Press release issued 10/ 31/ 17
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined Senate Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) to push Republican leaders to protect millions of working families whose futures depend on the ability to save with retirement accounts.
The Trump Administration and many Republican members have failed to assure Americans that, as part of their tax reform effort, 401(k) plans and other retirement savings options will be unaffected.
The Senators said every American has a right to retirement security, and any attempt to cut savings for hardworking Americans to pay for a tax giveaway to the wealthy is no plan at all.
“We owe it to workers to make sure that they can invest and they can save for their future. The Republican plan of taxing 401(k)s or limiting tax-free contributions will only make it harder for people to save. We should not be taxing working people to pay for tax cuts for big corporations,” said Senator Cantwell. “We need to be instead encouraging people to save through incentivizing investments in 401(k)s, annuities, and other retirement products… not cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans while putting the burden on working families.”
https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cantwell-dem-colleagues-urge-gop-not-to-damage-retirement-options-for-middle-class
RELATED PRESS RELEASE: Remarks by President Trump and Business Leaders Before Tax Reform Industry Meeting
White House press release dated 10/ 31/ 17
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much for being here, for the incredible work you're doing to help us pass the really historic tax cuts. There's never been anything like this in the history of our country. It's cuts and it's relief and it's also reform. And frankly, it's also simplification. So we're covering everything.
There has never been anything like it, and it's so important. The economy is doing very well but it can do much better. A lot of jobs are going to come from this and a lot of companies are going to start pouring back into the United States. In fact, we're going to be announcing one big one sometime very shortly -- a very big one coming back into the United States.
All of you have done a tremendous job mobilizing your members, talking to the members of Congress, which is very important, and making a strong case for tax reform in the media. The media is not all fake, so therefore we can get a fair shake.
Now is the time to redouble our efforts. Your country needs you now more than ever before. You are leaders of this country and certainly leaders on this subject and you know more about it than anybody. We need you to be united, committed, and proactive in order to overcome the forces fighting.
And there are forces fighting out there that very much benefit by the way it is now, but that's bad for the country. They know that but they're fighting for themselves; they're not fighting for the country.
In a few days, I'll be traveling to Asia to advance America's economic and national security priorities. I am counting on all of you to be back here, working to maintain our momentum on tax reform and tax cuts.
And that will be a short period of time -- I'll be away for about ten and a half days, and we'll get back very quickly. We're meeting in China, in South Korea, in Japan. We're going to Vietnam. We're going to the Philippines, which is a strategically important location where the previous administration was not exactly welcome, as you probably remember.
The Democrats will say our tax bill is for the rich, but they know it's not. And what they will do is -- they don't even know the tax bill. The tax bill hasn't even been really put out yet. It will be over the next short period of time.
But they immediately say, oh, it's for the rich, it's for the rich -- because that's the right thing to say, I mean, for them. But it doesn't work and they know that.
In fact, I think we'll have some Democrats doing this and voting for us for the reduced taxes because it's a tax bill for middle class; it's a tax bill for jobs, it's going to bring a lot of companies in; and it's a tax bill for business, which is going to create the jobs. We're bringing it down -- from 35 down to 20.
While I'm in Asia, members of my Cabinet will be traveling all around the country talking directly to taxpayers and focusing on the regional media, which we find to be a much more credible media, to be honest with you. In fact, I found it to be incredible how good they are.
Of course, Secretary Mnuchin, Director Cohn, and my entire economic team will remain totally focused on tax reform. They'll be staying here and will continue to work closely with all of you. They've had a great relationship with most of the people in the room. We need your continued input to make sure that the final bill gets all of the details right and that we get that approval.
I want the House to pass a bill by Thanksgiving. I want all of the people standing by my side when we get ready to sign by Christmas. Hopefully before Christmas, you'll all be in the room standing front row center. I think we'll be able to find a place where you can all stand front row center. It will be a big event. It will be the biggest tax event in the history of our country.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/10/31/remarks-president-trump-and-business-leaders-tax-reform-industry-meeting
Related story from the US Chamber of Commerce, in case you missed it: Tax Reform Cannot Wait, Must Not Fail
This month marks the 31st anniversary of the last time Congress passed a major overhaul of the tax code. In the years since, however, our tax system has grown increasingly complex. It has fallen out of step with our economy and become a drag on job creation and wage growth. Major reform is needed to spur economic growth and boost middle class families and job creators. Washington must achieve it, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is here to help—just like we were 31 years ago.
https://www.uschamber.com/above-the-fold/tax-reform-cannot-wait-must-not-fail
More news from our congressional delegation to D.C.
