Path Forward on Bipartisan COVID Relief
Tonight, I was part of a group of 10 Republican Senators who met with President Biden to discuss the details of a more targeted COVID-19 relief proposal capable of garnering bipartisan support. My colleagues and I recognize the President’s calls for unity and want to work in good faith with his administration to meet the health, economic, and societal challenges of the COVID crisis. Our plan mirrors many of the components from his plan, including increasing funding for the production and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine; providing economic relief for Americans with the greatest need; extending enhanced federal unemployment benefits; providing nutrition assistance to help struggling families; providing additional assistance for our small businesses; getting our children safely back to school and ensuring they can stay open; and increasing resources for child care, which is critical to getting Americans back to work.
Yesterday, I sent a letter to President Biden, with Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) outlining our COVID-19 relief compromise.
Since March 2019, Congress has passed five bipartisan Covid-19 relief bills and provided more than $4 trillion in COVID-19 relief. The latest COVID-19 relief package provided $900 billion in additional resources and was signed into law on December 27, 2020. Much of that assistance is only now being disbursed.
Click here for more details on the proposal.
February is Black History Month
February is Black History Month. This month, and throughout the year, we reflect on centuries of Black history and heritage in communities across Indiana and the country. Over the past three years in the Senate, and throughout my tenure as an elected official, I have made it a priority to meet with Indiana’s Black leaders and hear firsthand what changes needs to occur. As such, I have been working closely with these groups to enact real reforms within criminal justice, affordable housing, health care, job opportunities, and education.
While Black History Month is often synonymous with prominent figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, and more, this February, I ask that all Hoosiers recognize and celebrate the contributions of all our Black communities and how their efforts have helped make Indiana the great state it is today.
Supporting the Pro-Life Agenda and March for Life
Year after year, Hoosiers remain united behind our most fundamental right - the right to life. Even though this year’s March for Life was virtual, it was just as important that we stand up for the unborn, especially now that the Biden Administration has already taken steps to allow taxpayer-funded abortions on demand. I will continue to support legislation that protects innocent life.
President Biden’s reversal of abortion restrictions goes against the pro-life principles supported by a majority of Americans and certainly by most Hoosiers. I am sickened that making abortions easier to obtain was one of the President’s top priorities upon taking office.
As a Senator, President Biden supported the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding for abortions. However, now that he has risen to the White House, it’s clear he is taking orders from the radical left who support taxpayer-funded abortions on demand. I will continue fighting back against these horrific actions and doing everything in my power to protect the unborn.
Click here to learn more about my efforts to defend life through:
The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act
- The bill would prohibit the use of federal funds for abortions or for health care coverage that includes abortions.
The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act
- The bill would protect unborn babies after 20 weeks post-fertilization, a point at which research has shown unborn children feel pain. The United States is currently one of only seven countries in the world that allow abortions after 20 weeks – a list which includes human rights violators like China and North Korea.
The Support and Value Expectant (SAVE) Moms and Babies Act
- The bill would strengthen the oversight of chemical abortion drugs, prevent providers from dispensing them remotely, and stop the approval of new types of these drugs.
The Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act
- The bill would ensure that babies who survive an attempted abortion have a chance at life by requiring health care practitioners to provide the same level of treatment for these babies as they would for any other baby born at the same age.
The Dignity for Aborted Children Act
- The bill would ensure the bodies of the unborn are treated with respect by enforcing guidelines for the dignified handling of aborted fetal remains.
The Protecting Life in Foreign Assistance Act
- The bill would codify the expanded Mexico City Policy in law, ensuring no U.S. foreign aid be provided to organizations that provide or promote abortions.
The Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act
- The bill would prohibit elective abortion providers, such as Planned Parenthood, from receiving federal grants through the Title X Family Planning Program.
The Defund Planned Parenthood Act
- The bill would prohibit federal funding for Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider.
New START Extension to Limit Russia’s Strategic Arsenal
Over the last 10 years, the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty has advanced our national security and effectively constrained Russia’s strategic nuclear arsenal. Extending New START is clearly in our nation’s best interest, and that’s why I am pleased to hear the Biden Administration is working to renew the Treaty with Russia for five years. I hope both sides are able to swiftly come to an agreement to preserve this important arms control accord.
New START keeps a lid on Russia’s long-range nuclear capabilities that target the U.S. homeland and includes an extensive monitoring regime that provides us valuable insight into the operations, composition, and location of Russia’s nuclear forces. Critically, extending New START will also lay the groundwork for negotiating follow-on agreements with Russia and pursuing parallel efforts to engage China on arms control.
Looking beyond New START, I look forward to working with the new Administration to continue enhancing other aspects of our nuclear deterrence, including the bipartisan work to modernize the United States’ nuclear arsenal, and craft an effective, durable arms control strategy that enhances our national security.
Constitutional Amendment To Keep SCOTUS At Nine Justices
Last week, I joined my colleagues in reintroducing a constitutional amendment that would limit the Supreme Court of the United States to nine justices. The Supreme Court has had nine seats since 1869.
The Supreme Court is critical to our system of checks and balances, and proposals that call for expanding the Court to further partisan goals are antithetical to American values. Such efforts would irreparably harm our democracy and Americans’ faith in our institutions. I hope the new administration will support this effort to reaffirm our commitment to the norms that have served us well for the past 150 years.
National School Choice Week Resolution
I introduced a resolution declaring last week as National School Choice Week. In a time when COVID-19 has severely limited access to quality education for many, parents across the country continue to recognize the importance of school choice. According to a new survey released by the American Federation for Children, 72 percent of K-12 parents who work full-time support school choice.
The education of our youth is a priority for all Hoosiers. Families should be allowed to choose the type of education that best suits their children’s needs. I’m proud to support National School Choice Week as we recognize and celebrate all kinds of learning opportunities for Hoosiers, especially during this pandemic.
Gateway to Careers Act to Expand Job Opportunities and Strengthen Innovative Businesses
Every Hoosier deserves a fair shot at success. My Gateway to Careers Act would help remove barriers that keep individuals from excelling in our ever-changing workforce. This bill would provide resources to individuals in need to help train our workers, support our businesses, and grow our economy – which is especially relevant during this pandemic.
Learn more about this bill here.
The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act
Each day, the world becomes more aware of the horrific human rights abuses being committed by the Chinese Communist Party against the Uyghur people in Xinjiang, China. Governments and industries alike need to speak up for those being oppressed and enslaved in these modern-day concentration camps. It is unconscionable that western companies would benefit from modern day slavery. These human rights atrocities must stop and I am glad to work with my bipartisan colleagues to help bring an end to these abuses.
Which is why, last week, I helped reintroduce the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. This bipartisan bill will ensure that goods made with Uyghur forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) do not enter the United States. Earlier this year, the State Department issued a determination that the Chinese Communist Party is committing crimes against humanity and genocide against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.
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