Thursday, January 16, 2020

China Trade Deal, Student Loans, ERA Amendment, Impeachment, Immigration, Seniors, Uzbekistan, War Powers

China Trade Deal



Lucas Applauds Signing of U.S.-China Phase-One Trade Deal
Source: Frank Lucas (R-OK, 3rd)
January 15, 2020
Beginning in 2015, then presidential-candidate Donald Trump promised to defend America’s farmers and workers and renegotiate the unfair trade policies between the United States and our trading partners. Since then, President Trump and his Administration have stood behind that promise and today, are delivering a strong and enforceable commitment from China leveling the playing field for America’s farmers, workers, manufacturers, and businesses.

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President Trump is Standing Up for Our Agricultural Community
Source: Kevin McCarthy (R-CA, 23rd)
January 15, 2020
“Once again, President Trump is supporting our farmers and agricultural producers through the signing of this first phase of a new trade pact. As part of today’s negotiations, the President secured a commitment from China to purchase $80 billion worth of California and American food, agricultural, and seafood products over the next two years. This will help ensure that California agricultural products retain a presence in the Chinese market despite China’s tariffs on our exports. Additionally, China has agreed to expand access to its market for beef and pork products and rice, among others. The state of California is the fifth largest agricultural producer in the world, and I am confident that these measures will help continue to ensure that our state remains an agricultural leader globally.”

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Student Loans



Maloney Votes to Protect Students and Reject DeVos’ Giveaway to Predatory, For-Profit Colleges
Source: Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY, 18th)
January 16, 2020
“Students and their families shouldn’t have to worry their college is cheating them out of money and a quality education. Unlike Betsy Devos, who’s working to line the pockets of for-profit colleges, we’re fighting to protect students and crack down on the scams hundreds of thousands of students and taxpayers face from these predatory schools,” said Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney.

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ERA Amendment



Maloney, House Sponsor of the ERA, Celebrates Virginia Ratification Votes
Source: Carolyn Maloney (D-NY, 12th)
January 15, 2020
“As the long-time sponsor of the Equal Rights Amendment in the House of Representatives, witnessing today’s votes is truly exhilarating. I commend the leaders in Virginia for prioritizing this historic legislation, and celebrate this tremendous victory with them. In less than three years, three states have voted to ratify the ERA, rejecting arguments that the time for the ERA had passed. I am confident that more will follow. I am committed to working to ensure a vote in Congress to remove the time limit that was attached to the amendment when it passed in 1972. We will keep moving forward until the ERA is adopted into the Constitution, where it belongs.

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Impeachment



Luetkemeyer: Articles of Impeachment Moving to Senate After Month Long Delay
Source: Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MI, 3rd)
January 15, 2020
“Nearly a month after passing the articles of impeachment Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats continually called ‘urgent’ and a ‘national security concern,’ they finally agreed to release the articles to the Senate. This on again off again strategy has, once again, shown the American people that this process has been nothing more than a political game,” said Congressman Luetkemeyer. “Just like the timing of the House vote was designed to distract the far left from the passage of President Trump’s historic USMCA trade deal, the Speaker’s delay in transmitting the articles is more about political expediency than Democrats’ false claims of wrongdoing by President Trump. I’m glad the House can finally put this sham investigation behind us and get back to work for the American people.”

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MARSHALL VOTES TO MOVE ON TO THE PEOPLE'S WORK
Source: Roger Marshall (R-KS, 1st)
January 15, 2020
“For months, Democrats said impeachment was urgent and that they’d already proven their case. Then Nancy Pelosi refused to transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate for four weeks and now says we need to see more evidence. It is clear this impeachment circus was, and is, nothing but an attempted political railroading of the President. This is a total waste of time. It is time to get on to the people’s work.”

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Immigration



LUJÁN, MEMBERS OF CONGRESS CALL ON ICE TO END TRANSGENDER MIGRANT DETENTION
Source: Ben R. Lujan (D-NM, 3rd)
January 15, 2020
In a letter to Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf and ICE Acting Director Matthew Albence, Luján, Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), and dozens of Members of Congress sharply criticized the treatment and lack of humanitarian care in ICE facilities for transgender immigrants. LGBTQ+ immigrants are 97 times more likely to be sexually victimized in detention than cisgender immigrants. At least two women, Roxsana Hernandez Rodriguez and Johana Medina León, have died in ICE custody.

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Seriously? JUST the transgenders? If we let them go, we might as well let all the little girls go, too. They might be too pretty and attract child traffickers. Then, we'd have to let all the pregnant women go, because detention centers are nowhere to have a baby. Then the other children who might be missing out on a great education. Let's just let the men go, too. Their families depend on them. Seriously?

Seniors



Congresswoman Luria Votes to Protect Older Americans from Workforce Discrimination
Source: Elaine Luria (D-VA, 2nd)
January 15, 2020
“It is unacceptable that older Americans are routinely discriminated against in the workplace simply because of their age,” Congresswoman Elaine Luria said. “Ageism has no place in today’s society and Congress must stand strongly against it in order to ensure that we have the most competitive workforce in the world—which includes our seniors. I will continue to work across the aisle to ensure that seniors are treated with the respect that they earned.”

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REPRESENTATIVE MALINOWSKI RESTORES WORKPLACE PROTECTIONS FOR OLDER WORKERS
Source: Tom Malinowsky (D-NJ, 7th)
January 15, 2020
In 2017 the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission received over 20,000 complaints of age discrimination, which accounted for 23% of all discrimination charges filed. It takes unemployed older workers nearly a full year, on average, to find another job, and once they do land a new job, it’s often for less money. This can have a serious impact on older workers’ long-term financial security and ability to live independently as they grow older.

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Uzbekistan



Chairman Lynch Seeks Information Related To Hazardous Conditions At Uzbekistan Air Base
Source: Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA, 8th)
January 15, 2020
“The Subcommittee is requesting information related to recent reports that U.S. servicemembers and special operations forces who deployed to Karshi-Khanabad Air Base (K-2) in Uzbekistan in the early years of the Global War on Terrorism may have been exposed to chemical and radioactive contamination, which is now causing them severe adverse health effects, including death,” Lynch and Maloney wrote.

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War Powers



LOWEY SUPPORTS WAR POWERS RESOLUTION TO RECLAIM CONGRESS’ ROLE IN AUTHORIZING MILITARY ACTION
Source: Nita Lowey (D-NY, 17th)
January 9, 2020
That is why I’m proud to cosponsor and vote for the War Powers Resolution, which would require the President to obtain Congressional authorization before taking military actions against Iran without limiting the President’s ability to respond to an imminent attack. The President’s actions put us on the brink of war. While tensions seem to have deescalated for now, the American people deserve a public debate before the U.S. enters into another Middle East war.

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