Washington D.C. – Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement in response to President Trump’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2018:
“Instead of proposing a budget that makes available the tools Americans and this country need to succeed, the Trump Administration has proposed a disastrous and ideologically-driven budget that demonstrates this President’s complete lack of interest in or understanding of the realities of governing. The President has doubled down on his earlier campaign promises, and makes clear he want to limit the government’s ability to improve the lives of working Americans and diminish our country’s role in the world.
“The budget released today would radically slash investments in programs that seek to expand broad-based economic opportunities and are effective at growing our economy. This proposal would up-end healthcare in the United States, undermine equitable universal education, underinvest in infrastructure, and inflict disastrous cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency and National Institutes of Health, among many other agencies and programs. The proposal would endanger the health, well-being, and success of Americans now and in the future. Furthermore, this proposal supports an isolationist worldview that ignores the importance of diplomacy and development abroad.
“The assumptions underlying the Administration’s budget are also based on budget gimmicks. Tax cuts do not pay for themselves and economic growth cannot be wished into existence. Instead, we must enact sound policy solutions and make strategic investments in the economy. It is telling that Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have already stated that this budget proposal is dead on arrival.
“I fundamentally believe that government can, and should, be a force for good. We can responsibility invest in our future and grow the economy to ensure that America remains strong at home and abroad. I encourage the President and my colleagues in Congress to support a budget that focuses on investing in a better future for everyone.”
Washington, D.C. – Today, House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) made the following statement about the existence of evidence indicating collusion between members of President Trump’s team and the Russian government:
“As we discuss the issue of Russian collusion, it is important for people to keep in mind the following: It is simply not accurate to state that ‘there is no evidence of collusion between President Trump’s team and the Russian government.’
“In fact, there is a mountain of evidence that the public has been aware of for some time. For example, Trump campaign operative Carter Page flew to Moscow on a campaign-approved trip and gave a speech savaging the United States and its allies for opposing corruption and supporting democratic values, then met with Russian Ambassador Kislyak at the Republican convention. A FISA court judge found there was enough evidence to constitute probable cause that he was a foreign agent working on behalf of Russia.
“Trump campaign manager Paul Manfort, who has been a paid consultant for a previous pro-Putin president of Ukraine, also met with Ambassador Kislyak at the convention, as did Trump national security chair Jeff Sessions. Right before the convention, the Republican Party platform was altered so that it did not support lethal defensive weapons for Ukraine, a policy position desired by the Russians, reportedly at the behest of the Trump campaign. All of those campaign officials then denied meeting with Kislyak before admitting having done so.
“Trump campaign operative Roger Stone communicated with both Wikileaks and an online persona controlled by Russian intelligence officials that was involved in the hacking of the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton’s campaign, accurately predicting the release of documents hacked by the Russians and bragging that Clinton campaign chair John Podesta would be next, two days before his emails were released. It was recently reported that Trump campaign officials had at least 18 undisclosed calls and emails with the Russian government in the last seven months of the campaign. This is just the beginning of the information on the public record. It is all evidence of collusion.
“What we do not have right now is conclusive proof that President Trump’s team colluded with the Russian government. But a lack of conclusive proof is not the same thing as a lack of evidence, and we should not confuse the two.
“There is sufficient evidence to justify the appointment of a special prosecutor, there is enough evidence for Congress to continue investigating, and there is enough evidence that the American people should be deeply concerned about the President’s dealings with Russia. We do the truth a disservice when we blur those two questions, and it is important that we make every effort to keep this distinction clear.”
Washington D.C. – Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement in response to the tunnel collapse at the Hanford Nuclear Site managed by the Department of Energy in Richland, Washington:
“This month’s tunnel breach at the Hanford Nuclear Site underscores the importance of policies that prioritize worker health and safety. While the complete collapse of the tunnel was averted, I remain concerned. The Department of Energy (DOE) is relying more on luck than on certainty that all measures have been taken to avoid a potential incident that could release radiation and contamination. Such an incident would cause unacceptable harm, endanger lives and require long-term evacuations of the area and huge remediation costs. There have been too many near-misses across the nuclear complex. In addition to this latest incident, there are on-going concerns about noxious fumes at Hanford. Looking beyond Hanford to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico, in 2014, a drum burst because of an inexcusable typo in drum packing guidance which could have killed or sickened workers at the site had the underground area not been evacuated a week prior due to an unrelated incident. The culture of complacency cannot continue.
