Press Releases
Carper, Coons Introduce Budget Amendment to Protect Health Care for 11 Million Americans
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) joined 25 colleagues in introducing an amendment to secure health coverage for 11 million Americans who receive it through Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Thirty-one states-most with Republican governors-and the District of Columbia have expanded Medicaid to cover individuals up to 138% of the federal poverty level ($11,880 individual income; $20,160 for family of three) and, for the first time, extended… Continue Reading
01.11.17
Senator Coons’ statement on President-elect Trump’s press conference
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement after President-elect Donald Trump held his first press conference in over five months: "Today's press conference from the President-elect provided only new questions and no real answers. "Let's be clear: the President-elect's legal maneuver announced today does not come close to sufficiently addressing his serious potential conflicts of interest. If he were sincere about absolving himself of these issues while in … Continue Reading
01.11.17
[VIDEO] Sen. Coons on Morning Joes discusses Rex Tillerson’s hearing, Trump’s press conference
Sen. Coons: "It's critical that [Trump] both distance himself from his potential conflicts of interests by explaining to the American people how he is going to come clean, how he is going to release his taxes and how he is going to sever his ties to potentially complicating business interests." Sen. Coons: "[Trump] needs to speak directly to his very troubling and now very long pattern of overly positive statements about Putin and his seeming blind spots to Putin's threat to the united States a… Continue Reading
01.10.17
[VIDEO]: Sen. Coons questions Sen. Jeff Sessions, nominee for Attorney General, at confirmation hearing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) at his hearing to be confirmed as U.S. Attorney General in President-elect Donald Trump's administration. Excerpts: Sen. Coons: "A hitching post was used as a punishment for prisoners…[where prisoners] would be cuffed by both wrists to a pole at chest height, sometimes for seven, eight, or nine hours, unprotected from sun, heat, or rain, without acc… Continue Reading
01.10.17
[VIDEO] Senator Coons on Fox News to discuss Sen. Sessions confirmation hearing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Fox News Channel's "Fox and Friends" this morning to discuss his role in the upcoming confirmation hearing for Sen. Sessions as Attorney General. Full audio and video of the interview available here: http://bit.ly/2iflARq Excerpts from the interview: Sen. Coons on Sen. Sessions' congressional record: "My main concerns, as I've dug into his record in researching for today's long hearing, is s… Continue Reading
01.10.17
Senator Coons’ statement on tensions in the Gambia
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement about Gambian President Jammeh's refusal to accept election results and ongoing tensions in the country. "I am deeply troubled by Gambian President Yahya Jammeh's refusal to accept the results of the December 1 election and engage in a peaceful transition of power to President-elect Adama Barrow. "I condemn the seizure by the government and security forces of the… Continue Reading
01.10.17
[VIDEO] Sen. Coons urges GOP to halt efforts to repeal ACA without replacement plan and serious debate, shares stories of Delawareans benefiting from the law
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) spoke yesterday on the Senate floor to urge Republicans to work across the aisle to focus on pursuing constructive, bipartisan fixes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), rather than a wholesale repeal of the law. Excerpts from Senator Coons' remarks below: "More than 20 million Americans now have gained access to high-quality health insurance across our whole country, including 38,000 more Delawareans." "I've sought to address the affordability of… Continue Reading
01.10.17
Senators Urge Judiciary Committee to Prevent Politicization of Justice Department Under Trump
Washington, D.C. - With Senator Jeff Sessions's (R-AL) confirmation hearing underway, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have written to Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) requesting that the Committee serve as a bulwark against any politicization of the U.S. Department of Justice during the Trump administration. In their letter, the Senators cite both the targeting of attorneys within the Department based on their previous advocacy and recent actions taken by the Trump transitio… Continue Reading
01.09.17
Sen. Coons, colleagues intro bill to require President, VP to fully divest personal financial conflicts of interest
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) today joined his Democratic colleagues to introduce the Presidential Conflicts of Interest Act of 2017 in the United States Senate and House that would require the President and Vice President to disclose and divest assets to avoid any potential financial conflicts of interest. It also would require presidential appointees to recuse themselves from any specific matters involving the President's interests that come before their agencies. Original c… Continue Reading
01.09.17
Sens. Coons, Tillis oped: “America's criminal justice system is broken”
WASHINGTON - In case you missed it, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, authored an oped on CNN.com about the urgent need for bipartisan criminal justice reform. Read the full oped below: CNN: America's criminal justice system is broken By Chris Coons and Thom Tillis As a Democrat from Delaware and a Republican from North Carolina, we disagree on plenty of policy issues. You might think that would be especially true of … Continue Reading
01.06.17
Senator Coons applauds release of latest QER, urges adoption of permanent authority
