Barbara Boxer

Barbara Levy Boxer, a Democrat, has represented California in the U.S. Senate since 1992.

Iraq War
Boxer voted against the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq in Oct. 2002.

FY2004 Defense Appropriations
In 2003, during the debate over the FY2004 Defense Appropriation, Boxer proposed an amendment (S.AMDT.1271) requiring the Defense Secretary to submit a report to Congress every thirty days detailing the costs of military action, the number of troops deployed in the region, and any contributions received from foreign governments. Supporters argued that the Bush administration was using deceitful tactics to circumvent Congress's right to appropriate funds for the war. Republican opposition was unanimous, and Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) effectively motioned to table (kill) the amendment.

SEE ALSO: Barbara Boxer's Legislative Record

Confirmation of Michael Mukasey
Voted no

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

On Apr. 2, 2008, Sen. Boxer held hearings as chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on the Bush administration's missing of one-year legal deadline to determine whether Polar Bears threatened by global warming should be listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The decision process was controversial with congressional Republicans because it was based in part on projections of the decline in Arctic sea ice rather than entirely on population trends. Interior Secretary Dick Kempthorne declined to attend the hearing, citing the ongoing decision process and his naming in a lawsuit by environmental groups filed against the government for missing the deadline.

Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act
On January 15, 2007, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) introduced the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act of 2007. It was referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The measure was intended to increase performance standards for electricity generation and motor vehicles with the option of an emissions "cap and trade" system.

Energy policy
The litigation and investigations by the Project on Government Oversight and Congress (POGO) prompted the Department of Interior’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) in 1998 to issue new rules for oil royalty collections which would end future underpayments. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) prevented the new rule from being implemented year after year by putting spending riders on to annual appropriations bills. Sen. Boxer led a group of senators who favored the new rule by mounting a filibuster. The rule was finally implemented in March 2000 after the opposing sides reached a compromise.

House Banking Scandal
The PBS onlineNewshour summarizes the House Banking Scandal, also known as Rubbergate: "In 1992, many House members were suspected of bouncing checks from accounts they held at the so-called "House Bank" -- a loose operation that allowed member of Congress to cash their checks but kept shoddy records and often were quite delayed in recording deposits or withdrawals. Although the lawmakers had broken no laws and many did not even know they were bouncing checks, several took advantage of the bank system and many voters viewed the scandal as a blatant abuse of power. Of the 296 sitting representatives and 59 former members who had overdrafted their personal accounts in the preceding 39 months, the House Ethics Committee released a list of the 24 worst abusers."

Boxer was among the top 24 involved in the House bank scandal. On March 1, 1992 the Sacramento Bee quoted Boxer as admitting she didn't pay enough attention to her House bank account. More specifically, that meant 143 bad checks totaling $41,417 over a three-year period that she had written on the House bank.

Biography
Barbara Levy was born November 11, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York. She attended public schools and graduated from Brooklyn College in 1962 with a degree in Economics.

During the 1970s Boxer worked as a journalist for the Pacific Sun, and as a congressional aide for John Burton. In 1976 Boxer was elected to the Marin County Board of Supervisors, serving for six years. 

Boxer was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives in 1982, where she represented California District 6 (Marin County) for ten years. "In that time she exposed overcharges by Pentagon contractors, one charged $7,600 for a coffee pot. She introduced legislation for more competitive bidding from contractors, fought for military reforms and to protect whistle blowers in government. She exposed mismanagement in the waste program, fought for airline cabin safety and was an advocate for domestic priorities in the areas of health, biomedical research and education."

Boxer won an open seat contest for the U.S. Senate in 1992 and was re-elected in 1998. She had decided to retire in 2004, but says she decided to say and "fight for the right to dissent" against conservatives like Tom DeLay. Boxer decisively defeated Republican candidate Bill Jones, a former California Secretary of, by a margin of 20%.

Boxer is known as a champion of human rights, environmental protection, military procurement reform and a woman's right of reproductive choice. She was also involved in demanding protection for whistleblowers in government, and pushed for higher budget allocations for health, biomedical research, and education.

See Barbara Boxer's Legislative Record for more information.

Money in politics
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Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

 * Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
 * Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security
 * Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard
 * Subcommittee on Interstate Commerce, Trade, and Tourism
 * Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Innovation
 * Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works - Chairman
 * Subcommittee on Public Sector Solutions to Global Warming, Oversight and Children's Health Protection
 * Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
 * Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs
 * Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance
 * Subcommittee on Near East and South and Central Asian Affairs

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
 * Subcommittee on Aviation
 * Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs Product Safety and Insurance
 * Subcommittee on National Ocean Policy Study - Ranking Minority Member
 * Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine
 * Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
 * Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure
 * Subcommittee on Superfund and Waste Management - Ranking Minority Member
 * Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
 * Subcommittee on International Operations and Terrorism
 * Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs - Ranking Minority Member
 * Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere Peace Corps and Narcotics Affairs

Committee assignments in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)
January 2007, Sen. Tim Johnson, (D-S.D.) was named Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, however, due to his absence Sen. Barbara Boxer, (D-Calif.) was named Interim Chair until his return. (Monterey Herald Story)

Affiliations

 * Public Advisory Committee, Population Institute

Party Leadership

 * Minority Chief Deputy Whip
 * Democratic Policy Committee's Committee on Oversight and Investigations.

Resources

 * Official website
 * Boxer Political Biography.
 * Barbara Boxer's PAC for a Change
 * Barbara Boxer on Darfur humanitarian crisis
 * Elena Ong's Woman of the Year 2005
 * Progressive Magazine: Barbara Boxer Interview
 * NPR: Barbara Boxer: Rice Hearings and the 2004 Vote
 * Barbara Boxer on the Issues
 * List of Bills Sponsored by Senator Boxer
 * See how you Compare to Barbara Boxer at whereIstand.com

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Tiger Beat: Music, Culture, and Politics

Major speeches and statements

 * Excerpts from Senator Boxer's Senate Floor Statement on the Resolution Authorizing the Use of Military Force against Iraq, October 10, 2002
 * On Her Objection to the Certification of Ohio's Electoral College Votes, January 6, 2005
 * Transcript from the Confirmation Hearing of Condoleezza Rice, January 18, 2005
 * Senate Floor Debate on the Confirmation of Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State, January 26, 2005
 * On the Nomination of Alberto Gonzales to be Attorney General, February 1, 2005
 * On the President's Budget, February 7, 2005
 * On Social Security, February 11, 2005
 * Senate Floor Debate on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, March 16, 2005
 * Statement on Earth Day, April 20, 2005
 * On the Iraq War, July 6, 2005
 * On Karl Rove's CIA Leak, July 20, 2005
 * On the Energy Bill, July 29, 2005
 * On Her Opposition to the Confirmation of Chief Justice Nominee John Roberts, September 21, 2005

External articles

 * Interview with Jon Stewart, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, November 1, 2005. (Other Daily Show interviews with members of Congress.)
 * Holly Martins, "America's Dumbest Congressmen. Radar ranks the 10 biggest fools on the Hill," Radar, October 13, 2006.
 * John Heilprin, "Boxer Says No More Environment Rollbacks," Associated Press (1010 WINS), December 5, 2006.
 * David Whitney, "Yucca nuclear storage project may be doomed," McClatchy Newspapers, December 17, 2006.