Richard Lugar

Proposal Will Reduce the Number of New Diabetes Cases

Washington, D.C. [Nov 5, 2009] – Today, U.S. Senators Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) introduced the Diabetes Prevention Act of 2009, which will reduce the number of new diabetes cases in the United States, resulting in significant health care savings and better health for Americans.

The legislation is being introduced in connection with American Diabetes Month, which is November.

Video of Sen. Franken’s statement of introduction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn8gDPVtkEw    » read more »

October 15, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar and Rep. Brad Ellsworth have secured $1,000,000 for advanced manufacturing and engineering equipment at the University of Southern Indiana (USI). Congress signed-off on the funding as part of the FY 2010 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill this week.

"The long-term strength of Indiana's economy rests on maintaining a well-trained workforce," said Ellsworth. "These funds will help ensure USI graduates have the cutting-edge training and skills Indiana businesses need to recover and compete in the global economy."    » read more »

June 23, 2009 -- U.S. Senator Dick Lugar released the following statement on the nomination of Harold Koh to be Legal Adviser to the State Department. The Senate will have a cloture vote tomorrow on the nomination:    » read more »

June 17, 2009 -- U.S. Senator Dick Lugar announced that EnerDel has been selected to receive one of seven cost-shared research awards from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Awardees will use the funds for the development of advanced batteries for electric drive vehicles. The total DOE investment for these projects is up to $10.96 million over three years, subject to annual appropriations.

EnerDel Inc., which is based out of Indianapolis, Indiana, has been selected for negotiation of an award for up to $3.3 million for a project to develop a chemical shuttle agent that will eliminate the danger of overcharging lithium-ion batteries developed for plug in hybrid electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles and electric vehicles.    » read more »

May 28, 2009 -- Shchuchye, Russia -- U.S. Senator Dick Lugar said today that the Nunn-Lugar Chemical Weapons Destruction Facility here is a testament to U.S.-Russian “cooperation and our shared dedication to addressing the threats posed by weapons of mass destruction.”

More than a decade in the making, the facility will destroy nearly 2 million chemical weapons shells and nerve agent that has been stored here since Soviet days. It is arguably the largest facility in the world destroying chemical munitions, and is currently the only operating facility that can accommodate the destruction of 2 million munitions.    » read more »

May 21, 2009 -- U.S. Senator Dick Lugar joined 16 other Republican and Democratic Senators on a bill introduced yesterday easing U.S. trade restrictions to Cuba, the Promoting American Agricultural and Medical Exports to Cuba Act of 2009, S. 1089. The bill would help U.S. farmers and ranchers export their products to Cuba by allowing timely and direct cash payments for agricultural goods.

The bill also requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to promote U.S. agricultural exports to Cuba. Additionally, the bill lifts the current travel ban, allowing U.S. citizens and legal residents to travel to Cuba, and it eases restrictions on exports of medicines and medical devices.    » read more »

May 19, 2009 -- U.S. Senator Dick Lugar said today that our dependence on foreign oil is draining our economy, threatening our national security and harming the environment. He supports the agreement to increase vehicle fuel efficiency and calls for a flexible fuel vehicle requirement.

President Obama’s fuel efficiency announcement mirrors legislation he co-sponsored with Lugar when he was in the Senate (see summary below).    » read more »

May 19, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) and Ranking Member Richard Lugar (R-IN) released the following statement last week in response to recent charges brought against Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi:

“The Obama Administration and Congress are reviewing America’s policy toward Burma. At this critical time, some in the junta are trying to leverage the recent alleged unauthorized entry into Aung San Suu Kyi’s compound to extend her detention. This action sends precisely the wrong message to the citizens of Burma, the people of Southeast Asia, and all those in the global community who seek for the Burmese people the opportunity to live in a country where universal human rights are respected, not trampled.    » read more »

March 26, 2009 -- Washington, DC - Today, Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) introduced the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act in the U.S. Senate while Representatives Howard Berman (D-CA) and Lincoln Diaz-Balart (D-FL) introduced it in the House of Representatives.    » read more »

January 28, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) and Ranking Member Richard G. Lugar (R-IN) are introducing a bipartisan resolution today urging the members of the international community, including the United States, to provide the resources the African Union and United Nations need to carry out their joint peacekeeping mission in Darfur.    » read more »

October 15, 2007 -- Washington, DC – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) and ranking member U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN), sent a letter to two high-ranking European Union officials urging the EU to join U.S. efforts to increase pressure on the military dictatorship in Burma.    » read more »

September 13, 2007 -- Washington, DC – The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the Tropical Forest and Coral Conservation Act of 2007, which was introduced last week by Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) and U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN), the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The legislation extends an initiative to protect tropical forests worldwide and broadens the initiative’s mandate to include coral reefs.    » read more »

Monday, September 10, 2007 -- U.S. Senators Arlen Specter (R-Pa), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Richard Lugar (R-IN), today introduced the Free Flow of Information Act of 2007. The Act seeks to protect the public’s right to information and a free press by providing appropriate protections to reporters and their employers in order to protect confidential sources while ensuring effective law enforcement.    » read more »

August 1, 2007 -- Washington, DC – Last night, just hours after the U.N. Security Council announced its decision to authorize the deployment of peacekeeping troops to Darfur, the Senate passed a bipartisan resolution (S. Res. 276) sponsored by Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) and Ranking Member Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) which calls for the immediate deployment of a peacekeeping mission to Darfur and lays out benchmarks for that mission.    » read more »

$48 million funding increase to be used to destroy conventional weapons stockpiles, intercept weapons of mass destruction and respond to proliferation emergencies

June 28, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) today announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee accepted their request to provide funding to implement the Lugar-Obama nonproliferation initiative.    » read more »