Source: http://www.issues2000.org/default.htm
Source: http://www.issues2000.org/default.htm
U.S. involvement in trade agreements should be based on what is best for American workers. Exports are important to the Illinois economy. Our trading partners should be required to meet labor and environmental standards and protect human rights to ensure that their trade is fair.
I also support vigorous enforcement of our domestic trade laws that would limit illegal and unfair importation of commodities like agricultural products and steel from countries that dump those products on U.S. shores.
We must enforce our trade laws and assist Americans whose jobs are affected by imports. We should continue to press China to stop manipulating its currency and to provide greater labor rights and political freedoms.
I have insisted that so-called Fast Track authority, which would allow the Executive Branch of the federal government to negotiate trade agreements without Congressional input, be subject to meaningful protections of workers' rights and the environment.
We need greater tax fairness. America's tax code should draw more from those who are able to pay more and have benefited the most, while asking less from those who are struggling to meet basic needs. I have supported a wide range of tax cuts for families, as well as targeted tax cuts to address special burdens such as the high price of college tuition.
We need to identify our nation's highest priorities, fund these priorities appropriately, and cut back on programs that are less valuable. Unfortunately, President Bush's excessive tax cuts for wealthy special interests and his mismanagement of the economy have left us with the largest budget deficits in history. That debt burden falls unfairly on our children and grandchildren, and much of the debt is held by China, Japan, and the OPEC nations. Deficit spending is often needed when an economy is struggling, but we need to restore a commitment to fiscal discipline as soon as possible.
I have introduced legislation to provide tax credits to self employed persons and to small businesses that help their employees pay for health insurance. Families also need tax credits to help with college costs and child care expenses.
No one likes to pay taxes, but the federal government needs to collect revenue to pay for important services that the government can provide more effectively than the private sector. Congress should continually search for ways to streamline governmental activities to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being used wisely, and we should take seriously the fundamental unfairness of passing today's bills on to our children and the generations that follow.
The tax cuts signed by President Bush in 2001 and 2003 have created the largest level of federal debt in our nation's history, approaching $10 trillion. Our annual deficit also is approaching record territory. Some of the President's tax cuts should be allowed to expire. I support keeping taxes on middle class families as low as possible and therefore believe that some of the Bush tax cuts should be retained – including the 10% tax bracket, the child tax credit, and marriage penalty relief. But the tax rates applied to the wealthiest families in America should be restored to the levels in place during the 1990s when the economy flourished under President Clinton.
Source: http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Richard_Durbin.htm
Federal funding for education is an investment in our children's future and our nation's economic vitality. Although federal funds represent a relatively small proportion of the total expenditures for elementary and secondary education, they provide critical assistance to help local school officials improve their educational programs and meet the special needs of disadvantaged children. Federal student financial aid programs provide critical assistance to help students receive higher education.
The intention of the No Child Left Behind Act is to hold states and school districts accountable for academic outcomes and to close the achievement gap among students. I support these goals. However, it has become clear that NCLB needs to be restructured to better fit the needs of our children.
First, we need to provide the resources our schools need to meet the expectations we have set. The President has continually refused to fully fund the provisions of NCLB. We cannot tie the hands of administrators and teachers by instituting requirements without providing the funds necessary to meet them.
Second, the testing structure under current law needs to be reevaluated. NCLB measures the success of one group of students compared to the previous group. That is a flawed model. Instead, we need to track the progress of each student over time through growth models. We must address the impact NCLB has had in narrowing the curriculum at many schools. Because of the high-stakes nature of the tests and the mandatory federal sanctions for schools that do not meet achievement goals, too many schools are cutting out subjects like social studies, art, music, and physical education. We are denying many children a well-rounded education as attention turns primarily to preparing them to pass the limited yearly tests mandated by NCLB.
At the same time, I am concerned that some states are lowering the standards of their tests so that more of their students and schools will be counted as making adequate progress. The United States should have a world-class educational system. We may need to consider national standards that ensure our students are achieving success at a level consistent with our international competitors in the world market.
