United States Senator Dianne Feinstein

Feinstein Statement on President Obama’s Terrorism Speech

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:00:01 EST

Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued the following statement today following President Obama’s counterterrorism speech at the National Defense University:

“I commend President Obama for today’s candid and thoughtful assessment of our counterterrorism strategy. Since 9/11 our country has grappled with complicated national security issues, and I applaud the president for tackling them head on. I appreciate his efforts to engage Congress to bring about increased transparency and improvements to the way we fight terrorists at home and abroad.

“On Guantanamo, I support the president’s renewed effort to close the facility. Guantanamo is a stain on our country’s reputation and a recruitment tool for terrorists. It is my belief that resuming transfers of those Yemeni detainees who do not pose a threat to the United States, and the appointment of senior officials at the State and Defense Departments to vet and implement these transfers is an important step to close Guantanamo. I look forward to working with the administration to accomplish this goal.”

Immigration bill heads to full Senate - Associated Press

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:00:01 EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — A far-reaching bill to remake the nation's immigration system is headed to the full Senate, where tough battles are brewing on gay marriage, border security and other contentious issues, with the outcome impossible to predict.

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the measure 13-5 Tuesday night, setting up an epic showdown on the Senate floor after Congress' Memorial Day recess. The legislation is one of President Barack Obama's top domestic priorities — yet it also gives the Republican Party a chance to recast itself as more appealing to minorities.

Many involved still vividly recall the last time the Senate took up a major immigration bill, in 2007, beginning with high hopes only to see their efforts collapse on the Senate floor amid a public backlash and interest group defections.

Some expressed optimism for a better outcome this time around as the Judiciary Committee gave its bipartisan approval. Three Republicans — Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Jeff Flake of Arizona, both authors of the bill, and Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah — joined the 10 committee Democrats in supporting the measure.

"We've demonstrated to the United States Senate we can all work together, Republicans and Democrats," said the panel's chairman, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. "Now let's go out of this room and work together with the other members of the Senate, and with the other body (the House), and more importantly work with all Americans, and all those who wish to be Americans."

In a statement, Obama applauded the committee's action and said the bill was "largely consistent with the principles of common-sense reform I have proposed and meets the challenge of fixing our broken immigration system."

The legislation would create new routes for people to come legally to the U.S. to work at all skill levels, tighten border security and workplace enforcement, and offer a chance at citizenship to the 11 million people here illegally.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has said he would bring the legislation to the Senate floor early next month for a debate that some aides predicted could consume a month or more. The fate of immigration legislation in the House was even less clear, although it was due to receive a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

It was Leahy's 11th-hour decision to hold back on an amendment to extend immigration rights to same-sex married couples that cleared the way for the bill's approval.

Until Leahy began speaking on the issue to a hushed hearing room Tuesday evening, it wasn't clear how the matter, which had hovered over the three weeks of committee sessions to review the legislation, would play out.

Leahy had been under pressure from gay groups to offer the amendment, which would allow gay married Americans to sponsor their foreign-born spouses for green cards like straight married Americans can. But Republican supporters of the bill warned that including such a measure would cost their support. As the committee neared the end of its work, officials said Leahy had been informed that both the White House and Senate Democrats hoped he would not risk the destruction of months of painstaking work by putting the issue to a vote.

"I don't want to be the senator who asks people to choose between the love of their life and the love of their country," Leahy said, adding that he wanted to hear from others on the committee.

In response, he heard a chorus of pleas from the bill's supporters not to force a vote that they warned would lead to the collapse of Republican support and the bill's demise.

"I don't want to blow this bill apart," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the first to speak up.

"I believe in my heart of hearts that what you're doing is the right and just thing," said Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill. "But I believe this is the wrong moment, that this is the wrong bill."

Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Al Franken, D-Minn., added their voices, and Leahy announced that, "with a heavy heart," he would withdraw his amendment.

Gay rights groups voiced outrage, and the issue is certain to re-emerge when the full Senate debates the legislation. But it is doubtful that sponsors can command the 60 votes that will be needed to make it part of the legislation.

In the hours leading to a final vote, the panel also agreed to a last-minute compromise covering an increase in the visa program for high-tech workers, a deal that brought Hatch over to the ranks of supporters.

Under the bill, the number of highly skilled workers admitted to the country would increase greatly, but there were also protections aimed at ensuring U.S. workers get the first shot at jobs, and high-tech companies objected to some of those.

