WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) – co-chairs of the Senate Aerospace Caucus – this week met with Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) President and Chief Executive Officer Eric Fanning, who was selected to lead the association effective January 1, 2018. In welcoming Mr. Fanning in his new capacity with AIA, Sens. Moran and Warner emphasized the caucus’s longstanding partnership with AIA and discussed collaborative ways to continue growing the aerospace industry as AIA prepares to celebrate its centennial anniversary.

“Our nation’s aerospace industry is driving innovation and pursuing cutting edge technologies, contributing both to U.S. national security and our economic competitiveness,” said Sen. Warner. “As Co-Chair of the Senate Aerospace Caucus, I look forward to working with my co-chair Senator Moran, the Aerospace Industries Association, and our manufacturers and suppliers on a range of critical issues, including workforce development, unmanned systems, increased R&D, defense modernization efforts, and ways to improve cybersecurity within these critical industries. Congratulations to Eric Fanning on his new position as President and CEO of AIA.”

“In Kansas – from cybersecurity to aircraft manufacturing and developing a talented workforce to maintain American supremacy – the aerospace industry has an impact on every corner of our state,” said Sen. Moran. “The aerospace industry is where a strong national defense and stable economy converge, and as co-chairs of the Senate Aerospace Caucus, Sen. Warner and I are committed to making certain that America’s defense, civil aviation and space sectors advance amidst global challenges. With extensive experience in the executive and legislative branches of our government, I know Eric shares this commitment, and I look forward to working with my caucus colleagues and industry leaders in safeguarding and promoting American innovation.” 

“I’m honored to be working once again with Senators Moran and Warner,” said AIA President and CEO Eric Fanning. “I’ve seen firsthand their commitment to the aerospace industry, the critical role it plays in our nation’s security, and the enormous impact it has on our economy.”

Items to note:

• Fanning previously served as the 22nd Secretary of the Army, Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense, both Acting Secretary and Under Secretary of the Air Force, and has worked in the White House and on Capitol Hill.  

# # #

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, responded to today’s announcement by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) that it intends to add the Governmentwide Personnel Security Clearance Process to GAO’s High-Risk List of federal areas in need of either broad-based transformation or specific reform to prevent waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. 

“GAO’s announcement that the security clearance process has returned to its high priority list reaffirms what we all have known for the last several years: our current clearance system is broken, as two recent studies I requested of GAO have confirmed. The current process to grant clearances to government personnel and contractors, born 70 years ago, takes too long, costs too much, and is too complex. It is a disservice to the people who support critical national security functions, and it is a disservice to the American people,” said Sen. Warner. “We can and should reform the clearance process by making use of new technologies and information sources. I look forward to GAO’s sustained attention to help usher the clearance system into the 21^st century, and ensure we can recruit and hire an expert, trusted workforce.” 

GAO added the government-wide personnel security clearance process to the High-Risk List due, in part, to challenges identified in two recent reports on the personnel security clearance process (GAO-18-117 and GAO-18-29) requested by Sen. Warner. Currently, executive branch agencies are unable to investigate and process personnel security clearances in a timely manner, contributing to a significant backlog of background investigations, totaling more than 700,000 cases as of September 2017, according to the GAO.

Also today, Sen. Warner sent a letter to Office of Management and Budget Director (OMB) Mick Mulvaney, requesting that the Administration include in the FY 2019 budget request adequate funding for departments’ and agencies’ background investigations for purposes of suitability assessments and security clearances. 

“I request that the President’s budget request for fiscal year 2019 ensures adequate funding for departments’ and agencies’ background investigations for purposes of suitability assessments and security clearances. I also request you treat personnel security as a special topic in the budget request. It is essential that background investigations are treated as a critical mission function that receives attention from our government’s top leadership,” wrote Sen. Warner in the letter. “Since 2014, agencies have seen lengthy delays in background investigations, a situation which now poses a national security personnel crisis.” A copy of the letter is available here.

