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U.S. Congressional Tipoffs Involving Rhode Island Newsletter for Sunday November 03, 2019 ( 22 items )  

GAO Issues Report on Defense-Wide Working Capital Fund Agencies
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a report on the Defense-Wide Working Capital Fund agencies. The report (GAO-20-65) is titled "Defense Management: Defense-Wide Working Capital Fund Agencies Apply Most Key Operating Principles but Should Improve Pricing Transparency". The report was sent to Sen. James M. Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, chairman, and Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on Nov. 1. Here are excerpts of summ  more

GAO Issues Report on DOD Space Command, Control Capabilities
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a report on the Department of Defense's newest efforts to develop space command and control capabilities. The report (GAO-20-146) is titled "Space Command and Control: Comprehensive Planning and Oversight Could Help DOD Acquire Critical Capabilities and Address Challenges". The report was sent to Sen. James M. Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, chairman, Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee,  more

House Oversight Subcommittee Issues Testimony From Sen. Whitehouse
WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 -- The House Oversight and Reform subcommittee on Environment issued the following testimony by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, at a hearing entitled "Trump's Wrong Turn on Clean Cars: The Effects of Fuel Efficiency Rollbacks on the Climate, Car Companies and California": "Last October, I submitted comments with several colleagues to EPA and DOT, laying out disturbing evidence of the fossil fuel industry hijacking this rulemaking; those comments are for the record a  more

Langevin Leads Legislation to Strengthen Rhode Island Manufacturing Workforce
WASHINGTON, Oct. 28 -- Rep. Jim Langevin, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) today introduced the Retain Innovation and Manufacturing Excellence Act, a bill that would encourage businesses to retain retiring employees long enough to train the workers taking their place. Langevin's bill is a House companion to legislation introduced by Senator Whitehouse that addresses a critical workforce development issue that Rhode Island manufacturers have long  more

Langevin Votes to Advance Public Impeachment Inquiry
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 -- Rep. Jim Langevin, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) today voted for H. Res. 660, a resolution to begin the public phase of the impeachment inquiry into President Trump. The resolution outlines procedures for public hearings by the House Intelligence Committee and ensures the President will have the opportunity to participate in House Judiciary Committee hearings on whether to recommend articles of impeachment to the full H  more

Langevin Votes to Affirm U.S. Condemnation of the Armenian Genocide
WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 -- Rep. Jim Langevin, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) today voted for H.Res. 296, Affirming the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide, a bipartisan resolution that states it is the policy of the United States to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide, reject any efforts to deny its occurrence, and encourage further public education and understanding of the genocide. It passed by a vote of 405-11. "I was proud to  more

Langevin, House Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Protect Syrian Kurdish Partners
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 -- Rep. Jim Langevin, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: Today, U.S. Representatives Jim Langevin (D-RI), Jason Crow (D-CO), Michael Waltz (R-FL), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Don Bacon (R-NE), and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced the Syrian Partner Protection Act which would extend the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program to Syrian Kurdish partners and their families who supported the counter-ISIS mission. The bill comes on the heels of the Administration's withdr  more

Reed Calls for Senate to Overturn Trump Admin's Bid to Weaken Protections for People With Pre-Existing Conditions
WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 -- Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: In an effort to protect people with preexisting conditions from the Trump Administration's unrelenting attacks on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), U.S. Senator Jack Reed is joining with colleagues to force a floor vote this week to overturn a Trump Administration rule that allows states to ignore parts of the ACA. The Trump Administration wants to allow insurance companies to sell junk plans that that exclud  more

Rep. Cicilline Issues Statement on Google's Acquisition of Fitbit
PAWTUCKET, Rhode Island, Nov. 1 -- Rep. David Cicilline, D-Rhode Island, issued the following statement after Google announced its acquisition of Fitbit: "Google's dominance is currently under investigation by Congress, the Justice Department, and 50 U.S. states and territories. "By attempting this deal at this moment, Google is signaling that it will continue to flex and expand its power in spite of this immense scrutiny." "Google's proposed acquisition of Fitbit would also give the company  more

Rep. Cicilline Issues Statement on House Vote on Impeachment Procedures
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 -- Rep. David Cicilline, D-Rhode Island, issued the following statement after the House voted on impeachment procedures: "Today's vote sets the procedures for the next stage of our ongoing impeachment inquiry. "The President abused his power and undermined our national security when he tried to shake down another country for help with his re-election campaign." "He got caught and he confessed. Those are the facts." "Now the American people will get to see and judge the   more

Rep. Langevin Issues Statement on Death of ISIS Leader Al-Baghdadi
WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 -- Rep. Jim Langevin, D-Rhode Island, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement regarding the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: "We owe immense gratitude to the intelligence community and our highly trained special operations forces for their courage and professionalism carrying out an extremely dangerous mission. "I congratulate our forces for successfully bringing down Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS and the w  more

