Press Releases
"Disturbing statements from the Republican White House contender cannot go unaddressed. America must stay true to its founding principles by standing with immigrants and leading on refugee resettlement. Our American values embrace people of all faiths and backgrounds. Fear cannot cloud our judgement, drive policy, or destroy our country's fabric. The Republicans are presenting a very different vision for our country.
"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 House Armed Services Committee is maintaining its bipartisan tradition. We worked through a lot of issues throughout the mark-up process, including a number of very controversial provisions. We crafted legislation the way it is supposed to be done. We held productive debates, disagreed, voted, and at the end of the process we passed a very significant piece of legislation.
Ranking Member Adam Smith, in consultation with Congressman James Clyburn, introduced a measure that would have withdrawn support for ROTC at The Citadel if the Confederate battle flag continued to fly. In order to avoid voting on that measure, Republicans introduced and passed a modified amendment that would allow the flag to continue flying if The Citadel's Board of Visitors voted to remove the flag, even though such a vote cannot remove the flag under South Carolina law.
"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.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Ranking Members Adam Smith, Robert C.
"Earth Day is an annual reminder that each individual has a role to play in protecting and preserving our environment. The Pacific Northwest has a proud history of supporting the environmental movement and I am honored to represent a district that truly understands the importance of curbing climate change and caring for our environment.
"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 this morning on the steps of the Capitol.
"We must close the gender pay gap. Despite the many positive transformative changes in our nation's workforce, women still get paid less for equal work and make 79 cents for every dollar earned compared to their male counterparts. This disparity particularly impacts women of color and cannot continue.