Barbara Boxer
Barbara S. Boxer (born
November 11,
1940) is an
American politician and the current junior
U.S. Senator from the
State of
California.
A member of the
Democratic Party, Boxer was first elected to the
U.S. Senate in 1992. Throughout her career, Boxer has been a vocal advocate for
environmental issues,
women's rights,
gun control and
medical research. She is generally classified as a
progressive in the left wing of her party and is often in conflict with
conservative groups. Her electoral margins have increased each time she has sought re-election.
Barbara Levy was born to a Jewish family in
Brooklyn, New York, attended public schools, and graduated from Wingate High School in 1958.
[Congressional Bioguide, Accessed 6 May 2006] Levy next graduated from
Brooklyn College in 1962 with a degree in
Economics. That same year she married Stewart Boxer.
Boxer worked as a
stockbroker for the next three years, while her husband went through
law school. Later, the couple moved to Greenbrae,
Marin County, California, and had two children, Doug and Nicole. During the 1970s Boxer worked as a
journalist for the
Pacific Sun, and as a congressional aide. In 1976 Boxer was elected to the Marin County Board of Supervisors, serving for six years.
[Bioguide] She served as the first woman president of the board for a portion of those years.
In 1994, their daughter, Nicole Boxer, married
Tony Rodham, brother of then First Lady
Hillary Rodham Clinton, in a ceremony at the
White House. The couple had one son, Zachary, and divorced in 2000.
[The New York Times: "A Rose Garden Weeding", May 30, 1994 Accessed 6 May 2006]Boxer's first novel 2005's
A Time to Run, published by
San Francisco-based publishing company Chronicle Books, was released to mixed reviews.
[SFGate.com, Accessed 6 May 2006]Boxer was elected to the
United States House of Representatives in 1982, where she represented
California District 6 (Marin County) for five terms.
During this time she has focused on human rights, environmental protection, military procurement reform and
pro-choice issues. She was also involved in seeking protection for
whistleblowers in government, and pushed for higher budget allocations for health, biomedical research, and education.
Boxer, a member of the
House Armed Services Committee, exposed, with the help of the Project on Military Procurement (now POGO), the '$7,600
Pentagon coffee pot' and successfully passed more than a dozen procurement reforms.
However, Boxer also was involved in the House bank scandal in which congressmen, herself included, wrote bad checks in large amounts, an issue that the
Sacramento Bee covered in a March 1, 1992 article quoting 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.
In 1991, during the
Anita Hill Senate hearings, where Hill accused U.S. Supreme Court nominee
Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment, Boxer led a group of women House members to the Senate Judiciary Committee -- demanding that the all-white, all-male Committee of Senators take Hill's charges seriously. This helped propel Boxer's candidacy for the U.S. Senate in
1992, when a record number of women ran for the U.S. Senate.
Elections
Senator Boxer's predecessor, Democrat
Alan Cranston, retired in 1992. She won the open seat contest in the
U.S. Senate election, 1992, defeating
Bruce Herschensohn, a conservative television commentator, by 5 percentage points after a last-minute revelation that Herschenson had attended a strip club. In 1998 she was
re-elected for a second term, beating
Matt Fong, a former state treasurer, by 10 percentage points.
[BioGuide] She had decided to retire in 2004 but says she decided to recontest to "fight for the right to dissent" against conservatives like
Tom DeLay. After facing no primaries opposition in the
2004 election, Boxer decisively defeated
Republican candidate
Bill Jones, a former
California Secretary of State, by a margin of 20%, garnering the highest number of votes in the history of direct elections for the
U.S. Senate (with 6,955,728 votes
[California Secretary of State, Accessed 6 May 2006]) in the nation's most populous state, and the third highest vote total in the country in 2004 (behind only presidential candidates
George W. Bush and
John Kerry).
