News

Press Releases

Rep. Smith Denounces Trump Administration’s Decision to Burden States for National Guard’s COVID-19 Response

August 4, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement today after President Trump announced that some states will be required to fund a portion of costs for the National Guard deployment in support of COVID-19 response through the end of 2020.

“This decision reflects President Trump’s willful ignorance of the true state of the COVID-19 pandemic and the dire budget situation facing state and local governments. The President and this White House are continuing their abdication of responsibility by unnecessarily requiring states to pick up part of the tab for the National Guard’s pandemic response.

“This is not the time to dump additional costs on states who are facing unprecedented cost increases and revenue shortfalls. State and local governments have been leading the effort to contain the pandemic, reopen the economy and schools, and additional costs only hamper their response. The National Guard has played a critical role in supporting state COVID-19 response including assembling testing kits, staffing testing sites, conducting contact tracing, supporting food banks, and assisting long-term care facilities. The President should be providing the full support of the federal government for this mission.

“The President is also playing politics by picking a few states to get special treatment over others and not adequately responding with the gravity necessary to address the crisis. Earlier this week, Vice President Pence said that the President has “spared no expense” when it comes to the COVID-19 response. That is patently false. The President has instead passed those expenses to the states, forcing them to bear costs that should be covered by the federal government.

“We know how to combat this virus. We can contain this pandemic. To do so, however, it will require a President to actually lead and use the full capability of the federal government in a coordinated national response, instead of pushing the burden to the states.”

###

Rep. Smith Applauds House Passage of Second Appropriations Bill

July 31, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 7617, the second minibus of the fiscal year 2021 appropriations bills, which includes bills for Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy and Water Development, Financial Service and General Government, Labor-HHS-Education, Defense, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development:

“This appropriations package makes important investments to expand opportunities for all in Washington state and across the country. H.R. 7617 will improve our nation’s infrastructure, prioritize public health, invest in education and job training, expand access to affordable and fair housing, promote police reforms, support service members and military families, and combat climate change for generations to come.

“The legislation provides $89 billion in funding for new transportation and housing infrastructure projects, placing special emphasis on our nation’s most vulnerable communities. It takes steps to address our nation’s homelessness and housing affordability crisis by investing additional resources in affordable housing programs such as the Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers program and Homeless Assistant Grants. The bill also includes $8 billion in emergency funding for the BUILD and Capital Investment Grant programs, which communities across the country rely on to complete local transportation and infrastructure projects.

“A priority across the federal government needs to be combatting climate change. Under this bill, we drastically increase funding for renewable energy, electric grid modernization, and climate research. In addition, it makes a necessary investment of over $20 billion in emergency funding for green infrastructure investments to spur our transition to a clean economy.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of investments in public health, medical research, and health care capacity. The Puget Sound is home to nationally renowned research and medical institutions like the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington who rely on federal funding provided in this bill. The legislation also provides increased funding for Community Health Centers, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program, and the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant program, all of which provide vital care to hundreds of thousands of residents in the 9th District.

“As many Americans face unemployment, investments in workforce training and higher education has never been more important. This legislation increases funding for community colleges, registered apprenticeships, and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) grant programs to support youth and adults with high-quality job training. The pandemic has also exposed the need for even more investment in our K-12 schools and afterschool programs.  This bill increases funding for local school districts, special education, and community learning centers to serve students in vulnerable communities outside of regular school hours.

“This legislation also continues our fight to make critical reforms to policing and accountability. It conditions certain funds to state and local governments on improving police practices that were outlined in the Justice in Policing Act such as eliminating racial profiling and ending implicit bias, banning excessive force and chokeholds, and removing barriers to investigating law enforcement misconduct. In response to the gross misuse of Federal law enforcement personnel in Portland and their deployment to Seattle and other cities, the bill includes new restrictions on their authorities to engage mass gatherings or other peaceful protests.

“The programs funded in this appropriations bill reflects our values and priorities, and I will continue to fight for funding that reinforces our commitment to the health and wellbeing of communities in the future.”

###

HANFORD: Representative Smith, Senator Murray Introduce New Legislation to Expand Worker’s Compensation for Toxic Exposure at Hanford and Other Nuclear Sites

July 30, 2020

Legislation follows Seattle Times investigative report detailing Hanford workers’ toxic exposure and related illnesses, as well as financial challenges related to lack of federal worker’s compensation benefits

Seattle Times: Hanford workers were given leaky respirators at contaminated job site, contractor’s documents reveal – LINK

Toxic Exposure Safety Act of 2020 would make it easier for workers at the Hanford clean-up and other nuclear clean-up sites to receive the full benefits they’re entitled to when suffering illnesses due to toxic exposure on the job

