Barbara Boxer

May 21, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today announced that the Committee approved S. 2555, “The Reducing Global Warming Pollution from Vehicles Act of 2008,” a bill that instructs the President to sign the California waiver so that California and other states can proceed with laws to improve air quality problems from cars.

On December 19, 2007, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson denied California’s request for the waiver – the first time in history that EPA had ever denied outright a request from California for a waiver to do more to cut air pollution.    » read more »

May 20, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today applauded the decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to issue a rule closing a loophole in current law that can result in animals that are too sick to stand entering the food supply.

Cattle at sunset: Photo by Brad Smith (CC)    » read more »

May 14, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) praised the House Natural Resources Committee for its approval today of two House companion bills to Senate legislation she introduced to protect and conserve more than 300,000 acres of pristine public land in California.

Senator Boxer said, “I am pleased that the House Natural Resources Committee has approved these two measures, which are critical to protecting California’s wilderness.”    » read more »

May 9, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Joseph Biden (D-DE), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and John Kerry (D-MA) sent a letter to President Bush today calling for the administration to take specific actions to help resolve the crisis in Tibet, including making a presidential visit to Tibet during the Olympics, establishing a consulate in Lhasa and calling for expanded access to the region for international humanitarian officials and journalists.

The full text of the letter follows:

May 9, 2008

The President

The White House

Washington, DC

Dear President Bush:    » read more »

Legislation would end 19 years of litigation over the San Joaquin River

May 7, 2008 -- Washington, DC – The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today approved legislation sponsored by U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer (both D-Calif.) that would implement a settlement to restore the San Joaquin River and reintroduce the California Central Valley Spring Run Chinook Salmon to the river.

Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: Photo by brothergrimm (CC)

Companion legislation was approved by the House Natural Resources Committee last fall.    » read more »

May 6, 2008 -- Washington, DC— U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today made the following statement after Republican Senators blocked the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act, legislation to modernize the FAA and our air traffic control system, improve safety inspections, and protect the rights of the flying public.

Airplane, runway: Photo by S Fujiwara (CC)    » read more »

May 2, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Barack Obama today joined Senators Kit Bond and Barbara Boxer, and a bipartisan coalition of senators, to introduce the Honoring Our Nation's Obligations to Returning Warriors Act (HONOR Act). This legislation will improve treatment for our service members and veterans suffering with mental injuries, better prepare service members for the stress associated with combat, and increase care for military families.

Senator Barack Obama: Photo by Barack Obama campaign (CC)

Senators Ted Stevens, Pete Domenici, Lisa Murkowski, and Elizabeth Dole are also cosponsoring this legislation.    » read more »

April 16, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Bob Casey (D-PA), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today wrote to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee asking that they include $100 million in the supplemental appropriations bill for emergency funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).

The program provides assistance to local food banks, which are currently experiencing severe food aid shortages and seeing higher demand from families strained under our ailing economy.    » read more »

April 16, 2008 -- Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Robert Casey (D-PA), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today wrote to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee asking that they include $100 million in the supplemental appropriations bill for emergency funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). The program provides assistance to local food banks, which are currently experiencing severe food aid shortages and seeing higher demand from families strained under our ailing economy.    » read more »

April 15, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today testified before the Energy and Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests on the California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act, bipartisan legislation that will protect and conserve approximately 200,000 acres of pristine land in Riverside County.

Desert in Riverside County, California: Photo by gerry la londe-berg (CC)    » read more »

April 15, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today wrote to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer, urging him to ensure that there are sufficient federal firefighters in California to protect the state’s national forests and neighboring communities in the coming fire season.

Thank you sign for San Diego firefighters: Following San Diego wildfires. Photo by slworking2 (CC)    » read more »

April 2, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, together with Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), today led a bipartisan group of 27 Senators in sending a letter calling on Chinese President Hu Jintao to bring about a timely, peaceful resolution to the current crisis in Tibet and to respect the human rights of the Tibetan people.

Tibetan monk: Photo by Jerrold Bennett (CC)    » read more »

March 19, 2008 -- San Francisco, CA – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today made the following statement on the Iraq war:

“Today marks five years since U.S. combat operations began in Iraq, and I am sad to say we are still embroiled in a war with no end in sight. In these five years, we have lost 3,990 of America’s brave sons and daughters. We have nearly 30,000 wounded.

“We have Marine Corps units from Twentynine Palms serving their fifth tour of duty in Iraq. Our military is being stretched to the breaking point.    » read more »

March 17, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer and John Ensign introduced legislation today that would revise an arbitrary restriction on Washington’s Reagan National Airport (DCA) that limits competition and reduces choices for air travelers.    » read more »