Bills and policy positions
Health care
Senator Boxer is part of a coalition to increase medical research to find cures for diseases. Boxer authored successful bipartisan legislation to accelerate America's contribution to combat global
HIV/
AIDS and
tuberculosis. She authored a Patients' Bill of Rights in 1997. She has written a bill to make health insurance tax deductible and another bill to let any American buy into the same health insurance program that members of Congress have. She supports comprehensive prescription drug coverage through
Medicare and the right of all consumers to purchase lower-cost prescription drugs reimported from
Canada.
In October 2002, Boxer urged the
Bush Administration to take specific steps to address the causes of the steep increase in
autism cases in California.
[For the whole paragraph: Boxer page on U.S. Senate website, Accessed 6 May 2006] She wrote HHS Secretary
Tommy Thompson to establish a common national standard for the diagnosis of autism; instruct the CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to convene a task force to review the current literature on autism and conduct its own study if necessary; and direct the NIH and CDC to work with the states to create a national chronic disease database.
Boxer is an advocate for
stem-cell research, which she believes has the potential to help those with
diabetes,
Parkinson's disease,
Alzheimer's disease, spinal cord injuries, and other diseases.
[An Open Letter to Nancy Reagan, by Barbara Boxer, Accessed 6 May 2006]Education
Boxer introduced legislation providing federal funding for local after-school programs, which have been shown to increase student performance while decreasing
juvenile delinquency,
crime, and
drug use.
[For the whole section except where noted: U.S. Senate Boxer website, Education, Accessed 6 May 2006] Her 'Computers in Classrooms' law encourages the donation of
computers and
software to schools.
Boxer supported the
No Child Left Behind Act. Since its passage in 2001, she claims that the bill has been underfunded by billions of dollars and aims to make sure it is fully funded, as originally pledged by
President Bush.
Boxer has voted to increase the maximum award for the Pell Grant program, which provides grants to lower income students for college. In addition, she has supported tax benefits to help more families pay for
higher education.
Boxer has introduced legislation to allow
college graduates to refinance their student loans at market rate, in order to ease the financial burden on those starting their careers.
Boxer established the Excellence in Education award to recognize teachers, parents, businesses and organizations that are working to make positive changes in
education. Since 1997 Senator Boxer has presented the Excellence in Education Award to 38 recipients.
[Boxer website: Excellence in Education Awards, Accessed 6 May 2006]The economy
Senators Boxer and
John Ensign of (R-NV) are the authors of the Invest in the USA Act. This legislation, which was signed into law in October 2004, is intended to encourage American companies to bring overseas profits back to the United States, to create jobs in the U.S., and stimulate domestic economic growth. According to one economic estimate, the Invest in the USA Act will create over 600,000 new American jobs.
In March 2004, Senator Boxer offered an amendment to the federal budget to create a $24 billion jobs reserve fund. The amendment would set aside funds for a variety of investments to improve the economy and create jobs by establishing a manufacturing jobs tax credit for companies that create jobs in the United States, expanding investment in science research and development, providing a tax credit to small businesses to pay for health insurance for their employees, and expanding trade adjustment assistance to help those who lose their jobs because of
foreign trade. The Boxer amendment would also end the tax break that companies receive for moving plants overseas.
The environment
Boxer successfully led the 2003 Senate floor battle to block oil drilling in the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
[For the whole section, except where noted: Boxer Website: The Environment, Accessed 6 May 2006] In 2005, Boxer voted again to block oil drilling at ANWR.
Boxer has introduced the National Oceans Protection Act (NOPA) of 2005.
[oceanconservancy.org: Senator Boxer Introduces National Oceans Protection Act of 2005, Accessed 6 May 2006] Some of the provisions of this act are: strengthen ocean governance; protect and restore marine wildlife and habitats; address ocean pollution; improve fisheries management. The bill also addresses needs regarding marine science, research and technology,
marine mammals, coastal development, and
invasive species.
Boxer is an original co-sponsor of Senator
Jim Jeffords' (I-VT) Clean Power Act.
[Senate.gov: Statement by Barbara Boxer before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, June 12, 2002, Accessed 6 May 2006] This legislation would reduce emissions of four pollutants coming from power plants;
sulfur dioxide,
nitrogen oxides,
carbon dioxide and
mercury.
