U.S. Rep. McGovern Statement on U.S. Embassy in Cuba, Travel Warning to Cuba

Washington, D.C. - October 2, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), a senior House Democrat and leading voice on U.S.-Cuba relations, released the following statement regarding Secretary Tillerson’s recent meeting with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla and the decision to withdraw all non-essential personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Havana and issue a travel advisory warning Americans not to travel to Cuba:

“Keeping our American diplomats safe and secure must always be our first priority. I strongly support U.S. and Cuban efforts to determine who is responsible for the harmful sonar attacks and ensure they are held accountable.

“Today’s announcement and indefinite suspension of visa processing and consular services by the Trump Administration, however, is a dramatic overreaction and the latest example of a White House with a stunning ignorance on how to best conduct foreign policy. This would make it even harder for Cuban and American families to travel and visit loved ones.

“It is essential that the State Department immediately develop practical contingency plans to continue to allow families to travel from Cuba. Americans with family and loved ones in Cuba should not be forced to face such unnecessary barriers, especially when so many are still recovering from the devastating hurricanes that have hit the region.

“Americans cannot afford a return to the failed Cold War isolationist policies that divided families for 50 years. Hundreds of thousands of Americans visit Cuba every year. Our businesses are engaged in agricultural sales and other business opportunities. U.S. and Cuban agencies engage in cooperation on drug trafficking, human smuggling, search and rescue operations, and other security issues. An Embassy presence is vital to maintaining those relationships.

“Any move to sever or diminish diplomatic ties or travel would be a dangerous step backward that would jeopardize the progress our countries have made. Americans need strong leadership, but the Trump administration seems more interested in abandoning diplomacy when we need it most. Our nations must work together to ensure the safety of American personnel without dividing families.”

McEachin Statement Responding to President Trump's Tweets Attacking San Juan's Mayor

Washington, D.C. - October 2, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- Congressman A. Donald McEachin (VA-04) issued this statement in response to President Trump’s tweetstorm directed at the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico:

“This morning’s tweets were disappointing, insensitive and unhelpful to say the least. As the people of Puerto Rico despair of having the most basic of life’s needs – food, water and shelter, our President, and their president, I might add, chooses to attack the mayor rather than invest in meaningful solutions to the ever-mounting problems there.

“Today’s tweets were just the latest in a pattern that speaks to excuses and diversions, rather than solutions. He speaks bombastically of his ability to destroy far off North Korea, but then claimed that he can’t get better aid to Puerto Rico because we are separated by an ocean.

“This morning, rather than acknowledge that Puerto Ricans are in dire need and that, every day on our tv screens, we are seeing scenes of horrific devastation and suffering, he attacks the mayor in personal terms and accuses her of partisan politics. Mr. President, when it comes to needless partisan attacks as a diversion, look in the mirror.

“As the President careens from complimenting himself and his administration on their response to Puerto Rico to bombastic insults directed at San Juan’s mayor, Mayor Yulin Cruz continues to make every effort to help her community recover.

“I call on the President to remember that disasters are not Democratic or Republican, that Puerto Ricans are American citizens and that when we see people in need and suffering, our responsibility and history as Americans is to go to their aid, relieve the suffering and leave partisan politics behind.”

MCCOLLUM REQUESTS DETAILS OF SECRETARY ZINKE’S PRIVATE FLIGHTS

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.), Ranking Member of the House Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, today wrote to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke requesting specific details of his noncommercial flights at taxpayer expense.

The Washington Post reported that Secretary Zinke “chartered a flight from Las Vegas to near his home in Montana this summer aboard a plane owned by oil-and-gas executives” that cost taxpayers $12,375. In addition, Secretary Zinke apparently chartered private flights at taxpayer expense during a visit to the United States Virgin Islands in March. Secretary Zinke joins other senior Trump administration officials, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt who have apparently abused taxpayer dollars with excessively expensive private travel.

