Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, released the following statement after President Obama announced his plan for U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Based on the President’s plan, the military will have 9,800 troops in Afghanistan at the end of 2014, half that at the end of 2015, and routine embassy personnel only by the end of 2016.
The administration estimates the post-2014 troop… Read more »
Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, issued the following statement today regarding Ukraine’s presidential election.
“I watched yesterday’s election in Ukraine closely. Initial reports from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) observers on the ground indicate high voter turnout and commitment on the part of election officials to hold a free and… Read more »
The House of Representatives today passed a defense spending bill with support from Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, that includes provisions to strengthen the Northwest economy and improve national defense. Larsen is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, which wrote the National Defense Authorization Act of 2015.
One provision in the bill funds six KC-46A refueling tankers. The Air… Read more »
Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, today voted in favor of the USA Freedom Act, a bill that reforms the government’s bulk collection of phone records. The bipartisan bill passed the House of Representatives and puts in place new processes by which the government must get approval on a case-by-case basis from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC).
Larsen has been a vocal advocate… Read more »
Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, today voted in favor of a water infrastructure bill that passed the House of Representatives and supports economic growth in the Pacific Northwest. The Water Resources Reform and Development Act authorizes federal investment in ports, flood control and ecosystem restoration.
Today’s House vote approved the bill as agreed to by a conference committee. The… Read more »
Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, issued the following statement today in response to the U.S. Justice Department’s announcement that it is indicting five members of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, charging them with hacking into the networks of U.S. companies.
“The Justice Department's decision to indict five Chinese accused of cyber theft sends a strong and important… Read more »
The U.S. needs a better strategy to coordinate and prioritize its policies related to the Arctic region, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study out today that was released by Reps. Rick Larsen (WA-02), Tim Bishop (NY-01), John Garamendi (CA-03) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (AK).
The GAO study focused on U.S. participation in the Arctic Council, a voluntary body started… Read more »
By Danielle Douglas
House Demoorats introduced legislation Friday to protect borrowers who pay their student loans on time from being placed in default when the co-signer dies or declares bankruptcy.
These “auto defaults” force borrowers to either immediately repay the loan balance or ruin their credit, endangering their chances of getting a job, renting an apartment or… Read more »
Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, issued the following statement today regarding his support for a bill that would provide stronger federal oversight for immigration detention centers nationwide. The Accountability in Immigration Detention Act would improve conditions in detention centers such as the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, where detainees recently protested conditions with a… Read more »
Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, today introduced a bill to protect private student loan borrowers from “auto-defaults” when a loan cosigner, often a parent or grandparent, dies or files for bankruptcy.
In its April 2014 “mid-year update on student loan complaints,” the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau identified significant issues facing private student loan… Read more »