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, released the following statement after the U.S. Senate voted 55-43 to confirm Alex Azar to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS):

“I voted against Mr. Azar’s nomination to be Secretary of Health and Human Services because of his support for dismantling the Affordable Care Act – which would leave millions of Americans without access to affordable healthcare coverage. While I did not support his confirmation, I intend to work with Secretary Azar on areas where we can find common ground to improve our healthcare system, including rethinking our healthcare payment system and finding new ways to treat those with chronic health conditions. ” 

In 2016, almost 400,000 Virginians purchased health insurance through the federal insurance marketplace. The same year, Virginia received about $4 billion in federal Medicaid funds, 51 percent of the state’s funding for people covered by Medicaid. Of those who purchased their own insurance on the marketplace, 84 percent received tax credits reducing their premium costs anywhere from $50 to $100, and more than half – 60 percent – received cost-sharing payments to help defray other out-of-pocket costs. Following an announcement by the White House last year that it would stop Cost-Sharing Reduction (CSR) payments, Sen. Warner raised the alarm that this action would increase American’s healthcare premiums by more than 20%. Sen. Warner remains committed to working for responsible improvements to the Affordable Care Act, recently introducing legislative proposals aimed at providing greater stability to the healthcare markets. 

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), released the following statement after the Senate voted 65-34 to pass S. 139, the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017, sending the measure to the President for his signature:

“Section 702 is among the most important of our intelligence programs, which is why the Senate voted along bipartisan lines to renew this authority for six years. This bill is not perfect, but it will provide our Intelligence Community with the legal authority to continue to collect vital foreign intelligence necessary to keep Americans and our allies safe, while incorporating provisions that strengthen the privacy and civil liberties of individuals.”

In a speech on the Senate floor Monday evening, Sen. Warner highlighted a declassified example of the key role Section 702 plays in ensuring our security at home and the globe: Hajji Iman was the second-in-command of ISIS based in Syria; the National Security Agency (NSA) used collection permitted and authorized under Section 702 to gather intelligence on the close associates and network supporting Hajji Iman, including their location in Syria.  After more than two years of searching, Hajji Iman was killed by U.S. forces on March 24, 2016 – just one of numerous examples in which the information obtained pursuant to Section 702 has proven critical to addressing threats to Americans both domestically and abroad.

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**Update: On January 31, 2018, WMATA responded to the below letter. WMATA announced that it will speed the purchase of 2,500 dual-band radios that will allow Metro operators to communicate directly with Metro’s communications center and first responders.**

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) today asked the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to renew its focus on safety and prioritize fixing any remaining radio communications problems following a red line Metro derailment Monday morning, during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. In a letter to Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld, Sen. Warner noted that despite years of work and millions of dollars invested to fix this issue, communication issues remain. 

“Although progress has been made in some respects, Monday’s train derailment and related radio communications problems serve as a stark reminder that WMATA needs to renew its focus and prioritize fixing any remaining radio communications problems,” Sen. Warner wrote. “Despite years of work on this issue and millions of dollars invested, the continued problems with this network are simply unacceptable.”

Sen. Warner raised similar concerns nearly three years ago following the fatal smoke incident that occurred at the L’Enfant Plaza metro station, where severe problems with WMATA’s public safety radio network, as well as interoperability issues involving communication with local law enforcement agencies including the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, were first noted. In response to Sen. Warner’s request, Metro pledged to implement a system to test Metro and regional emergency radio systems.

“The federal government has committed significant investments to improve the efficiency and safety of the Metro system, and you can count on my staunch advocacy here in Congress for continued federal investment. While I understand the current budgetary restrictions that WMATA faces, safety must always be the top priority and a reliable public safety radio network is critical to ensuring the safety of Metro’s riders,” the Senator added.

A PDF copy of the letter is available here. Full text can be found below. 

January 18, 2018

Mr. Paul J. Wiedefeld

General Manager

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

600 5th Street NW

Washington, D.C. 20001

Dear Mr. Wiedefeld,  

I write to you, nearly three years to the day, after first raising the issue of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) breakdown in public safety radio communications. Although progress has been made in some respects, Monday’s train derailment and related radio communications problems serve as a stark reminder that WMATA needs to renew its focus and prioritize fixing any remaining radio communications problems. Despite years of work on this issue and millions of dollars invested, the continued problems with this network are simply unacceptable. Our region’s commuters, WMATA’s train operators, and local law enforcement officers deserve better than to be forced to deal with “spotty” radio coverage that could jeopardize lives in the case of an accident or incident underground. For these reasons, I ask that WMATA provide me with an update on current efforts to sufficiently and effectively maintain the underground radio communication network, including answers to the specific questions below.  

