on ways to help health plans and providers improve care for people with chronic illnesses. Critical evidence suggests that these patients could greatly benefit from interventions such as in-home meal delivery, home modifications, targeted care management services, and non-emergency transportation to medical appointments. However, current Medicare payment rules and regulations prevent plans and providers from funding these types of social supports and integrating them into care models, despite promising results shown in other programs.
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FDA User Fees are Critical to Bringing Safe, Effective Cures to Patients
Bipartisan Policy Center
April 26, 2017
Provisions in draft legislation reauthorizing the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) user fee programs will play a critical role in accelerating the development and delivery of safe and effective treatments and cures to patients. That’s the message of a new Bipartisan Policy Center report released today to help inform Congress as they consider updating and reauthorizing fee agreements the FDA collects from industry for prescription drugs, medical devices, and biosimilars. The fees make up a significant part of the agency’s budget and are set to expire on September 30, 2017, risking staff layoffs and timely approvals of new treatments and cures.
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Tell Congress to pass bill to defund Planned Parenthood
American Family Association
APRIL 26, 2017
Planned Parenthood is America's largest abortion provider and it carries out over 300,000 abortions each year. In recent years the gruesome practice of abortion by Planned Parenthood was highlighted through undercover videos. These videos showed Planned Parenthood employees discussing the barbaric sale of baby body parts. Not only is this inhumane, it is likely a felony. Such an organization should not receive taxpayer dollars.
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Grassley Continues Oversight of Medicare Advantage Payments, Seeks Updates, Answers from New Administration
Senator Chuck Grassley - (R - IA)
April 19, 2017
Sen. Chuck Grassley continues his oversight of whether the taxpayers are overpaying insurers in Medicare Advantage, seeking updates and answers from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on what the agency is doing to prevent insurance company risk score gaming to get higher payments.
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Ernst-Black Legislation to Restore States’ Ability to Make Funding Decisions for Title X Providers Signed by President
Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
April 13, 2017
“I am pleased that President Trump signed our legislation into law, and I’m grateful to have worked with Congressman Black to ensure that states are not forced to provide entities like Planned Parenthood - the nation’s single largest provider of abortions - with federal Title X dollars."
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Alexander: Timely FDA User Fee Reauthorization is “Integral to Helping Patients, Delivering on the Promise of 21st Century Cures”
Senator Lamar Alexander - (R - TN)
April 4, 2017
“After reviewing the recommendations from industry and the FDA, I believe these are good agreements for patients,” Alexander said. “I look forward to working with Senator Murray and our other members to approve these agreements here in committee and move them to the floor in a timely manner, so patients and the agency and the industry have some certainty.”
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Fish And Wildlife

Carper Joins Bipartisan Bill to Protect Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Thomas R. Carper - (D - DE)
April 6, 2017
U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, joined 39 of his colleagues in introducing legislation to designate the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as wilderness and protect the land from future development. The Coastal Plain represents roughly 1.5 million acres of the 19.6 million-acre wildlife refuge. This week marked the two-year anniversary of President Obama transmitting the revised Arctic Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan to Congress, which for the first time in history recommended the Coastal Plain of the Refuge for designation as wilderness.
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President Trump Signs Resolution Overturning U.S. Fish and Wildlife Regulation
Don Young (R-Alaska)
April 4, 2017
The Alaska Congressional Delegation today applauded President Trump’s signing of H.J. Res. 69, a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to overturn an August 5, 2016 rule by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that seized authority away from the State of Alaska to manage fish and wildlife on federal refuge lands in Alaska:
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Small Business

Congressman Zeldin Votes in Favor of the Encouraging Employee Ownership Act
Lee Zeldin (R-NY, 1st)
April 4, 2017
Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1), member of the House Financial Services Committee, spoke on the House floor today in support of the Encouraging Employee Ownership Act of 2017 (H.R. 1343), introduced by Congressman Randy Hultgren (R, IL-14). This legislation would reform the outdated Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) Rule 701, which imposes a slew of complicated regulations on small businesses, especially newly formed start-ups. Reform of this rule would encourage small businesses to grow and expand, creating jobs and growing the economy, and give employees the opportunity for ownership through equity in the businesses they are working for. The Encouraging Employee Ownership Act passed the House today by a vote of 331 to 87.
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Westerman Stands with Employees, Small Business
Bruce Westerman (R AR, 4th)
April 4, 2017
“Finding and keeping good employees is tough in today’s economy,” Westerman said. “Government red tape should not get in the way of small businesses trying to keep the best and brightest talent. That is why I voted for H.R. 1343, the Encouraging Employee Ownership Act of 2017. This bill increases the threshold for private companies offering their own securities as compensation. If companies are to thrive, they must not only attract but keep top talent. This bill will help companies does that and gives employees a stake in the businesses where they work.”
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AIDS