“A successful clean-up of Hanford requires rigorous safety rules and regulations, as well as a strong and reliable safety culture that focuses on protecting the men and women conducting the essential, and often dangerous, work at the site. The DOE and its partners must demonstrate that it has met these objectives and use all incentives and coercive measures at its disposal to do so. The health and safety of employees at Hanford must always come before consideration of the bottom line.
“As Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, I will carefully monitor the investigation into the tunnel collapse and efforts to ensure that the risk of another collapse at additional tunnels is as close to zero as possible. I remain committed to ensuring a safe and transparent clean-up at Hanford and I will continue to fight to ensure that the DOE has the well-being of all workers as a top priority and that it has the resources it needs to do so.”
Washington, D.C. – Today, House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) made the following statement about President Trump giving highly classified information to the Russians:
“We need to be clear about the gravity of what President Trump has done here. It is an extremely serious deed to hand sensitive information from our allies over to the Russians. He does not have an ‘absolute right’ to do whatever he wants with this information, because the President of the United States has obligations to security of the American people, to our allies who place their trust in us, and to the people whose lives his reckless acts might endanger. I hope that the he did not compromise the safety of any of our troops or civilians serving overseas, nor give comfort to our adversaries.
“It is clear that President Trump still does not recognize the danger that countries like Russia pose to us, to our values, and to global security. There is no evidence that the Russians have abandoned or even slowed their campaign to prop up dictatorships and undermine representative democracies around the world. We should not be trying to curry favor with them by cavalierly handing over the secrets of our close allies.
“Moreover, it is not appropriate that the administration purposely misrepresented the facts about this matter. It suggests contempt for the public and the free press to label a report categorically false, and then to subsequently admit that President Trump did release highly sensitive information, but claim that his actions were completely justified. Honesty and transparency with the press are essential elements of a functioning republic, and actions like this undermine those values.”
Washington D.C. – Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement regarding the President’s proposed tax plan:
“Our current tax code is overly-complex; there is no question it needs reexamination and overhaul. The tax proposal released today by President Trump would be disastrous. Its almost singular focus on cutting taxes for wealthy people and companies will harm working people and undermine a healthy economy.
“It is deeply hypocritical for Republicans to have claimed for years that responsible budgets and limiting deficits matter, only to now support excessive and unpaid-for tax cuts. If spurring economic growth was as easy as cutting taxes, our economy would have grown considerably more in the past 16 years, following the Bush tax cuts.
“The revenues generated by our tax system directly fund our government and its efforts to care for our fellow Americans, keep our country safe, and invest in the future through education, housing, research, defense, infrastructure, and other priorities. This plan drastically reduces revenues and will devastate government and programs in all areas, explode budget deficits, and risk destroying our economy. I hope that my Republican colleagues in Congress will have the good sense to reject this unwise tax proposal and instead focus on making government work better for everyone.”
“President Trump’s decision to fire FBI director James Comey is deeply disturbing. It comes as Comey is in the midst of an investigation into possible collusion between Trump campaign officials and Russian operatives to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. We know the Russians were behind the hacking of DNC emails and that they did so to try and give Trump an advantage in the election. Furthermore, there is troubling evidence of connections between a number of Trump campaign operatives and the Russians, connections that on more than one occasion those Trump campaign officials were caught lying about.
“FBI Director Comey was in charge of what was the one clearly independent investigation of this unprecedented interference in our elections by a foreign power. Did Trump fire Comey to stop this investigation? There is no way to prove that, but it is a very troubling coincidence. Coupled with President Trump’s refusal to turn over his tax returns and continuing denial of what the Russians clearly did in the election, there is every reason to believe our president is acting to stop any legitimate investigation into those Russian actions.
“We are a nation of laws, not individuals. By firing Director Comey President Trump has shown he does not understand this basic, governing, Constitutional principle of our nation. We must continue to push for a special prosecutor to get to the bottom of what happened in the 2016 election and not let this President sweep it under the rug.”
Washington, D.C. – Today, House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) made the following statement about nominee for Secretary of the Army Mark Green:
“I am deeply offended by the discriminatory comments that Mark Green, the nominee for Secretary of the Army, has expressed and I condemn them. They are not acceptable positions for a service secretary to hold, and he should withdraw his name from contention for this position. All Americans need to feel welcome serving our country, and sentiments like these only undermine our values and harm our national defense.”
Washington D.C. – Congressman Smith released the following statement in response to the Republican health care bill passed by the House today:
“House Republicans voted today to eliminate essential health benefits and protections for Americans. No one—especially not those Republicans who voted to pass it—bothered to consider the costs or the actual impacts of the American Health Care Act (ACHA) on working Americans, those with pre-existing conditions, and people who rely on Medicare and Medicaid. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was by no means a cure to all of our healthcare challenges, but today’s bill ignores any opportunity for meaningful changes, and instead represents a dangerous leap backwards.
