Washington, D.C. – Today, Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Maria Cantwell (D-WA) questioned Trump administration nominee, Anne Marie White, regarding the Department of Energy’s ability to improve and maintain worker safety at Hanford. If confirmed, Anne Marie White would be the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Environmental Management which is currently responsible for cleaning up 16 nuclear weapons sites in 11 states.
Hanford is unlike any other environmental cleanup operation in this country. The site was the proving ground for nuclear production reactors and for developing the first plutonium extraction process. This has left a legacy of a complex mix of chemicals and radioactive materials that our best minds are still figuring out technological solutions to remediate.
During the hearing Senator Cantwell said, “If confirmed, you [Anne Marie White] will need to improve the safety culture at the site, ensure health and safety of our cleanup workers in addition to making sure that we have adequate funding, and keeping the cleanup effort on track to meet the cleanup milestones which the Department I know is committed to.”
“Our country owes a great deal of debt to those men and women at Hanford who helped our country in time of great national security. We owe it to them to make sure we get the cleanup process right,” said Senator Cantwell. “That’s why I want to make it clear to the Administration that we need a budget that doesn’t shortchange Hanford. Last year was cut by over $100 million dollars than what was acceptable.”
Kilmer, Heck, Murray and Cantwell Question Federal Railroad Administration on Positive Train Control Implementation
Press release issued 1/ 18/ 18
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Washington Representatives Derek Kilmer and Denny Heck and Washington’s Senators, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, led the Democratic members of Washington’s Congressional Delegation in asking the Acting Administrator of Federal Railroad Administration, Heath Hall, for a comprehensive update on the current status of Positive Train Control’s implementation. They also asked the Acting Administrator for the FRA’s plan for completing nationwide implementation by the December 2018 deadline set by Congress three years ago, and the cost of getting the job done on time.
The lawmakers represent the people from the region affected by last month’s derailment of the Amtrak Cascades 501 as it crossed a highway overpass above Interstate 5 near Dupont, Washington. The derailment killed three passengers and injured 62 passengers and crew members, and injured an additional 8 individuals in their vehicles on Interstate 5.
“In the aftermath of this tragic incident, it is clear that achieving nationwide implementation of Positive Train Control must be a top priority for the Federal Railroad Administration,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter. “With less than one year until the December 31, 2018 implementation deadline, it is imperative that FRA conduct vigorous oversight of the data provided by railroads and use all the tools within the FRA’s authority to ensure that all railroads complete full PTC implementation by the deadline. It is also essential that FRA make available additional funding to implement this technology.”
Positive Train Control is a technology designed to automatically slow trains traveling faster than a safe speed. While the National Transportation Safety Board has not yet issued a final report on the derailment, the NTSB’s preliminary report said, “in this accident, PTC would have notified the engineer of train 501 about the speed reduction for the curve; if the engineer did not take appropriate action to control the train’s speed, PTC would have applied the train brakes to maintain compliance with the speed restriction to stop the train.”
Since 1969, the National Transportation Safety Board has investigated 148 railway accidents that it determined PTC could have prevented. These accidents resulted in 298 deaths and 6,763 injuries.
The Federal Railroad Administration is the government agency Congress tasked with ensuring railroads meet the 2018 PTC implementation deadline. This year’s deadline is the second chance for the railroads to implement PTC. In the leadup to the original 2015 deadline, the Government Accountability Office issued a report to Congress which found most railroads would not make the 2015 deadline for a variety of reasons including low funding and the complex challenge of integrating PTC technologies. The report, which was the basis for Congress’s decision to extend the implementation deadline to the end of this year, also said the FRA’s oversight efforts at the time were “not sufficient to oversee progress made by individual railroads and to hold them accountable for making progress in meeting the mandated PTC deadline.” Congress responded by enhancing the FRA’s mandate so it could adequately assist railroads and hold them accountable for reaching full implementation by 2018. (see link source for more)
In Fight to Protect Open Internet, Senators Cantwell, Murray Mark Milestone in Effort to Reverse FCC’s Net Neutrality Decision
press release issued 1/ 16/ 18
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Democrats, including U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee, and Patty Murray (D-WA), announced today that the legislation to overturn the FCC’s recent vote to repeal the net neutrality rule now has the support of all 49 Democrats in the United States Senate. Today’s announcement is the latest milestone in the Democrats’ fight to stand up for average consumers, small business owners, and entrepreneurs. Last month, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to repeal the 2015 Open Internet Order, which the D.C. Circuit Court upheld in 2016. The Open Internet Order prohibited internet service providers from blocking, slowing down, or discriminating against content online. Repealing the net neutrality rules could lead to higher prices for consumers, slower internet traffic, and even blocked websites.
The resolution of disapproval, which now has the support of the entire Senate Democratic caucus, would rescind FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s item and fully restore the Open Internet Order. CRA resolutions allow Congress to overturn regulatory actions at federal agencies with a simple majority vote in both chambers. In accordance with the Congressional Review Act, the Senators will formally introduce the resolution after the rule is submitted to both houses of Congress and published in the federal register and then force a vote within 60 legislative days.
“It’s time for our Republican colleagues to decide whether they stand with big corporations who are trying to slow down innovation and job creation or stand on the side of consumers and the businesses and innovators of our future,” said Senator Cantwell. “We cannot allow the FCC to put a choke hold on the internet by allowing big corporations to create artificial fast lanes or charge consumers more. The open internet rule was created to protect a level playing field and to make sure no one can throttle access or block content.”
“The FCC’s backward decision to roll back internet protections for consumers is as shameful and wrong today as it was last December. Washington state families, students, innovators and entrepreneurs have continuously raised their voices against the Trump Administration’s repeated attempts to turn public goods into more money-making opportunities for the largest corporations, and the FCC’s vote to change the internet as we know it is no exception,” said Senator Murray. “As a voice for Washington state, I will continue fighting with every tool at my disposal to keep the internet free and open.”