Women's rights
 |
Barbara Boxer speaking at an ACLU event. |
Boxer authored the Freedom of Choice Act of 2004 and participated in the floor fight for passage of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.
As a member of the House of Representatives, Boxer authored the original
Violence Against Women Act. Later in 1994, she co-sponsored, and the Senate passed, the Violence Against Women Act, which provided reforms to the criminal justice system to better prosecute violent crimes against women, and provided federal funding to local law enforcement agencies for training and equipment necessary for prosecution. Boxer has also authored the Violence Against Children Act, based on the successful VAWA.
Boxer is an original cosponsor of the Title X Family Planning Services Act of 2005, S.844, by Senator
Hillary Clinton (D-NY). This legislation aims to reduce unintended pregnancies, reduce the number of abortions, and improve access to women's health care. It authorizes funding for
family planning services grants; allows states to provide such services to individuals who may not be eligible for
Medicaid; prohibits health insurance providers from excluding contraceptive services, drugs or devices from benefits; establishes a program to disseminate information on
emergency contraception; requires hospitals receiving federal funding to offer emergency contraception to victims of
sexual assault; provides grants to public and private entities to establish or expand teen
pregnancy prevention programs; and requires that federally funded education programs about
contraception be medically accurate and include information about
health benefits and failure rates.
Boxer does not support restrictions on the availability of abortion, such as late term ("partial-birth") abortion procedures, and parental notification requirements.
Social Security
Boxer supports the current system of
Social Security, and opposes
President Bush's plan to privatize Social Security. [
1], [
2]. She introduced the 401(k) Pension Protection Act to protect workers' retirement by requiring the diversification of 401(k) plans. A modified version of the bill was signed into law as part of the 1997 tax bill. R
Following the
Enron scandal, Boxer again worked to ensure that retirement plans are diversified. She also introduced a bill to prohibit accounting firms from auditing and consulting for the same company.
National security
After the
September 11th attacks, Boxer authored a bill to protect commercial airliners against attacks by shoulder-fired missiles, and wrote the law allowing airline pilots with special training to carry guns in the cockpit.
 |
Senator Boxer has lunch with California Marines during her visit to Iraq. (3/22/2005) |
Boxer wrote the High-Tech Port Security Act, and sponsored the Chemical Security Act to address terrorist threats against chemical plants. Senator Boxer also cosponsored comprehensive rail security legislation.
In October 2002 Boxer voted against the
joint resolution passed by the
U.S. Congress to authorize the use of military force by the
Bush Administration against
Iraq. [
3], [
4], [
5] Later on
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart she characterized that vote as "The best vote of my life."
In June 2005, Senators Boxer and
Russ Feingold (D-WI) cosponsored Senate Resolution 171 calling for a timeframe for U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq.
Boxer's petition demanding an exit strategy from Iraq drew 107,218 signatures. [
6].
Election reform
On
January 6,
2005, Boxer joined
Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones of
Ohio in filing a
Congressional objection to the certification of Ohio's
Electoral College votes in the
2004 U.S. presidential election.[
7] She called the objection her "opening shot to be able to focus the light of truth on these
terrible problems in the electoral system".[
8], [
9], [
10] The Senate vote on the objection was 1 Yea - 74 Nay, the House vote was 31 Yea - 267 Nay.[
11] It was only the second Congressional objection to an entire
State's electoral delegation in
U.S. history, the first instance was in 1877. [
12], [
13]
Boxer later said that she objected to the certification after having seen Fahrenheit 911, a
Michael Moore movie that pointed out that after the 2000 Florida election debacle, not a single Senator joined the
Congressional Black Caucus to object to the electoral college -- despite massive allegation of ballot box chicanery. Boxer explained that, after viewing the movie, she was embarrassed and vowed that such a disgrace would never happen again without a fight.
As a gesture of appreciation and support for her stands on the presidential election irregularities and Condoleezza Rice's confirmation hearings, Stacy Davies of California began, via email, the "Barbara Boxer Rose Campaign", wherein people collaborated to buy Senator Boxer
roses. The campaign drew an impressive response, and 4,500 roses were sent
en masse to Senator Boxer's office on
Valentine's Day, 2005.
