Rob’s Rundown: Week of November 9 – November 13, 2020
Senator Portman was back in Washington this week where he delivered remarks on the Senate floor urging Congress to pass bipartisan legislation to respond to the health care and economic crises caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In Ohio and across the country, new COVID-19 cases are increasing, with Ohio surpassing 7,000 and the United States surpassing 100,000 new cases in a day for the first time this month. This marks the 18th speech Senator Portman has given since March calling for a bipartisan action on COVID-19 relief legislation.
On Veterans Day, Portman published a new video honoring the men and women of our armed forces who have fought to protect the freedoms and liberties we all enjoy as Americans.
On Thursday, Portman released a statement applauding U.S. Attorney David M. DeVillers and FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Chris Hoffman for securing a guilty plea from Song Guo Zheng, a former Ohio State professor, for making false statements to federal authorities related to his affiliation with China’s Thousand Talents Program while receiving taxpayer-funded grants.
Finally, Portman released a statement applauding the Senate confirmation of Judge James Knepp to the position of U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of Ohio.
For a more detailed look at Senator Portman’s week, please see the following:
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Portman Statement on 2020 Presidential Election
Portman released the following statement on efforts to ensure the integrity of the 2020 presidential election:
“With historic turnout across the board, it’s clear that the American people were fully engaged in this election. The strong turnout for both candidates and both parties is a healthy sign for our democracy. Along with more than 71 million Americans, and a majority of Ohio voters, I supported President Trump.
“Right now, former Vice President Biden is leading in enough states to win the presidency. But there are still votes being counted. In this close election, President Trump has every right to insist that all legally cast ballots are counted. He also has the right to appropriate recounts and the right to go to court to resolve any questions about irregularities. At the same time, the Trump campaign has an obligation to come forward with evidence to support any allegations of election fraud.
“Allowing a fair and transparent process at this juncture is important to providing Americans more assurances of the integrity of the election and helping the country heal after a contentious campaign. I hope the states and the courts will move expeditiously to a resolution.”
Portman, Brown Applaud Senate Confirmation of Judge James Knepp to Serve on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
Senators Portman and Brown applauded the Senate confirmation of Judge James Knepp to the position of U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of Ohio. The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the nomination on September 17, 2020. The Northern District has court locations in Akron, Cleveland, Toledo, and Youngstown and serves approximately 5.9 million citizens of the 40 most northern counties in Ohio.
“I am pleased the Senate has confirmed Judge James Knepp to be the next federal judge in the Northern District,” said Portman. “Judge Knepp’s experience as a magistrate judge in Toledo has uniquely prepared him for this role. I am confident he will serve the people of Ohio admirably.”
VIDEO: Portman Honors America’s Veterans on Veterans Day
In a new video, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) honors the men and women of our armed forces who have fought to protect the freedoms and liberties we all enjoy as Americans.
Recently, Portman visited the Yellow Ribbon Support Center in Clermont County, Ohio and worked alongside volunteers to help build an extension to the center. The Yellow Ribbon Support Center is a volunteer center that works to support our veterans and active duty troops. Through their alliance with charter partners, Yellow Ribbon Support Center helps transitioning veterans find jobs and also sends care packages to deployed service members. To date, the center has sent more than 31,000 packages all over the world.
A transcript can be found here and the video can be found here.
Thursday, November 12, 2020
Portman Statement on Former Ohio State Professor and Chinese “Thousand Talents” Member Pleading Guilty for Grant Fraud
Portman issued the following statement after David M. DeVillers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Chris Hoffman announced that Song Guo Zheng, a former Ohio State professor, has pled guilty to making false statements to federal authorities related to his affiliation with China’s Thousand Talents Program while receiving taxpayer-funded grants.
Senator Portman, as Chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), led a year-long investigation into China’s talent recruitment programs like the Thousand Talents Program, culminating in a bipartisan report in November 2019 that detailed how China has recruited U.S.-based scientists and researchers since the late 1990s and incentivized them to transfer U.S. taxpayer-funded research and intellectual property (IP) to China for their own military and economic gain. This guilty plea follows the guilty plea of a Nationwide Children’s researcher earlier this year and the string of arrests of academics affiliated with American universities for alleged crimes related to concealing their participation in China’s talent recruitment programs while accepting American taxpayer funds. Portman introduced the bipartisan Safeguarding American Innovation Act to address this problem and protect American research and IP from global competitors.
