Tammy Baldwin in the News

MARCH 2007 ARCHIVE

Baldwin, Feingold push whooping crane conservation

Portage Daily Register
Friday, March 30, 2007
By Christina Beam, Capitol Newspapers

"Wisconsin's Sen. Russ Feingold and Rep. Tammy Baldwin are hoping to feather the nest of crane conservationists with a new bill that would provide federal funding for protecting the endangered birds.  If passed, the Crane Conservation Act would allocate $5 million per year over five years toward crane conservation efforts. Feingold and Baldwin each introduced a Crane Conservation Act to their respective legislative bodies in 2003 and 2005 but they stalled in committee.

The shift in power to Democratic leadership in the House and Senate makes the timing right to try the bill again, Baldwin said. Her district includes Columbia County.  'There is a greater emphasis right now on protecting our environment and recognizing the burden on our environment of some of the policy decisions that we've been making over the past many years, so I want to take advantage of this particular time to push the bill,' the Madison Democrat said..."  [ Read Article ]

Why We Should Protect Cranes

The Hill's Congress Blog
Friday, March 30, 2007
By Rep. Tammy Baldwin

"Cranes are the most endangered family of birds in the world, with 11 of the world's 15 species at risk of extinction.  None is rarer than the North American Whooping Crane.  There's a greater emphasis right now on protecting our environment and recognizing the burden on the environment of some of the policy decisions that we've made over the past many years...

...The International Crane Foundation, in Baraboo, Wisconsin has bred and guided whooping cranes on their migrations from the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin to their breeding grounds in Florida's Chassahowitzka Wildlife Refuge..."  [ Read Article ]

Ruling majoirty wins first round of Iraq showdown in Congress

Spooner Advocate
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
By Stan Milan

"The Wisconsin congressional delegation's vote in the House last week on the $121.6 billion emergency supplemental spending measure, more commonly called the Iraq war funding bill, mirrors voter opinion back in Wisconsin...Rep. Tammy Baldwin was undecided until the vote.  For Baldwin, it was a matter of voting to end the war or 'send a bill (to the Senate) that gives the president unchecked power to continue his misguided, mismanaged war without end...'"  [ Read Article ]

House Passes Legislation to Reauthorize National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program

American Cancer Society
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
By Trista Hargrove

"The U.S. House of Representatives tonight passed the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) Reauthorization Act of 2007 (H.R. 1132).  The legislation, sponsored by Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Sue Myrick (R-NC), would reauthorize this successful program and give some states greater flexiblity to reach more women who are eligible and in need.  The bill would also increase funding for the program from the current $202 million to $275 million over the next five years, enabling hundreds of thousands of additional women to access it..."  [ Read Article ]

Farm-State Lawmakers Divided on Easing Restrictions on Specialty Crops

Congressional Quarterly :: Agriculture
Monday, March 26, 2007
By Catharine Richert, CQ Staff

"Farm-state lawmakers gearing up to write a new farm bill are split over a proposal to ease restrictions on growers of subsidized commodity crops who also plant fruits and vegetables.  The law currently strips growers of such commodities as corn and soybeans of their direct government subsidies and imposes penalities if they decide to grow fruits and vegetables.

At least 16 House members, including three Agriculture Committee membes, have signed onto a bill (HR 1371) by Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., that would continue to block subsidies to growers who plant fruits and vegetables but would lift the penalties.  Baldwin's bill would split the difference between the Bush administration, which wants to end the planting restrictions outright, and speciality crop growers, who like the law as it is..."  [ Read Article ]

Divided House approves 2008 exit from Iraq

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel :: News
Saturday, March 24, 2007
By Craig Gilbert of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"Taking what Democratic leaders called a 'giant step' toward ending the war, the U.S. House voted by a tiny margin Friday to withdraw combat troops from Iraq next year, part of a $124 billion spending bill that divided the chamber along sharp party lines...

...In a statement, Baldwin said her decision was a hard one because she has opposed every Iraq spending bill until now, and 'I strongly favor using the power of the purse to end the war.'  Baldwin also called the bill flawed because it 'does not end the war soon enough' and 'fails to address necessary safeguards to prevent this president from taking military action in Iran without congressional authorization.'  But Baldwin said she chose to accept the legislative reality that 'today, we have only two options.  We can send to the Senate the bill before us, with binding language to end the war or, should this bill fail, we send a bill that gives the president unchecked power to continue his misguided, mismanaged war without end...'"  [ Read Article ]

Baldwin sponsoring Farm Flexibility bill

The Monroe Times
Saturday, March 24, 2007
By Shannon Green

"Farmers may soon have their fruits and vegetables.  United States Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, is a sponsor of a bill that will remove restrictions placed on farmers who grow fruits and vegetables.

'Growers and processors in Wisconsin need laws that encourage business, not stifle it,' Baldwin said.  The 2007 Farm Flexibility Act would reverse the unintended consequences of planting restrictions created by the 2002 Farm Bill..."  [ Read Article ]

SeniorCare push intensifies

Wisconsin State Journal :: Front Page
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
By Mark Pitsch

"Early one morning last October, Luillia Van Lanen was rushed to the hospital after she awoke with shortness of breath.  Doctors told her the cause was her decision to stop taking medications that kept her blood pressure down, she said.  She did that because under the Medicare Part D drug program, she couldn't pay for all her medications...After the episode, Van Lanen, 78, dumped Part D and switched to Wisconsin's SeniorCare...But whether Van Lanen and the other 104,000 SeniorCare participants will be able to rely on the program is in doubt.

The Wisconsin version of the prescription drug program for the elderly, which is expected to cost state taxpayers $57.6 million this fiscal year, is scheduled to expire June 30 unless the federal government grants the state's request to continue it...As a result, Doyle and other state and federal lawmakers are intensifying their lobbying of U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt to approve the waiver. 

Doyle last week asked the state's elderly to write to Leavitt about the program.  U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, is seeking a meeting in Washington with Leavitt to deliver the signatures of more than 16,000 people who signed a petition asking him to approve the waiver...Baldwin said Van Lanen's situation is typical among Wisconsin's elderly.  She said despite the concerns of people such as Van Lanen, the federal Government wants to push all senior citizens into Medicare Part D.  And if stories like Van Lanen's don't persuade Leavitt, Baldwin said she's hoping the costs savings will.

'We're hopeful they can set aside their bias toward Medicare Part D in favor of saving the federal government money,' Baldwin said."  [Read Article]

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