PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Sen. Jack Reed and Congressmen David Cicilline and James Langevin have won their bids to continue representing Rhode Island in the nation's capital.
Reed, a Democrat with a huge financial advantage, defeated Republican Mark Zaccaria, WPRI projects. Two polls in the race both showed Reed leading by more than 40 percentage points.
Democrat David Cicilline won his third term in the U.S. House of Representatives by defeating GOP nominee Cormick Lynch.
During a highly charged -- and pretty entertaining -- debate on Channel 10 last Sunday, incumbent Democrat David Cicilline squared off against Cormick Lynch, the Republican who is challenging him for the 1st Congressional District seat.
Lynch kept speaking over Cicilline, Cicilline repeatedly patted Lynch on the arm to quiet him, and moderator Bill Rappleye tried to keep everything under control. ("Please, don't touch," he said more than once.)
The three members of Rhode Island's congressional delegation who are up for reelection this year face welcome challenges from opponents. But while these challengers deserve the public's thanks, voters' ballots should go to the clearly more impressive incumbents. Sen. Jack Reed and Representatives James Langevin and David Cicilline, all Democrats, have worked in a challenging congressional environment to further Rhode Island's interests.
Letter to the Editor:
One year ago, I was recovering from a medical issue which caused me to be hospitalized. While in the hospital, I lost my apartment and most of my possessions and important paperwork.
I needed to retrieve copies of important documents. I was having particular difficulty in getting my military paperwork, and decided to seek the assistance of Congressman Cicilline's office.
No single issue or criticism has dominated the race between U.S. Rep. David Cicilline and newcomer Cormick B. Lynch for the 1st Congressional District seat.
BRISTOL, R.I. (WPRI) - Nearly two years after Rhode Island voters approved funding for a new veterans home, state leaders say the planning phase of the project has reached a milestone.
Governor Lincoln Chafee, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, and Congressman David Cicilline were among those on-hand for Monday's status report on the New Veterans Home Project. At the event, new renderings of what the state-of-the-art facility will look like were revealed.
"We're making progress on what we knew is going to be the best home for veterans in the country," said Governor Chafee.
Between the visits by Mitt and Hillary and the national attention focused on Buddy, many Rhode Islanders might not realize that both of our U.S. House representatives are seeking reelection.
As the governor's race and the Providence mayoral race devour the political oxygen, Democratic U.S. Rep. David N. Cicilline is facing a challenge from Republican Cormick B. Lynch in the 1st Congressional District. And Democratic U.S. Rep. James R. Langevin is facing a challenge by Republican Rhue R. Reis in the 2nd Congressional District.
PROVIDENCE - As Cormick Lynch criticized U.S. Rep. David Cicilline during a debate Tuesday for what he described as a lack of congressional progress, Cicilline maintained that many problems facing Rhode Islanders have already been solved but Republican leadership in Washington, D.C., has stymied improvements and refused to cooperate.
Cicilline counted bills on immigration, emergency unemployment benefits and transportation among those that have been passed with bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate but have not been taken up by the House under the current leadership.
In November 2013, a month before the first Ebola death was recorded in West Africa, two U.S. congressmen stepped off a plane in Monrovia, Liberia, to visit a nation that would be ravaged by the disease within a year.
The lawmakers, Republican Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Democrat David Cicilline of Rhode Island, were in West Africa as part of a weeklong "Peacekeeping Learning Trip" funded by the United Nations Foundation to show them the U.N. mission and the impact of foreign aid in the region.
A new bill from Rhode Island Congressman David Cicilline would require public schools to collaborate more closely with community groups and nonprofits to increase afterschool programs for students.
In Providence, the Providence After School Alliance serves roughly 2,000 students, most of them from the city's middle schools. Executive Director Hillary Salmons says there's a long waiting list.
"There's a huge demand," Salmons said. "Middle schoolers love the Afterschool Zone. We have a lot more demand than supply."
PAWTUCKET, R.I. - Congressman David N. Cicilline will unveil new legislation to strengthen after-school programs, alongside advocates, teachers and students at Nathan Bishop Middle School in Providence on Monday.
The legislation will help children and families by investing in high-quality after-school programs nationwide, according to Cicilline.
Studies show that children who regularly attend quality after-school programs perform better in school; have lower incidences of drug use, violence and pregnancy; and are less likely to enter the "school-to-prison pipeline."
Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) urged Secretary of State John Kerry to assist Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi, who has been jailed in Mexico for more than six months.
Mexican authorities arrested Tahmooressi in March 2014 after he crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with weapons and ammunition in his car.
Reps. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) and Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.) on Wednesday urged the Labor Department to implement rules so that young children cannot work on tobacco farms.
In a letter to the Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, Cicilline and Cartwright called on the department to issue a regulation to address the issue.
"We urge you to issue a proposed rule dealing solely with child labor on tobacco farms which would prevent children from working in the cultivation or curing of tobacco," the lawmakers wrote.