“Prior to the 2010 enactment of the ACA, health care costs were rapidly increasing, government budgets were straining under health costs, and many patients, including those with pre-existing conditions, were unable to access affordable health coverage. We simply cannot revert to a system that allows costs to increase unchecked, insures too few, and drains our economy.
“Republicans, driven by a desire to deliver on a political promise, made irresponsible and harmful changes to the ACHA, which erode essential protections and high quality care, solely to placate Members of the House Republican caucus. Republicans are kidding themselves if they believe eliminating coverage for millions is a desirable approach to further improving health care in this country. Rather than building upon our existing health care law, they are systematically destroying our health care structure. Republicans, led by President Trump, have already undermined the current system by inserting uncertainty and instability into the market, rolling back key consumer protections, weakening enforcement of the individual mandate, and tampering with rules to benefit insurers at the cost of the American people.
“Today’s vote is the height of irresponsibility. Republicans hold power at all levels of our federal government. They must govern for all Americans, not just their ideologically-driven base, and take the time to craft a bipartisan health care bill that improves the health and wellbeing of all Americans.”
“The executive order President Trump signed today allows for discrimination under the guise of religious freedom. I respect the fundamental right of free exercise of religion, but not at the expense of women’s personal health decisions that should be left between them, their doctor, and their family. Freedom of religion does not include the right to impose those beliefs on others.
“I strongly support increasing access to family planning services. We need to fight for equality for all – not encourage and legitimize those who seek to limit women’s reproductive rights. Family planning has been proven to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and, as a result, the total number of abortions. I will continue to fight this and similar attacks every step of the way.”
“A primary duty of the United States Government is to protect its citizens, but it is critical that in doing so we do not forget our obligation to protect the privacy and rights of Americans,” said Congressman Smith. “This legislation will provide clear and commonsense legal avenues for the Department of Homeland Security to pursue those who commit crime and wish to do our country harm without infringing on the rights of American citizens. Importantly, it will ensure that American citizens and legal residents returning to the U.S. from overseas are not subject to invasive, warrantless searches of their data. Your private information should remain just that – private.”
“The government should not have the right to access your personal electronic devices without probable cause,” Congressman Polis said. “Whether you are at home, walking down the street, or at the border, we must make it perfectly clear that our Fourth Amendment protections extend regardless of location. This bill is overdue, and I am glad we can come together in a bicameral, bipartisan manner to ensure that Customs and Border Patrol agents don’t continue to violate essential privacy safeguards.”
“The Supreme Court has made clear that generally law enforcement must get a warrant before searching an electronic device. Yet, CBP continues to seize and search thousands of travelers’ devices every year without a warrant,” said Neema Singh Guliani, ACLU Legislative Counsel. “Congress must now take action to end this unwise and unconstitutional practice by enacting this important bill.”
“The Protecting Data at the Border Act is timely legislation that would rein in Customs and Border Protection. In recent months, we have seen an alarming increase in the number of invasive device searches at the border,” said EFF Staff Attorney Sophia Cope. “The extraordinary privacy interests in our cell phones and other mobile devices are not the same as those for a suitcase. EFF supports this important bill, which would require border agents to do what we believe the Constitution requires: get a probable cause warrant.”
“A search of your cell phone or social media account is a direct look behind the curtain that covers the most intimate aspects of your life. A border stop shouldn’t be an excuse for extreme surveillance such as downloading the entire contents of your phone. This bill would ensure that the government demonstrates a good reason for searches at the border, and that a judge agrees,” said Greg Nojeim, CDT Director, Freedom, Security, and Technology Project.
Background:
The Protecting Data at the Border Act was introduced in response to recent countless stories of individuals being arbitrarily stopped at the border. These reports are both worrisome and threatening to the very principles of due process – a founding principle of our democratic system of government. Originally introduced by Congressman Smith as the “Traveler’s Privacy Protection Act,” this updated legislation reflects the changing digital landscape in which Americans are regularly engaged.
The Protecting Data at the Border Act requires reasonable suspicion of illegal activity for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents to search the contents of laptop computers or other electronic devices carried by U.S. citizens or lawful residents, and it prohibits profiling travelers based on their race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin. Additionally, the bill requires a warrant or court order to seize information uncovered during a search, and ensures that information acquired during an electronic search is protected by strict disclosure limitations. Reporting requirements also mandate that DHS provides information on its border search policies and practices to Congress and the public.