Compiled by Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO — Seven Democratic senators have announced their support for the Menendez-Kirk legislation that would slap Iran with sanctions if it fails to agree to limitations on its nuclear program. Besides Robert Menendez of New Jersey, they include Charles Schumer of New York, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Gary Peters of Michigan, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania. Along with the other principal author, Republican Mark Kirk of Illinois, original GOP sponsors of the measure thus far opposed by the White House include Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Dan Couts of Indiana, Marco Rubio of Florida, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Ted Cruz of Texas, Richard Burr of North Carolina, and Roy Blunt of Missouri.
Senator Schumer noted that the legislation would impose economic pressure on Iran if international negotiations do not yield a final nuclear deal by the P5+1 June 30th deadline. The legislation, the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2015 (S.269), also imposes a Congressional review period of 30 continuous session days in the event of a final deal.
The negotiations with Iran, which involve the P5+1 countries (United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany), were extended in November 2014 to a deadline of June 30, 2015.
“Now is the time for Iran to make a deal – one that prevents it from developing a nuclear weapon,” said Schumer. “If they don’t, the hammer of new sanctions will come down quickly, and that’s why I am co-sponsoring new bipartisan sanction legislation. The only way Iran will voluntarily stop their march for nuclear weapons is if they know that tougher and tougher sanctions will be enacted.”
Summary of the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2015:
Sanctions will be implemented only after the June 30th negotiations deadline, but only if the negotiations fail to produce a deal.
The Kirk-Menendez legislation increases the current congressional oversight of the negotiations and requires the Administration to formally submit any new nuclear agreement text or extension to Congress within five days.
Congress is allotted 30 days to review any nuclear agreement before the President can waive, defer or suspend sanctions.
Subject to a report and certification, the President can only waive sanctions if it is in the vital national security interest of the United States and/or a waiver would make a long-term comprehensive solution with Iran more likely.
If there is no final agreement by July 6, 2015, Kirk-Menendez would re-impose sanctions that have been waived while the negotiations have been ongoing, which would begin in August and run through December.
New sanctions would close loopholes in existing petroleum sanctions, enhance sanctions on Iran’s oil trade and financial transactions, and impose further sanctions on Iran’s senior government officials, family members and other individuals for weapons of mass destruction proliferation, terrorism sponsorship and other illicit activities, and on Iran’s shipbuilding, automotive, construction, engineering and mining sectors.
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In the House of Representatives meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-New York) spoke in support of the sanctions bill and also in support of Israel’s Prime Minister addressing a Joint Session of Congress on the Iran sanctions issue.
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The Jewish Citizen
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U.S. Senate
FAMILY PLANNING — U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-California) and 21 of her Senate colleagues on Wednesday, Jan. 28, sent a letter urging President Obama to continue strong U.S. support for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). UNFPA is the largest provider of family planning and reproductive health services, providing life-saving health care for men, women and children in more than 150 countries that are home to nearly 80 percent of the world’s population. The Senators wrote, “U.S. funding for UNFPA supports a range of global activities including the provision of voluntary family planning information, education and services, training and deployment of skilled birth attendance and midwives, and work to help end the harmful practices of female mutilation and child marriage.”
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OFFSHORE DRILLING – U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, was joined at a press conference by East Coast Senators opposing the reported plan by the Obama administration to open up areas of the Atlantic Coast to offshore oil drilling. “As we’ve seen, time and time again, oil spills do not respect state boundaries. We are still trying to clean up after the BP oil spill. Everyone from Maryland watermen to small business owners are put at risk by drilling off the Atlantic Coast, and for what? The potential rewards for Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay are not worth the risk of more seismic testing- let alone another calamitous spill. At the end of the day, oil is a dirty and finite resource. We can create jobs, become more energy independent and act on climate change if we break our risky dependence on fossil fuels and look to cleaner alternatives.” … Cardin also expressed “amazement” that the Republican-majority Senate defeated his proposed amendment to the Keystone Pipeline bill that would have required environmental reports along those sections of the pipeline where drinking water might be contaminated.
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HUMAN RIGHTS—A bipartisan measure to prevent human rights abusers from visiting the United States was jointly introduced by Senators Cardin and John McCain (R-Arizona). Cardin said their bill, S. 284 the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act would ensure that human rights abusers and corrupt officials are denied entry into the United States and barred from using U.S. financial institutions. The legislation would expand the Russia-specific sanctions in the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act (Public Law 112-208) to apply globally, and would make significant acts of corruption a sanctionable offense.
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ATTORNEY GENERAL — U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minnesota) participated in the questioning of Lorretta Lynch, President Obama’s nominee for U.S. Attorney General and came away impressed. “From everything I’ve seen so far, Loretta Lynch is an exceptionally well-qualified nominee to lead the Department of Justice,” he said. “Her credentials are strong—she has successfully prosecuted the toughest cases, from terrorism to public corruption—and she has twice been confirmed by the Senate to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Following her hearings, I look forward to taking up Ms. Lynch’s nomination in the Senate Judiciary Committee.”