Across the United States, industry experts and economists are increasingly optimistic about a resurgence in American manufacturing. Of course, in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, where the Industrial Revolution was born, we know manufacturing never really left. Just last year Rhode Island gained over 1,000 manufacturing jobs and ranked ninth in the country for job growth in this sector. In Massachusetts, 100,000 jobs in advanced manufacturing are expected to open up in the next decade.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - After two-term U.S. Rep. David N. Cicilline easily won the Democratic primary in the 1st Congressional District Tuesday, he issued the following statement:
"I am grateful to the voters of the 1st Congressional District for their continued support of my work to bring jobs back to Rhode Island, raise the minimum wage, ensure equal pay for equal work, make college more affordable and strengthen the middle class," his statement read. "I look forward to continuing to fight for Rhode Islanders and the values we share."
In a recent forum at Laurelmead retirement home, political newcomer Matt Fecteau had one pointed question for U.S. Rep. David Cicilline: “When are we going to debate?”
Never mind that the two had already been sitting next to each other for more than an hour answering questions when this exchange occurred; Fecteau was adamant that the two should debate one-on-one.
PROVIDENCE — Given the chance to ask a question of any of his three opponents in a debate Wednesday for the 1st Congressional District seat, U.S. Rep. David Cicilline skipped over his Democratic primary opponent Matt Fecteau and pointed a question at Republican political newcomer Cormick Lynch.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — U.S. Rep. David Cicilline said Saturday that while he respects President Obama’s “decision to provide humanitarian assistance” in Iraq, he is concerned that military involvement there “will ultimately lead to a re-engagement in a long and deadly sectarian war.”
Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) has introduced legislation to prohibit children from working on tobacco farms.
Cicilline said he was inspired to address the issue after a Human Rights Watch report earlier this year documented how children working in tobacco fields were exposed to health risks, such as tobacco poisoning.
The report found that the children often work long hours in tobacco fields without appropriate protective gear. Consequently, many of the children exhibited symptoms of nicotine poisoning, including nausea, vomiting, dizziness and headaches.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Repair the “crumbling infrastructure.” Do things that keep and foster the companies and jobs that depend on trade with other countries. Remove incentives that let companies pull up stakes and exit the country.
Those were among the topics, much of them with a focus on the economy, U.S. Rep. David N. Cicilline spoke of during a breakfast address Monday to a regional business organization.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — As the United States continues to grapple with the influx of unattended children crossing the nation’s borders, federal lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, met with ambassadors of the Central American countries from where the children are fleeing.
The defense industry already plays a vital role in the Rhode Island economy. This sector supports some 12,000 local jobs. Over 400 firms throughout the state have contracts with the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Defense. And the economic activity in Rhode Island resulting from defense work totals more than $1.7 billion a year — or about 2 percent of state GDP.
Senators, and congressional staff from both chambers, are required to attend ethics training. House members are not.
Two House members from different parties want to change that, and they’ve introduced a bill this week that might as well be called the “No Member Can Reasonably Vote Against This Act.”
Reps. David N. Cicilline (D-R.I.) and Scott Rigell (R-Va.) simply want their House colleagues to be held to the same standards as everyone else by requiring that they attend annual ethics training classes to keep themselves in check.
By David Cicilline
These days it’s a challenge getting Congress to agree on just about anything. And, too often when there is common ground, ideological differences block progress that could otherwise provide meaningful outcomes for middle-class American families. This is no way to run a democracy and Congress needs to do a better job reaching compromises that promote economic growth, support job creation and move our country forward.
Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) has introduced a bill to help prevent the mentally ill from buying guns.
"Too many victims and their families have suffered from gun violence at the hands of dangerously mentally-ill people who were not prevented from purchasing a firearm," Cicilline said. "We cannot even begin to tackle the problem of gun violence in this country without addressing this particular issue."
PROVIDENCE, RI- 22–year–old Elliott Roger legally purchased three 9mm handguns and had more than 400 rounds of ammunition when he went on a killing spree at UC Santa Barbra and surrounding areas. His parents and health officials were aware of his mental health issues.
Outraged over the killings, Congressman David Cicilline is seeking bi–partisan support for his "End the Purchase of Firearms by Dangerous Individuals Act".
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Six students at the University of California Santa Barbara were killed and many others were injured after a fellow student went on a rampage last week.
Dozens of activists in Rhode Island rallied to keep guns out of the hands of those with serious mental illnesses, in the wake of the recent gun violence. The crowd, which included Representative David Cicilline, gathered at the Rochambeau Library in Providence on Saturday.
Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) has introduced a bill to enhance requirements for federal agencies to purchase American-made products.Instead of purchasing foreign-made products that create jobs overseas, the federal government should spend American taxpayer dollars on American-made goods to support American workers," Cicilline said.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – The Providence VA Medical Center has received a clean bill of health after two audits of the facility’s procedures in the wake of a national scandal involving the Veterans Administration.
Washington--TheHouse on Thursday approved a measure that would authorize just over $600 billion in 2015 US defense spending, while blocking A-10 retirement plans and ordering an independent group to study the Army’s future.