Finally, we need to focus more resources on bringing great teachers into the classroom and keeping them there. The most important factor in the educational success of a child is the quality of the teacher in the classroom. I support more federal funding for professional development and for teacher and principal recruitment and retention, especially in the areas of math, science, and special education.
I believe we can reform NCLB so that it helps our students achieve high levels of success and provides support and resources to school districts, principals, and teachers.
I want to fix the No Child Left Behind law. It helped us focus on accountability, but it has major defects. Education should be about more than teaching to the test. We need to provide schools with the resources to successfully implement real reforms. We need to treat teachers as the professionals they are and invest more in teacher preparation and retention efforts. I am also working to expand funding for math, science, and technology education, and to reduce the cost of college and the high price of textbooks.
Source: http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Richard_Durbin.htm
America's continued dependence on foreign oil takes a bite out of every family's budget and hurts our economy. It also undermines our national security and sends our dollars abroad to support some of the world's worst governments.
The United States should be spending more of those dollars at home, investing in American jobs that turn agricultural products and waste into renewable fuels, build a new generation of fuel efficient cars, and feed energy to an electrical grid no longer dependent on the fossil fuels that advance global warming.
I support cracking down on crude oil speculators, increasing oil supplies now by releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and fast-tracking domestic production by requiring oil companies to move quickly on land already cleared for drilling. Long-term, we need higher automobile fuel standards and more alternative energy.
I support environmentally responsible development of our nation's oil and gas resources, both on and off shore. Of the 94 million acres under lease by the oil and gas industry, only 26 million acres or 28 percent are currently under development. The industry should be drilling on the 68 million acres that are currently under lease but not yet in development, and we should open new areas for drilling only in areas that do not sacrifice our environmental future for the consumption of today.
Federal incentives for the development of alternative fuels are an important component of a comprehensive national energy policy. In Illinois, for example, the installation of a new generation of wind power turbines is poised waiting for passage of legislation to expand the alternative energy tax credit.
It also is critical that Congress pass legislation to address climate change. I supported the Boxer-Lieberman-Warner bill that was blocked by Senate Republicans in June and will work for passage of global warming legislation in the next Congress. We can reduce global warming in ways that create new “green” jobs. And we need to redouble our efforts to clean and protect Lake Michigan.
In the aftermath of September 11, we must continue to protect, defend, and strengthen the United States in those areas where we may be vulnerable to terrorist attack. I will continue to work to protect the people of Illinois and the nation from terrorist attacks, including improving the safety of our food supply to protect against bioterrorist attacks, ensuring full implementation of the aviation security bill, protecting other critical infrastructure, and improving the integrity of drivers licenses as accurate identification.
As a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I have consistently worked to determine how the US intelligence structure might be improved to prevent future attacks.
I supported the Democratic bioterrorism emergency funding proposal, which sought to substantially increase federal funding to strengthen the public health infrastructure, help protect against bioterrorist incidents, and increase readiness and emergency response if an attack occurs.
I continue to lead the fight to strengthen the federal food safety system to protect against terrorist attempts to contaminate the food supply, and cosponsored legislation providing for the creation of a National Pharmaceutical Stockpile that would include vaccines and other necessary medications to respond to terrorist attacks.
As Ranking Member on the Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on the Oversight of Government Management, I held hearings on airport security immediately following the September 11 attacks. I cosponsored a number of bills to strengthen security at home and protect our critical infrastructure by providing greater security at our nation's seaports and railroads, supplying block grant funding for state law enforcement, and enhancing security at our borders.
In addition to supporting the additional funding the Pentagon needs to fight the war on terrorism, I have taken action to support Reservists and members of the National Guard who have been called up to fight the war overseas and to protect our airports at home. I cosponsored a bill to provide the same re-employment protections and benefits for National Guard soldiers guarding our airports and nuclear power plants - considered as being on “state duty”- as they would receive if they were on “national” active duty. I also introduced my own bill to allow federal employees who are called up to serve in the National Guard and Reserves to continue to be paid the difference between their military salaries and their federal salaries so their family finances do not suffer from their service to the country. The State of Illinois and many private employers already do this, and I believe this would encourage federal employees to serve in the National Guard and Reserves.