“I’m pleased that our bipartisan Subcommittee investigation last year has spurred additional action by federal law enforcement to hold China and their Thousand Talent Program members accountable. I commend U.S. Attorney DeVillers and the FBI for their work to engage with universities to help protect taxpayer-funded academic innovation and research from theft by foreign governments like China. This case highlights yet another example of how the U.S. and its academic institutions, including our own The Ohio State University, are high-value targets for China’s talent recruitment efforts given our innovative research and only adds to the need for my bipartisan legislation the Safeguarding American Innovation Act. We cannot let the American taxpayer continue to fund China’s military and economic rise. Dr. Zheng is a clear example of China’s continued attempts to steal our taxpayer-funded medical research to make-up for its own deficiencies in biological research, all under the guise of international collaboration. This harms our important academic institutions, federal granting making agencies, and American businesses.
“I am encouraged by the actions taken by DOJ and the FBI to stop the exploitation of the openness and transparency of our research enterprise. China’s ongoing theft of America’s research and innovation must stop.”
On Senate Floor, Portman Stresses Dire Need for Bipartisan Action to Address Surging COVID-19 Pandemic
For the 18th time since March, Portman spoke on the urgency for Congress to act to pass bipartisan legislation to respond to the health care and economic crises caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In Ohio and across the country, new coronavirus are increasing, with Ohio surpassing 6,500 and the United States surpassing 100,000 new cases in a day for the first time earlier this month.
Senator Portman called on Congress to provide the relief Americans need and deserve. In particular, he believes funding for testing and contact tracing, funding for vaccine and therapy developments, and his Healthy Workplaces Tax Credit, which helps businesses reopen and stay open, are all common-sense proposals with bipartisan support upon which a new COVID-19 response package should be built. He urged his colleagues to put aside the partisanship that has stymied previous efforts to pass COVID-19 relief legislation and focus on solutions that help the American people.
A transcript of his remarks can be found here and a video can be found here.
Friday, November 13, 2020
Widespread Support Across Ohio for Portman’s Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes for High-Risk Pregnant Women
Stakeholders throughout Ohio support Senator Portman’s bipartisan Harnessing Effective and Appropriate Long Term Health for Moms on Medicaid (HEALTH for MOM) Act. Portman and Senator Debbie Stabenow introduced the legislation in October 2020. The HEALTH for MOM Act is designed to improve maternal health outcomes among high-risk pregnant women enrolled in Medicaid by providing a state option for providers to enroll in a “pregnancy medical home” in order to facilitate greater care coordination for a pregnant woman among her care team and available social services. Pregnancy medical homes have a track record of improving access to care for pregnant women throughout pregnancy and of reducing adverse events like hospitalizations for pregnant women and neonatal complications, and the HEALTH for MOM Act would help standardize the means for Medicaid to pay for and support such models.
The list of stakeholders across Ohio have voiced their support for the legislation can be found here.
Portman Applauds $12 Million Federal Grant for Brent Spence Bridge Repair
Portman applauded the U.S. Department of Transportation for awarding a $12 million federal grant to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. This grant funding authorizes an Emergency Relief program for the repair or reconstruction of federal-aid highways and roads on federal lands that have suffered serious damage as a result of natural disasters or catastrophic failures from an external cause. Portman released the following statement:
“This $12 million Department of Transportation grant to repair Brent Spence Bridge is good news for Ohio and Kentucky. I applaud the Department of Transportation and Secretary Chao for moving quickly to provide this immediate assistance to fix the serious damage caused earlier this week by the fiery crash on the bridge. I will continue to work with local, state, and federal officials to help secure the resources needed to get the bridge operational as quickly as possible as well as an eventual, long-term replacement."
SOCIAL MEDIA
Dayton VA: ‘We will neither fail nor forsake our veterans’
The Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center is part of a national network dedicated to caring for 9 million veterans who served the country, a mission that is especially critical during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We will neither fail nor forsake our veterans,” Dayton VA Medical Center Director Mark Murdock said during a Veterans Day ceremony on Wednesday. “You are courageous heroes who have put on the uniform and carried our liberty on your shoulders.”
Several communities in the Dayton area honored veterans Wednesday with special ceremonies. Members of Fairborn’s VFW honored 101-year-old Herman Holt, the oldest known veteran in the city who served during World War II. Around 50 veterans gave visitors a glimpse of what it was like serving their country during presentations at the National Museum of the Air Force.
Cassie Barlow, a retired Air Force colonel and former installation commander at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, said that Veterans Day, to her, is about recognizing the service of veterans, from the oldest to the youngest, "who have all given of themselves,” and many of whom have made the ultimate sacrifice.
“I come from a family of World War I and World War II veterans,” Barlow said. “When I think of the sacrifices they made in their lives to protect and serve our country, it just really motivated me to serve and I see that in many families today, where their grandfathers and grandmothers were veterans and the fathers and mothers were veterans, and then they’re serving as well. It’s about service and today’s about recognizing that service.”
In addition to thanking veterans, Barlow spent time thanking the people who take care of veterans, many of whom have dedicated their entire career to that endeavor.
