Washington D.C. – Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement today in response to the National Rifle Association’s release of a misguided video:
“The National Rifle Association’s (NRA) latest video shows how out of touch it is with finding common sense solutions to the issues of the day. In 2013, the year in which the most recent data is available, there were 27,329 deaths involving firearms, with 11,208 of those being homicides. Instead of trying to fix the nationwide health epidemic of shootings, which has resulted in the tragic deaths of far too many Americans, the NRA has turned its misguided aim on Iran. Instead of irresponsibly fanning the flames of war, it should advocate for sensible gun control laws to eliminate the unconscionable and rampant gun violence plaguing our nation.
“The NRA’s uninformed foray into serious national security issues has the potential to exacerbate tensions in a region already beset by conflict. This xenophobic propaganda makes no attempt at presenting long-term solutions to bring about peace and stability. Simply put, the NRA should focus its time, energy, and efforts to address the problems it helped create before it mistakenly pretends to be an expert on foreign policy which could potentially result in the deaths of even more Americans. As a country, we must work to limit senseless gun violence, keep our communities safe, and advance constructive approaches to national security issues.”
Washington, DC – Today, House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith made the following statement indicating his opposition to the FY 2017 NDAA:
“I have been extremely concerned about this bill’s attempt to take $18 billion from Overseas Contingency Operations, setting up a funding cliff that puts our men and women in the field at risk next year. This scheme degrades military readiness by taking funds out of OCO. It also sets the stage to break the budget agreement reached just last October, which will make it more difficult to reach similar deals in the future that we will need in order to make necessary investments in our military, infrastructure, public health, and other critical priorities.
“Now, Republicans have used a procedural trick to overturn a decision by Members of the House regarding women’s equality in the Selective Service. They have misused the rules process to avoid votes on women’s equality, labor laws, and taxpayer-funded discrimination against LGBT individuals, while adding further restrictions on transfers from the Guantanamo Detention Facility, cutting funds for nuclear nonproliferation, and adopting a range of other highly problematic provisions. These have tipped the balance of the bill considerably. I greatly appreciate the efforts of the majority to work with us on this bill, but unfortunately, without proper debate and vote by the whole House on these national issues, it is no longer a product I can support.”
I am proud to announce my endorsement of Initiative 1491, which will help save lives and make our neighborhoods safer. Extreme Risk Protection Orders give concerned family members and law enforcement officers a tool to prevent a private moment of crisis from becoming a public tragedy, or another awful gun violence statistic. No one should be afraid of gun violence in their own home, at school, at work, or in their place of worship.
Washington state continues to lead the nation in voter-driven efforts to address the crisis of gun violence in our country. In Congress, as a member of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and as lifelong Washingtonian, I have always championed common-sense responsible gun laws that protect our children and communities. In 2014, I was proud to support I-594, which created universal background checks in Washington state and passed with overwhelming voter support. No single piece of legislation can prevent every tragedy, but supporting I-1491 and Extreme Risk Protection Orders are the best step we can take right now to reduce gun violence in our state.
The Alliance for Gun Responsibility is in the process of collecting 340,000 signatures to ensure that Extreme Risk Protection Orders are on the ballot this November. Find out more about how you can get involved at www.GunResponsibility.org
Washington D.C. – Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement on the opioid related legislation considered by the House of Representatives:
“Our nation is in the midst of a heroin and prescription drug abuse epidemic, resulting in the deaths of thousands, and taking a toll on the health and safety of many Americans and their families. Since 2000, overdose deaths have increased 137% – costing more than 60 lives a day. Congress must act to stem this nation-wide epidemic by investing in prevention, treatment, recovery, and efforts to prevent the smuggling of drugs across our borders. Addiction is a brain disease, and given the medical and technological advancements over the years, we now have a better understanding of the mental and physical aspects of drug abuse; and can work to increase access to recovery services that can turn the tide of this fight. The debate on the House Floor this week should have been much more comprehensive but I support the steps we have taken to combat the drug abuse epidemic and I will continue to support efforts to address inequities in our society.
“While I am deeply disappointed that the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act and its related bills do not provide the full funding necessary to confront the rising numbers of overdose death and addiction, I believe these legislative efforts will begin to address the fight against opioid and heroin abuse. It is my hope that the conversations my colleagues and I had on the piecemealed legislation that came to the House Floor this week will be the beginning of a much larger fight to secure the resources and funding necessary to meaningfully address this crisis and treat the overdose and addiction affecting our communities.