Under the deal, companies in which foreign labor accounts for at least 15 percent of the skilled workforce would be subjected to tighter conditions than businesses less dependent on H-1B visa holders, and requirements on recruiting and hiring and firing of U.S. workers would be relaxed.

In defeat, opponents said they, too, wanted to overhaul immigration law, but not the way that drafters of the legislation had done.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, recalled that he had voted to give "amnesty" to those in the country illegally in 1986, the last time Congress passed major immigration legislation. He said that bill, like the current one, promised to crack down on illegal immigration, but said it had failed to do so.

"No one disputes that this bill is legalization first, enforcement later. And that's just unacceptable to me and to the American people," he said.

Feinstein Applauds Committee Passage of Immigration Reform Bill

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:00:00 EST

Reforms American immigration system, includes Feinstein-negotiated plan on agriculture workers...

Feinstein: ‘Zero Tolerance’ for Sexual Assault, Violence in Armed Forces

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:00:01 EST

Legislation will reform military justice system, halt epidemic of sexual assaults in military...

West Coast Senators: Energy Swap Markets Continue to Avoid Oversight

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:00:01 EST

Concerned new regulations exempt vast majority of energy swap dealers...

Feinstein, McCain: End Taxpayer Subsidies for Tobacco Insurance

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:00:01 EST

Saves $333 million over next decade...

Feinstein on Benghazi Accountability Review Board, Embassy Security

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:00:01 EST

Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued the following statement after President Obama announced the White House would take steps to implement recommendations of the independent review board tasked with investigating the September 11, 2012, terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya.

“Based on six hearings held by the Senate Intelligence Committee and thousands of pages reviewed to date, I concur with the conclusions of the Accountability Review Board led by Ambassador Thomas Pickering and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen.

“I have reviewed this report and support it. It is thorough, thoughtful and includes 29 concrete suggestions to prevent similar incidents in the future.

“Benghazi was a very painful and tragic lesson for this country. If these recommendations are implemented by Congress, the State Department and the White House, it will be a positive step forward to secure U.S. facilities and protect our personnel overseas.

“I intend to work with my colleagues on the Senate Appropriations Committee to ensure that Congress provides the executive branch with the funding it needs to keep Americans working overseas safe.”

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Feinstein Statement on Confirmation of William Orrick

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:01 EST

Washington—U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) released the following statement today after the Senate confirmed William Orrick to be a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California:

“Bill Orrick was raised in San Francisco, where his family has a long and distinguished pedigree in the legal community.

I happen to have known the nominee’s father, William Orrick Jr., who was a highly-respected Federal judge in San Francisco. The firm Orrick, Herrington, & Sutcliffe—which his grandfather founded—is pristine in San Francisco.

I strongly urge my colleagues to support Bill Orrick’s nomination. He has proven throughout his career that he has the intellect, skill, and temperament to do an outstanding job on the Federal bench in San Francisco.

Mr. Orrick earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Yale and his law degree from Boston College. He then represented low-income clients in Georgia for five years.

After that, he came home to San Francisco, where he practiced commercial litigation for 25 years at Coblentz, Patch, Duffy, & Bass. He primarily practiced in the field of employment defense.

In 2009, he joined the Justice Department, where he worked in the Civil Division and oversaw the Office of Immigration Litigation.

As an attorney at the Justice Department, Mr. Orrick’s job has been to represent his client zealously and professionally—and he has done so.

The Office of Immigration Litigation is in the business of defending the government’s position in cases in which an alien is seeking to prevent removal from this country. The Office also defends the government in cases when an alien brings a challenge to the length or conditions of detention. That means that Orrick’s primary task was to litigate against aliens in Federal court.

Mr. Orrick has also been called upon to represent the Department of Justice in other cases, including those challenging state immigration laws like those in Arizona and Alabama on Federal preemption grounds.

In these cases and others, Mr. Orrick dutifully and faithfully executed his duty to advance the position of the United States Government.

Mr. Orrick’s record speaks for itself. He is seasoned. He has over three decades of experience in legal practice, faithfully representing his private and governmental clients. He has been rated “well qualified” by the American Bar Association.

I will close with a few remarks on the confirmation process. Mr. Orrick’s confirmation is a long time coming.

He was first nominated nearly a year ago, and first approved by the Judiciary Committee on August 2, 2012—with the support of Senators Kyl and Graham.

When the 112th Congress recessed, other nominees who were reported by the Judiciary Committee before the August recess were confirmed.

But not Mr. Orrick. He had to be renominated. His nomination had to be reported by the Judiciary Committee again. His nomination has only now come to the floor—nearly a year after his first nomination.