Congresswoman Waters Reintroduces the Stop AIDS in Prison Act
Maxine Waters (D-CA, 43rd)
April 4, 2017
Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee and a Congressional leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS, reintroduced the Stop AIDS in Prison Act today (H.R. 1882). This bill requires the Federal Bureau of Prisons to develop a comprehensive policy to provide HIV/AIDS prevention, testing, and treatment for inmates in federal prisons. The bill has 33 original cosponsors
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Equal Pay

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Blumenthal, Murphy Join Murray, DeLauro in Reintroducing Paycheck Fairness Act
Senator Richard Blumenthal- (D - CT)
April 4, 2017
U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) joined Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) in marking Equal Pay Day and reintroducing the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation that would strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and guarantee that women can challenge pay discrimination and hold employers accountable.
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Bennet Calls for Passage of Paycheck Fairness Act on Equal Pay Day
Senator Michael F. Bennet - (D - CO)
April 4, 2017
Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today marked Equal Pay Day by calling on Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to help close the pay gap between women and men working the same jobs. Equal Pay Day represents how far into this year a woman must work, on average, to earn as much as a man earned in 2016. According to the American Association of University Women (AAUW), in 2015, women working full time typically were paid only 80 percent of men's earnings.
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Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson’s Statement on Equal Pay Day
Frederica Wilson (D-FL, 24th)
April 4, 2017
“Despite its name, Equal Pay Day calls attention to the fact that women in the United States who work fulltime earn on average only 80 cents for each dollar earned by a man. This economic injustice is even worse for African-American and Hispanic women, who earn 63 cents and 54 cents, respectively, for every dollar earned by white men. Based on the current wage gap, today a 20-year-old woman just starting to work fulltime stands to lose a total of $418,800 during a 40-year career compared to her male counterpart.
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WASSERMAN SCHULTZ STATEMENT ON EQUAL PAY DAY
Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL, 23rd)
April 4, 2017
“Today is Equal Pay Day, one of the most disturbing dates on the calendar. It marks just how far into the next year that a woman has to work in order to earn the same wages a man earned in the previous year. That disparity is now 80 cents on the dollar, which means it took 94 days to reach this point. For women of color, the gap is even wider, with African-American women earning an average of 63 cents, and Hispanic women making 54 cents compared to white men.
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Walz Cosponsors Paycheck Fairness Act, Marks Equal Pay Day
Timothy J. Walz (D-MN, 1st)
April 4, 2017
“It’s shocking that in 2017, we’re still fighting to ensure equal pay for equal work,” Representative Walz said. “And let me be clear, equal pay isn’t just a women’s issue—it’s an economic and middle class family issue. Families increasingly rely on women’s wages to make ends meet. When women bring home less money each day, they have less for the everyday needs of their families – groceries, rent, child care, gasoline.”
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Energy

Reps. Welch, Kinzinger lead bipartisan, bicameral letters encouraging White House to continue to modernize federal infrastructure
Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
April 4, 2017
Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Congressmen Peter Welch (D-VT) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) today delivered bipartisan letters to President Donald Trump calling on the administration’s support and use of the Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) and Utility Energy Service Contracts (UESCs). These public-private partnerships allow the federal government to modernize federal infrastructure and improve energy and water services through innovative financing.
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Walz Statement on Executive Order
Timothy J. Walz (D-MN, 1st)
March 28, 2017
“The science on climate change is settled. As such, I support a holistic approach to combating climate change that employs a broad coalition of nations across the globe.
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Walker Praises President's Action on Energy Independence
Mark Walker (R-NC, 6th)
March 28, 2017
"North Carolinians are facing increases in their energy bills and their groceries because of an out-of-control regulatory system that disregards any unintended consequences their rule-making has on low and middle-income families," Walker said. "I want to protect America's natural treasures for generations to come; however, that doesn’t mean disregarding common sense and facts. I applaud President Trump for striking these burdensome rules and supporting an all-of-the-above energy approach that promotes innovation."
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Sex Trafficking