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SOLAR POWER – The U.S. Senate rejected an amendment by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) to the Keystone Pipeline bill. He wanted the federal government to provide rebates for up to 10 million solar power systems for homes and businesses in the coming decade. “The scientific community tells us very clearly if we’re going to reverse climate change and the great dangers it poses for the planet we must move aggressively to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels to energy efficiency and sustainable energy,” Sanders had said.
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CLIMATE CHANGE– U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), responding to a new Media Matters report detailing how broadcast networks covered climate change in 2014, commented: “While I am pleased that broadcast media coverage of climate change has increased this year, it is not enough. I remain deeply concerned about both the lack and the quality of the coverage. This new report shows that Sunday shows still aired segments that misled audiences and ignored the scientific consensus by framing the facts of climate change as a “debate”. The debate is over. Human-caused climate change is accepted by Fortune 500 companies, school-teachers, religious groups, the United States military, nurses and doctors, professional sports leagues, the majority of other countries, and over 97 percent of climate scientists. It is time for broadcasters to stop creating a false debate about the reality of climate change and engage in the real debate about how we can solve it.”
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TELEMARKETERS– Democratic U.S. Senators Charles Schumer of New York, Ron Wyden of Oregon, Barbara Boxer of California, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, and Al Franken of Minnesota, and Independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont have joined seven other senators in calling on the Federal Communications Commission not to give in to telemarketers efforts to weaken “do not call” rules. Said Schumer: ““Efforts are underway to weaken the Telecom Consumer Protection Act, which would open the floodgates for annoying robocalls… The FCC must stop them in their tracks. Under this rule change, spammers and telemarketers would be able to call certain consumers, even if they do not want robocalls, which will lead to an explosion of invasive calls that must be stopped.”
U.S. House of Representatives
INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT– Leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and its subcommittees have sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry to express their concern about the Palestinian Authority’s decision to join the International Criminal Court. The Committee leaders wrote: “This development is deeply troubling. If the PA becomes a member of the ICC, it will undoubtedly attempt to exploit the organization for its own purposes and ultimately make the prospect of peace with Israel far more difficult to achieve. We believe the actions that the PA has taken require an immediate and forceful response from the United States that is commensurate with the gravity of its decision. We understand that the State Department is conducting a review of assistance to the PA in light of recent developments. The United States should not support direct economic assistance to the PA until it demonstrates a meaningful reversal of this destructive course and proves it can be a willing partner for peace.” Signatories to the letter are: Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman; Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), Ranking Member; Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), Rep. Bill Keating (D-MA), Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ), Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ), and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ).
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USE OF FORCE RESOLUTION– Rep. Adam Schiff (D-California) announced he is introducing a narrowly-tailored authorization for use of military force against ISIL. The bill, similar to one he introduced last year, is designed to give the President authority to carry on the military campaign he began almost six months ago and provides Congress an opportunity to debate and vote on the war against ISIL in Iraq and Syria, a goal that both Speaker John Boehner and President Barack Obama have stated and which Congress has yet to meet. “First,” said Schiff, “the measure would provide a three-year authorization for the use of force against ISIL in Iraq and Syria. Second, the measure would harmonize the legal authorities under which the President is authorized to take offensive action by sunsetting the 2002 Iraq AUMF immediately and by sunsetting both the new authorities and the 2001 AUMF three years after the enactment of the joint resolution. And third, the resolution prohibits the use of American ground forces in a combat mission in Iraq or Syria.” He added: More than five months after strikes began against ISIL in Syria and Iraq, Congress has yet to debate and take a vote on an authorization to wage war, in clear abdication of our constitutional duties. ISIL represents a serious danger to the United States, having taken over large swaths of the region and used it to terrorize the population. With thousands of foreign fighters joining its ranks who have the ability to return to the United States and Europe, we have a compelling interest in stopping ISIL. There is no doubt that our current offensive amounts to war, and Congress should take action both to authorize its prosecution and to set limits on that authorization so it may not be used by any future administration in a manner contrary to our intent.”
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HUMAN TRAFFICKING –The U.S. House of Representatives approved several important bipartisan bills to prevent human trafficking and expand and improve services for trafficking victims. Included in the legislative package were two bills that U.S. Rep. David N. Cicilline (D-Rhode Island) cosponsored, including the Human Trafficking Prevention Act (H.R. 357) and the Strengthening Child Welfare Response to Trafficking Act (H.R. 469). “Human trafficking is modern-day slavery—its victims are robbed of both their freedom and their dignity, and these repulsive acts violate our deepest moral values,” said Cicilline. According to the U.S. Department of State, an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 men, women, and children are trafficked across international borders each year. The Department of Justice found as many as 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked into the U.S. each year. This comprehensive package of bills that passed in the House would expand federal training requirements for State Department personnel on identifying and preventing human trafficking, affirm the U.S. commitment to combatting human trafficking, and help prevent child sex offenders and traffickers from exploiting vulnerable children when they cross an international border. … Another bill in the package was co-authored by Reps. Renee Ellmers (R-North Carolina) and Debbi Wasserman Schultz (D-Florida) to require the Department of Health and Human Services “to award a grant to a medical or nursing school within each of the 10 administrative regions to develop best practices for health care professionals,” said Wasserman Schultz. “These best practices will allow for them to recognize, respond and intervene on behalf of human trafficking victims.”
