United States Senator Dianne Feinstein

Feinstein to Pentagon: Stop Force-feeding at Guantanamo

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:00:00 EST

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein: "During our visit to the prison, we were briefed on the Department of Defense policies regarding forced-feedings and I remain concerned that these policies are out of step with international norms, medical ethics and practices of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons."

Feinstein Statement on Obama Nuclear Realignment Plan

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:00:01 EST

Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued the following statement after President Obama’s speech in Berlin:

“President Obama today announced his intention to realign the U.S. nuclear posture to meet 21st century threats, with which I strongly agree. I support the president’s call to renew negotiations with Russia to reduce deployed strategic nuclear weapons by one-third, from 1,550 to around 1,000.

“It is my strong belief that the world will be better off without an unnecessarily high number of these powerful weapons. The Cold War is long gone and the United States and Russia must do more to adjust their deterrents to practicable standards.”

###

Dianne Feinstein: California needs more water storage to end conflicts, bolster its economy - Sacramento Bee

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:00:00 EST

Senator Dianne Feinstein, chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water: “We must do more to prepare for increasingly harmful dry years by capturing more water in wet years. In short, California needs a lot more water storage–and we need it now.”

Feinstein: Label Food Packaging that Contains BPA

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:00:01 EST

New bill requires clear labels when packaging contains harmful chemical Bisphenol-A...

Feinstein, McCain, McDonough Statement on Guantanamo

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 09:00:00 EST

Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) and White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough today released the following statement:

“We have just completed a tour and briefings of the detention facilities and operations at Guantanamo Bay. We very much appreciate the support today from Rear Admiral John Smith and the personnel at Guantanamo, and their dedicated service in detaining the 166 individuals here in a safe and respectful way.

“We continue to believe that it is in our national interest to end detention at Guantanamo, with a safe and orderly transition of the detainees to other locations.

"We intend to work, with a plan by Congress and the Administration together, to take the steps necessary to make that happen.”

###

Feinstein Statement on Closure of San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:00:01 EST

Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) issued the following statement on the announcement that Southern California Edison would permanently close the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station:

“From the day the leaks in the steam generators were first discovered, I have said that all decisions about the future of San Onofre should be guided by safety. After more than a year of investigation and analysis by both Edison and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the company determined that San Onofre should be permanently decommissioned.

“While this was a difficult decision—and substitute power may be more expensive for California ratepayers—I firmly believe this is the right thing to do for the more than 7 million Californians who live within 50 miles of San Onofre. There was too much uncertainty in restarting San Onofre at this time, and I commend Southern California Edison for selecting the safest option for Southern California.”

###

Feinstein, Chambliss Statement on NSA Phone Records Program

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 12:00:01 EST

Washington—Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Vice Chairman Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) today released the following joint statement:

“A primary mission of the U.S. intelligence community is to detect and prevent terrorist attacks against the United States, and Congress works closely with the executive branch to ensure that the authorities necessary to keep our country safe are in place. One of these authorities is the ‘business records’ provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act under which the executive branch is authorized to collect ‘metadata’ concerning telephone calls, such as a telephone number or the length of a call. This law does not allow the government to listen in on the content of a phone call.

“The executive branch’s use of this authority has been briefed extensively to the Senate and House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, and detailed information has been made available to all members of Congress prior to each congressional reauthorization of this law.

“Ensuring security, however, must be consistent with respect for the constitutional rights of all Americans. The alleged FISA Court order contained in the Guardian article does not give the government authority to listen in on anyone’s telephone call, nor does it provide the government with the content of any communication or the name of any subscriber. As with other FISA authorities, all information the government may receive under such an order would be subject to strict limitations. While our courts have consistently recognized that there is no reasonable expectation of privacy in this type of metadata information and thus no search warrant is required to obtain it, any subsequent effort to obtain the content of an American’s communications would require a specific order from the FISA Court.

“The intelligence community has successfully used FISA authorities to identify terrorists and those with whom they communicate, and this intelligence has helped protect the nation. The threat from terrorism remains very real and these lawful intelligence activities must continue, with the careful oversight of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government.”

###

Feinstein Statement on Changes to President’s National Security Team

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 12:00:01 EST

Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued the following statement:

“Tom Donilon has been at the center of every major national security decision of this administration. In four and a half years he has managed numerous crises and challenges for President Obama, and I wish him well as he moves from the White House to his next endeavor.