Protecting civil liberties is paramount in America's mission to band together in this time of crisis. To that end, I supported several resolutions condemning physical attacks and discrimination against Muslim Americans and Arab Americans. I held a roundtable discussion in Chicago on discrimination within the community to bring media attention to the matter and to offer my assistance. I introduced a Senate resolution, which became law, condemning bigotry and violence against Sikh-Americans and spoke at a Sikh religious gathering in Palatine to express my support for the community.
The terrorist attacks also showed that the United States needs to do a better job of educating our children in areas that will support our national security - especially in teaching foreign languages. Many federal agencies have scrambled to find enough people to fill jobs requiring knowledge of foreign languages and areas that we need in the Defense Department, the intelligence and law enforcement community and even our courts. I introduced the Homeland Security Education Act to strengthen national security by encouraging and assisting in the expansion and improvement of educational programs to meet critical needs at the elementary, secondary, and higher education levels.
We need to fill the holes in our criminal justice and public health system. With better coordination between agencies we can stop illegal activity and boost communication on health matters. September 11 brought this issue to the forefront but I have long been working on initiatives to further this goal. I was original cosponsor of successful legislation enacted in 2000 that makes it more difficult for terrorists or criminals to obtain fake IDs, by closing loopholes that allow sale or distribution through the Internet or e-mail of computer software templates and files needed to make fake IDs, and by making it easier to prosecute such crimes.
Source: http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Richard_Durbin.htm
We should ensure that all Americans have access to affordable health care coverage. The number of people without health insurance has grown to 47 million Americans, and millions more have inadequate coverage. To reverse this alarming trend, I support an employer-based approach to universal health coverage supplemented by a publicly-financed program to assist those of limited means. As a first step, I have introduced legislation to make health insurance more affordable for small businesses and the self-employed by allowing them to join purchasing pools with a choice of health plans and tax credits to reduce their costs. This bipartisan legislation could be a first step toward comprehensive reform.
I have worked to increase funding for food safety, medical research, and programs to address the shortage of nurses. I have proposed legislation to give Medicare beneficiaries the choice of enrolling in a Medicare-administered drug plan for which Medicare negotiates with drug companies for lower prices.
Source: http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Richard_Durbin.htm
Homeland security must include a substantial investment in safer airports, secure borders, community police, better transportation, improved public health, safeguards for nuclear facilities, energy conservation and the targeting of anti-terrorism resources towards the locations that face the greatest risk.. Not only will these federal investments shore up our defense against terrorism at home, but they will create jobs and boost the economy.
In recent years, my Senate colleagues and I supported a $15 billion special appropriation for increased homeland security, but the Bush Administration opposed it. Our proposal would have provided adequate funding for state and local police and firefighters to prevent and respond to terrorist attacks and upgrade their hazardous materials teams. It would have increased the number of INS border patrol and Customs Service agents, monitored foreign student visas more closely, combated bioterrorism by expanding local lab and hospital capacity to recognize pathogens and treat victims, accelerated the purchase of smallpox vaccines and anthrax antibiotics, hired more food inspectors to deter attacks against our food supply and enhanced security at U.S. labs.
Even before Sept. 11, I was working to provide greater security to protect our food supply from bioterrorism by streamlining federal oversight of the food safety process and increasing accountability in the system. There are currently as many as 12 different federal agencies and 35 different laws governing food safety. I have introduced a bill to create a single, independent food safety agency to consolidate all the resources and responsibilities of the current agencies with jurisdiction under one roof. The current system results in service gaps, inconsistencies and confusion about which agency oversees different types of food. With a single agency, I believe there would be increased efficiency and accountability.
Source: http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Richard_Durbin.htm
The invasion of Iraq may be the greatest foreign policy failure of any Administration in our nation's history. More than 4,000 American soldiers have been killed, many thousands have suffered life-changing injuries, and the war is costing us $10-15 billion a month. The Bush Administration argued that the President's open-ended military commitment and surge in troops would create an opportunity for the Iraqis to make political progress, but the Iraqis have not made the political compromises necessary for reconciliation and an end to their civil war.