Senator Murray, Speaker Ryan Introduce Evidence-Based Policymaking LegislationPress release dated 11/ 1/ 17
(Washington, D.C.) – Yesterday, following recommendations made in the Commission on Evidence-Based Policy making final report, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) introduced the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act. Along with a companion Senate bill introduced by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the legislation acts on the commission’s findings to establish a more secure, transparent, and efficient data system that will help federal agencies better assess the effectiveness of their programs. Following the bill’s introduction, Speaker Ryan released the following statement:
“This is an exciting day. Patty and I have long advocated for a way to better measure the federal government’s effectiveness—and this bill puts those efforts into action. As lawmakers, we have to change our approach not only to how we make policy, but how we gauge its results. Ensuring our programs work is just common sense—and what American taxpayers deserve. I want to thank the commissioners and my colleagues in both chambers for their extensive work that helped make this possible. I’m really proud of the bill we’re introducing today.”
Following introduction in the Senate, Senator Murray released the following statement:
“No matter what side of the aisle you’re on, we should all agree that government should work as efficiently as possible for the people it serves. So I’ve been proud to work with Speaker Ryan to find new ways Democrats and Republicans can work together to improve how the federal government makes decisions that impact the lives of millions of people in Washington state and around the country. This bill will begin to put the recommendations of the bipartisan Evidence-Based Policymaking Commission we created into action by improving how the federal government gathers and uses data and evidence to inform decision-making, as well as ways to strengthen the privacy and increase the transparency around this information. I look forward to working with Speaker Ryan and other members on both sides of the aisle to get this bill signed into law, and then continuing our bipartisan efforts to help government work better.”
https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=C108CACB-0B32-4968-A2AA-F9425CD254CC
Sens. Murray, Merkley, Cantwell, Wyden and Rep. Blumenauer Demand Answers After Trump Administration’s Decision Halts Work on Tribal Housing Plan Along Columbia River
Press release issued 10/ 30/ 17
(Washington, D.C.) – Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) joined Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) to demand answers from the Trump Administration after it denied a request to allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (Army Corps) to move forward with The Dalles Dam Tribal Housing Village Development Plan.
In a letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, the lawmakers urged the Administration to reconsider its decision so this critical work can continue to address unmet obligations to four Columbia River Treaty Tribes. The construction of The Dalles Dam flooded tribal communities, houses, and traditional hunting and fishing sites along the Columbia River. The Tribes have a treaty-protected right to fish along the river in their usual and accustomed places.
“We have seen first-hand the cramped, outdated, makeshift housing with limited access to reliable utilities and restrooms that tribal members are living in today,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter. “This is a matter of public health and safety, upholding treaty rights, and requires immediate attention. We strongly urge you to reconsider your decision.”
Find a copy of the letter here. For text, see below:
Dear Director Mulvaney:
We write with grave concern regarding the Office of Management and Budget’s recent decision not to move forward with The Dalles Dam Tribal Housing Village Development Plan. The federal government has a legal and moral responsibility to address the unmet obligations of the United States to the four Columbia River Treaty Tribes – the Nez Perce Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation, and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation – for the loss of tribal homes and villages associated with the construction of The Dalles Dam more than 65 years ago.
Native Americans, including ancestors of the four Columbia River Treaty Tribes, have lived and fished along the banks of the Columbia River since time immemorial. These tribes signed treaties with the federal government in the 1850s, ceding most of their lands to the United States government. The treaties reserved for tribal signatories the rights to fish, hunt, and gather at “all usual and accustomed fishing places.” Beginning in the 1930s, construction of federal dams along the Columbia River inundated tribal communities, houses, and traditional hunting and fishing sites along the river, significantly impacting tribal members’ ability to exercise their treaty rights.
Since 1939, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) and treaty tribes have entered into several agreements to address the needs of the tribes, including the acquisition and construction of in-lieu and treaty fishing access sites. Under the Columbia River Treaty Fishing Access Sites (P.L. 100-581), the Army Corps constructed treaty fishing access sites and in-lieu sites on the Bonneville Pool, The Dalles Pool, and John Day Pool in Washington and Oregon. These sites were designed primarily for day-use fishing and some temporary camping. However, out of a need for housing and a desire to be closer to the Columbia River, many tribal members use these sites as year-round, permanent residences, in addition to seasonal homes during fishing seasons. As these sites were not designed for such high volume and regular use, tribal members are living in extremely unsafe and unsanitary conditions.
The four Columbia River Treaty Tribes have worked for years to raise concerns with this growing tribal housing crisis and the federal government’s failure to provide relocation assistance or replacement housing for the tribal homes and villages that were lost in the construction of federal dams. A November 2013 Fact-Finding Review on Tribal Housing, conducted by the Portland District Army Corps, verified that between 44 and 85 tribal families who lived near the Bonneville and The Dalles dams prior to construction did not receive relocation assistance. In March 2016, the Army Corps found that Section 204 of the Flood Control Act of 1950 (P.L. 81-516) authorizing construction of The Dalles Dam “specifically provide[s] for the construction of a new Indian village satisfactory to the Indians and the Bureau of Indian Affairs” and that “a new Indian village can be constructed pursuant to the Flood Control Act of 1950 because this authority has not yet been used to construct a new Indian village.”
