Russ Feingold

Presidential Approval to Release Oil from Strategic Petroleum Reserve would have most Immediate Impact at the Pump

August 1, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) is urging President Bush to bring immediate relief at the gas pump. Feingold joined 35 other Senators in sending a letter to the President, authored by Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), calling on the President to use his emergency authority to immediately release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).

Gas pump, Petrolia, California: Photo by gerry la Photo by gerry la londe-berg (CC)-berg (CC)    » read more »

Measure creates single uniform standard for all government interrogations, complies with U.S. law and international obligations

August 4, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), John D. Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) have introduced legislation requiring the CIA to follow the Army Field Manual’s rules when conducting interrogations. The manual specifically prohibits the use of waterboarding and seven other coercive techniques.

The Restoring America’s Integrity Act would:    » read more »

June 3, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Following the announcement by General Motors that it planned to close its Janesville plant by 2010, U.S. Senators Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl and Representative Paul Ryan sent the following letter to General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner asking him to reconsider the decision to close the Janesville GM plant and requesting a meeting to discuss the possible retooling of the plant for different production lines.

A copy of the letter is available here: http://feingold.senate.gov/pdf/ltr_gm_060308.pdf.

June 3, 2008

G. Richard Wagoner, Jr.
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
General Motors Corporation
300 Renaissance Center
Detroit, MI 48265

Dear Mr. Wagoner:    » read more »

Call Comes During Four-Day Visit to Pakistan

May 27, 2008 -- Islamabad, Pakistan - Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), during a four-day visit to Pakistan, called for the immediate and unconditional restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and all other judges illegally removed by President Pervez Musharraf during last year's emergency rule.

A colorful bus in Pakistan: Photo by Steve Evans (CC)

Senator Feingold also urged the Bush Administration to end its silence on the issue.    » read more »

Feingold welcomes Collins’ support for effort to cover the uninsured

May 22, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) welcomed the support of Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) for the State-Based Health Care Reform Act, a state-based approach to ensure all Americans receive health care coverage.

Additional support for the bill, which Feingold authored with Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, coincides with a Badger Poll conducted by the University of Wisconsin Survey Center that finds a majority of Wisconsinites think states would do a better job reforming the health care system rather than the federal government.    » read more »

May 21, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold is letting Senate leaders know today of his intent to offer an amendment to the Iraq supplemental spending bill to safely redeploy U.S. troops from Iraq, after which funding for the war would end.

Army National Guard soldier locked in an emotional embrace at homecoming: 2nd Combined Arms Battalion, 136th Infantry of the 34th "Red Bull" Infantry Division of the Army National Guard in Anoka, MN. After having their tour extended by the troop surge, the "Red Bulls" were the longest serving guard unit, having been in Iraq since late 2005. Photo by Poppyseed Bandits (CC)    » read more »

By Suspending Deposits into the Nearly-Full Strategic Petroleum Reserve, More Oil Will Be Available in the Marketplace to Help Bring Down Gas Prices

May 13, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Senate passed a measure co-sponsored by U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) that will help lower gas prices that have reached all-time highs.

California gas prices: Photo by Brian Locicero (CC)

The Senate passed a Feingold-backed initiative to suspend the filling of the strategic petroleum reserve (SPR) that was originally created to provide relief when oil and gasoline supply shortages caused economic hardships.    » read more »

Week of May 11, 2008 Designated to Raise Awareness of Women Health Issues

May 8, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Senate has passed a bipartisan resolution reintroduced by Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) recognizing May 11-17, 2008 as National Women’s Health Week (NWHW).    » read more »

Bipartisan Effort Would Prevent Energy Market Manipulation

May 6, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – As American consumers face soaring gas and energy prices, U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) announced today that legislation providing long overdue oversight of energy markets will be included in the final Farm Bill. Feingold pushed for the provision as part of a bipartisan effort, led by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Carl Levin (D-MI), and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), to ensure federal oversight of the electronic trading of oil and gas.    » read more »

Bipartisan resolution calls for comprehensive peace process to end violence

April 15, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Senate passed a resolution authored by U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, calling on governments, multinational bodies, and non-state actors in Chad, the Central African Republic (CAR), and Sudan to implement a comprehensive peace process to end the violence.

Women by White Nile, Khartoum, Sudan: Photo by Arne Hoel / World Bank (CC)    » read more »

Additional Funding Would Improve Educational Guidance for Students and Families

April 10, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) is leading an effort to increase federal funding for school counseling programs to ensure our nation’s children are getting the educational, social, and health services support they need as students.

An abandoned school in Detroit: Photo by Derek Farr (CC)    » read more »

Effort Calls for Increased Funding for Community Oriented Policing Services Program

April 9 ,2008 -- Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold is urging his Senate colleagues to fully fund a program that provides critical resources to train new law enforcement officers, invest in crime-fighting technologies, fight methamphetamine abuse, and support a range of additional law enforcement priorities.

Wisconsin police motorcycle: Photo by Michael Pereckas (CC)    » read more »

April 7, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold is working to support our nation’s nurses by calling for an increase in funding for Nursing Workforce Development (NWD) programs to help with the tremendous staffing and faculty shortages in the nursing workforce. In a bipartisan letter to Senate appropriators, Feingold is requesting $200 million for the NWD programs after the administration proposed a $46.2 million budget cut for an already stressed workforce.

NWD programs are the primary source of federal funding for nursing education. These programs are vital to ensuring registered nurses are ready to practice in rural, urban, and underserved communities.    » read more »

April 7, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold is calling on Senate appropriators to fully fund the Low-Income Housing and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for fiscal year 2009. Feingold is requesting $5.1 billion for LIHEAP; the Administration’s budget request would only provide $2 billion, forcing states to either lower benefit amounts or assist fewer people.

Oil furnace plate: Photo by wader (CC)    » read more »

Upholds Wisconsin Tradition to Protect Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Lands

April 2, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold is continuing his strong support for the National Wildlife Refuge System by calling for an increase in funding to help meet the tremendous budget shortfalls the refuges face.

Feingold and Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) were joined by 33 other senators in writing to the Senate Appropriators requesting a modest increase in funding for necessary operational and maintenance costs of the Refuge System. Each year, rising costs and inadequate funding for the Refuge System create huge maintenance backlogs and lead to staffing cuts.    » read more »