“The scourge of this disease is not limited to single cities or groups. As Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, I have personally fought for the wellbeing of our service members and requested critical support in efforts to address opioid misuse, abuse, addiction, overdose and death. I submitted an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, directing the Secretary of Defense to submit a report to Congress on the DOD’s efforts to prevent, educate and treat prescription opioid drug abuse.
“While the current crisis we face in opioid abuse is extraordinarily important, we must remain cognizant of the unfinished business in the sentencing disparity between crack vs. powder cocaine. That these are essentially two separate forms of the same substance remains a significant issue that cannot be overlooked. In 2010, I supported the passage of S. 1789, the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, which reduced the sentencing disparity between offenses for crack and powder cocaine from 100:1 to 18:1. It also eliminated the mandatory minimum sentence for simple possession offenses. The 100:1 ratio was scientifically unjustifiable, and resulted in individuals of color being targeted and jailed with disproportionately longer sentences.
“In the current Congress, I am a supporter of a number of bills that work to correct this historical inequity. H.R. 1252, the Fair Sentencing Clarification Act, would make the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 retroactively applicable to federal prisoners serving mandatory minimum sentences for crack cocaine. I also co-sponsored H.R. 1255, the Fairness in Cocaine Sentencing Act, which would eliminate disparity between crack cocaine and powder cocaine sentences entirely – creating a 1:1 ratio. This legislation would combat inequities in our justice system, requiring that the same amount of each drug triggers the same sentence.
“We know that in order to pursue true racial justice we must re-examine the role of our justice system as the spearhead against the disease of drug addiction, challenging long-held assumptions and improving our system to emphasis prevention. Rather than focus on incarcerating Americans who suffer from addiction, we must focus on education, access to treatment services, and rehabilitation into society. By doing so, we recognize the evidence-based fact that remanding these individuals to jail and prison is structurally, as well as morally, wrong. I applaud my colleagues for the bipartisan work accomplished this week to start addressing the issues of opioid prescription and heroin drug abuse, but know there is much more work that still needs to be done.”
Washington D.C. – Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement about the Russell amendment attacking LGBT rights that was included in the FY 2017 National Defense Authorization Act. During mark-up of the NDAA in committee, Democrats fought against efforts to expand religious organizations’ ability to conduct ‘taxpayer funded discrimination’ against LGBT individuals, women, and other groups.
“The language in the Russell amendment is a direct attack on LGBT rights. The president issued an executive order prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity by government contractors. The Russell amendment tries to override this executive order by artfully claiming to protect ‘religious freedom,’ but just like similar efforts in numerous state legislatures, this is actually an effort to promote discrimination. The language tries to protect the so-called ‘right’ to get government contracts and grants and still discriminate against people whose lifestyle you don’t approve of. Government-funded discrimination is wrong under any circumstances, and we certainly shouldn’t be trying to expand it in a defense policy bill.”
Washington D.C. (Link) – Congressman Adam Smith made the following statement regarding his opposition to the Combating Terrorist Recruitment Act:
Terrorism is about spreading fear. As we combat violent extremism and the spread of dangerous propaganda, we must recognize that hateful ideology originates both overseas and at home. Since the 9/11 attacks, domestic terrorists have killed more people in the United States than foreign terrorist organizations. Numerous domestic terror acts, including those at the Seattle Jewish Federation, Planned Parenthood in Colorado, Oklahoma City, the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, the Sikh Temple in Wisconsin and the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC, have made clear that violent extremism is not limited to a single ideology, nor does it always breed on foreign soil.
Earlier this week, the House of Representatives considered H.R. 4820, the Combating Terrorist Recruitment Act. Notably, this bill weakens national security by excluding domestic terror organizations from its focus and ignoring that terrorists are inspired by a broad number of religious, political and ideological beliefs.
Our national security approach must build people-to-people ties, address the root causes of extremism and empower local partners to prevent violent extremism, both here and abroad. In the Puget Sound region, we have seen the damage that hateful and violent rhetoric inflicts on our local community centers and places of worship. We must remain vigilant in our fight against terror networks that seek to do us harm. By opening our eyes to the realities of foreign and domestic terror networks, we can work together to build a more just and peaceful society as we keep America safe.
WASHINGTON – Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn released the following statement on the House Armed Services Committee’s markup of the National Defense Authorization Act:
I strongly support Ranking Member Adam Smith’s proposed amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to bar federal funds for senior ROTC programs from being used by institutions that display the Confederate battle flag. Unfortunately, this objectionable banner currently flies at The Citadel in my congressional district.
Ranking Member Smith’s amendment has been crafted to exempt all current students at The Citadel and any other institution that might be affected. Consequently, all current students would be allowed to keep their ROTC scholarships, complete their programs, and receive their commissions.