On
February 18,
2005 Senators Barbara Boxer, Hillary Clinton, and Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones introduced the
Count Every Vote Act of 2005, which would provide a voter verified paper ballot for every vote cast in
electronic voting machines and ensure access to voter verification for all citizens. The bill mandates that this ballot be the official ballot for purposes of a recount. The bill sets a uniform standard for provisional ballots so that every qualified voter will know their votes are treated equally, and requires the Federal Election Assistance Commission to issue standards that ensure uniform access to voting machines and trained election personnel in every community. The bill also improves security measures for electronic voting machines. In contrast, she does not support a national identification program which would require voters to positively identify themselves prior to voting.
 |
Senator Barbara Boxer receives 4,500 roses for calling attention to problems with America's election system. (2/14/2005) |
Bush nominees
During the confirmation hearings for the
Secretary of State nominee
Condoleezza Rice in January 2005, Boxer challenged her to admit to alleged mistakes and false statements made by the Bush Administration in leading the United States into the
2003 invasion of Iraq, and ultimately voted against confirmation, along with twelve other senators. [
14], [
15] The dissent comprised the highest vote against a Secretary of State nominee since 1825.
Boxer voted against
John Bolton's nomination for
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and
filibustered him on the Senate floor. As a result of the strong
Democrat opposition Bolton could not obtain Senate approval. However, President Bush bypassed the Senate by employing the constitutional right of
recess appointment, only the second time such an appointment has been used for a
United States ambassador to the United Nations since the UN's founding in 1945. Recess appointments themselves have been used numerous times by various presidents.
Boxer voted against the confirmation of
Chief Justice of the United States nominee
John Roberts, and against the confirmation of
Associate Justice nominee
Samuel Alito.[
16], [
17] Her votes against these two nominees were motivated by concerns over their record on abortion, women's rights, and the proper role of executive authority.
Foreign policy
In 1997 the Senate passed a Boxer resolution calling on the United States not to recognize the Taliban as the official government of
Afghanistan because of its human rights abuses against women. In October 2001, Boxer successfully authored a resolution calling for the inclusion of women in the temporary government of Afghanistan.
In 2002, Senator Boxer voted against the
U.S. invasion of Iraq. She has subsequently referred to that vote as the best vote of her career.
In March 2005 the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed Boxer's amendment to the Foreign Affairs Reauthorization Bill strongly urging
Saudi Arabia to permit women to run for office and vote in all future elections.
Boxer is a cosponsor of S. 495, or the Darfur Accountability Act of 2005, which would impose sanctions against perpetrators of
crimes against humanity in
Darfur. Sanctions under this legislation include imposition of a military no-fly zone in Darfur, a coordinated effort between the U.S. and Sudanese governments to track down and prosecute individuals in
Sudan in any way involved with
genocide or other war crimes in Darfur, a call for the Sudanese Government to take an active roll in combating
Janjaweed forces within its borders, and a policy of sanctions against the Sudanese government, including sanctions which will affect the
petroleum sector, and individual members of the Sudanese government whose actions support the crimes of violent militias in Darfur.
The Internet
Along with Republican Senator
George Allen (R-VA), Boxer authored the Jumpstart Broadband Act. This bill would make more spectrum available for use by devices that incorporate new
broadband technology, such as
WiFi. The Federal Communications Commission is now implementing the Boxer-Allen bill. Boxer is also supporting legislation to provide a 20% tax credit for expanding broadband to rural areas.
Boxer opposes access and sales taxes on the Internet, co-authoring a bill with Republican Sen. George Allen in 2001 to extend the Internet tax moratorium for five years. She is also the co-author of bipartisan legislation to protect stock options.
Boxer has joined in introducing the
Spy Block Act of 2005, S. 687, in the U.S. Senate. The bill would regulate the unauthorized installation of computer
software; require disclosure of software features that may pose a threat to privacy; prohibits false/misleading representations about software that cannot be uninstalled or disabled through usual program removal functions.
