Press Releases

The Trump Administration’s policy of turning away desperate and frightened families who are escaping mortal danger is cruel, runs counter to our nation’s values, and is an abuse of presidential power. I strongly disagree with the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the ban to be implemented while litigation continues, and I am deeply concerned that families who are fleeing deadly violence and persecution and seeking refuge under our nation’s laws will be not be permitted to apply for asylum at our border.
 

Today, we mark eighteen years since the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001.  As we mourn those lost and reflect on how the events of that day changed our lives and our country, let us pay tribute to the heroes who responded in the minutes and hours after and who deployed far overseas in defense of our nation in the years since. 

Today's report by the U.S. Census Bureau makes one thing abundantly clear: anti-poverty programs work. While we are pleased the report shows that the poverty rate has fallen slightly to 11.8 percent, with 1.4 million Americans rising above the poverty line in 2019, we continue to be concerned by Republican attempts to undermine proven programs that lift Americans out of poverty.  

The U.S. Census annual data released for 2018 shows that the Trump Administration’s sabotage of the Affordable Care Act is leading to more Americans losing their insurance coverage, with nearly 2 million Americans losing coverage last year.  Meanwhile, out-of-pocket costs are rising for individuals and families, and the Trump Administration continues to try to dismantle the ACA, including by encouraging states to promote junk plans that provide inadequate coverage for those with pre-existing conditions. 

I join in thanking Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner for four decades of service to his constituents in Wisconsin. He has been a leader in protecting the right of every American to vote and have that vote counted accurately, introducing and ensuring passage of the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, and introducing the Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2014 after the Supreme Court struck down a key section of the law.

It is abhorrent that the Trump Administration is choosing to defund 127 critical military construction projects all over the country, including in Maryland, and on U.S. bases overseas to pay for an ineffective and expensive wall the Congress has refused to fund.  This is a subversion of the will of the American people and their representatives. 

On Labor Day, we recognize the hard-won victories of the worker’s rights movement and the contributions of working men and women across the country and throughout our history who have worked to build our economy and a strong middle class. I’m proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with labor organizations and working Americans as they continue to fight for fair wages and benefits; affordable, quality health care; and the right to retire with dignity and economic security. 

The Trump Administration’s announcement of its intent to provide a smaller pay adjustment to the federal civilian workforce in 2020 than what House Democrats have proposed is just one more example of how little regard it has for federal civilian employees who work for the American people every day.

This Women’s Equality Day, which marks the ninety-ninth anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment, we celebrate the courage of suffragettes and all those who worked to secure women’s right to vote.

President Trump ought to be broadly and strongly condemned for suggesting that American Jews or any group could be considered disloyal to our country if they do not vote for Republicans or for this president.