Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement in response to Donald Trump’s recent attacks on Gold Star family members Khizr and Ghazala Khan:
“We must honor the very real sacrifices made not only by our men and women in uniform, but also honor the sacrifices their families make. Donald Trump’s comments to Khizr and Ghazala Khan are highly offensive, self-serving, and heartless. Honoring the sacrifice of a fallen member of our Armed Services sees no religion, creed, or color–for anyone to suggest otherwise is abhorrent.”
Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement in response to Donald Trump’s recent comments regarding foreign policy:
“Trump flies by the seat of his pants and nowhere is it more clear how dangerous that trait is than his flirtation with disastrous foreign policy ideas.
“His invitation to Russia to engage in cybercrime against a presidential candidate is a disqualifying remark for anyone seeking the presidency. His admiration of Putin has gone too far.
“A foreign power should never intrude in an American election or on our political process. How would any partner, ally, friend, or foe trust Trump or his foreign policy when he is so willing to ignore the fundamental values that are the bedrock of our nation? We have fought for these values throughout our nation’s history for which millions of Americans have lost their lives. Trump is a recipe for a disaster.”
Today, NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC announced its endorsement of Rep. Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02), Rep. Derek Kilmer (WA-06), Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09), and Rep. Denny Heck (WA-10) in their campaigns for Congress. These candidates have proven to be the pro-choice allies Washington women and families need in the fight for reproductive freedom.
“At a time when reproductive freedom is increasingly under attack across the nation, we’re proud to endorse allies like Reps. DelBene, Larsen, Kilmer, Smith, and Heck in their campaigns for re-election,” said Joel Foster, NARAL Pro-Choice America National Political Director. “Reps. DelBene, Larsen, Kilmer, Smith, and Heck have all maintained perfect pro-choice voting records. Their unwavering support of Washington’s women and families make them the steadfast allies we need in the fight against anti-woman politicians’ obsession with outlawing abortion and eliminating women’s access to a full range of reproductive health care.”
“NARAL’s endorsed Congressional candidates in Washington State share our state’s pro-choice, pro-woman, pro-family values. They know that a woman’s right to choose when, whether, and how to start or expand a family is critical to her economic independence, and that reproductive freedom is inseparable from economic justice,” said Rachel Berkson, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Washington. “In an election year when everything is on the line, NARAL Pro-Choice Washington is proud to have Congressional representatives in our state who champion our core principles and values.”
NARAL Pro-Choice America and its network of state affiliates are dedicated to protecting and expanding reproductive freedom for all Americans. NARAL works to guarantee that every woman has the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion. In recognition of its work defending our constitutional right to choose, Fortune Magazine described NARAL as “one of the top 10 advocacy groups in America.”
This week our nation has experienced immeasurable heartbreak. My deepest sympathies are with every family and community that has been touched by violence over the past few days. As we move forward, there are many difficult questions and issues that must be addressed as those whose lives have been torn apart begin to heal.”
As a country, it is imperative that we come together to address the violence that devastates countless families. We must continue to support efforts to end the senseless violence fueled by hatred that has become a far too frequent pattern in cities throughout America.
Washington, DC- Today, Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA), the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement regarding the Defense Department’s newly announced policy on transgender servicemembers:
“This policy is an important step toward ensuring that our military is strong and inclusive. It will protect the rights of transgender individuals who already serve in the U.S. armed forces, with minimal impact on the operations of the Department of Defense.
“These changes will involve a very small number of individuals serving in the armed forces, on the order of 0.1 percent of the approximate total of two million active and reserve members in the U.S military. The evidence indicates that modernizing our policy in this way will not meaningfully reduce readiness. In fact, according to research by the RAND Corporation and retired flag officers, it should enhance readiness by enabling commanders to better provide for the needs of the men and women they lead. Similar policies have already been adopted by U.S. allies such as Israel, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
“By providing clarity for the service branches and removing an obsolete policy that has made it more difficult for our men and women in uniform to do their jobs, this policy will strengthen, not reduce, the military’s ability to defend the United States.”
Washington D.C. – Congressman Adam Smith joined Acting Under Secretary Szubin of the Treasury Department in Seattle today for a conversation with local stakeholders, community leaders, organizations, and money transfer operators to discuss the important role that remittances play for Somalia and the Philippines and efforts to facilitate remittances through legitimate and transparent channels.
In recognition of these important issues, Congressman Smith cosponsored the Money Remittances Improvement Act of 2014 which was signed into law by the President on August 8, 2014, and has met with numerous government officials in attempts to find ways to continue U.S. remittances to Somalia. Congressman Smith continues to call for the U.S. government to take steps to cooperate with and support Somalia and its people whenever possible. Congressman Smith remains ready to help in any way he can.
