{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=B63AC466-A576-474E-9DD1-3EA8D269654A", "Portman Statement on China's Decision to Ban Ivory Trade", "2016-12-31", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "OH", "Rob Portman", "P000449", "www.portman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "U.S Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), co-chair of the Senate International Conservation Caucus, today released the following statement applauding China\u2019s decision to ban the ivory trade:\r\n\u201cI applaud China\u2019s decision to ban the processing and sale of ivory by the end of 2017. With the world\u2019s largest ivory market, China\u2019s ban will protect vulnerable elephant populations in Africa and will deal a blow to criminal and terror organizations that engage in poaching and trafficking of elephant ivory. As co-chair of the International Conservation Caucus, I will continue to work in Congress to raise awareness about the illicit ivory trade and I look forward to continuing our efforts to combat wildlife trafficking.\u201d\r\nPortman\u2019s 2014 op-ed \u201cElephants slaughtered for trinkets and terrorism\u201d details the illicit ivory trade and its links to international terrorism as well as his efforts to put an end to the trafficking of ivory.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=B63AC466-A576-474E-9DD1-3EA8D269654A"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4719159808009863, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}