Russ Feingold

I join the many Senators who have paid tribute to our colleague Craig Thomas. Many of my colleagues have come to the floor since Senator Thomas's passing, and it is clear how many friends he had in this Chamber and how well everyone…

Earlier this week in a special chamber of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, based in The Hague, proceedings began in the trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, who is accused of crimes against humanity, war crimes, and…

I cannot support the procedure that the majority and minority leaders have concocted to speed a supplemental spending bill to conference without debate or amendments--and without even writing the actual bill. I share the desire of my…

Last week, amid great fanfare, several Members of the House and Senate announced they had reached an agreement with the administration on language that facilitates the implementation of two trade agreements, and paves the way for the…

Today I voted in support of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007. While I have concerns about the $15 billion price tag of the Senate bill and Congress' failure to prioritize these new projects and the nearly $60 billion of…

Instituting meaningful reforms to the Corps of Engineers' planning process is essential for protecting public safety, the environment, and the taxpayers. I remain committed to ensuring that meaningful reforms are included in the next Water…

I appreciate the efforts and success of the chairman and the Environment and Public Works Committee in reporting a Water Resources Development Act that includes many important Corps of Engineers reforms. I would simply like to clarify that…

Mitigation for Corps of Engineers civil works projects is another important area that must be improved. Despite the clear mitigation requirements established for water resources projects in the Water Resources Development Act of 1986, the…

Lastly, section 2006 of S. 1248 would update the Corps' woefully out-of-date Principles and Guidelines, P&G, and related planning documents by establishing a Cabinet-level interagency working group to revise the guidelines and regulations…

This week I introduced two bills to assist members of the armed services and veterans. S. 1314, the Veterans Outreach Improvement Act, will help to ensure that all of our veterans know about Federal benefits to which they may be entitled…

I don't think we should wait to enact commonsense reform. This is not a new idea I just thought of; rather, it is a critical reform that many of my colleagues and I have been calling for since 2002. In fact, it was the former Senator from…

I am pleased to support S. 1082, the Food and Drug Administration Revitalization Act of 2007. This much-needed legislation improves our country's prescription drug and medical device safety, and responds to problems that Congress is long…

I firmly believe that the death penalty should be abolished, at all levels of government. Just a few months ago, I introduced the Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act of 2007 toward that end. The bill would abolish the death penalty at the…

I strongly oppose President Bush's statements that the Democratic leaders are trying to use the current emergency supplemental bill to make a political statement. Congress is acting on its mandate from the American people, who used their…

There is a crisis facing our country, a crisis that directly affects the lives of over 45 million people in the United States, and that indirectly affects many more. The crisis is the lack of universal health insurance in America, and its…

Today, as a proud alumnus, I congratulate the University of Wisconsin for another fantastic season. This year, the University of Wisconsin women's hockey team defended its National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship, earning its…

Last Wednesday, April 11, terrorists exploded two bombs in Algiers, Algeria, killing 33 people and wounding over 200. The terrorist organization al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb took credit for the attacks, which targeted the Algerian Prime…

I sincerely thank the Senator from California for moving the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act through the Rules Committee so that we are now in a position to finally pass this legislation. As the Senator from California indicated, at…

This month's elections in Nigeria mark an important moment for Africa's most populous country. Free, fair, and peaceful elections would allow Nigeria to consolidate its young democracy and to set an example for other developing countries…

It is just over 4 years since our brave troops marched into Baghdad, bringing an end to the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Four long years later, however, over 141,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq and more are on the way, while that country…

I supported that Ensign amendment today because it is vitally important that we protect our children against sexual predators. I did so despite my serious concern about the offset used to pay for the program. We should not be cutting…

Time and time again, history has taught us that preventing a crisis is much less complicated and costly than ending and repairing the damage caused by a humanitarian tragedy. The clumsy and irresolute response to the current crisis in the…

I strongly oppose the Cochran amendment, which would strike language in the bill that takes a significant step toward ending our involvement in the war in Iraq. The language I am referring to won the support of 48 Senators just a few weeks…

I spoke yesterday in favor of the resolution introduced by Senator Reid, S.J. Res. 9. By bringing the current open-ended military mission to a close and requiring the funding of U.S. troops, the Reid resolution takes a significant, binding…

Step 1 was our vote here in this body and in the House to say that the surge was unwise, and a majority did vote for that here, as well as in the House. This is step 2. This says that the fundamental underpinnings of this mistake should be…