Acting Under Secretary Szubin was nominated by the White House to serve as Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence on April 20, 2015. This position leads the Treasury Department’s policy, enforcement, regulatory, and intelligence functions aimed at identifying and disrupting the lines of financial support to international terrorist organizations, proliferators of weapons of mass destruction, narcotics traffickers, and other actors posing a threat to our national security or foreign policy. The Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence is also responsible for overseeing the Department’s efforts to combat money laundering and financial crimes.
“June 27th’s community conversation and engagement provided a powerful platform to reiterate our earlier calls for the processing of remittances. As a vital component of the Somali economy, remittances help many families pay for every day necessities such as food, medicine, education, as well as help expand economic and business opportunities in Somalia,” said Congressman Smith. “We need to make it easier for residents of the 9th District and Somali-Americans everywhere to send money back to their families in Somalia. Having Acting U/S Szubin here in Seattle shows the Treasury Department’s commitment to our efforts.”
“Treasury is working to ensure that remittance flows are transparent, safe, and strong, and recognizes the importance of remittances from the United States reaching loved ones abroad,” said Adam J. Szubin, Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. “Challenges remain, but we are encouraged by the continued robust flows of remittances and by the progress that’s being made in increasing transparency and oversight. I am further encouraged by the thoughtful dialogue that I have had with Congressman Adam Smith, his constituents, money transmitters, and local banks on this important issue. We look forward to working with Congressman Smith and other members of Congress in the weeks and months ahead.”
Congressman Smith and Acting Under Secretary Szubin will continue to support efforts to build a strong Somalia, with a sustainable and well-regulated and supervised financial system in Somalia, and support its people whenever possible.
Washington D.C. – Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling on June 27th that upheld the constitutional right of women to make their own reproductive decisions:
“On June 27th, the Supreme Court struck down two provisions of a dangerous anti-abortion law in Texas by a vote of 5 to 3. In the case of Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, a group of Texas abortion clinics and three doctors argued that a Texas state law requiring health providers have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and perform abortions in ambulatory surgical centers was overly burdensome. I am extremely pleased to see the Supreme Court rule in favor of the plaintiffs, recognizing that unnecessarily requirements on surgical centers poses an undue burden on women’s constitutional right to seek an abortion. I stand with all women and will continue to support policies that allow for women to make their own healthcare decisions and have access to critical reproductive healthcare services.”
Washington D.C. – Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement about the sit-in taking place on the House Floor:
On June 22nd, I was proud to join Congressman John Lewis and Congresswoman Katherine Clark as they led House Democrats in a sit-in to call for action on common sense gun reforms. My fellow Democrats and I took to the floor to demand that gun safety legislation finally be allowed a vote by the full House of Representatives. The time is long past due for action. It is shameful that Republican Leadership has failed to listen to the American people. Speaker Ryan must change course – let us vote now to keep weapons out of the hands of dangerous terrorists and enact reforms that will reduce gun violence and keep our communities safe.
Washington D.C. – On June 10, 2016, Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA) and Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ) introduced bipartisan legislation, The Adoptee Citizenship Act, H.R. 5454, to guarantee citizenship to international adoptees. Similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate, S.2275 by Senator Klobuchar (D-MN) and Senator Coats (R-IN). Often, when children are adopted, the required paperwork is not filed and the children are never naturalized. With the passage of the Child Citizenship Act of 2000, most international adoptees were granted citizenship. Unfortunately, the bill did not apply to adoptees who were already over the age of 18 when it was enacted into law in 2000. The Adoptee Citizenship Act, would fix this arbitrary oversight and grant citizenship to people who were legally adopted and were age 18 or older in the year 2000 when the Child Citizenship Act was signed into law.
“This bill seeks to carry forward the vision of the original Child Citizenship Act of 2000, which sought to ensure that adopted children and biological children are treated equally under U.S. law. It will extend citizenship to foreign born adoptive children who have joined their forever families here in the United States,” said Congressman Smith. “Unfortunately, not all adoptees were able to benefit from the legislation when it originally passed, as it was limited to apply only to minors age 18 and under. Adopted individuals should not be treated as second class citizens just because they happened to be the wrong age when the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 was passed.”
“The Adoptee Citizenship Act closes a loophole and in so doing, brings hope to thousands of adoptees who were lawfully adopted and have lived their entire lives knowing only the United States as home, and yet, may never have been able to exercise their rights of citizenship due to lack of paperwork stemming from the circumstances surrounding their adoption,” said Congressman Franks. “Elevating the voices of adoptees here in Congress has been a priority for me as co-chair of the Adoption Coalition, and I am so grateful to be able to jointly introduce this very bipartisan initiative with my colleague Congressman Smith. I look forward to working together to ensure the legislation moves forward.”