Rep. Langevin Issues Statement on DOD Announcement of Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure Contract Award
WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 -- Rep. Jim Langevin, D-Rhode Island, chairman of the House Armed Services subcommittee on Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities, issued the following statement regarding the Defense Department's Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure contract award announcement: "Advanced general-purpose cloud is the industry norm, and it's past time the Department of Defense had access to these capabilities. "I congratulate DOD CIO Dana Deasy for seeing the JEDI award throu  more

Sen. Reed Issues Floor Statement on Death of Ex-North Carolina Sen. Hagan
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 -- Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, issued the following floor statement, which was published in the Congressional Record on Oct. 29, remembering ex-North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan: Kay Hagan was an extraordinary individual, a great Senator from the State of North Carolina, and a great person. I had the opportunity to express my thoughts to her husband Chip, whom I talked with yesterday. We will all miss her advocacy, her spirit, her support of military families, small busines  more

Sen. Reed Issues Floor Statement on Health Insurance Plans
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 -- Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, issued the following floor statement, which was published in the Congressional Record on Oct. 29, on the health insurance plans: Today I would like to address my colleagues to discuss one of the latest attempts from the Trump administration to undermine and sabotage the Affordable Care Act. This week, the Senate will vote on a Congressional Resolution of Disapproval--CRA--on a Trump administration final rule that gives States broad latitude  more

Sen. Reed Issues Statement on Committee Hearing on DOD, U.S. Navy Nominations
WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 -- Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following opening statement at a confirmation hearing on the nomination of Lisa M. Hershman to be chief management officer, Dana Deasy to be chief information officer and Robert J. Sander to be general counsel of the Navy: "I join you in welcoming Ms. Hershman, Mr. Deasy, and Mr. Sanders to this morning's hearing. I would also like to welcome Ms. Hershman's husband Brandt, Mr  more

Sen. Reed Issues Statement on Death of ISIS Leader Al-Baghdadi
WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 -- Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement on the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: "The death of al-Baghdadi is a significant blow to ISIS and a victory for the brave service members that carried out the operation, all those that enabled it, and the international coalition to defeat ISIS. "However, we must not mistake al-Baghdadi's death for the defeat of ISIS. The resurgence of ISIS rem  more

Sen. Reed: Top Defense Democrats Demand Answers From Pentagon on Trump's Order to Withhold Ukraine Military Aid
WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 -- Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: Today, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper demanding answers regarding the Trump Administration's improper withholding of military aid to Ukraine and the Defense Department's role in the process. The se  more

Sen. Whitehouse Issues Floor Statement on Climate Change
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 -- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, issued the following floor statement, which was published in the Congressional Record on Oct. 30, on climate change: I am thrilled and delighted to follow my outstanding colleague from Maryland coming here to talk about climate change. That is the topic that brings me to the floor today as well. Those of us who are from coastal States not only have the experience of worse flooding in our coastal communities and those coastal communi  more

Sen. Whitehouse Issues Statement on Resolution to Protect Consumers From Junk Insurance Plans
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 -- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, issued the following statement on a vote on a resolution that would have overturned a Trump administration rule expanding what he calls junk insurance plans that don't require insurance companies to protect people with pre-existing health conditions or cover basic care: "The Trump administration, aided by Republicans in Congress, is steadily working to take us back to the dark ages for patients when insurance companies could discri  more

Sen. Whitehouse Remembers Ex-North Carolina Sen. Hagan
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 -- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, issued the following statement, which was published in the Congressional Record on Oct. 30, remembering ex-North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan: I rise today to remember our colleague and friend, Kay Hagan. The daughter of a World War II veteran, with many other members of our Armed Forces in her family, Kay made service to others a cornerstone of her life. Indeed, she wove that commitment through her extraordinary career in business and   more

Sen. Whitehouse: Special Committee on the Climate Crisis Holds Hearing on Dark Money and Climate Change
WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 -- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: * * * - Senate panel hears from top experts at universities and government watchdog groups on how secret industry funding helps to block climate action * * * On Tuesday at the U.S. Capitol, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) led a hearing of Senate Democrats' Special Committee on the Climate Crisis entitled, "Dark Money and Barriers to Climate Action." Leading academics   more

Sens. Whitehouse, Enzi Offer Bipartisan Reforms to Fix Broken Budget Process
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 -- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: Senate Budget Committee member Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY) today introduced bipartisan legislation to fix the federal government's broken budget process. The Bipartisan Congressional Budget Reform Act would provide a more orderly, deliberative budget process focused on long-term fiscal planning. It would end the brinksmanship surrounding the debt limit  more