In my letter of January 22, 2015, I noted multiple concerns related to the emergency response following the fatal smoke incident on a Metro train near the L’Enfant Plaza station. During that incident, it was apparent that there were severe problems with WMATA’s public safety radio network, as well as interoperability issues involving communication with local law enforcement agencies including the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department. In response to my request, WMATA and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), through a months-long, serious effort, developed recommendations for short-term and long-term improvements that included more frequent testing of communications networks and increased collaboration with local jurisdictions. 

Recent media reports of “ghost” trains, poorly maintained cables, and sources complaining of unaddressed problems months after an issue was first raised indicate that earlier problems persist and the effort to ensure a working public safety radio network must be redoubled. Understanding that installation of the new 700 MHz radio system is underway, completion of that work is still years away and we continue to rely on the current 490 MHz Comprehensive Radio Communications System (CRCS). We cannot rush to install the new technology at the expense of maintaining the current system, leaving current Metro riders vulnerable in the case of an incident where a working public safety radio system is critical.

In Monday’s Red Line derailment, we were fortunate to avoid any injuries or fatalities. However, the reported radio problems served as a stark reminder that a reliable public safety radio network is critical to the overall safety of the system. 

To that end, I ask for comprehensive responses to the following questions by January 26, 2018.

1. What is the status of the action items taken on by WMATA and its partners stemming from its 2015 work with COG? How many of the short-term recommendations from COG’s July 2015 report were implemented? How many of the long-term recommendations were implemented, or are in the process of being implemented?
2. Do interoperability concerns continue? Do local law enforcement radio networks continue to experience problems in communicating with WMATA networks, and how does WMATA plan to make improvements in this area? 
3. How much has been invested in the new 700 MHz radio system thus far?
4. How much is current estimate on total cost of implementation, and what is current estimate on when that will be completed?
5. Is funding being budgeted appropriately to meet the planned completion date? Does a shortfall exist, where remaining funding has not yet been identified?
6. How much is being budgeted for maintenance of CRCS? Is it WMATA’s position that it has sufficient funding to provide for adequate maintenance of CRCS, or is there a funding shortfall for this effort? 
7.  Has frequent testing of the system continued to date, in accordance with the plans developed following the 2015 fatal smoke incident? How often are “dead spots” discovered? Can you share a full inventory of current “dead spots”? What is the average response time to address and fix any reported “dead spots”?

 The federal government has committed significant investments to improve the efficiency and safety of the Metro system, and you can count on my staunch advocacy here in Congress for continued federal investment. While I understand the current budgetary restrictions that WMATA faces, safety must always be the top priority and a reliable public safety radio network is critical to ensuring the safety of Metro’s riders. 

Sincerely, 

MARK R. WARNER

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, released the below statement following a committee vote to advance the nomination of Alex Azar to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS):  

“I opposed Mr. Azar’s nomination because he supports dismantling the Affordable Care Act – which more than 400,000 Virginians rely on for healthcare coverage – and opposes allowing the government to negotiate prescription drug prices for Medicare. I also have grave concerns about his tenure at a global pharmaceutical company, where he oversaw dramatic price increases for prescription drugs.” 

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined a group of 27 Senate Democrats in a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Nielsen urging DHS to reverse its decision to end Temporary Protection Status (TPS) designation for El Salvador.

Earlier this week, DHS announced it would be ending TPS designation for the nearly 200,000 Salvadorans working and living under TPS protections in the United States today. Ending the TPS designation will not only uproot thousands of lives, disrupt communities across the U.S. and remove much-needed workers from important sectors of the U.S. economy, but it will also harm progress made to improve conditions in El Salvador. 

“We believe that conditions in El Salvador remain unstable, and that continued TPS designation is warranted for the country,” the senators wrote. “In June 2017, the Trump administration held a conference to promote prosperity, governance, and rule of law in the Northern Triangle countries of Central America—including El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. While progress has been made under the Alliance for Prosperity in reducing gang violence, improving rule of law, and addressing root causes of migration, considerably more work needs to be done as conditions remain dangerous and the economic situation tenuous. The decision to end TPS for 200,000 Salvadorans and needlessly subject these immigrants to deportation stands to threaten, not further, this progress.” 

In addition to Sens. Warner and Kaine, the letter was signed by Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Patty Murray (D-WA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Tom Udall (D-NM), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). 

The letter is available here. The text of the letter is below.

The Honorable Kirstjen Nielsen

Secretary 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Washington, D.C.  20528

Dear Secretary Nielsen:

We write to express our deep concern regarding the unprecedented decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for El Salvador, and to request that you reverse this decision. 

