June 2006

Welcome to the June edition of my Washington Report. I hope this newsletter keeps you informed about some of the important matters facing our State, our Nation, and the U.S. Senate.

In this edition, I'd like to discuss the following issues:

• Changing Direction in Iraq
• Better Budgeting for America's Future
• Combating Climate Change
• Raising the Fuel Economy of America's Cars and SUVs
• Ending the Presidential Roadblock on Stem Cell Research

If you have any comments or questions on these or any other issues, please don't hesitate to let me know. Please send any comments you have through my website.

Best wishes,

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein

Changing Direction in Iraq
I believe the open-ended commitment in Iraq is no longer sustainable. The war has gone on for 39 months with no end in sight. More than 2,500 brave men and women of America's fighting forces have been killed. Another 18,500 have been wounded. And as many as 50,000 Iraqis have been killed.

This past month, Senate Democrats called for a change in direction by introducing an amendment that would begin the downsizing of American troops and require the President to submit a plan by the end of the year with a timetable for withdrawal.

Unfortunately, that measure was defeated. But we have now learned that General Casey, the American commander in Iraq, has drafted a plan that projects sharp reductions in the United States military presence there by the end of 2007, with the first cuts coming this September.

It was ironic that General Casey’s apparent plan to withdraw U.S. forces was disclosed only days after the White House and the Republican leadership in Congress blasted a proposal that had called for such a move.

Clearly, it is time to stop the political posturing and change direction in Iraq. We need to listen to General Casey and Iraqi leaders like National Security Advisor Mowaffak al-Rubaie who are hoping to see a redeployment of our troops in Iraq.

It is the right thing to do for the overwhelming majority of the American people who have stated clearly their desire for a change of course in Iraq. And I believe it is the right thing to do for the Iraqi people.

To learn more, read: Statement by Senator Feinstein on Gen. Casey's Plan for Troop Withdrawal (6/26/06)

Senator Feinstein Calls for Phased Troop Redeployment of U.S. Forces in Iraq to Begin by Year’s End (6/21/06)

Senator Dianne Feinstein Calls for Strategic, Phased Downsizing of U.S. Troops in Iraq (5/3/06)

Op-ed by Senators and Christopher Dodd in the San Francisco Chronicle: "Iraq -- Time To Change The Mission" (6/18/06)

This year, our deficit is projected to be $300 billion. The national debt is upwards over $8.4 trillion dollars—that’s a new record. And by 2011, that debt will be nearly $12 trillion dollars.

The President’s tax cuts have already cost more than $1 trillion, and will amount to more than $3 trillion in losses over the next decade. Cutting the estate tax now would have cost another $1 trillion in federal revenue over the next fifteen years.

This is the first time in history that such extensive tax cuts have been enacted or continued during a time of war. When you combine the cost of the tax cuts, and the cost of the war at $370 billion to date—the inevitable result is that all other domestic programs are frozen. That means schools, food assistance for seniors, the COPS program, national parks, highways, and other vital programs like job training are cut.

So, I believe we need to change course immediately--we need to get our nation's fiscal policies back on track by stopping the tax cuts, reforming entitlement programs, and focusing on our domestic priorities like education, health care, transportation, and public safety.

To learn more, please read: Senator Feinstein Opposes Full Repeal of the Estate Tax (6/8/06)

"Another year, another tax cut, and look who's cleaning up" in USA Today (5/16/06)

Feinstein Opposes Tax Cut Bill, Urges for More Equitable Tax Relief (5/11/06)

Combating Climate Change
The danger signals of global warming are all around us -- from the melting snows of Mt. Kilimanjaro to the increased ferocity of hurricanes in the Gulf.

Global warming cannot be stopped. But it can be controlled -- if action is taken soon to slow, to stop, and to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases.

So what can we do? We can create a national framework for businesses to reduce greenhouse gases. I am working on a mandatory cap and trade system which would involve agriculture and reward farmers and for adopting practices that are more environmentally sound.