This is a real shame. The Northern District of California is in a judicial emergency, as declared by the Judiciary Conference of the United States, as are all judicial districts in California.

The Northern District has 675 weighted filings per judgeship, making its caseload 30 percent above the national average. A civil case takes nearly 3 years to get to trial—up nearly 50 percent from a year ago.

When well-qualified nominees like Bill Orrick are held up, judicial emergencies like those California continues to face year after year are only exacerbated.

So, I am very pleased Bill Orrick will be confirmed, and I thank my colleagues on the Republican side for agreeing to schedule a vote on his nomination.

I simply believe—strongly—that he could and should have been confirmed sooner by this body.”

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Feinstein: Review military sexual assault cases outside command chain - Washington Post

Sun, 12 May 2013 12:00:01 EST

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and two House Democrats who are veterans of the Iraq war on Sunday called for military sexual assault cases to be reviewed outside the chain of command.

“I think it has to be taken out of the command decision-making,” Feinstein said on NBC News’s “Meet The Press.” “It’s clear that there’s too much excuse, and this has got to stop. And there has to be zero tolerance, and that has to be supported by a separate judicial process, whether it’s a full court-martial process or anything else, apart from the military command structure.”

The Pentagon reported last week that the estimated number of military personnel victimized by sexual assault and related offenses has increased by about 35 percent over the last two years.

“The military at this point have shown they have not been capable of fixing this problem,” Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), an Iraq war veteran, said on CNN’s “State of The Union.”

“The commander should not have the power to overturn a jury’s verdict,” added Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), who also is an Iraq war veteran.

While some lawmakers are pressing to remove decision-making on sexual assault cases from the chain of command, military leaders have expressed opposition to the idea.

Federal Courts Should be Venue of Choice to Prosecute Terrorists Captured in U.S. - Huffington Post

Thu, 02 May 2013 12:00:01 EST

By Senator Dianne Feinstein...

Editorial: Erasing the stain of Guantanamo - Los Angeles Times

Wed, 01 May 2013 12:00:01 EST

At his news conference Tuesday, President Obama made a powerful plea for ending the humanitarian and diplomatic disaster created by the continued detention of more than 160 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, more than 100 of whom are engaged in a hunger strike that necessitated the dispatch of an emergency medical team. The problem is that Obama has contributed to the crisis by acquiescing in congressional obstruction of his promise to close the facility. We hope he is serious when he says he will now "re-engage with Congress that this is not in the best interest of the American people."

"The idea that we would still maintain forever a group of individuals who have not been tried, that is contrary to who we are," Obama said. "It is contrary to our interests and needs to stop." The president repeated his familiar observation that the existence of Guantanamo is a "recruitment tool" for extremists. Those are eloquent words, but if they are to be translated into action, Obama will need to alter his own behavior.

It has been more than four years since the newly inaugurated president issued an executive order promising "promptly to close detention facilities at Guantanamo." Yet the prison remains open (though its population has dwindled from a high of nearly 800 inmates in 2005). Of those remaining, about half have been cleared for release but continue to be detained because of congressional opposition to their repatriation to Yemen and other countries whose authorities might not be able to prevent them from engaging in terrorism. Congress also has used its authority to prevent Obama from transferring detainees to the U.S. mainland, a factor in the decision to try Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and other alleged 9/11 conspirators before a military commission rather than in civilian courts.

But Congress isn't entirely to blame. The Supreme Court, which in 2008 ruled that detainees at Guantanamo had a constitutional right to challenge their confinement by seeking writs of habeas corpus, stood by while a federal appeals court eviscerated that landmark ruling. For his part, Obama has refused to expend political capital on closing Guantanamo. Rather than veto the defense authorization bills that have limited his ability to transfer inmates, he has signed them while raising questions about whether they intruded on his constitutional authority.

Before Obama's news conference, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) had urged the administration to renew its efforts to transfer from Guantanamo the 86 inmates cleared for release three years ago by an interagency task force. Obama should do so, ideally with congressional cooperation but unilaterally if necessary.

Guantanamo is a stain on this nation's reputation, not because of where it is located but because the men held captive there are languishing in a legal limbo that would be just as hopeless if they were transplanted to American soil. Notwithstanding Obama's comments about the un-American nature of indefinite detention, more than 40 inmates are being held without the prospect of even a military trial. As he "re-engages" with Congress, Obama should also reconsider his own decision to deny those detainees their day in court.