As you know, nearly 200,000 Salvadorans currently work and live in the United States under TPS protections—more than from any other country. These immigrants have high levels of workforce participation, and their valuable role in our labor force is vital to our economy. According to a recent analysis by the Center for American Progress, if Salvadoran workers with TPS are removed from the labor force, we will lose an estimated $109 billion in GDP over the next decade, as well as billions of dollars in Social Security and Medicare contributions.[1]  The renewal of El Salvador’s TPS designation has received strong support from leaders in both business and labor, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,[2] the AFL-CIO,[3] and the SEIU.[4]  Ending TPS protections for El Salvador will needlessly push nearly 200,000 hardworking immigrants into the shadows, hurting employers in industries across our economy.

El Salvador’s government requested last year that the Trump Administration continue its existing TPS designation, after assessing that its country lacks the capacity to absorb tens of thousands of TPS returnees.[5] Additionally, remittances transmitted by TPS recipients, who are authorized to work in the U.S., provide a critical boost to El Salvador’s fragile economic security. More than 50 percent of TPS recipients in these countries have resided in the U.S. for 20 years or more, and TPS beneficiaries are parents to an estimated 273,000 U.S. citizen children.[6]  The decision to end TPS will uproot thousands of well-established lives and, in many cases, will devastate families and communities.

We believe that conditions in El Salvador remain unstable, and that continued TPS designation is warranted for the country. In June 2017, the Trump administration held a conference to promote prosperity, governance, and rule of law in the Northern Triangle countries of Central America—including El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. While progress has been made under the Alliance for Prosperity in reducing gang violence, improving rule of law, and addressing root causes of migration, considerably more work needs to be done as conditions remain dangerous and the economic situation tenuous. The decision to end TPS for 200,000 Salvadorans and needlessly subject these immigrants to deportation stands to threaten, not further, this progress.

Given these concerns, we ask that you provide the following information no later than January 25, 2018:

1. A complete copy of documents prepared by the State Department and transmitted to the Department of Homeland Security regarding the country condition in El Salvador, including the recommendation regarding extension or termination of the TPS designation for El Salvador;

2. A complete copy of documents prepared by the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador and transmitted to the State Department regarding the Embassy’s assessment of country conditions and formal recommendation related to the extension or termination of the TPS designation for El Salvador;

3. A description of how this information was considered in reaching your decision to terminate the TPS designation for El Salvador;

4. A description of how, if at all, the State Department’s February 14, 2017, travel warning stating that El Salvador has one of the highest homicide levels in the world, and citing high rates of MS-13 and Eighteenth Street gang violence, was considered in reaching your decision to terminate the TPS designation for El Salvador; and

5. A description of any involvement by White House officials in the decision-making process related to the TPS designation for El Salvador, including detailing any policy preference or perspective communicated by the White House to you or other Department of Homeland Security officials.

We urge you to reconsider the decision to end TPS protections for Salvadorans, and commit to working with Congress to pass legislation providing permanent protections for current TPS beneficiaries. Thank you for your attention to this matter. 

With best personal regards, we are

                                                          Sincerely yours,

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and U.S. Representatives Donald McEachin, Gerry Connolly, Don Beyer, and Bobby Scott sent a letter to the Trump Administration requesting that Virginia be exempted from its offshore drilling proposal, citing localconcerns over the risks to tourism, the watermen’s industry, and the country’s Naval operations.

The Virginia legislators cited Secretary Zinke’s announcement that drilling off the Florida coast was taken “off the table” after listening to “local and state” voices, and asked that the Trump Administration take similar concerns from Virginians just as seriously. Virginia’s coastal leaders -from the Democratic mayor of Norfolk to the Republican mayor of Virginia Beach and the current Governor and Governor-elect of Virginia - have all voiced opposition to drilling off of the Virginia coast.

“As Members of Congress from Virginia, we request you remove the Virginia offshore area from your proposed 2019-2024 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. We note your willingnessto listen to local voices in Florida with grave concerns over the risks of offshore drilling there. We ask that you likewise consider local opposition in Virginia’s coastal communities as well as opposition from its Governor, Senators, and House members to a new five-year plan at this point,” the group said.

The full text of the letter appears below.