We can also raise the fuel efficiency of our vehicles, encourage alternative energy sources like ethanol, and promote energy efficiency. And the time has come for the United States to make addressing global warming a number one priority and join the European Union and other nations in reducing emissions. There is no one solution which can achieve this reduction. Rather, there needs to be a commitment on several fronts -- from individuals, from business, and from State and federal governments to address this challenge. If nothing is done and the Earth warms five degrees in the next 50 years, the face of our planet will be changed forever.

To learn more, please read: Senator Feinstein Calls for Action on Global Warming (4/21/06)

"Feinstein Takes Aim at Global Warming Environmentalists Praise Proposal Targeting Immediate Reductions in Greenhouse Gas Emissions" in The Oakland Tribune
(3/21/06)

Senator Feinstein Outlines New Legislation to Curb Global Warming, Keep Economy Strong (3/20/06)

Raising Fuel Economy Standards for America's Cars and SUVs
Drivers are paying as much as $60 or more for a tank of gas at the pump in many parts of the country, and there is no end in sight. The time has come for a fresh approach and real leadership. We need new technologies that will promote higher fuel economy, less reliance on foreign oil and fossil fuels, and a major reduction in greenhouse gases.

I believe one of the most important steps we can take to address our energy needs is to raise fuel economy standards. That's why I recently joined with a bipartisan coalition in the Senate to introduce the "Ten in Ten Fuel Economy Act." This legislation would raise the average fuel economy standards for all passenger cars, light trucks, and SUVs from 25 miles per gallon (mpg) to 35 mpg by model year 2017.

The bill would ensure that the standards are there to prompt the auto industry to build a cleaner fleet. If passed, it would not only save 2.5 million barrels of oil per day by 2025 – and save consumers as much as $2,500 over the life of the vehicle – but it would also prevent 420 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, that's the equivalent of taking 90 million cars (or 75 million cars and light trucks) off the road in one year.

When it comes to the fuel economy of America’s cars and trucks, we simply must do better – and this bill puts us on that path.

To learn more, please read: Senators Feinstein, Snowe, Durbin, Chafee, Inouye, Cantwell Lead Bipartisan Coalition to Call for Raising Average Fuel Economy Standards for All Vehicles to 35 mpg by Model Year 2017 (6/20/06)

"Bill Seeks To Raise Fuel Economy" in The Detroit News (6/20/06)

Feinstein Joins Democrats in Announcing Sweeping New Energy Legislation (5/17/06)

Senator Feinstein's op-ed in the San Jose Mercury News: "Government Intervention is Needed to Rein in Big Oil"
(4/28/06)

Ending the President Roadblock on Stem Cell Research
The potential for stem cell research was in the news again this month, when scientists at Johns Hopkins announced that they used embryonic stem cells to regenerate damaged nerves in paralyzed rats.

Just imagine what this discovery could one day mean for patients with spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis or ALS! Our researchers, however, face a major roadblock imposed by the President in August of 2001, when he limited Federal funding to 22 lines of stem cells. All of these available lines are now contaminated with mouse feeder cells, so virtually there is no Federal ongoing research.

Thirteen months ago, the House approved a bipartisan bill by Representatives Michael Castle (R-Del..) and Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), a bill that would remove this roadblock -- the bill would make it possible to use embryos that are rejected in IVF clinics; that is, in vitro fertilization clinics. Tens of thousands, if not millions, of these embryos are rejected and they are destroyed. Those embryos could be taken to form new stem cell lines under this bill.

The votes are there to pass this bill today, but the President has vowed a veto, and the Republican leadership refuses to bring it to the floor. It is time the Senate place the health of Americans ahead of the views of a limited number of people whose views are apart from the mainstream of America.

We owe it to the 110 million Americans suffering daily from debilitating and catastrophic disease to pass the Castle-DeGette legislation. Every day that we wait, more people develop diseases that could one day be cured. Every day we wait, other nations move further ahead.

For more information, please read: Senator Feinstein Urges End to Presidential Roadblock on Stem Cell Research (6/28/06)

Senator Feinstein Calls on Senator Frist to Bring Bill
Expanding Stem Cell Research to the Senate Floor (5/4/06)

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