Representative Smith: “This bill would help spur research necessary to understand the impacts of exposure to toxic substances on workers’ health and ultimately enable workers to more easily receive the compensation they deserve for illnesses contracted on the job”

Senator Murray: “This legislation takes the right steps to…ensure Hanford workers and those at other nuclear clean-up sites can obtain the full benefits they’re entitled to when they’ve contracted illnesses as a result of workplace exposure”

Legislation also supported by Plumbers and Steamfitters Local Union 598, Central WA Building & Construction Trades


(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Representative Adam Smith (D, WA-09), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Senate health and labor committee, introduced legislation in the Senate and House that will ensure cleanup workers at the Hanford Nuclear Site and other Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear sites can more easily claim worker’s compensation benefits when they suffer from certain medical conditions as a result of exposure to toxic substances. Currently, Hanford workers can file for worker’s compensation claims when they have health issues through both the Washington state Department of Labor and Industries and DOE’s third-party insurer, Penser. Washington state’s 2018 presumption law makes it easier for Hanford workers to file for state compensation claims for covered conditions, but the state program, while valuable, very often falls short of being able to compensate these workers equitably when they are off the job from work-related illness due to toxic exposure. The Toxic Exposure Safety Act of 2020 seeks to make such claims at the federal level more achievable, and allow Hanford workers and workers at similar DOE sites to collect the full worker’s compensation benefits they’re entitled to.

“Workers at nuclear cleanup sites such as Hanford face risks to their health and wellbeing every day. Unfortunately, it is difficult for workers to receive benefits under federal law in many instances when they suffer medical illness as a result of exposure to toxic substances,” said Congressman Smith. “This bill would help spur research necessary to understand the impacts of exposure to toxic substances on workers’ health and ultimately enable workers to more easily receive the compensation they deserve for illnesses contracted on the job. I am pleased to join Senator Murray in introducing this bill and appreciate her tireless leadership in fighting for Hanford workers.”

“Unfortunately, it is clear there’s a lot we don’t know regarding the health outcomes of exposure to the toxic substances required for plutonium production and other nuclear site activities—and workers like those at the Hanford site have paid the price for this critical hole in the research,” said Senator Murray. "This legislation takes the right steps to help fix this knowledge gap and ensure Hanford workers and those at other nuclear clean-up sites can obtain the full benefits they’re entitled to when they’ve contracted illnesses as a result of workplace exposure. I’m proud to be introducing it with my Washington state colleague Representative Smith, and I’m looking forward to working together to push this needed legislation through to the finish line.” 

The legislation comes after the Seattle Times ran an investigative story in March 2020 profiling a worker who suffered from seizures after being exposed to toxic substances at the Plutonium Finishing Plant on the Hanford site, as well as the financial problems the worker encountered following their diagnosis. The Toxic Exposure Safety Act of 2020 would expand covered employees and the covered illnesses under subtitle E, Section 3671 of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 (EEOICPA) to specifically include employees exposed to toxic substances at cleanup sites. Part E provides variable cash and medical benefits for DOE contractor and subcontractor employees who contracted an illness or died as a result of exposure to any toxic substance, as well as their eligible survivors. A person is eligible for Part E benefits if it is “at least as likely as not” that exposure to a toxic substance at a DOE facility caused, contributed to, or aggravated the worker’s illness or death.

There has been a lack of substantial clinical or epidemiological studies performed in relation to toxic exposures at DOE sites, and as such, there is no way to create an accurate causal correlation for Part E, similar to what has been effectively established for Part B of the program, which involves radiological exposures. As a result of the lack of this knowledge, federal law provides very little remedy to workers who suffer illness from these toxic exposures. To that end, the Toxic Exposure Safety Act of 2020 would amend Part E of the EEOICPA to establish a presumption of occupational disease exposures, create a research program to determine exposure-disease correlation, and direct the National Academy of Sciences to evaluate scientific evidence regarding chemical exposures—making it easier for Hanford clean-up workers and workers at other DOE nuclear clean-up sites to claim federal worker’s compensation benefits.

“Every day our Nation relies on skilled and dedicated working families to serves our Country’s needs and accomplish our most important goals. There is no more apparent example of this dedication than the decades of operation and remediation performed at our Nation’s nuclear cleanup sites.  The hazardous nature of this work has the potential to expose workers to some of the most toxic substances on earth.  Too long have the impacts of these toxic substance exposures been overlooked and their study underfunded, leaving many hardworking American families without the care they deserve.  Senator Murray’s efforts address this injustice for so many families struggling with illness and will secure the research needed to protect American families as they continue their work on behalf of us all,” said Nickolas Bumpaous, President of Central Washington Building & Construction Trades.