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CIVIL RIGHTS — U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee), issued the following statement regarding a South Carolina judge vacating the sentences of the “Friendship Nine,” a group of African-American men convicted for staging an sit-in at a Southern, whites-only lunch counter in 1961 that helped popularize the “jail, no bail” strategy of the civil rights movement. “More than 50 years ago, the Friendship Nine were wrongfully convicted for exercising their civil rights and highlighting the injustice and inhumanity of Jim Crow,” said Cohen.. “In choosing jail over paying a fine that would merely reinforce a racist policy, the Friendship Nine helped inspire a generation and strengthen the resolve of the civil rights movement. The decision to vacate these convictions was long overdue and is further evidence that the injustices of slavery and Jim Crow remain in the South even today. We have made strides over the last five decades, but there still remain too many lingering consequences of these inhumane laws. From racially-biased criminal justice policies to public health and education disparities and from significant economic disadvantages to restrictive voting laws that disenfranchise African-Americans and minorities, we have much work remaining to realize Dr. King’s dream. We must continue the fight to ensure that all citizens, regardless of race, receives fair treatment under the law.”
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HOME INFUSION CARE — U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel, (D-New York) a senior member of the Subcommittee on Health for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Congressman Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio) have reintroduced H.R. 605, The Medicare Home Infusion Site of Care Act, which would close the Medicare coverage gap for home-based infusion care. “Patients who have been prescribed infusion therapy receive their medication via a needle or a catheter because oral medications have proven to be ineffective,” Engel said. “Unfortunately, Medicare only covers infusion treatments in doctors’ offices, skilled nursing facilities and hospitals, even though home-based care is often a more cost-effective, convenient and desired location for patients. Avalere, a non-partisan health care policy firm, recently found that Medicare could save an estimated $80 million over a 10-year period by covering home-based infusion therapy treatment. The Medicare Home Infusion Site of Care Act would allow Medicare Part B to cover infusion-related care and services, including equipment and supplies, at a patient’s home.”
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ENERGY — U.S. Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-California) was named ranking minority member of the House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources (EMR), which oversees American energy production and mining on federal lands – both onshore and offshore. “I am honored to be serving as the lead Democrat on the EMR subcommittee,” Lowenthal said, “where I will help focus our efforts on renewable energy development, climate change, and the safe and responsible development of resources on our public lands.”
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VISAS – U.S. Reps Jared Polis (D-Colorado) and Mark Amodei (R-Nevada) today introduced The American Entrepreneurship and Investment Act of 2015 which would update and make permanent the EB-5 Immigrant Investor visa program. The program, which is set to expire at the end of 2015, provides a reliable stream of foreign investments into the U.S. economy, creating jobs and allowing businesses to grow. Our nation has always been at its strongest when we attracted the best and brightest minds to help build and invest in our economy,” said Polis. “The EB-5 visa program is an important tool that brings innovation and investment to the United States, and this bipartisan bill will improve and make permanent the program so that foreign investment and talent will continue to flow into our businesses, and strengthen our economy.”
California Legislature
DIAMOND VALLEY LAKE – State Sen. Jeff Stone (R-Riverside County) announced his first bill as a Senator would fulfill promises made to the people of his district two decades ago during construction of Diamond Valley Lake. “These facilities, MWD officials said, would attract visitors from across Southern California and beyond,” Stone related. “However when Diamond Valley Lake opened in 2003, MWD restricted the 4 ½ mile long lake to fishing only,” prohibiting such uses as boating and swimming. “That restriction discouraged private citizens from building projects nearby. A dozen years later, few of the promised recreation opportunities exist around what is one of the most beautiful, and potentially popular, lakes in all of Southern California. My bill will not only help to provide recreational opportunities for families, it will bring good jobs and economic opportunity to the people of Riverside County.”
Local Governments
URBAN IMPROVEMENTS — San Diego City Councilwoman Marti Emerald has joined with fellow council members David Alvarez and Myrtle Cole to suggest in a memo to Mayor Kevin Faulconer that some of the projected $63 million city budget surplus be allocated for crime prevention measures. Street upgrades on such major thoroughfares as El Cajon Boulevard, Euclid Avenue and Market Street. Along with all the other members of the City Council, the three council members also endorsed increasing police pay. … Emerald on Tuesday, Jan. 27, attended ceremonies opening on El Cajon Boulevard the new Copley-Price Family YMCA, which replaces a facility on Landis Street. Members of the family of philanthropist Robert Price also attended. The Price Family Charities have been deeply involved in revitalizing the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego.
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Items about Jewish women in Congress are sponsored by Laura Galinson in memory of her father, Murray Galinson.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. Your comment on any of these items may be posted below or sent to donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com