“Congress and the American people deserve an explanation for this extravagant use of taxpayer funds. Combined with similar reports of excessively expensive private travel by numerous senior Trump administration officials, there seems to be a disturbing pattern of limitless spending on noncommercial flights without reasonable justification,” Congresswoman McCollum wrote. “Additionally, your decision to fly on an aircraft owned by an oil and gas corporation, in a sector over which the Department of the Interior has direct leasing and regulatory authority, creates the appearance of a serious conflict of interest.”

LUJÁN INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO HELP CONSUMERS PROTECT THEIR CREDIT FOLLOWING A DATA BREACH

Washington, D.C. - October 2, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- Earlier this month it was revealed that a massive data breach at Equifax Inc. had compromised the financial and personal information of more than 143 million Americans’ and exposed them to identity theft and credit card fraud.  Congressman Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) today introduced legislation in the House to allow consumers to protect themselves from financial fraud at no cost. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), the senior Democrat on the powerful Senate Finance Committee, recently introduced a similar bill in the Senate.

Lujan’s and Wyden’s bill, known as the Free Credit Freeze Act would guarantee all consumers can use PIN numbers to freeze and thaw their credit – free-of-charge – to stop hackers and others from creating new financial accounts with stolen information. The Equifax data breach, which exposed credit information of nearly a quarter million Americans, as well as Social Security numbers, birthdates and driver’s license numbers of an estimated 143 million more people, has highlighted the vulnerabilities of large data systems and underscored the importance of credit freezes.

Currently, credit reporting agencies like Equifax, charge consumers recurring fees as high as $15 each time they use their PIN numbers to freeze or thaw their credit reports. Luján, who sits on the House Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee, noted that as data breaches have become more frequent, consumers need to have a reliable cost-free way to protect themselves when their sensitive personal information is compromised.

“In the 21st Century, data is currency – companies like Equifax make money through the accumulation of Americans’ most sensitive personal data, and hackers steal millions each year by pilfering this data,” said Luján. “Americans who want to protect their personal and credit information from criminals should not be charged as they take steps to guard against financial fraud – especially when those fees are being charged by the very companies who failed to protect their data in the first place. The Free Credit Freeze Act stops companies from charging consumers to protect their credit by requiring credit agencies to allow consumers to freeze their credit at no charge.”

Luján noted that as massive data breaches become more frequent, companies must do more to protect their databases from intrusion. He also said consumers need a reliable way to get information about whether their personal information was compromised and the ability to take steps to protect themselves once there is a data breach. Cybersecurity experts and the Federal Trade Commission recommend credit freezes as a dependable method of protecting against identity theft and financial fraud.

“Companies like Equifax that have stockpiled massive, insecure databases of Americans’ most sensitive personal data must make security the top priority at every single stage,” Wyden said. “Given the frequency of these mega breaches, it is simply unacceptable for the credit agencies to continue to charge hardworking Americans who want to protect their credit and their identity from fraudsters. The Free Credit Freeze Act gives power back to consumers by requiring credit reporting agencies to provide credit freezes to consumers at no cost. Thanks to Congressman Luján, the Free Credit Freeze Act now has support in both Houses of Congress.”

Days after the Equifax breach was reported, Luján and his Democratic colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee wrote a letter to Equifax Chairman and CEO Richard Smith seeking detailed information about how the data breach occurred, what steps Equifax is taking to make affected consumers whole, and what the company is doing to safeguard against security breaches in the future.

Among the consumer protection and advocacy organizations have endorsed the Free Credit Freeze Act are the Consumer Federation of America, and the National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients)

“As consumers, we can’t control how securely our sensitive personal information is held by the credit reporting agencies, but we should at least have the right to freeze that data whenever we want, at no charge, to limit the damage that can occur if it’s exposed to identity thieves,” said Susan Grant, Director of Consumer Protection and Privacy at Consumer Federation of America. 

Lujan Grisham Introduces Bill to Crack Down on Fake Organics, Support Organic Farmers

Washington, D.C. - October 2, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Representatives Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) and John Faso (R-NY) announced the introduction of bipartisan legislation, the Organic Farmer and Consumer Protection Act.