Wagner Introduces Bipartisan Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017
Ann Wagner (R-MO, 2nd)
April 3, 2017
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) of 1996 has been wrongly interpreted to shield websites that participate in sex trafficking from any criminal liability. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit has said that it is Congress’ role to clarify the intersection between Section 230 and sex trafficking laws. This legislation would provide that urgently needed clarification while safeguarding the freedom of the Internet.
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Russia

Menendez Statement on Exxon Request to Waive Russia Sanctions to Pursue Oil Venture
Robert Menendez - (D - NJ)
April 20, 2017
"Russia's activities in Ukraine and Syria have clearly shown that they cannot be trusted to be responsible or humane players on the international stage,” Sen. Menendez said. “The United States and Europe imposed sanctions on Russia for violating the international order, and Vladimir Putin has taken no steps that would merit the removal of any sanctions. I hope that American companies and the Trump Administration will keep these broader implications in mind as they consider any waiver requests, regardless of Exxon’s longstanding record of lobbying against these sanctions."
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Bipartisan Group of Senators Call for Action on Chechen Human Rights Violations Towards LGBT Community
Senator Dianne Feinstein - (D - CA)
April 19, 2017
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) joined a group of 12 Senators led by Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) to call on Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and U.S. Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley to continue to put diplomatic pressure on their Russian counterparts to respond to the recent reports of the detention, torture, and killing of members of the Chechen LGBTI community. Recent reports have highlighted the detention and torture of approximately 100 gay men in that country based solely on their sexual orientation, with some reports revealing that Chechen authorities have been responsible for the deaths of at least three of these men. Because Russia is a member of the Council of Europe, it is a party to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which guarantees a broad range of rights and freedoms for all people, without exception, including the right to life and prohibition of torture.
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Gardner Statement on Human Rights Violations in Russia
Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO)
April 18, 2017
“These reports are extremely disturbing and contrary to basic international human rights norms,” said Gardner. “I join the Trump Administration's call for Russian authorities to immediately investigate the reports of these horrific actions and hold the perpetrators accountable. The United States will not stand for discrimination based on sexual orientation, or any other reason, and we cannot look the other way as human rights are violated around the world.”
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Cassidy Letter on Russian Influence on US Energy Industry
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
April 11, 2017
Recently, US Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) coauthored a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin requesting that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) monitor the potential acquirement of critical oil infrastructure by a Russian owned company with close ties Vladimir Putin.
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Walz Statement Calling for House Intelligence Chair’s Recusal from Russia Probe
Timothy J. Walz (D-MN, 1st)
March 31, 2017
“At the very least, it appears Chairman Nunes’ ability to independently investigate Russia’s attack on our democracy is compromised. As the credibility of any congressional investigation relies on a commitment to bipartisanship and the independence of those conducting it, I call on Chairman Nunes to immediately recuse himself from the Committee’s Russia investigation.
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Velázquez on Nunes, Russia and Special Counsel
Nydia M. Velazquez (D-NY, 7th)
March 30, 2017
Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) spoke on the House floor regarding the pressing need for an independent Special Counsel to investigate Russia’s intervention in the election:
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North Korea

House Takes Action to Hold North Korea Accountable
Jackie Walorski (R-IN, 2nd)
April 3, 2017
“As North Korea poses an increasing threat to our national security, it’s time to call this rogue regime what it is: a state sponsor of terrorism,” Congresswoman Walorski said. “With these measures, we are taking action to hold North Korea accountable and send a clear message that Kim Jong-un’s illicit missile program and provocative maneuvers are unacceptable. Congress is committed to working with the Trump administration to confront this threat and keep America and our allies safe.”
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Upton, House Pass Measures Targeting North Korea
Fred Upton (R-MI, 6th)
April 3, 2017
“In recent weeks, North Korea has escalated their threats against American lives. In response to these troubling provocations, we have taken action,” said Upton. “Today’s measures push the State Department to determine whether North Korea should be re-listed as a State Sponsor of Terrorism and officially condemn their development of nuclear weapons. As we move forward, we must be clear-eyed in our resolve to protect our citizens from this rogue state.”
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