Gun control
Boxer authored legislation to require child safety locks on
guns.
Senator Boxer joined colleagues to pass the
1994 Assault Weapons Ban, which banned various semi-automatic rifles and established the COPS program. She supports reauthorization of both programs. She also supports a ban on so-called 'cop-killer' bullets (with hard metal cores which can penetrate protective vests) and authored legislation to require child safety locks on
guns.
Senator Boxer introduced legislation which would require American-made handguns to meet the same quality and safety standards as imported guns, in an attempt to get these "
saturday night special" guns off of the "street". These so-called "junk guns" are inexpensive, easily concealable, and are often purchased by those who cannot afford higher quality weapons, such as lower-income minorities.
Gay rights
Boxer has been a strong voice in support of equal rights for
gays and lesbians. She has publicly spoken out against the
Federal Marriage Amendment and has been a strong supporter of
domestic partnership rights for same-sex couples and their protection from workplace
discrimination. In 1996, she was one of the few senators to vote against the Defense of Marriage Act.
Senator Boxer is a cosponsor of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which would aid federal authorities in assisting local
hate crime investigations and prosecutions and would expand the federal definition of hate crimes to include crimes based on the victim's
gender,
sexual orientation, or
disability.
India-US nuclear deal
Barbara Boxer is one of the most outspoken critics of the
Nuclear energy deal between USA and
India. Boxer is of the opinion that India should not get help from the US in the civilian nuclear energy sector until it breaks its relationship with
Iran.
[[18]]The
American Civil Liberties Union has given her 75%.[
19]
The
League of Conservation Voters has given her 100% on environmental issues. [
20]
Boxer has been honored in Congress by:
*Consumer Federation of America
*The Coalition to Stop Government Waste
*Planned Parenthood
*The League of Conservation Voters
*Public Citizen
*Sierra Club
*The Center for Environmental Education
*The Center for Defense Information
*The American Association of University Women
Boxer has been recognized as a champion of Human rights by:
*The Anti-Defamation League
*The Human Rights Campaign Fund
*The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Barbara Boxer serves on the:
*
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where she is
Ranking Member of the
Near Eastern and
South Asian Affairs Subcommittee and a member of the Subcommittees on International Operations and
Terrorism, and the
Western Hemisphere,
Peace Corps, and
Narcotics Affairs.
*
Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, where she is Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on National Oceans Policy Study, and a member of the Subcommittees on
Aviation,
Communications, Surface Transportation and
Merchant Marine, and
Competition,
Foreign Commerce, and
Infrastructure.
*
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, where she is Ranking Member on the
Superfund and
Waste Management Subcommittee and a member of the
Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee.
A member of the Senate Democratic Leadership, Boxer serves as the Democratic Chief Deputy Whip, which gives her the job, along with
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin of
Illinois, of lining up votes on key legislation. She also serves on the Democratic Policy Committee's Committee on Oversight and Investigations.
Having distinguished herself with her staunch
liberal credentials, Barbara Boxer is favored by liberal activists as a possible presidential candidate in 2008. The
campaign to
draft her to
run for the
Presidency has already begun.
*
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, 2005Boxer is the shortest United States senator currently in office, standing at almost five feet. She uses a box for height when speaking at a podium.
She is, along with
Iowa Senator
Tom Harkin, one of only two Senate Democrats to come out in favor of
Wisconsin Senator
Russ Feingold's resolution to
censure President
George W. Bush, although Congress has not determined culpability in the issue.
*
Barbara Boxer's Senate Website*
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*
Hero for a New Generation of Democrats*
NPR: Barbara Boxer: Rice Hearings and the 2004 Vote*
Project Vote Smart - Information from PVS including the Senator's biography, issue positions, interest group ratings, committee assignments, campaign finances, and voting record.
*
Barbara Boxer on the Issues *
List of Bills Sponsored by Senator Boxer*
Campaign contributions made by Barbara Boxer*
List of contributors to Barbara Boxer's Senate campaignsâ€"