“Organic farming and ranching is the fastest growing segment of agriculture in New Mexico,” said Rep. Lujan Grisham. “However, fraudulent organic imports threaten the integrity of the USDA Organic label that so many New Mexicans rely on. The bipartisan Organic Farmer and Consumer Protection Act will provide the National Organic Program at USDA with the resources needed to update their tracking technology and the authority necessary to crack down on fraudulent organic imports for years to come.”

Congressman Faso said, “Fraudulent ‘organic’ grain and feed originating overseas is not only deceptive to consumers, but it artificially drives down the price of real organics, hurting legitimate organic farmers in Upstate New York and across the country. I am proud to introduce the Organic Farmer and Consumer Protection Act alongside Congresswoman Lujan Grisham as it will crack down on these fake organics. This is commonsense legislation that puts American consumers and farmers first.”

The Organic Farmer and Consumer Protection Act provides for a modernization of organic import documentation, new technology advancements and stricter enforcement of organic products entering the US.

When fraudulent organic products enter the US, local producers are hurt by lower prices and our consumers are hurt by inauthentic products.

“Organic farming and ranching is not only a fast growing segment of agriculture in New Mexico, but across the United States,” said Jeff M. Witte, New Mexico Director/Secretary of Agriculture. “This is a market ripe for fraud and deception, especially from products imported and out of reach of US inspectors and certifiers.  This act will provide much needed resources and authority to USDA to protect the integrity of organic agriculture in the United States and continue assuring the consumers they are getting what they intended to purchase.”

Lipinski Helps Introduce Bill to Protect Electric Grid from Cyberattacks

Washington, D.C. - October 2, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-3) has helped introduce the Securing the Electric Grid to Protect Military Readiness Act of 2017, which requires the Department of Defense to put together a comprehensive report on significant cybersecurity risks to the national electric grid and the potential consequences for military readiness if the grid is attacked.  This legislation will improve America’s defenses and make the power grid we all rely on more secure.

“This bill will help protect our electric grid from attacks by America’s enemies who are trying to take down our defenses,” Rep. Lipinski said.  “It will also help us harden our entire electric grid against cyberattacks, protecting Americans and American businesses from attempts by online adversaries to disrupt our lives.”

The Securing the Electric Grid to Protect Military Readiness Act of 2017, which has a companion bill that was recently introduced in the Senate, requires the Secretaries of Defense, Energy, and Homeland Security, as well as the Director of National Intelligence, to issue a report to Congress identifying significant cybersecurity risks to critical defense infrastructure, assessing the potential effects of such risks on the readiness of America's Armed Forces, evaluating the strategic benefits and challenges of isolating military infrastructure from the electric grid, and recommending a path forward to address these security risks.

REP. LIEU STATEMENT ON RESIGNATION OF HHS SECRETARY TOM PRICE

Washington, D.C. - October 2, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D | Los Angeles County) issued the following statement on the resignation of Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price.

“It’s great that Price took responsibility for his reckless actions but this doesn’t change the Trump Administration’s culture of self-dealing. Tom Price was just one example of numerous department heads who were more concerned with their comfort than with serving the public. At a time when agency heads are slashing programs for sick people, veterans, children, and the elderly, these swamp flyers are sticking the American people with the bill for wasteful – and possibly illegal – travel in private jets around the country

If Trump were serious about draining the swamp, he would also fire Secretary Mnuchin and Administrator Pruitt, who have also taken luxury private travel on the taxpayer’s dime. I couldn’t believe I had to introduce a bill this week curbing private plane travel for senior political appointees. What a ridiculous state of affairs we’re in that we have to push to codify basic standards of ethics and good governance."

Congresswoman Lee Statement on Travel Warning & U.S. Embassy Drawdown in Cuba

Washington, D.C. - October 2, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- Congresswoman Lee released the following statement on Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s announcement removing personnel from the U.S. embassy in Cuba and issuing a travel warning for Americans:

“The safety and security of Foreign Service personnel must always be our priority, regardless of where they serve. I appreciate the cooperation of the Cuban government in the investigation of attacks on U.S. diplomats and their families and I strongly support efforts to hold those responsible accountable.