Since then the Army Corps has worked to comply with The Dalles Dam authorization to mitigate the construction of this federal dam, fulfill a federal responsibility, and meet tribal trust responsibilities. While much progress has been made with the support of Fiscal Year 2017 funding, according to an October 24, 2017 letter from the Army Corps “funds for work on The Dalles Dam Tribal Housing Village Development Plan (VDP) are almost fully expended and future work on the VDP will cease until the remaining funds are received.” We understand $1.526 million is needed to complete the VDP, the Army Corps has proposed to reprogram funding to support this work, and that you have denied this request.
Some of us, and many of our staff, have toured the treaty fishing access sites and in-lieu sites. We have seen first-hand the cramped, outdated, makeshift housing with limited access to reliable utilities and restrooms that tribal members are living in today. This is a matter of public health and safety, upholding treaty rights, and requires immediate attention. We strongly urge you to reconsider your decision and approve the Army Corps’ request to reprogram $1.526 million to complete The Dalles Dam Tribal Housing Village Development Plan.
https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=696769A4-6007-43D5-BE4E-3ACFE81AA710
From Olympia
Governor’s Committee honors employers who hire people with disabilitiesPress release issued 10/ 31/ 17
OLYMPIA –Six public and private employers were honored today for their exemplary work recruiting, hiring, retaining and promoting people with disabilities.
Washington’s Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues & Employment (GCDE) and the Washington State Business Leadership Network organized the 25th Annual Governor’s Employer Awards ceremony to recognize state employers. It was held this year at the Microsoft Conference Center in Redmond.
“Our award winners excel at using the diverse skills and abilities in the disability community, driving innovation and strengthening their businesses,” said Mandeep Kaundal, Governor’s Committee chairman. “They’re role models for the entire state.”
Winners of the 2017 Governor’s Employer Awards Program are:
Seattle Children’s
Bridgeways
City of Seattle Supported Employment Program
Northwest Trophy & Awards, Woodinville
Port Angeles Safeway
Seattle Mariners
Washington businesses, agencies, organizations and individuals submitted the nominations. A panel of GCDE members, business representatives and previous award recipients selected this year’s honorees.
The committee also honored Mark Adreon for his commitment to people with disabilities. Adreon, program and partnership development specialist with the Department of Services for the Blind, received the Governor’s Trophy in Memory of Carolyn Blair Brown. This award is the highest honor given to someone with a disability who has significantly empowered people with disabilities in Washington.
The Direct Support Professional Award — a lifetime achievement award — went to Bonnie Sinclair. As staffing manager for Skils’kin in Spokane, Sinclair creates meaningful job opportunities for workers with developmental disabilities.
The GCDE advises the governor, Legislature, state agencies and other policy makers on issues important to people with disabilities.
https://esd.wa.gov/newsroom/governors-committee-honors-employers-who-hire-people-with-disabilities-2017
WORLD AND NATIONAL HEADLINES FROM REUTERS...
South Korea spy agency sees signs of planned new missile test by North
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea may be planning a new missile test, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers on Thursday, after brisk activity was spotted at its research facilities, just days before U.S. President Donald Trump visits Seoul.
Supreme Leader Khamenei says U.S. is Iran's 'number one enemy'
ANKARA (Reuters) - The United States is Iran’s “number one enemy” and Tehran will never succumb to Washington’s pressure over a multinational nuclear deal, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a televised speech on Thursday.
Kremlin calls updated U.S. sanctions on Russia extremely negative
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Moscow regarded updated U.S. sanctions on Russia extremely negatively.
Trump demands death penalty for New York truck attack suspect
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday reiterated his call that the Uzbek immigrant accused of killing eight people when he drove a truck down a New York City bike path should get the death penalty.
Truck attack suspect's New Jersey city a haven for Muslim immigrants
PATERSON, N.J. (Reuters) - With its enormous Muslim population and reputation as a welcoming home for immigrants of some 50 nationalities, the New Jersey city of Paterson was the perfect place for the suspect in the New York City truck attack to go largely unnoticed.
Trump forces high-wire act for Republican in Virginia governor's race
FRONT ROYAL, Va. (Reuters) - Ralph and Mike Waller are such ardent backers of President Donald Trump that they help stage a counter-protest every Wednesday in front of their Front Royal, Virginia, pawn shop, sparring with anti-Trump demonstrators who gather across the street.
Daily Bible Verse: But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
1 Peter 2:9 NKJV
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