“Ambassador Susan Rice has navigated the shoals of the United Nations—working with our allies and competitors alike. I look forward to working with her as President Obama’s new National Security Advisor.

“I hope that members of Congress will also be willing to work with her on behalf of the country. It is now well established that she played no role in the preparation of the unclassified talking points about the attacks in Benghazi and simply relayed the information provided to her by the intelligence community. Ambassador Rice will face more than enough challenges around the world in her new position, and it is my hope we can focus together on those challenges.”

###

Feinstein, Schiff Announce U.S. Forest Service Night-Flying Helicopters

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:00:01 EST

Critical new tool to help battle wildfires...

Feinstein to FDA: Ensure Access to Safe, Effective Sunscreen Products

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 12:00:00 EST

Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), along with Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), today sent a letter urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure consumers can purchase sunscreen products that are safe, effective and offer the strongest possible protection.

This is the first summer in which the FDA's new rules governing sunscreen testing and labeling are in effect. Though this is an important step, the senators urged the FDA to implement standards for newer products such as sprays, increase labeling standards and approve new ingredients that could provide greater protection against the sun’s harmful rays.

Text of the letter to the FDA follows:

The Honorable Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D.
Commissioner
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857

Dear Commissioner Hamburg:

We write to urge you to complete action on parts of the monograph pertaining to the testing and labeling of sunscreen sprays and use of sun protection factor (SPF) numbers higher than 50. We also want to share our concern that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has delayed the approval of critical ingredients used in sunscreens.

As you know, FDA first looked into the deceptive practices of sunscreen products over 30 years ago. Since then, the rate of melanoma in this country has doubled. According to the American Cancer Society, over two million individuals will be informed that they have a preventable form of skin cancer in 2013. Yet, with the summer months soon upon us, millions of Americans will be spending time outdoors and may not be adequately protected from the sun.

We appreciate the action taken by the FDA in 2011 to finalize components of the sunscreen monograph related to the testing and labeling of sunscreen lotions. This was an important step, and one we had long urged. However, more action is needed.

When Americans purchase and use over-the-counter sunscreen products they assume they are protected from harmful UVA and UVB rays, but the current protection that they are afforded could be misleading or worse inaccurate. For example, aerosol-based products are becoming more popular among consumers, but may not provide the same level of protection from the sun as lotion-based products. In addition, there are some sunscreen lotions and sprays that continue to use increasingly higher SPF numbers even though researchers have found higher numbers do not always correlate with proportionately stronger protection. For instance, one product with an SPF of 30 was found to protect against 97 percent of the sun’s UVB rays, while a product labeled with a SPF of 100 may protect against 98 percent of the sun’s rays. Lastly, it is our understanding that the FDA has yet to approve, let alone review, new ingredients for sunscreen that may offer stronger protection against the sun’s rays.

It is critical that consumers have access to sunscreen products that are accurately labeled and contain ingredients that offer the strongest possible protection from the sun. In an effort to understand what is delaying action on these critical issues, we request answers to the following questions:

1. How many comment letters did the FDA receive in response to the proposed rule regarding the use of SPF numbers greater than 50 and in response to the advanced notice of proposed rulemaking regarding sunscreen sprays?

2. When does the FDA plan to publish a final rule with respect to the use of SPF numbers greater than 50 and a proposed rule regarding sunscreen sprays?

3. What type of enhanced protection from the sun’s rays could individuals receive from ingredients that have yet to be approved for use in sunscreens?

4. What action has the FDA taken to review these ingredients?

5. Does the FDA plan to develop a process to approve these ingredients? If so, when?

Once again, we urge you to do more to ensure that consumers can purchase sunscreen products and products containing sun protection with the knowledge that they meet the FDA’s enforceable standards and offer the strongest possible protection.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your prompt reply.

Sincerely,

Feinstein
Reed
Franken
Gillibrand
Schumer
Leahy
Sanders
Whitehouse
Blumenthal

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...

Feinstein, McCain: End Taxpayer Subsidies for Tobacco Insurance

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:00:01 EST

Saves $333 million over next decade...

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 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.”

###

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.”

###

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...