Washington, DC – Today, Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) released the following statements on the passage of the FY2017 Legislative Branch Appropriations Act (H.R. 5325), which includes a provision that will require the Library of Congress to continue using the terms “illegal alien” and “alien” in its subject headings. In March, the Library decided to replace these terms with the words “noncitizens” and “unauthorized immigration” after a lengthy review. Last month, CAPAC Chairwoman Judy Chu joined leaders of the Congressional Tri-Caucus – comprised of CAPAC, the Congressional Black Caucus, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus – in sending a letter to the House Appropriations Committee urging the removal of the provision.
Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27), CAPAC Chair:
“By inserting anti-immigrant language into this simple funding bill, House Republicans are once again openly displaying their xenophobia by forcing the Library of Congress to continue using the terms ‘illegal alien’ and ‘alien’ against its own will. Words matter, which is why the Library of Congress decided to stop using these dated and pejorative words. Unfortunately, terms like these are all too familiar to many within the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community due to various ‘alien’ laws that targeted AAPIs by denying citizenship, restricting land ownership, and prohibiting inter-racial marriage. And during World War II, the U.S. government rounded up ‘aliens’ of Japanese ancestry for interment. We cannot allow our country to move backwards by perpetuating the use of these dehumanizing words. The AAPI community and all Americans deserve better.”
Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo (GU), CAPAC Vice Chair:
“The continued use of ‘alien’ and ‘illegal alien’ to refer to undocumented migrants dehumanizes the many hardworking individuals who contribute to our economies and have come in search of a better life for their families. While we can debate the actions we should take to address their immigration status, we should not be using pejorative language that separates these individuals from the dignity they deserve as human beings. I am disappointed the Rules Committee did not allow amendments submitted by Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz and Congressman Castro to be offered on the House floor. These amendments would strike report language in the Legislative Branch appropriations bill to prevent the Congressional Research Service from using other terms when referring to undocumented migrants. Given the many contributions of immigrants to this nation, the full House should at least be able to debate matters such as this, but Republicans on the Rules Committee refused to let us even discuss this matter.”
Congressman Michael Honda (CA-17), CAPAC Chair Emeritus:
“On February 19th, 1942, the U.S. government announced that all ‘aliens and non-aliens of Japanese ancestry’ would be relocated to internment camps. Our government didn’t even have the decency to call us ‘citizens’ or ‘noncitizens’ as we were rounded up and imprisoned for years. The continued use of words like ‘illegal’ and ‘alien’ divides and dehumanizes entire communities and is used to discriminate against immigrants and people of color. No human being is ‘illegal’ and no one should be made to feel ‘alien.’ As a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, I voted to strike this language in Committee which has no place in our national discourse and I will continue to oppose it.”
Congressman Mark Takano (CA-41), CAPAC Whip:
“The most American ideal is that every person – no matter where they come from, what they believe, or who they love – deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. It is disappointing that not every Member of Congress is committed to upholding that principle. Requiring the Library of Congress to use terms that are offensive and dehumanizing is beneath us. It undermines our effort to build a more compassionate and inclusive society.”
Congressman Ami Bera (CA-07):
“Requiring the Library of Congress to use language like ‘alien’ or ‘illegal alien’ is a step backwards for us as a nation. Instead of trying to keep dated rhetoric in place, I urge my colleagues to work on a real solution to our broken immigration system. As the son of immigrants who came to this country to make a better life for their family, I know that our country’s success would not be possible without the contributions of immigrants who’ve come here. That’s why I’ve been fighting for comprehensive immigration reform since I got to Congress.”
Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13):
“Simply put, the term ‘Illegal Alien’ is disparaging and racist. The Library of Congress should be allowed to end the use of this slur without interference from Congress.”
Congressman Ted Lieu (CA-33):
“Today, I join my colleagues in calling for the removal of offensive legislative language that would require the Library of Congress to continue to use derogatory terms such as ‘aliens’ and ‘illegals’ instead of ‘noncitizens’ and ‘unauthorized’ to describe immigrants. As one of six immigrants currently serving in Congress, I am personally offended by this. We are a nation of immigrants and using these types of disparaging words to describe immigrants is not only wrong, it is dehumanizing. I urge my House colleagues to do the right thing and remove this hurtful language from the Fiscal Year 2017 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill.”
