WASHINGTON, DC — United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) President Columbia (SC) Mayor Steve Benjamin has sent a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar asking for clarity regarding the treatment of the approximately 13,000 migrant children being held in detention centers across the country. Recent reporting has raised several issues of concern about the children’s welfare, [...]
Washington, DC—Below is a statement by U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran on today’s FCC final Order on removing barriers to small cell deployment: “The U.S. Conference of Mayors conveys its strongest opposition to today’s final Order issued by the Federal Communications Commission. While The U.S. Conference of Mayors supports the nation’s [...]
Ahead of Midterm Elections, U.S. Conference of Mayors Holds Fall Leadership Meeting to Craft Action Plan to Move Country Beyond Washington Gridlock Press Conference: Friday, September 28 at 12 noon EDT Hilton Columbia Center Hotel Washington, DC—Under the leadership of U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) President Columbia (SC) Mayor Steve Benjamin, a bipartisan delegation of [...]
With Midterm Elections Just 6 Weeks Away, Cities Work to Ensure All Voices are Heard Washington, DC— Today, to mark National Voter Registration Day, mayors across the country are lending their support to promote voter registration opportunities for residents in their cities in advance of the November elections. Mayors have committed to hosting events, making voter registration forms readily [...]
Washington, DC—Below is a statement by U.S. Conference of Mayors President Columbia (SC) Mayor Steve Benjamin on the Trump Administration’s proposed changes to the Public Charge rule and its impact on the country’s immigrant communities: “The U.S. Conference of Mayors in June unanimously adopted policy opposing the Trump administration’s proposal to penalize lower income immigrant [...]
Washington, DC—Below is a statement by U.S. Conference of Mayors President Columbia (SC) Mayor Steve Benjamin on the passage of the Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018: “We applaud the United States Senate for their 99-1 strong bipartisan vote approving the Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 (OCRA) last night. “As President of the United [...]
Cities Step in to Lead and Aggressively Fill Void Left by Federal Government Survey: Mayors Leading the Way on Climate - 2018 SAN FRANCISCO—A survey released today by the United States Conference of Mayors and the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) in San Francisco points to mayors as a key force behind [...]
Washington, DC—Below is a statement by U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran on recent FCC proposals diminishing local government ownership rights over local rights-of-way and other public property: “The U.S. Conference of Mayors strongly opposes recent proposals by the Federal Communications Commission to grant communications service providers subsidized access to local public property and to [...]
Washington, DC—Today, a bipartisan delegation of mayors, led by U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) President Columbia (SC) Mayor Steve Benjamin, met with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to discuss the importance of timely and effective IRS guidance to implement the Opportunity Zone provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. The delegation included Rochester [...]
Washington, DC— Mayors across the country applaud yesterday afternoon’s ruling by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals that enables U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) members to receive Byrne JAG public safety grants without having to adhere to unconstitutional and illegal conditions imposed on that funding by the Attorney General. USCM recently sued in the U.S. [...]
Washington, DC—Below is a statement by U.S. Conference of Mayors President and Columbia (SC) Mayor Steve Benjamin on Senator John McCain’s passing: “I was watching a movie about superheroes with my young daughters this evening when I learned that America had lost a real life hero. I had the opportunity to explain to them in [...]
Washington, DC—Below is a statement by U.S. Conference of Mayors President and Columbia (SC) Mayor Steve Benjamin on the EPA’s proposed affordable clean energy rule: “We are extremely disappointed that the Environmental Protection Agency, through their proposed Affordable Clean Energy Rule, has chosen to dramatically weaken our nation’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “With [...]
In response to an overnight emergency motion filed by the United States Conference of Mayors’ lawyers in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, today the Attorney General consented to a 21-day extension, or until August 31, 2018, for all Byrne JAG award recipients to accept their awarded funds. The Attorney General previously said [...]
Washington, DC—Today, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), led by USCM President and Columbia (SC) Mayor Steve Benjamin and USCM CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran, sent a letter to President Trump urging him to increase, not decrease, refugee admission levels in 2019. The most recent policy adopted by USCM on this issue calls for [...]
Washington, DC—Below is a statement by U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran on the FCC’s actions yesterday against local governments and their property rights: “The U.S. Conference of Mayors strongly opposes actions by the Federal Communications Commission that will subordinate local governments and their property rights to the benefit of the nation’s communications [...]
Washington, DC—Below is a statement by U.S. Conference of Mayors President and Columbia (SC) Mayor Steve Benjamin on the federal government’s efforts to reunify separated families: “While America's mayors are pleased that federal authorities reported last night that they have reunited more than 1,800 children separated from their parents at the border, we remain deeply [...]
The U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Ohio Mayors Alliance today released a report on July 19, 2018 on the importance of Ohio city metro areas to the future growth of the Ohio economy. The report highlights that in 2017, 83.5% of the State’s jobs and 86.1% of its wages were generated in Ohio’s 14 [...]
Asks Court to Reinstate Nationwide Injunction of Immigration-related Conditions on Byrne JAG Grants Chicago, IL – The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) filed a complaint against Attorney General Jeff Sessions in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on July 16, 2018. “We took this action on behalf of our members because [...]
Washington, DC—Below is statement by the top officers of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM)--President and Columbia (SC) Mayor Steve Benjamin, Vice President and Rochester Hills (MI) Mayor Bryan Barnett, Second Vice President and Louisville (KY) Mayor Greg Fischer; Chair of USCM’s International Affairs Committee Dayton (OH) Mayor Nan Whaley; and USCM’s CEO & Executive [...]
WASHINGTON, DC — Below is a statement by U.S. Conference of Mayors President and Columbia (SC) Mayor Steve Benjamin on the federal government failing to meet a court-imposed deadline to reunify separated families: “As America’s mayors, leaders and parents, we are disappointed by the news that federal authorities are unable to comply with a June 26 [...]