“I’ve worked 43 years in the construction trades, most of them at Hanford, and now as the Business Manager of the Plumbers and Steamfitters Union. Through all of those years I’ve witnessed firsthand the dedication of thousands of hard working men and women to support the national mission. I’ve also witnessed their sacrifices and illnesses and the hazardous work and the toxic environments these men and women have been exposed to. These workers deserve more and better care. I support and appreciate Senator Murray’s efforts to help these dedicated working families,” said Randy Walli, Business Manager of Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 598.

Congressman Smith has fought for worker safety and protections at the Hanford site for years. In his role as Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Smith has passed into law provisions to enhance whistleblower protections, increase accountability for the release of radioactive or hazardous contamination, and improved transparency on vapors from nuclear tanks. He has also fought for better oversight of nuclear facilities across the country, including protecting the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) from dangerous cuts and reforms that harm its mission of independent nuclear safety and oversight. Senator Murray has long worked to make sure the federal government honors its moral and legal obligation to Hanford clean-up, including fighting repeatedly against efforts to slash or cut federal funding for the vital DOE project and advocating on at the federal level on separate occasions to help ensure Hanford workers receive sick leave back pay and regular pay during work-stop periods due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. Senator Murray and her office began working in 2019 to investigate the needs of Hanford workers who have specifically been exposed to toxic chemicals at DOE sites. 

In addition to the Central Washington Building & Construction Trades, and Plumbers and Steamfitters Local Union 598, the legislation is supported by the Hanford Atomic Metal Trades Council, Metal Trades.

Read the bill text HERE.

For more information, read the fact sheet available HERE.

###

Rep. Smith Applauds House Passage of Critical Child Care Bills

July 29, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 7027, the Child Care Is Essential Act, and H.R. 7327, the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act.

“Families and child care providers face unprecedented uncertainty amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Without additional investments in child care, parents across the country will be unable to return to work. Even before this pandemic, many working families struggled to find affordable, high-quality child care in their communities and this public health crisis has widened existing racial, social, and gender-based inequities in accessing child care.

“These critical child care bills would invest in desperately needed resources to scale up child care infrastructure and expand household access to refundable child care tax credits to soften the blow of child care expenses. Together, these two pieces of legislation help parents going back to work while providing struggling child care centers the ability to stay open or reopen safely.

“The Child Care Is Essential Act would enable child care providers to keep their staff on the payroll and cover operating expenses, provide tuition and co-payment relief for working families struggling to afford child care, and promote healthy child care facilities that meet public health standards. 

“The Child Care for Economic Recovery Act would modify and expand child care tax credits for families as well as payroll and employee retention tax credits to stabilize the struggling child care industry. This bill invests specifically independent care for essential workers during COVID-19, recognizing the significant challenges faced by these families in particular.

“Lack of access to high-quality, affordable child care not only hurts families but also hinders the public health response to COVID-19, the ability to reopen our economy safely, and an equitable economic recovery. I will continue to fight for more federal funding and support to expand access to high-quality, affordable child care services in Washington State and across the country to ensure both families and child care center workers are supported during this public health crisis and beyond."

For more information, you can read the Fact Sheets for the Child Care Is Essential Act here and the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act here.

###

Smith Statement on DoD Line Items in the Senate Republican’s COVID Supplemental Bill

July 28, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, today issued the following statement after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) unveiled his version of the COVID-19 supplemental legislation, which includes billions in additional funding for the Department of Defense.

“At the onset of the health crisis, President Trump denied the very existence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the Trump Administration has failed to consistently acknowledge, much less confront, the pandemic. President Trump’s response has been a complete disaster.

“Now, more than two months after the House passed the Heroes Act to help Americans cope with the pandemic, Senate Republicans have rolled out their rebuttal, which directs billions of taxpayer dollars to the Department of Defense while doing very little to address the economic and health crises our country faces.

“While it is true that COVID-19 poses a real and credible threat to our national security, you don’t have to be doctor or a four-star general to understand that spending billions on new helicopters, combat vehicles, and fighter jets is not the solution to this complex problem. It is also true that COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on small manufacturers who play a crucial role in our industrial base. We need to implement smart policies that actually support these small manufacturers and maintain the stability of our supply chain – Leader McConnell’s procurement wish list is not the solution.

“It is also no secret that earlier this year the Trump Administration abused the reprogramming authority to divert funding from military equipment and modernization accounts to pay for the President’s vanity wall. Now, Republican Senators are trying to capitalize on the urgency of the moment to backfill these accounts while in the same breath arguing that unemployment benefits should be cut in the name of fiscal responsibility.

“It is clear that a divided Republican Conference produced a weak bill, and I have faith that Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader Schumer will work tirelessly to make significant improvements before this legislation is seriously considered by either chamber of Congress.”

###

« First < Prev Next > Last »