Feingold Marks 800th Listening Session Senator Travels Equivalent of Nearly Four and a Half Times Around the World, All Within Wisconsin January 5, 2004 Menasha, WI – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold reached a milestone today by holding his 800th Listening Session since taking office in 1993. As Feingold begins his 12th year of holding townhall-style meetings in each of Wisconsin’s 72 counties, he has traveled almost 110,000 miles all within Wisconsin. That distance is equal to four and a half times around the world. Approximately 37,000 Wisconsinites have attended Feingold’s 800 Listening Sessions over 12 years - more than double the population of Menasha, the site of today’s session. “These Listening Sessions have been invaluable to me during my service in the U.S. Senate,” Feingold said. “These sessions represent democracy in action. I depend on the people of Wisconsin to let me know their concerns and they depend on me to get those concerns to Washington.” Feingold’s Listening Sessions have given him the ability to hear first hand what issues are affecting Wisconsinites. Health care has consistently been the top concern for Wisconsinites over the past 11 years. Foreign affairs, including the situation in Iraq and the war on terrorism, and civil liberties have also been on many people’s minds over the past few years. During his years in the U.S. Senate, Feingold has met with as many as 375 people at a single Listening Session in Rock County in 1997 and as few as three people at his 1994 Juneau County Listening Session. “Listening to folks across Wisconsin is a duty I take very seriously and at the same time, it is one of my favorite parts of the job,” Feingold said. “I deeply appreciate the effort people across Wisconsin have made over the years to come on out and attend these sessions. I thank them for their contribution to the democratic process.” To celebrate Feingold’s 800th Listening Session today in Menasha, those in attendance were treated to cake and refreshments after the meeting. Feingold held his 8th session of 2004 and his 800th Listening Session since he was first elected, at the UW Fox Valley – Student Union in Menasha, starting at 5:45 PM.

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