WILMINGTON, DE - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) today applauded the Department of Energy's second Quadrennial Energy Review (QER) that provides a strategic review of the U.S. energy sector. Currently, QER's are not mandated by law. Senator Coons plans to reintroduce legislation requiring periodic comprehensive reviews of current domestic capabilities and future energy needs, as well as the resources, technologies, and policy recommendation to meet them. "America's economy relies on clean, a… Continue Reading
01.05.17
Senator Coons on Rex Tillerson: “There is a real tension between [Tillerson’s] expressed views in our conversation yesterday and the views of President-elect Trump”
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined MSNBC's "Morning Joe" this morning to discuss his meeting yesterday with Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson. He also discussed President-elect Trump's views on Julian Assange and the U.S. intelligence community. Excerpts from the interview: Sen. Coons on Rex Tillerson's relationship with Vladimir Putin: "He suggested that it was just a business relationship. That while he enjoyed hi… Continue Reading
01.05.17
Carper, Coons encourage Republicans to make commonsense improvements to Obamacare, not repeal altogether
Senators: "We….have been ready and willing to work with anyone to improve the existing law for our constituents" WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) joined a group of moderate Senate Democrats urging Republican Congressional leadership to discuss meaningful improvements to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) before rushing to fast-track a repeal of the landmark health care law that would strip 30 million Americans of health care insurance. In a letter sent to Ma… Continue Reading
12.29.16
Senator Coons’ statement on U.S. Sanctions against Russia
WILMINGTON, Del. - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued this statement after the White House announced sanctions against Russian officials, intelligence agencies, and institutions: "I support today's actions by President Obama to hold Russia accountable for its cyberattacks that were designed to undermine and influence our 2016 presidential election. An attack on our democracy is an attack on all Americans, so I am glad to hear many of … Continue Reading
12.23.16
Senator Coons’ statement on U.N. Resolution targeting Israel
WILMINGTON, Del. - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement on the United Nations Security Council Resolution targeting Israel: "Earlier this week, Egypt called for a vote on a United Nations Security Council Resolution targeting Israel that would undermine prospects for direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians to achieve a two state solution. I am encouraged that the vote has been delayed, and I call on t… Continue Reading
12.22.16
Senator Coons statement on the Democratic Republic of the Congo
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Foreign Relations and Appropriations Committees, released the following statement regarding the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. "I am extremely disappointed that President Joseph Kabila has decided to remain in office past his constitutional term limit. I urge President Kabila, former Prime Minister Etienne Tshisekedi, and other opposition and civil society leaders to reach an agreement that establishes a credi… Continue Reading
12.19.16
Four bipartisan bills from Senator Coons to become law
WASHINGTON - After passing both the House of Representatives and the Senate, President Obama will soon sign into law the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act, which includes four bipartisan pieces of legislation authored by U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) focused on supporting science, manufacturing, and small business. "I'm thrilled Congress came together in a bipartisan way to pass this critical legislation to jumpstart America's innovation economy and sharpen our country's competiti… Continue Reading
12.16.16
Delaware Delegation applauds Commerce Department’s $70 million investment in a University of Delaware-led manufacturing institute
NEWARK, Del. - U.S. Senators Chris Coons and Tom Carper (both D-Del.), and Congressman John Carney (D-Del.), today applauded the Department of Commerce's selection of the University of Delaware to lead the country's first manufacturing innovation institute focused on biopharmaceutical manufacturing. As part of the announcement, the Department will invest $70 million in a new UD-led manufacturing institute over five years, which will be matched by private and public funds, resulting in a nearly $… Continue Reading
12.15.16
Senator Coons welcomes United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch to Delaware
WILMINGTON, Del. - U.S. Senator Chris Coons announced today that United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch, the nation's highest ranking law enforcement official, will visit Delaware on Monday, December 19. Sen. Coons, co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Law Enforcement Caucus and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with Attorney General Lynch, will visit the Wilmington Police Department during a roll call, tour New Castle County's Children's Advocacy Center, and host a community … Continue Reading
12.15.16
Senate Democrats to Introduce Bill to Require President and Vice President to Fully Divest Personal Financial Conflicts of Interest
Washington, DC - On the day President-elect Donald Trump was supposed to inform the American people about his future with the Trump Organization, a group of Democratic U.S. senators announced they will introduce a bill in January that would require the President and Vice President to disclose and divest any potential financial conflicts of interest. It also would require presidential appointees to recuse themselves from any specific matters involving the President's financial conflicts of intere… Continue Reading