Dear Secretary Zinke:

As Members of Congress from Virginia, we request you remove the Virginia offshore area from your proposed 2019-2024 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. We note your willingness to listen to local voices in Florida with grave concerns over the risks of offshore drilling there. We ask that you likewise consider local opposition in Virginia’s coastal communities as well as opposition from its Governor, Senators, and House members to a new five-year plan at this point.

The statement from your office announcing the removal of the Florida offshore stated, “Local voice matters.” We couldn’t agree more.

While many states have long histories of energy production, states like Florida and Virginia have robust economies based on other sectors like tourism, aquaculture, outdoor recreation, deepwater port commerce, and especially Department of Defense infrastructure. Florida is home to some 20 DOD installations, while Virginia’s coastal area alone has more than a dozen across every service branch, including Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest naval installation. While it is within DOD’s mandate to work with Interior, any look at a map displays vast offshore areas in which drilling could conflict with military activities. In a time of relatively stable prices and booming oil and gas production elsewhere, the risks outweigh the benefits.

Opposition to offshore drilling is an opinion broadly shared by communities on the Virginia coast, including by the Democratic mayor of Norfolk and the Republican mayor of Virginia Beach. In fact, the city council of Virginia Beach (Virginia’s most populous city) actively voted to shift its prior support for offshore drilling from supportive to neutral, then from neutral to opposed.

We hope you will take opposition from Virginia coastal communities as seriously as you took the concerns from Florida residents and elected officials.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced today the Data Breach Prevention and Compensation Act to hold large credit reporting agencies (CRAs)—including Equifax—accountable for data breaches involving consumer data. The bill would give the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) more direct supervisory authority over data security at CRAs, impose mandatory penalties on CRAs to incentivize adequate protection of consumer data, and provide robust compensation to consumers for stolen data.

In September 2017, Equifax announced that hackers had stolen sensitive personal information – including Social Security Numbers, birth dates, credit card numbers, driver’s license numbers, and passport numbers – of over 145 million Americans. The attack highlighted that CRAs hold vast amounts of data on millions of Americans but lack adequate safeguards against hackers. Since 2013, Equifax has disclosed at least four separate hacks in which sensitive personal data was compromised.

“In today’s information economy, data is an enormous asset. But if companies like Equifax can’t properly safeguard the enormous amounts of highly sensitive data they are collecting and centralizing, then they shouldn’t be collecting it in the first place,” said Sen. Warner. “This bill will ensure that companies like Equifax – which gather vast amounts of information on American consumers, often without their knowledge – are taking appropriate steps to secure data that’s central to Americans’ identity management and access to credit.”

“The financial incentives here are all out of whack – Equifax allowed personal data on more than half the adults in the country to get stolen, and its legal liability is so limited that it may end up making money off the breach,” said Sen. Warren. “Our bill imposes massive and mandatory penalties for data breaches at companies like Equifax – and provides robust compensation for affected consumers – which will put money back into peoples’ pockets and help stop these kinds of breaches from happening again.”

The Data Breach Prevention and Compensation Act would establish an Office of Cybersecurity at the FTC tasked with annual inspections and supervision of cybersecurity at CRAs. It would impose mandatory, strict liability penalties for breaches of consumer data beginning with a base penalty of $100 for each consumer who had one piece of personal identifying information (PII) compromised and another $50 for each additional PII compromised per consumer. To ensure robust recovery for affected consumers, the bill would also require the FTC to use 50% of its penalty to compensate consumers and would increase penalties in cases of woefully inadequate cybersecurity or if a CRA fails to timely notify the FTC of a breach.

The Data Breach Prevention and Compensation Act is supported by cybersecurity experts and consumer groups:

“U.S. PIRG commends Senators Warren and Warner for the Data Breach Prevention and Compensation Act. It will ensure that credit bureaus protect your information as if you actually mattered to them and it will both punish them and compensate you when they fail to do so,” said U.S. PIRG Consumer Program Director, Ed Mierzwinski.

"This bill establishes much-needed protections for data security for the credit bureaus. It also imposes real and meaningful penalties when credit bureaus, entrusted with our most sensitive financial information, break that trust," said National Consumer Law Center staff attorney, Chi Chi Wu. 

"Senator Warner and Senator Warren have proposed a concrete response to a serious problem facing American consumers,” said Electronic Privacy Information Center President, Marc Rotenberg.

"This bill creates greater incentive for these companies to handle our data with care and gives the Federal Trade Commission the tools that it needs to hold them accountable,” said Director of Consumer Protection and Privacy at Consumer Federation of America, Susan Grant.