Feinstein on Departure of Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Hayes

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:00:01 EST

Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, today issued the following statement on the retirement of Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Hayes:

“Back in 2010, California was facing an especially challenging water year. The combination of very dry conditions and an extremely low water allocation had me very concerned about the harmful effects on farmers up and down the state.

“I will never forget David Hayes and Secretary Ken Salazar coming to my home in Washington on a Sunday morning to work on a solution that would dramatically improve the allocation. David rolled up his sleeves and worked diligently until we had a workable solution.

“This wasn’t the only time I called on David to intervene on behalf of California. And each time I called, he showed a willingness to take action to help Californians and our remarkable natural resources. I congratulate David on a job well done, on his distinguished service to our country, and I wish him and his family the best as he embarks on this next phase of his career.”

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Editorial: President Obama must make closing Guantanamo a priority - Washington Post

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:00:01 EST

PRESIDENT OBAMA was eloquent Tuesday in describing why the situation at the Guantanamo Bay prison is “unsustainable.” He was justified in blaming Congress for frustrating his effort to close the facility. But he was disingenuous in failing to acknowledge that his own actions — or his own inaction — have substantially contributed to an impasse that has prompted more than half of Guantanamo’s inmates to undertake a hunger strike.

One hundred and sixty-six terrorism suspects remain at Guantanamo, of whom 86 have been cleared for transfer to their home nations. After overseeing more than 70 repatriations or other prisoner transfers during the first years of his administration, Mr. Obama suspended those to Yemen after the attempted Christmas Day bombing of an airliner in 2010; in 2011 and 2012 he signed defense bills imposing all-but-unmeetable conditions on any other transfers.

This year, Congress granted the Defense Department waiver authority that could have allowed transfers to resume, but the administration has not followed through. Instead, the State Department reassigned the senior ambassador who had been seeking to arrange repatriations.

Moreover, the Pentagon has failed to set up a promised new system for reviewing the cases of prisoners that Mr. Obama ordered established more than a year ago — which means that Guantanamo inmates are receiving less review of their cases than they did during the Bush administration. It’s little wonder that many have grown desperate enough to try starving themselves to death.

At his press conference, Mr. Obama promised to “go back at” the Guantanamo issue and said he would seek help from Congress. For the prison to close, lawmakers would have to lift a ban on transferring prisoners to the United States. But it was good that Mr. Obama also pledged to “examine every option that we have administratively” — because there are steps he could take without Congress.

The first would be to arrange for the transfer of some of the 27 non-Yemeni prisoners who have been cleared for transfer; there are also three Uighurs who have been cleared but who cannot be returned to China. One Saudi citizen, Shaker Amr, is a former British resident whose return Britain has requested; there are also Algerians and Morrocans. While there are legitimate concerns that detainees could return to terrorist activity, in many cases the risk is reasonable. Mr. Obama should also insist on implementation of his plan for periodic review boards for inmates not yet cleared for transfer.

The administration, meanwhile, should begin working with Yemen’s new president on creating conditions for the return of the 56 Yemenis cleared for transfer, a step called for last week by Senate intelligence committee chairman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). Even with good will, this would take time and resources; Yemen remains an active base for al-Qaeda. But a start should be made at identifying or constructing secure facilities and creating programs to manage Yemeni repatriates.

What is needed above all is genuine political commitment from Mr. Obama. Having vowed to close Guantanamo, he backed away from the project in the face of political resistance. That resistance may be, as he argued yesterday, unreasonable; but it won’t be overcome if the president doesn’t make it a priority.

Feinstein to CFTC, FERC: Resolve Disputes on Energy Market Oversight

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:00:01 EST

Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairman of the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, and Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), chairman and ranking member of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, today sent a letter to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) urging a quick resolution to jurisdictional disputes that have hampered more rigorous oversight of U.S. energy markets.

The senators wrote: “Recent disputes over the jurisdiction of each Commission to punish wrongdoing in these markets have undermined efforts to monitor energy commodity trading. We have strong concerns that such disputes undermine the free flow of information and allow market manipulators to exploit gaps in regulatory oversight and ultimately drive up the price of energy for American consumers.”

Full text of the letter follows:

April 29, 2013

The Honorable Gary Gensler
Chairman
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
1155 21st Street, NW
Washington, DC 20581

The Honorable Jon Wellinghoff
Chairman
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20426

Dear Chairman Gensler and Chairman Wellinghoff:

We are writing to urge the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to execute more robust Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) that will ensure comprehensive oversight of energy markets, as required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Recent disputes over the jurisdiction of each Commission to punish wrongdoing in these markets have undermined efforts to monitor energy commodity trading. We have strong concerns that such disputes undermine the free flow of information and allow market manipulators to exploit gaps in regulatory oversight and ultimately drive up the price of energy for American consumers.