As flu-related deaths & hospitalizations increase in Washington state and across the country, Senator Murray leads Senate hearing to investigate the nation’s preparedness to address serious global health threats
Press release issued 1/ 17/ 18
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), top Democrat on the Senate health committee, questioned top U.S. health officials about the nation’s ability to respond to future public health emergencies. In the first in a series of hearings about the nation’s preparedness to handle widespread public health threats, Senator Murray cited rising cases of flu-related hospitalizations that have led to at least 46 deaths in Washington state as evidence of the need to improve the country’s ability to respond to public health crises, and criticized the Trump Administration’s failure to deliver an effective response to recent public health threats like the opioid epidemic and the public health crisis caused by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, where many Americans are still living without electricity and clean water.
Led by Senator Murray, the committee heard testimony from Robert Kadlec, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at Health and Human Services (HHS), Scott Gottlieb, Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Dr. Stephen Redd, the Director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response at the Centers for Disease Control. A long-time supporter of strong investments in public health, during the hearing Senator Murray urged continued bipartisan action to strengthen our nation’s public health emergency and response capacity.
Senators Murray, Cantwell Join Bipartisan Group of Senators to Urge Federal Agency to Stay the Course on Cannabis Banking, Provide Certainty to Businesses and Consumers
Press release issued 1/ 18/ 18
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Washington Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) today joined a bipartisan group of their colleagues to urge the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) at the Department of the Treasury to keep in place its 2014 guidance that has enabled some financial institutions to provide banking services for legitimate cannabis businesses in states, like Washington, that have legalized medical or recreational marijuana.
“We urge FinCEN to preserve this guidance to continue to support banking infrastructure and access to financial institutions for businesses that are operating in accordance with state and local law and abiding by 8 other stated factors in your guidance,” the senators wrote. “FinCEN’s stated priorities have allowed such businesses to conduct commerce more safely through financial institutions which reduces the use of all cash, improves public safety, and reduces fraud…. This guidance must remain intact because the risks involved in removing it are too great.”
The Senators’ letter follows Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ attack earlier this month on states’ rights to set their own cannabis laws, as well as the will of the voters who passed these laws. The Sessions decision throws into chaos years of work to create a safer, more stable market, and threatens to drive cannabis sales back underground into the dangerous black market.
In Washington state, 12 financial institutions currently do business with licensed cannabis enterprises, providing them with access to credit and bank accounts. Because the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board no longer permits marijuana businesses to pay their taxes in cash, FinCEN’s guidance has been crucial to the growth of Washington’s marijuana industry, which is projected to contribute $730 million to the state’s revenues over the next two years. ( more on link source)
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Constitutes ‘Major Achievement of Nuclear Non-Proliferation’, Says Secretary-General on Implementation Anniversary
UN Press release issued 1/ 17/ 18
The Secretary-General welcomes the second anniversary of the achievement of “Implementation Day” under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on 16 January. This marks another significant milestone in the historic agreement reached by the E3/EU+3 [comprising China, France, Germany, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and the United States] and Iran, and endorsed by the Security Council in its resolution 2231 (2015).
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action constitutes a major achievement of nuclear non-proliferation and diplomacy, and has contributed to regional and international peace and security. The Secretary-General remains convinced that the Plan of Action is the best way to ensure the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme and to realize the promised tangible economic benefits for the Iranian people. He notes that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly confirmed that Iran is fulfilling its nuclear-related commitments under the Plan of Action.
The Secretary-General calls for concerns regarding its implementation to be addressed through the mechanisms established by the agreement. He believes that issues not directly related to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action should be addressed without prejudice to preserving the agreement and its accomplishments.
President Trump Returns to Pennsylvania, a Promise Kept
White House press release issued 1/ 18/ 18
Three months ago, President Donald J. Trump spoke before men and women of the American Trucking Associations in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. At the time, he had good news to report on the economy, but Congress was still working to send tax reform legislation to his desk.
“We want lower taxes, bigger paychecks, and more jobs for American truckers and for American workers,” the President said to applause. “We need a tax system that is fair to working families and that encourages companies to stay in America, grow in America, spend in America, and hire in America.”
On January 18, 2018, he returns to Pennsylvania—with even better news to share. Less than a month after the Tax Cuts Act became law, nearly 200 companies have issued bonuses, raised their minimum wage, planned investments, or donated to charity as a result of lower taxes.
Some of the country’s largest corporations are sharing the benefits of tax reform with their employees and their communities:
Walmart raised its minimum wage to $11 an hour and issued bonuses up to $1,000.
Fiat Chrysler issued $2,000 bonuses and now plans to build a Ram factory near Detroit, Michigan, with production set to start in 2020.
BB&T raised its minimum wage from $12 to $15 an hour and issued $1,200 bonuses.
Southwest Airlines issued $1,000 bonuses and donated $5 million to charity.
Comcast issued $1,000 bonuses.
Fifth Third Bank raised its minimum wage to $15 an hour and issued $1,000 bonuses.
JetBlue issued $1,000 bonuses.
U.S. Bank raised its minimum wage to $15, issued $1,000 bonuses, and donated $150 million to the U.S. Bank Foundation.
Wells Fargo raised its minimum wage to $15.
See the full list of companies announcing good news, courtesy of Americans for Tax Reform.
In addition to making U.S. businesses more competitive on the global stage by lowering America’s corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act delivers substantial relief for working families through cuts on the individual side. For families with children under 17 years old, the child tax credit was doubled to $2,000. The Obamacare individual mandate—a costly tax that primarily hits lower-income Americans—was repealed, as well.
In other news headlines