It is time to bring our troops home. I have repeatedly cosponsored and voted for legislation that would begin an immediate redeployment in a safe and orderly fashion, leaving a tactical force to protect U.S. assets and personnel, engage in limited missions against al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups, and train Iraqi security forces.
We must reject the blank check this President continues to request for his war in Iraq. Our troops have done everything we have asked of them. We owe it to them and their families to hold our government accountable and to push for a new direction that brings our troops home. I also have worked hard to improve the health care and rehabilitation services provided to our veterans when they return home, including a recently enacted program to identify and treat those who have suffered from traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Source: http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Richard_Durbin.htm
When I came to Congress in 1983, the Social Security system was literally about to run out of money. Today, due to legislation enacted by Congress, the Social Security Trust Fund is projected to remain solvent for 33 years. This successful record shows that we can extend the solvency of the program without imposing undue burdens on seniors who can least afford it.
Social Security has been targeted in recent years by those who would prefer to shift trillions of dollars worth of retirement accounts to Wall Street. Some of these proposals focus on privatizing the program without owning up to the enormous cost of the transition to private accounts. In particular, every privatization proposal assumes large benefit cuts in the guaranteed portion of Social Security. Any reform proposal must ensure that Social Security is preserved and strengthened so that an adequate minimum benefit will be available to future retirees. We also must keep our commitment to workers who become severely disabled and for the families of workers who die young. Reform should not be borne on the backs of lower-income workers and should ensure that women, who move in and out of the workforce more frequently than men, are not disproportionately hurt by changes in Social Security.
Social Security will be financially solvent until 2041. To ensure that Social Security will be able to provide needed retirement security for future generations, I would consider increasing the amount of revenue going into the trust fund. Currently, Social Security taxes are applied only to the first $102,000 in income. Requiring higher-income individuals to contribute more to Social Security should be considered as an option in the debate over how to strengthen this vital program's financial standing.
Source: http://www.issues2000.org/default.htm
As an elected official, I have strived to be a leader in the fight to protect women's rights. In addition to preserving women's reproductive rights, I have fought cuts in family planning funding and supported the coverage of contraceptives in health insurance programs.
I believe we must address women's unique health needs and have consistently supported increased funding for medical research and the inclusion of diseases affecting women in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Department of Defense research programs.
I have successfully fought for maternal and child health care programs that have increased childhood immunizations and combated asthma in children. After meeting with a mom from Chicago whose six-year-old child died after eating contaminated hamburger, I worked to improve the safety of the nation's food supply and I recently led a successful fight against the Bush Administration's proposed end to Salmonella testing of ground beef served to children through the federal school lunch program.
I believe preventative care must be a key component of our nation's health care system. Therefore, I support Medicare coverage of preventive health programs, such as mammograms and pap smears, and fought for the establishment of standards for mammography facilities.
Furthermore, I supported the Family and Medical Leave Act and other measures to stop discriminatory practices against women. I will continue to fight for legislation deterring wage discrimination on the basis of sex.
I think the way a country treats women can be indicative of government-led oppression and abuse. In Afghanistan, for example, the Taliban stopped girls from attending school and women from working and forced women into hiding behind their burqas. I believe strongly that empowering and upgrading the role of women in developing countries is key to fighting the AIDS epidemic, lowering birth rates and raising economic growth. I supported increased funding and a higher-profile role for the Office of Women in Development at the U.S. Agency for International Development and will continue to push for a greater focus on education, health, microcredit and economic empowerment programs for women in US development aid efforts.
I also supported the McGovern-Dole international school feeding program, which I hope will result in more girls going to school in developing countries. I have strongly supported microcredit programs, which primarily benefit women, as a method of economic empowerment in countries where women often are forced to be dependent on men for economic support. Building the role of women in developing countries is a key component to supporting democracy throughout the world.
Source: http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Richard_Durbin.htm
Source: http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Richard_Durbin.htm
Source: http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Richard_Durbin.htm
Source: http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Richard_Durbin.htm
Source: http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Richard_Durbin.htm
Source: http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Richard_Durbin.htm
Source: http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Richard_Durbin.htm