Congress has required FERC and CFTC to monitor trading and protect consumers from manipulative and deceptive practices in highly integrated natural gas and electricity markets. While Federal statute divides the jurisdiction of FERC and CFTC between cash markets and futures markets, respectively, Federal law also recognizes that detecting many forms of manipulation in these integrated markets requires active oversight of both markets in an integrated fashion. Section 720 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act directed FERC and CFTC to negotiate memorandums of understanding, by 2011, that would integrate market oversight efforts and improve information sharing.

In the case of manipulation in natural gas futures markets by Amaranth Advisors, it is our understanding that CFTC and FERC worked together to build their respective cases under the Commodity Exchange Act and the Natural Gas Act. Such cooperation allowed for more complete oversight of these markets, demonstrating the potential for cooperative market oversight to produce evidence of natural gas market manipulation.

Unfortunately, the joint investigation of Amaranth was followed by legal battles between the CFTC and FERC regarding the scope of each commission’s jurisdiction. These actions culminated in a recent District of Columbia Circuit Court ruling which concluded that CFTC has the responsibility to protect consumers in natural gas futures markets and FERC has the responsibility to protect consumers in natural gas cash markets. We strongly urge the Commissions to avoid jurisdictional disputes in the future and instead work together to effectively police energy markets jointly.

To this end, we call on FERC and CFTC to execute MOUs that will ensure complete integration of data and other information used to monitor and investigate natural gas and electricity market trading. It is our understanding that currently, the Commissions share information only when a specific request is made – a process that often takes months. Furthermore, each Commission compiles investigation documents in a distinct manner, impeding the integration of data even in cases where a potential bad actor has been identified.

We have concerns that this approach does not allow either Commission to comprehensively monitor energy markets. Trading in futures contracts can affect prices in cash markets, and vice versa. For instance, FERC recently proposed a $435 million fine on Barclays Bank for manipulating electricity prices by entering into money-losing transactions in the cash electricity market, which allegedly moved the market and allowed the bank to profit greatly from its electricity swaps positions. The current separation of data impedes either regulator’s ability to identify this type of manipulative trading scheme, ignores the reality that traders will exploit this gap in oversight, and makes it more difficult for either Commission to identify market distorting misconduct.

We call on FERC and CFTC to comply with Section 720 of the Dodd-Frank Act as soon as possible. New MOUs are necessary to ensure that the agencies will work together to pursue manipulation, will share and integrate all data for natural gas and electricity trading, and will cooperate in order to protect American consumers.

Thank you in advance for your consideration of our request.

Sincerely,

Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator

Lisa Murkowski
United States Senator

Ron Wyden
United States Senator

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Feinstein Statement on Syria

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 03:00:00 EST

Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, today released the following statement on the situation in Syria:

“The intelligence community has assessed that Syria has used chemical weapons on a small scale against the Syrian opposition. This has now been acknowledged by the Secretary of Defense and the White House. The Senate Intelligence Committee has been briefed on the intelligence behind this assessment and has followed this matter very closely.

“I am very concerned that with this public acknowledgement, President Assad may calculate he has nothing more to lose and the likelihood he will further escalate this conflict therefore increases. It is also important that the world understands the use of weapons of mass destruction, such as sarin, will not be countenanced, and clearly Assad must go.

“It is clear that ‘red lines’ have been crossed and action must be taken to prevent larger scale use. Syria has the ability to kill tens of thousands with its chemical weapons. The world must come together to prevent this by unified action which results in the secure containment of Syria’s significant stockpile of chemical weapons.

“On the basis of this new assessment, which is matched by France and the United Kingdom, I urge the United Nations Security Council—including Russia—to finally take strong and meaningful action to end this crisis in Syria.”

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Feinstein Urges Obama Admin to Transfer Cleared Guantanamo Detainees

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 02:30:00 EST

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein: “The fact that so many detainees have now been held at Guantanamo for over a decade and their belief that there is still no end in sight for them is a reason there is a growing problem of more and more detainees on a hunger strike.”

Feinstein, Senators Release Discussion Draft of Nuclear Waste Legislation

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 02:15:00 EST

Senator Feinstein joined a bipartisan group to release a discussion draft of comprehensive nuclear waste management legislation aimed at reenergizing efforts to reach a long-term solution for highly radioactive nuclear waste.

