November 2012 Newsletter
Issues Update
In recent weeks, Senator and Mrs. Levin participated in the traditional keel-laying ceremony for the Navy's USS Detroit now under construction on Lake Michigan; he joined Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado in drawing attention to the economic and environmental benefits for Michigan in renewing a production tax credit for wind energy; and he called for a bipartisan approach to balanced deficit reduction that would help avoid the economic damage of the "fiscal cliff."
USS Detroit is important to Michigan and nation's defense
Sen. Levin and his wife, Barbara, were in Marinette, Wis., just across the state line from Michigan's Upper Peninsula, to celebrate the keel-laying for the USS Detroit. The ceremony is a revered naval tradition, marking the official beginning of the construction of a new ship. Mrs. Levin will serve as the ship's sponsor. Under Navy tradition, a sponsor is considered a permanent member of a ship's crew and expected to advocate for the well-being of both ship and crew. The USS Detroit is a Littoral Combat Ship, a new class of ships designed to meet 21st century security threats.
Read Sen. Levin's remarks at the USS Detroit keel-laying ceremony »
Read Sen. Levin's newspaper column based on his remarks at the ceremony »
Wind energy vital to Michigan economy
Michigan is the state that put the world on wheels. Through innovation and dedication, entrepreneurs, engineers and Michigan workers combined their efforts not just to revolutionize transportation, but to create an explosion of manufacturing employment that helped create and sustain the American middle class. Today, a new generation of Michigan innovators is harnessing new technologies, including the power of wind, to protect our environment and energize our economy. But that momentum could stall if we allow a tax credit for wind-energy production to stall at the end of this year. Sen. Levin recently joined Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado in urging colleagues to extend the Wind Production Tax Credit.
Read Sen. Levin's Senate floor statement on Michigan's wind energy industry »
More news from Senator Levin
- In the wake of the November election, Sen. Levin called for bipartisan compromise on a balanced deficit reduction plan to avoid the spending cuts and middle-class tax increases of the "fiscal cliff" that could damage the economic recovery.
- He joined Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon in calling for swift implementation of their "Volcker Rule" legislation to limit risky trading and conflicts of interest at financial institutions, and he called Securities and Exchange Commission chair Mary Schapiro "an important voice for more energetic and effective regulation of the financial sector."
- He praised a decision by an Obama administration law enforcement task force investigating wrongdoing in the market for mortgage-backed securities to take legal action in one securities case.
- He recognized the 150th anniversary of Michigan's Congregation Shaarey Zedek.
- He chaired a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Gen. Joseph Dunford's nomination to command U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan.
- He supported passage of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, which strengthens protections for those who report waste, fraud and abuse at federal agencies.