This flag, which never was the official flag of the Confederacy, is a symbol of hate, racial oppression, and resistance to the rule of law. It did not fly at The Citadel immediately after the Civil War but was raised to its current location in Summerall Chapel in 1939, and it was placed in its current position by the institution. It has been used for over a century as a symbol of southern defiance and white supremacy; it was viewed as such by the perpetrator of the horrific shootings at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston on June 17 of last year. One of the victims of the Emanuel attack was a Citadel graduate, and six of its employees lost family members in that attack.
Following those tragic, racially motivated shootings, I joined Governor Nikki Haley; Senators Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott; Representatives Mark Sanford, Mick Mulvaney, Joe Wilson, and Tom Rice; and a host of other elected officials and citizens in calling for the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the South Carolina State House. The Board of Visitors of The Citadel joined us, voting 9-3 on June 23, 2015 to remove the Confederate battle flag from Summerall Chapel.
But while the South Carolina General Assembly voted to remove the Confederate battle flag from the State House grounds, the Attorney General has opined that The Citadel is barred from removing the flag from a prominent place on its campus by the so-called Heritage Act, which the General Assembly passed in 2000. While I personally question whether or not a gift from an alumnus is covered by that ill-advised Act, our state legislators acted honorably in removing the Confederate battle flag from the State House grounds and should do so again in this instance. Americans’ tax dollars should be directed to institutions free of symbols of hatred.
I urge the members of the House Armed Services Committee and my colleagues in the South Carolina Congressional Delegation to support Ranking Member Smith’s amendment. Any vote to block or weaken the amendment is a vote to support the continued display of the Confederate battle flag at The Citadel and across the country.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ranking Members Adam Smith, Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, and Elijah Cummings of, respectively, the House Armed Services Committee, the House Education and the Workforce Committee, and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform issued the following statements today after learning about forthcoming efforts to ban implementation of the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Ordervia an amendment in the FY 2017 Defense Authorization Act.
The Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order would require defense contractors who have committed serial violations of employment, safety, and minimum wage laws or serial discrimination based on race, gender, pregnancy, disability, or veterans status to disclose that they have done so to the government when applying for new contracts.
Ranking Member Smith made the following statement:
“We should not be making it easier for companies that violate labor, safety, or gender and racial equity laws to acquire government contracts. It is common sense that when the Defense Department or Nuclear Security Administration is choosing who it will work with, it should have sufficient information about any violations to know what it is getting into. Our labor and nondiscrimination laws exist to uphold the rights of Americans, and we need to stand up for those rights instead of trying to hide evidence that they have been violated. I will oppose any efforts to include language overriding this executive order in this National Defense Authorization Act.”
Ranking Member Scott made the following statement:
“We are deeply concerned about possible amendments to limit the application of the Fair Pay and Safe Workplace Executive Order as part of the Fiscal Year 2017 Defense Authorization Act. This EO, when implemented, will improve the information available to contracting officers to identify companies which engage in repeated, willful or pervasive violations of employment, non-discrimination, labor, or workplace safety laws. Congress should reject any attempts to provide taxpayer dollars to companies who repeatedly flaunt federal workplace laws or deprive workers of their labor and civil rights.”
Ranking Member Cummings made the following statement:
“It is extremely troubling that House Republicans are trying to pass a measure that would have the effect of encouraging corporate misconduct. The President’s Executive Order establishes a fair and consistent process to ensure that federal contractors pay their workers what they earn, maintain a safe working environment, and do not discriminate on the bases of race, gender, or disability. This is simple common sense, and it should be celebrated and enforced, not criticized and overturned.”
ICYMI: I was on KOMO’s Connect to Congress program on last week in Washington, DC, where I discussed my efforts as a member of the Democrat Whip’s Task Force on Income Inequality, my support for criminal justice reform, my work to end the detention bed mandate, and a few news stories of the day.
Source: KOMOnews.com
In November 2015, the President took legal and necessary executive action to reform our broken immigration system by expanding both the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In support of the President’s action, I joined members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on the steps of the Capitol. It is critical that we continue to show support for the President’s lawful action, as the Supreme Court hears oral arguments today in the United States v. Texas case.
The President’s common-sense immigration executive actions are authorized by existing laws passed by Congress. I have joined my colleagues in Congress in signing an Amicus Brief to the U.S. Supreme Court expressing that both DAPA and DACA are lawful. Once implemented, DAPA and DACA will be able to bring millions of families and children who are part of our communities and live in constant fear of deportation out of the shadows.