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Smith Statement on Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Ceremony

October 14, 2011

Congressman Adam Smith (WA-9), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement on the dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on the National Mall:

“The ceremonial dedication of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial being held Sunday in Washington, D.C. reminds us all of the progress we have made in celebrating diversity and recognizing the human dignity of all people. The memorial reflects the awe-inspiring and prescient message Dr. King delivered during his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech. 

“I cannot think of anyone as deserving of this honor as Dr. King, a man so dedicated to peace and so eager to end injustice that his mere presence was a threat to those motivated by hate and intolerance. Not only will Dr. King’s words continue to inspire us for generations, but now his greatness will live on through this eternal symbol set in stone.”

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Smith statement on passage of comprehensive trade package

October 13, 2011

U.S. Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee and co-chair of the New Democrat Coalition Trade Task Force, made the following statement after the House passed pending trade agreements between the U.S. and South Korea, Colombia, and Panama, along with renewal of Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) reforms and expired trade preference programs today: 

“Today, Congress has helped move a balanced trade agenda forward, one that includes Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and the three pending trade agreements.  This builds on the Administration’s continued aggressive enforcement when our trading partners don’t meet their obligations under existing treaties.

“I have pushed for years to improve TAA and the three trade agreements that were considered today.  As a result of my efforts and those of my colleagues, TAA is a better program and the Administration has made significant improvements to the three trade agreements.

“The comprehensive package passed today will support individual workers advance their skills in a changing economy, help struggling businesses adapt to new demands, create more opportunities for Washington State exports abroad and strengthen the job market in our local economy. As the most trade dependent state, nearly one in three Washington jobs is tied to trade.

“Importantly, these agreements include enforceable commitments for our trade partners to adopt, maintain and implement laws that incorporate core internationally recognized labor rights. That means, if our trading partners don’t abide by those obligations, we have measures to ensure that they do.”

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Ranking Member Smith’s Statement on Death of Anwar al-Awlaki

September 30, 2011

House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith made the following statement in response to the death of Anwar al-Awlaki:

“The death of Anwar al-Awlaki is a significant blow to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and to the Al Qaeda movement, which has repeatedly tried to carry out terrorist attacks against the United States and the people of Yemen.

“Anwar al-Awlaki will no longer be able to propagate hatred and manipulate impressionable youth to take up arms against the United States and our allies. His hate-filled sermons have inspired multiple recent terror plots and Yemen and the world are safer places now that he is gone.

“Following the death of Osama Bin Laden, Anwar al-Awlaki’s death is the latest in a long line of successes by the President and the men and women of our intelligence community. I applaud them for their excellent work in keeping our country safe.”

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For more information, please visit http://democrats.armedservices.house.gov/

Smith congratulates Federal Way and Milton for police officer hiring grant

September 29, 2011

Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, congratulated the cities of Federal Way and Milton for receiving grants from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services Hiring Program:

“This is great news for the South Sound community. I commend the brave men and women who choose to serve by becoming police officers. They are on the front lines of keeping the public safe and neighborhoods strong. These COPS Hiring Program grants will allow Milton and Federal Way to bolster their police force with highly trained individuals, which will improve the security of the entire 9th district.”

The grants include $807,345 for the City of Federal Way to hire three officers, and $298,032 for the Milton Police Department to hire one officer.

COPS Hiring Program (CHP) grants provide funding to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire, preserve and/or rehire career law enforcement officers in an effort to create and preserve jobs and increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts. On Wednesday, September 28th, the Department of Justice announced $243.4 million allocated for CHP grants across the country to create or preserve 1,021 sworn law enforcement positions for three years. These grants will cover the full salary and benefits packages for officers.

For more information, visit www.cops.usdoj.gov or contact the COPS Office External Affairs Division at 202-514-9079.

Smith welcomes official repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

September 19, 2011

House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (WA-09) released the following statement on tomorrow’s official repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”:

“I applaud President Obama for fulfilling his promise to repeal the discriminatory “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy and allow individuals to openly and honestly serve and protect the nation they love, regardless of their sexual orientation. This is a welcomed change that puts government policy in line with the values of our country.

“For almost 20 years, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" has undermined the readiness of our military. This unwise and harmful policy has forced thousands of capable brave men and women, who are only too eager to serve the nation, out of our Armed Forces at a time when our nation needed them most.

“No longer will capable and dedicated Americans need to hide who they are to serve the country they love.”
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