Sen. Warner has been a leader in calling for better consumer protections from data theft. Following the Equifax data breach, Sen. Warner asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to examine whether credit reporting agencies such as Equifax have adequate cybersecurity safeguards in place for “the enormous amounts of sensitive data they gather and commercialize.” He slammed the credit bureau for its cybersecurity failures and weak response at a Banking Committee hearing with Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Jay Clayton last year. Similarly, in the aftermath of the 2013 Target breach that exposed the debit and credit card information of 40 million customers, Sen. Warner chaired the first congressional hearing on protecting consumer data from the threat posed by hackers targeting retailers’ online systems. Sen. Warner has also partnered with the National Retail Federation to establish an information sharing platform that allows the industry to better protect consumer financial information from data breaches.Warner, Warren Introduce Legislation to Hold Credit Reporting Agencies like Equifax Accountable for Data Breaches 

To view a fact sheet about the legislation, click here. The bill text can be found here.  

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the below statement following the Trump Administration decision to end protected status for 200,000 Salvadoran immigrants living legally in the United States: 

“This is another example of the Trump Administration’s misguided approach to immigration. The arbitrary decision to end protection for the Salvadorans who have sought refuge in the United States will break apart American families. It will push an entire community of people, who for nearly two decades have lived, worked, and contributed to the Commonwealth’s economy, into the shadows.”

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA) applauded final Senate passage of their bipartisan 400 Years of African American History Commission Act – legislation establishing a National Park Service commission to commemorate the 400^th anniversary in 2019 of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans into English Colonial America, marking the beginning of a new African American culture. The bill now heads to the President’s desk for signature. Scott, Congressmen Don Beyer and Congressmen G. K. Butterfield, former Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, led the introduction of similar legislation that passed the House of Representatives this Congress.

This commission will be charged with recognizing and highlighting the resilience and cultural contributions of Africans and African Americans over 400 years. In August 1619, some twenty enslaved Africans were brought ashore in an English-built, Dutch flag privateer at Point Comfort, Virginia, on the site of what is now Fort Monroe National Monument in the City of Hampton. Similar commissions have been established to commemorate America’s English roots through the 400^th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, Virginia, as well as its Hispanic roots through the 450^th anniversary of the founding of St. Augustine, Florida.

“The commission members will have a huge responsibility in faithfully documenting the African American experience – the journey, the arrival, and the individual strength and resilience as African Americans shaped our nation’s heritage,” Warner said. “This work can serve as a testimonial to the lessons in racial diversity and inclusion we have learned as a country, and help to shine a bright light on lessons we still need to learn.” 

“This commission will be tasked with telling 400 years of the African American story. It is a story of achievement and beauty, poets and presidents, pain and degradation, triumph over adversity, and sometimes adversity following triumph. This story must be told in full to enrich our understanding of who we are as a country. I look forward to working with everyone involved commemorate the uniqueness and resilience of African American culture from 1619 to 2019 and beyond,” Kaine said.

“The history of Virginia and our nation cannot be fully understood or appreciated without learning about the first Africans who arrived at Point Comfort, Virginia in 1619.  The commission established by the 400 Years of African-American History Commission Act will be charged with the important task of planning, developing and implementing a series of programs and activities throughout 2019 that fully tells the story of African Americans, their contributions to the fabric of our nation, and their resilience over the last 400 years.  I applaud Senator Kaine for his vision, leadership and hard work on this legislation, and I look forward to President Trump signing this bill,” Scott said.  

“We would not be the nation we are today without the innumerable contributions African Americans have made over the past 400 years. America is a stronger, better nation when all of our citizens learn, understand, and appreciate our history. The creation of the 400 Years of African American History Commission provides us the opportunity to honor African American culture and educate current and future generations about the impact it has had on our nation,” Blunt said. 

“Black history is American history, and this commission will honor, reveal and pay respect to the rich experiences, lives, accomplishments and discoveries as well as the atrocities, the struggle and the terror that have shaped the past 400 years of our history as Americans,” said Booker. “The story of Black history in America is a story of profound struggle matched with profound purpose and of extraordinary hardship matched with extraordinary courage. As we learn more about this story, we will learn more about the ongoing struggle to fulfill the promise of justice and equality for all Americans.”

The bill is supported by the National NAACP, National Urban League and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

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