“Today’s announcement suspending visa processing and consular services indefinitely is an overreaction that will only serve to harm Cuban and American families. Especially in light of the recent hurricanes affecting the region, the United States government should be doing everything in our power to ensure loved ones can reach each other in their time of need. Similarly, the travel warning issued by the State Department is an overly-broad and unnecessary response. Instead, the State Department should be developing contingency plans so that families can continue to travel from Cuba safely.

“It is my hope that responsible diplomacy will prevail, so we can get to the bottom of these attacks. I will continue to urge this Administration to reject the extreme calls within its party to further escalate tensions, and instead work to protect diplomatic ties with Cuba. We simply cannot afford to return to the failed Cold War policies that divided our nations and families for far too long.”

Congresswoman Lawrence on Michigan State Police Director-“It’s Time for a Change”

Washington, D.C. - October 2, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence (MI-14) issued the following statement on Michigan State Police Director Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue’s  statement on Facebook concerning National Football League (NFL) protests against inequality and racial injustice:

“A statement posted on Etue’s Facebook page referenced the recent NFL protests and referred to those players in a manner that was extremely offensive, ill-informed, and grossly unfitting of anyone in our police force, let alone the state Police Director. Etue’s actions were not only inappropriate, but a disturbing indicator of the lack of unbiased judgement that is required from law enforcement leadership.

“The very point and purpose behind the NFL players taking a knee is to protest police brutality and to bring awareness to racial injustice.  While most of our police force truly serve, protect and respect their communities; racial disparities in the criminal justice system which disproportionately affect African Americans is a very real issue in this country and in the state of Michigan. Etue’s actions demonstrated that she is unaware or unmoved by the sense of outrage, vulnerability and fear among minorities toward the criminal justice system.   

“Etue’s expressions through the open space of her social media page calls into question her judgment and ability to fairly and justly perform her duties as the Director of Police when much of her words and actions in her professional capacity are far less public.  This is very concerning.

“The people of Michigan deserve law enforcement officers who embody the motto “to serve and protect.” They deserve law enforcement leadership who can help to improve police-community relations, not further divide.

“While Director Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue did apologize for posting to her Facebook page, her apology was not an admission of wrongdoing nor for spreading these judgmental and ill-willed comments.  This behavior is far from what we should ever expect or tolerate from Michigan’s Police Director whose standard should be of the highest moral character.  There are times when change is inevitable; and there are times when change is imperative. It’s time for a change.” 

Congressman Krishnamoorthi Responds To Price Resignation, Urges Next HHS Secretary To Cease Sabotage Of Affordable Care Act Protections

Washington, D.C. - October 2, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and Oversight Committee Ranking Member Elijah Cummings sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price regarding planned HealthCare.gov outages. Congressman Krishnamoorthi released the following statement in response to Secretary Price’s resignation:

“Health and Human Services Secretary Price’s decision to resign in the wake of his private jet scandal is the right one, and necessary to restore confidence in our public servants.

As Acting Secretary Don J. Wright steps into his new role, I urge him to fully comply with the request for documents that Ranking Member Cummings and I sent to the Secretary earlier today. Former Sec. Price’s decision to conduct maintenance outages on HealthCare.Gov during the open enrollment period has the potential to hinder millions of Americans as they purchase insurance on the federal exchange. Ranking Member Cummings and I are seeking documents regarding the decision to perform this maintenance during open enrollment, and have invited HHS officials to fully brief Congress on this proposal.

As the Senate moves to confirm President Trump’s new HHS nominee, I urge HELP Committee Senators to seek assurances that he or she will fully and faithfully execute all laws and not seek to undermine the protections of the Affordable Care Act. Over 9 million Americans – including over 300,000 in Illinois – depend on the smooth and regular functioning of HealthCare.Gov.“