Public Safety & National Security

Rep. Levin’s top concern is keeping his constituents safe from all threats, whether it is the plague of gun violence or preventing unnecessary military conflict. 

As the representative for Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Rep. Levin knows that our servicemembers are prepared for any mission, but the military families he represents – like most Americans – do not want unnecessary military conflict. Following the President’s strike killing Qasem Soleimani, Rep. Levin cosponsored a War Powers Resolution to limit escalation towards war with Iran.

In addition to cosponsoring the War Powers Resolution, Rep. Levin voted for legislation in the most recent National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would have barred the President from using federal dollars for military action against Iran without congressional approval, and he cosponsored new legislation that would have the same effect. He also voted for legislation to repeal the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Iraq, which would help strengthen Congressional oversight over war powers and prevent any President from misusing that authorization. Rep. Levin also cosponsored legislation led by Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) that prohibits funds from being used for kinetic military operations against Iran unless Congress authorizes such an action, with various exceptions such as in response to an imminent threat.

Rep. Levin has also worked across the aisle with Republicans to protect his constituents from the epidemic of gun violence in our country. As a member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, he helped introduce the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, which was the first major congressional action on gun safety in decades. The landmark bill would institute universal background checks on all gun sales and transfers – including private vendors, online sellers, and sellers at gun shows – with very limited exceptions such as gifts to family members and temporary transfers for hunting.

He authored the the Prevent Family Fire Act of 2019 with Representatives Rodney Davis (R-IL) and other colleagues from both parties to reduce gun violence — particularly suicide and accidental shootings — by providing a modest tax credit for retailers to incentivize the sale of safe storage devices for firearms. 

He also helped secure $25 million for federal research into our nation’s gun violence epidemic, and cosponsored additional gun safety legislation, such as the Assault Weapons Ban of 2019, the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act of 2019, and Jaime’s Law.