That, she said, included Dayton VA social worker Carmela Daniels, who went “above and beyond” to make sure an unclaimed Vietnam Veteran received a proper burial.
“She organized a graveside service for a 63-year-old veteran from Lima who had no known family members,” Barlow said. “She acquired the veteran’s ashes and planned the service."
About 150 people from around the Miami Valley attended the gravesite service, she said.
U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, who spoke via phone from Washington, D.C., thanked veterans in attendance for their service in defense of America.
“You have carried on a long legacy of men and women in uniform who represent the very best of country,” Portman said. “We have liberated people all around the globe. We have protected our freedoms here at home and continue to be that beacon for the rest of the world and I’m very proud of this.”
More than 9 million veterans are enrolled in the VA, which has 170 VA medical centers and more than 1,000 outpatient clinics across the U.S., Barlow said.
About 322,000 VA employees take care of enrolled veterans, numbers Barlow said, which does not include “all of the dedicated volunteers."
“It is a privilege to represent our grateful nation in delivering veterans the programs and the services they have so richly earned,” Murdock said.
Over the past several years, the Dayton VA has been engaged in “the most significant transformation since World War II” to improve VA services to veterans and their families, Murdock said. That includes the MISSION Act, which he said gives veterans access to care in the community.
That includes expanding the Caregiver Program to include Vietnam veterans, Korean War veterans, World War II veterans injured in the line of duty, he said. The center also is bringing on the second generation of its electronic medical records and is part of a nationwide effort to end veteran suicide.
Sen. Rob Portman backs President Trump’s right to file election lawsuits, seek recounts
Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio on Tuesday issued his first statement after former Vice President Joe Biden was declared the victor in the 2020 presidential election, cautioning that although Biden is leading in enough states to win the presidency, the vote count is still underway.
“In this close election, President Trump has every right to insist that all legally cast ballots are counted,” Portman’s statement said. “He also has the right to appropriate recounts and the right to go to court to resolve any questions about irregularities. At the same time, the Trump campaign has an obligation to come forward with evidence to support any allegations of election fraud.”
Although vote tallies indicate that Biden has more than enough Electoral College votes to become president in January and has already begun to plan for his transition, Trump has refused to acknowledge defeat and has pledged to contest the vote counts in states where balloting was close, making unsubstantiated claims of fraud.
While several Republican U.S. Senators including Maine’s Susan Collins and Utah’s Mitt Romney issued congratulatory statements after the Associated Press and other media organizations called the race for Biden on Saturday, many of Portman’s fellow Republicans in Congress have issued statements like Portman’s that back Trump’s legal challenges.
“Both Democrat and Republican candidates have used these laws themselves,” said a Tuesday statement from Florida’s Marco Rubio. “They’ve availed themselves to these rights many times, including in this election. Joe Biden had hired an army of election lawyers to use this very process if he had fallen short in the preliminary results. And therefore, President Trump is well within his legal rights to pursue all these things under these laws now.”
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky took a similar stance in a Tuesday speech on the Senate floor, saying Trump “has every right to look into allegations and request recounts under the law.”
“The core principle here is not complicated,” McConnell said. “In the United States of America, all legal ballots must be counted. Any illegal ballots must not be counted. The process should be transparent or observable by all sides and the courts are here to work through concerns.”
On Monday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued a statement Monday to “congratulate” Biden, which also noted that Trump’s lawyers “have every right” to challenge election irregularities.
“When lawsuits have concluded and and election results are certified, it is important for all Americans to honor the outcome,” DeWine’s statement said.
In a Tuesday press conference, Biden expressed confidence that Republicans would eventually acknowledge him as the rightful president-elect.
“I think that the whole Republican Party has been put in a position, with few notable exceptions, of being mildly intimidated by the sitting president,” said Biden, adding that Trump will be president until Jan. 20 and his administration will continue to plan for the transition.
Here’s Portman’s entire statement:
"With historic turnout across the board, it’s clear that the American people were fully engaged in this election. The strong turnout for both candidates and both parties is a healthy sign for our democracy. Along with more than 71 million Americans, and a majority of Ohio voters, I supported President Trump.
"Right now, former Vice President Biden is leading in enough states to win the presidency. But there are still votes being counted. In this close election, President Trump has every right to insist that all legally cast ballots are counted. He also has the right to appropriate recounts and the right to go to court to resolve any questions about irregularities. At the same time, the Trump campaign has an obligation to come forward with evidence to support any allegations of election fraud.
“Allowing a fair and transparent process at this juncture is important to providing Americans more assurances of the integrity of the election and helping the country heal after a contentious campaign. I hope the states and the courts will move expeditiously to a resolution.”