Saturday, April 02, 2016

Sanders Campaign Statement on New York Debate

Senator Bernie Sanders' campaign issued the following today:

Sanders Campaign Statement on New York Debate

April 2, 2016

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – Bernie Sanders’ spokesman Michael Briggs issued the following statement Saturday on a debate in New York with Hillary Clinton:
“We are very pleased that Secretary Clinton finally has accepted our request for a debate about the needs of New York and America. Unfortunately, the dates and venues she has proposed don’t make a whole lot of sense. The idea that they want a debate in New York on a night of the NCAA finals – with Syracuse in the tournament no less – is ludicrous. We have proposed other dates which they have rejected. We hope we can reach agreement in the near future. The people of New York and America deserve to see and hear a debate on the important issues facing the state and country.”

















Clinton’s Close Ties to the Oil, Coal and Gas Industry

Senator Bernie Sanders' campaign issued the following yesterday:


Clinton’s Close Ties to the Oil, Coal and Gas Industry

April 1, 2016

NEW YORK – The Clinton campaign on Friday held a conference call with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to discuss Secretary Hillary Clinton’s record on clean energy and climate change.
Unfortunately, the Clinton campaign left out some important facts.

In 2001, Clinton voted to kill a measure backed by most Democrats and spearheaded by Sen. Bill Nelson that would have restricted drilling off the coast of Florida. Sanders voted for the restrictions.
During the 2006 election, Clinton accepted $74,000 from oil and gas interests while running for re-election that year. According to a scorecard of Senate votes compiled by the League of Conservation Voters, Clinton cast two votes in support of 2006 legislation to vastly expand drilling in the Gulf. Those votes put her on the opposite side of then-Sen. Barack Obama. That same year, Sen. Bernie Sanders voted against a measure in the House of Representatives to expand offshore drilling.

During the 2008 election cycle, she was the 6th largest recipient of oil and gas money in the Senate.

A year later, as secretary of state, she approved the Alberta Clipper, a tar sands pipeline that Sen. Sanders opposes. The Clinton-led department said the pipeline would “advance a number of strategic interests.” Environmental groups such as Earthjustice told Reuters: “It means large amounts of more air pollution, large amounts of water pollution and extra [greenhouse gases] because more energy is required to convert this [heavy oil] into a refined, usable petroleum product.”

In 2010, Secretary Clinton remarked that she was ultimately “inclined to approve” Keystone XL, a pipeline that would transport tar sands oil from Canada. During the campaign, after strong opposition from environmental organizations, Secretary Clinton eventually came out in opposition to the Keystone Pipeline, not because of her concerns about climate change, but because she viewed it as a “distraction.”

During her time leading the State Department, the agency also signed the “U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Hydrocarbons Agreement,” a deal it said would help energy companies expand offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The State Department said the pact would help energy corporations expand offshore drilling and “unlock areas for exploration and exploitation” in locations between the two countries. The agency said the deal will make “nearly 1.5 million acres of the Outer Continental Shelf more attractive” to energy companies.

In her 2016 bid, Clinton has relied on a slew of current and former advocates for the oil and gas industry for fundraising support, including Tony Podesta, the brother of Clinton’s campaign chair John Podesta. As recently as this year, Tony Podesta has lobbied for BP, the company responsible for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. He has also lobbied for a company partly-owned by ExxonMobil. Podesta has raised over $130,000 for Clinton’s campaign, according to federal election records. According to public filings, approximately one in 15 dollars given to Priorities USA Action, a Super PAC coordinating directly with Secretary Clinton’s campaign, came from oil, gas and coal interests.
Oil and gas companies have contributed more than $700,000 to Clinton’s campaigns throughout her political career, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.



“Bernie believes it is critical that the next president acts to curb the worst effects of climate change by acting boldly to move our energy system away from fossil fuels,” said Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ campaign manager. “He also believes you cannot take on an industry if you take their money. If the Clinton campaign wants to argue that industry lobbyists giving thousands of dollars to her campaign won’t affect her decisions if she’s elected, that’s fine. But to call us liars for pointing out basic facts about the secretary’s fundraising is deeply cynical and very disappointing. Secretary Clinton owes Sen. Sanders an apology.”



 








Paralyzed Veterans of America Commends the VA for Specially Adapted Housing Assistive Technology Grants

Paralyzed Veterans of America issued the following this week:



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date:
  March 30, 2016
Media contact:                  
Lani Poblete 202-416-7667        

Funding will help disabled veterans live more independently 


Washington, DC—Paralyzed Veterans of America (Paralyzed Veterans) is pleased that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded $784,421 in total in Specially Adapted Housing Assistive Technology (SAHAT) Grants to four awardees: Auburn University, Philips Research of North America, Simply Home LLC., and St. Ambrose University. The four awardees will use the grant funds to develop new technologies that will enhance veterans and servicemembers’ abilities to live in specially adapted homes.
 
“Veterans with catastrophic disabilities, such as traumatic spinal cord injury, are living longer and redefining expectation by exceeding their limitations. This starts at home, where accessibility and adaptive solutions help condition a post-injury sense of independence in these men and women,” said Sherman Gillums, Jr., acting executive director of Paralyzed Veterans. “Science and new technologies will enhance a paralyzed veteran’s ability to achieve greater independence, which increases the likelihood of finding and sustaining a career, as well as eases the burden on caregivers. So the benefits of VA’s new Specially Adapted Housing Assistive Technology Grants will pay dividends in terms of good quality of life for many veterans and their families. I commend the Department of Veterans Affairs for taking this step.”

The SAHAT Grant Program was authorized by Congress to design assistive technologies to expand home modification options for veterans who apply for VA’s Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) benefit. VA administers the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant Program directly to veterans and servicemembers with certain service-connected disabilities. The SAH program provides funds to modify or construct an adapted home to meet their needs. Typical adaptations include ramps, wider halls and doors, and wheelchair-accessible bathrooms.
 
To learn more about the SAH program, or to contact a Paralyzed Veterans National Service Officer to see if you qualify for an adapted housing grant, visit www.pva.org/nso.

ENDS


About Paralyzed Veterans of America:
Paralyzed Veterans of America is the only congressionally chartered veterans service organization dedicated solely for the benefit and representation of veterans with spinal cord injury or disease. For nearly 70 years, we have ensured that veterans have received the benefits earned through their service to our nation; monitored their care in VA spinal cord injury units; and funded research and education in the search for a cure and improved care for individuals with paralysis.
As a partner for life, Paralyzed Veterans also develops training and career services, works to ensure accessibility in public buildings and spaces, provides health and rehabilitation opportunities through sports and recreation and advocates for veterans and all people with disabilities. With more than 70 offices and 34 chapters, Paralyzed Veterans serves veterans, their families and their caregivers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. (www.pva.org)