Larsen Statement on North Koreas Course Reversal on Kenneth Bae

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EVERETT—Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, issued the following statement following the State Department’s announcement that North Korea has retracted its invitation for a U.S. official to visit North Korea. U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues Ambassador Robert King had been scheduled to travel to North Korea today to attempt to secure the release of Lynnwood-man…

Larsen Statement on State Departments Effort to Secure Release of Lynnwood Man from North Korea

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Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, issued the following statement following the State Department’s announcement that Ambassador Robert King will travel to North Korea to seek the release of Lynnwood man Kenneth Bae, who has been held in the country since November. “I am encouraged by the State Department’s decision to send Ambassador King to North Korea and I thank the…

Larsen Announces Major Federal Investments in Snohomish County Airports

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Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, today announced nearly $2 million in total federal grants for Arlington Municipal Airport and Paine Field. The Federal Aviation Administration grants will fund safety and facility upgrades at both airfields. “We can’t have a big league economy with little league infrastructure,” Larsen said. “Smart investments in our transportation…

Larsen: Congress Must Address Surveillance Reform

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Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, issued the following statement today in light of recent revelations that the National Security Agency has violated privacy rules thousands of times.   “I fully expect these latest disturbing revelations to kick surveillance reform into overdrive.  The jaw-dropping number of violations of law and procedure, whether the underlying actions are…

Congressman Larsen to Host Veterans Roundtable Discussions

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Tags: Veterans

Congressman Rick Larsen, WA-02, will hold five roundtable discussions with veterans in the coming weeks. All veterans are welcome to come to learn about Rick’s work for veterans in Congress and services for veterans available through his Everett and Bellingham offices. Rick also wants to hear from you about your thoughts and concerns about veterans’…

Larsen Helps Secure Federal Funding to Protect Puget Sound Killer Whales

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Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, today announced that the federal government will spend more than $900,000 to protect Southern Resident Killer whales in the Puget Sound. Larsen actively supported the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife’s application for the grant, including by sending a letter of support to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in…

Larsen Calls for Greater Accountability, Transparency and Limitation of Surveillance Programs

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Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, today called for reform of government surveillance programs. In a letter to Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Larsen pushed reforms that would limit the programs and increase their transparency and accountability. A copy of the letter is available here. The text of Larsen’s letter…

Larsen: Instead of Rushing Home for August Recess, Congress Should Invest in Aging Bridges

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Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, today urged his colleagues to take up and pass the SAFE Bridges Act, a bill he introduced with Reps. Nick Rahall, W.Va-03, and Peter DeFazio, Ore.-04. The House of Representatives will recess Friday for five weeks without passing any legislation to invest in our transportation infrastructure. Larsen’s floor speech follows: Mr. Speaker, I rise to support…

Larsen Puts Forward TIGER CUBS Act so Small Cities Get Fair Share of Job-Creating Transportation Dollars

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Small- and medium-sized cities will get a fair share of federal transportation dollars under a bill introduced by Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, today. The Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery for Cities Underfunded Because of Size (TIGER CUBS) Act of 2013 would set aside 20 percent of special transportation infrastructure funding specifically for smaller cities. “TIGER…

Larsen Votes for Bipartisan Student Loan Fix

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Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, today voted for a bipartisan compromise on student loan interest rates that will cut interest rates for students on federal loans in college and graduate school. Interest rates for undergraduate loans doubled on July 1. “America needs to be telling its young people that we will invest in them,” Larsen said. “This bipartisan compromise stops the…