Congresswoman Grace Meng (NY-06):
“Shame on those who seek to block the Library of Congress from replacing these antiquated and pejorative terms. The Library of Congress decided to make these changes after a comprehensive review, and we should not be politicizing the process. We are a nation of immigrants and most who come to the U.S. only seek better lives, and to have their shot at the American dream. Let’s work to pass comprehensive immigration reform, which is what our country really needs, rather than waste time on efforts to stop the Library of Congress from updating its subject headings.”
Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03):
“I am disappointed that there are those in Congress who wish to require the Library of Congress to use offensive, pejorative terms. These terms perpetuate the defamation of immigrant communities. While the term originated in the Naturalization Act of 1970, it has since taken on a negative association. We must continue to modernize outdated terminology in federal law and promote diversity in our nation.”
Congressman Mark Takai (HI-01):
“The House has a standing rule that no legislating is meant to be done through the appropriations process. Yet, Republicans are using this bill to force Library of Congress to revert back to the term ‘illegal alien’ for their subject headings. I urge the House focus on funding critical programs in the Legislative Branch, rather than bringing back the use of derogatory terms.”
Congressman Raul Grijalva (AZ-03):
“The term ‘illegal alien’ is a slur, plain and simple. It has no business in the lexicon of the Library of Congress, or any other institution of the United States federal government. The fact that the Republican Party is trying to force such demeaning and hateful language into official use speaks volumes about their intentions, and about how far removed they are from the immigrant communities that make up the tapestry of our society.”
Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (CA-19):
“If denigrating Mexican immigrants, Muslims, and federal judges weren’t enough, Republicans are now taking their anti-immigrant feud to our librarians by insisting on terminology that is outdated and insulting to immigrants. Much in the same way the Library of Congress has substituted ‘African Americans’ for ‘Negroes,’ and ‘people with disabilities’ for ‘cripples,’ the Library regularly reviews and update subject headings. But this election season it seems that there is no limit to the racial invectives Republicans will hurl in their narrow-minded pursuit to dehumanize and vilify immigrants who have worked so hard to contribute to communities all across America.”
Congresswoman Grace Napolitano (CA-32):
“Terms that are offensive should rightly be removed from law, and replaced with language that reflects our true American values of inclusion and integrity. I join my CAPAC colleagues in strongly denouncing today’s attack by House Republicans, which is an affront to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and all Americans, who deserve better from their elected officials.”
Congressman Charles B. Rangel (NY-13):
“We must not allow the use of such bigoted terms against immigrants, whether documented or not. Like those before them, they came to America to seek a better life in pursuit of peace and prosperity. Immigrants continue to make America beautiful and stronger. They should not be dehumanized.”
Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40):
“I am deeply disappointed that the Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill would require the Library of Congress to use the terms ‘alien’ and ‘illegal alien’ in its subject headings. These terms are offensive, outdated, and confusing. They deny a basic measure of human dignity to millions of men, women, and children. As members of Congress and leaders of our communities, it is our responsibility to promote respectful discourse on important issues, including immigration. Removing ‘alien’ and ‘illegal alien’ from Library of Congress usage would be a step towards making our immigration debate more respectful and humane.”
Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-46):
“The term ‘illegal alien’ is a form of dehumanizing rhetoric and has been used to justify continued discrimination against vulnerable migrant and minority communities. This politically motivated Congressional interference in the process to reform the Library of Congress Subject Headings is unprecedented and insulting.”
Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09):
“Our government should actively lead by example and stand up against bigotry. Recent efforts in the Legislative Branch Appropriations process would result in the erroneous and offensive inclusion of a provision that would keep derogatory terms, such as ‘alien’ or ‘illegal alien’ in circulation. Our policies and laws should include language that better reflects the diversity of our country’s history, people, and cultures.”
Congressman Juan Vargas (CA-51):
“With the exception of our Native American brothers and sisters, the Unites States is a nation full of immigrants. The use of dehumanizing terms, like “alien”, belittles those courageous individuals currently seeking a better life and ignores that we were once in the same position. The panel convened by Library of Congress acted appropriately in the past by removing offensive words from their usage and they were right to recently remove the term ‘alien’. I am appalled that my Republican colleagues would force the Library of Congress to use offensive terms against its wishes.”
Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez (NY-07):
“Language and the words we choose have power in shaping our dialogue and reflecting our nation’s values. For the Library of Congress to continue using the outdated and dehumanizing term ‘illegal aliens’ would serve only to justify division and hatred against some of our immigrant neighbors. People cannot be ‘illegal’, which is what this hateful term suggests.”
The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) is comprised of Members of Congress of Asian and Pacific Islander descent and Members who have a strong dedication to promoting the well-being of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Currently chaired by Congresswoman Judy Chu, CAPAC has been addressing the needs of the AAPI community in all areas of American life since it was founded in 1994.