Sen Carl Levin of Michigan:
Democrat Carl Levin was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1978, and reelected to five additional consecutive terms, the last in 2008. Before the Senate, Michigan-native Levin was active for 15 years in Detroit and Michigan state politics.
Intelligent, hard-working and pragmatic, Sen. Levin is a skilled Democratic policy leader in the Senate and a committed, principled public servant.
Levin was one of only twenty-two U.S. senators to vote NO in 2002 against the Iraq War, even though he was then Chair of the Armed Forces Committee.
Sen. Levin, a strong advocate for public education systems, was a lukewarm supporter of the No Children Left Behind Act, largely because funding provisions for disabled children and adults were reduced in the final bill.
Senate Committees in the 112th Congress, 2011-2012:
In the 112th Congress, Sen. Levin is a member of and deeply engaged in the Senate:
- Armed Forces Committee (Chair)
- Select Committee on Intelligence
- Homeland Security and Governmental Services Committee
- Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (Chair)
- Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, Federal Workforce
- Homeland Security Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Federal Services, International Security
- Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee
Carl Levin Before the U.S. Senate:
- 1964 to 1967 - Assistant Attorney General, Michigan
- 1964 to 1967 - General Counsel, Michigan Civil Rights Commission
- 1968 to 1969 - Chief Appellate Defender, City of Detroit
- 1969 to 1978 - Detroit City Council Member (Preident, 1973 to 1977)
Personal Data:
- Birth - June 28, 1934 in Detroit, Michigan to Saul and Bess Levin
- Education - B.A. in political science, 1956, Swarthmore College. J.D. 1959, Harvard University Law School
- Family - Married since 1961 to Barbara Halpern-Levin. Three adult daughters: Erica, Laura, Kate. Six grandchildren.
- Faith - Judaism
Sen Carl Levin on the Issues:
On National Security, Iraq and Afghanistan
"As chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, helping craft U.S. defense policy is one of my most important duties. Our national security policy must:
- maintain a military capable of defending the United States, its allies and its interests around the world;
- fully support the men and women of our military and their families in keeping with their sacrifices; make careful use of taxpayer dollars;
- take full advantage of the productivity of U.S. workers and the innovation of U.S. companies; remain firmly grounded in American values; and
- recognize that our security challenges cannot be solved by the use of force alone.
On Fair Wages, Income Disparity and Labor Rights
"A dynamic and growing economy is fully compatible with fair wages, worker safety and collective bargaining rights. I am concerned that incomes at the top of the U.S. economy have grown rapidly while the earnings of working families have stagnated.
"I am an original cosponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act, which would protect the rights of employees to bargain collectively and is in keeping with the positive historic role organized labor has played in raising living standards for working families."
On the Economy and Jobs Creation
"The most urgent challenge for the 112th Congress is to help restore the jobs that were lost in the recession. I supported the steps taken in 2008 and 2009 to prevent a depression and begin our economic recovery, including:
- the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act;
- federal assistance for the restructuring of General Motors and Chrysler;
- the HIRE Act and Small Business Jobs and Credit Act; and
- emergency unemployment benefits.