Feinstein Bill Sets National Standards for Egg Industry

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 02:00:00 EST

Standardizes humane treatment of hens; creates rules for egg labeling...

Feinstein, Grassley Report on Strengthening Anti-Money Laundering Practices

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:00:01 EST

Washington—U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), co-chairs of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, today released a bipartisan report entitled The Buck Stops Here: Improving U.S. Anti-Money Laundering Practices that provides recommendations for Congress and the Obama Administration to strengthen anti-money laundering laws and regulations in the United States.

“Drug traffickers are motivated by one thing: money. The illicit proceeds from their crimes are blood money, and blood money has no place in our financial system.” said Senator Feinstein. “Money laundering—very often through U.S. businesses and financial institutions—must be stopped if we are to make real progress in curtailing the drug trade. Improving our anti-money laundering laws will help better combat transnational organized crime and return revenue to the U.S. Treasury.”

“Our report has common-sense recommendations to curb key shortcomings in anti-money laundering statutes and enforcement practices.” said Senator Grassley. “By cutting off financing, we can get at the criminals who misuse legitimate institutions to fuel their illegal activities. Congress and the Obama Administration should take a close look at these recommendations.”

The report recommends:

Stronger enforcement of anti-money laundering laws by the Justice Department, particularly in cases where banks are accused of improperly monitoring billions of dollars in illicit proceeds;
Making pre-paid cards (known as stored value) subject to cross-border reporting requirements;
Closing a loophole that makes armored cash carriers exempt from reporting requirements;
Passage of the Incorporation Transparency and Law Enforcement Assistance Act to make it more difficult for criminal organizations to hide behind shell companies;
Passage of the Combating Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Counterfeiting Act to close gaps in anti-money laundering laws; and
Enforcement of the 2007 National Money Laundering Strategy, including the requirement that all money service businesses register with the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

The report is endorsed by Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control members Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), James E. Risch (R-Idaho) and John Cornyn (R-Texas).

The entire report can be found here.

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Senator Urges Transfer of Guantánamo Detainees to Yemen Amid Revolt - New York Times

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:00:01 EST

WASHINGTON – Senator Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat who is chairwoman of the Senate intelligence committee, declared on Thursday that it was time to consider lifting a ban on repatriating low-level detainees to Yemen from the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, amid rising desperation and a hunger strike among inmates there.

Of the 166 wartime detainees who remain at Guantánamo, 86 were approved for transfer more than three years ago, but remain in Cuba. Of those, 56 are from Yemen, where President Obama halted any further transfers after the attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner by a Yemeni-based branch of Al Qaeda on Dec. 25, 2009.

In a letter to President Obama’s national security adviser, Tom Donilon, Senator Feinstein noted that at the time of that attack, she had urged Mr. Obama to adopt that transfer ban “until the situation in Yemen is stabilized.”

But now, she wrote, it was time to examine whether Yemen’s president, Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who has been a strong foe of Al Qaeda since taking office in 2012, could provide adequate security assurances to return “all 56 Yemenis previously recommended for transfer.”

Although Al Qaeda “still has a strong presence in Yemen, I believe it would be prudent to revisit the decision to halt transfers to Yemen and assess whether President Hadi’s government, with appropriate assistance, would be able to securely hold detainees in Sana,” she wrote.

The White House did not immediately respond to Ms. Feinstein’s letter, which was hailed by groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights First. She also urged the administration to revitalize its stalled efforts to close the prison, including appointing a successor to the ambassador who had negotiated transfers until he was reassigned and not replaced this year.

When he became president, Mr. Obama vowed to close the prison. But he also decided to keep holding without trial, as wartime prisoners, some detainees viewed as too dangerous to release but too hard to prosecute. Congress soon blocked his plan to bring them to a Supermax prison inside the United States.

Separately, in January 2011, after some former detainees engaged in terrorist activities after their release, Congress restricted transfers to countries with troubled security situations. Releases of lower-level detainees halted and did not resume even after lawmakers later gave the administration the authority to waive those restrictions on a case-by-case basis, a power it has not used.

In recent months the detainees have started protesting. The military said on Thursday that 94 prisoners were participating in a hunger strike. Ms. Feinstein said that monitors from the International Committee of the Red Cross recently told her staff that “the level of desperation among the detainees is ‘unprecedented’ in their view.”

“The fact that so many detainees have now been held at Guantánamo for over a decade and their belief that there is still no end in sight for them is a reason there is a growing problem of more and more detainees on a hunger strike,” she wrote.