PRINCIPLE
In an editorial about Carl Levin, the Detroit News wrote, "He has been above reproach personally and has stuck to his principles, even when they were unpopular. Principled leadership, no matter what political ideology it comes from, is sorely needed in Washington."
LEADERSHIP
Carl Levin is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he has earned a reputation as a strong supporter of our national defense and an effective waste fighter. He was an early and consistent advocate of efforts to prepare the American military to combat terrorism and other emerging threats of the post-Cold War world. Senator Levin has been a strong advocate on behalf of our service men and women. In January 2003, the Secretary of the Navy cited Levin's "exceptional service to the Navy and Marine Corps" in presenting him its Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest award given to a civilian. In December 2002, WorldBoston, formerly the World Affairs Council of Boston, presented Levin with the 2002 Christian A. Herter Award in recognition of his role following September 11, 2001, in ensuring a bipartisan response to the threat to the United States. The Herter Award honors individuals who have made significant contributions to improving international understanding.
Senator Levin also presently serves as the ranking Democrat of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Governmental Affairs Committee. In 2002, as chairman of that subcommittee, Levin led Congress' most in-depth examination into the collapse of Enron. His investigation exposed how Enron used deceptive accounting and tax transactions to enable Enron to report better financial results than the company actually experienced. The subcommittee's investigative work contributed to the accounting and corporate reforms enacted in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in July 2002. Levin also initiated an investigation into gasoline price spikes, and in April 2002 he issued a 400-page report and chaired hearings detailing how U.S. retail gasoline prices are manipulated. Levin is also a member of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
Levin is perhaps best known for his efforts to make our government both more efficient and more ethical. He authored the Competition in Contracting Act, which has led to significant reductions in federal procurement costs. His Whistleblower Protection Act protects federal employees who expose wasteful practices. Levin also helped author the Taxpayers Bill of Rights, which protects individuals and small businesses from IRS harassment. He has never accepted honoraria from special interests, and in 1995 he persuaded the Senate to adopt a strong ban on gifts to senators and paid trips.
That same year, he won passage of strict disclosure requirements for lobbyists, the first major overhaul of those laws in 50 years. In December 2001, the Council on Government Ethics Laws recognized Senator Levin's leadership in this area by awarding him its highest honor. That same month, Taxpayers for Common Sense bestowed its annual "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" award to Senator Levin and his colleague Senator John McCain for their bipartisan effort to cut inefficient Defense Department spending.
Carl Levin believes we must expand educational opportunities for all Americans if our nation is to remain strong and productive. He has fought for increased funding for the Head Start preschool program, Title I for educationally disadvantaged students, and Pell Grants and loans for college and vocational school students. Senator Levin has been a strong advocate for the effective use of technology in K-12 schools and helped create the Consortium for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching with Technology, a groundbreaking Michigan partnership helping teachers master technology skills. He has been an enthusiastic supporter of School to Work programs, which have created a public-private partnership to prepare students for the demands of the modern workplace. He has won critical federal support for the Focus:HOPE Center for Advanced Technology, a world-class manufacturing training facility in Detroit.
Carl Levin has worked to strengthen Michigan's industrial economy and to protect the environmental treasures of "the Great Lakes State." As a co-chair of the Senate Auto Caucus and the Senate Auto Parts Task Force, Levin has been one of the most insistent voices in Washington calling for tough action to open the world's markets to American goods. Levin has been a longtime advocate of programs that provide for joint government-industry partnerships in development of advanced vehicle technologies. These efforts led to the establishment of the Army's National Automotive Center in Warren, Michigan, which has played a critical role in developing advanced technologies for military use in conjunction with the private sector.
In his role as co-chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, Levin has fought to protect this irreplaceable natural resource for Michigan and the country. Through Levin's efforts, the Great Lakes Initiative is creating new standards of environmental protection of Great Lakes waters and the Great Lakes Legacy Program will clean up contaminated sediments. Levin has also worked to secure funding to prevent new introductions of aquatic invasive species including zebra mussels, milfoil and Asian carp.
SERVICE
Carl Levin was born in 1934 in Detroit, where he graduated from Central High School. In 1956, he graduated with honors from Swarthmore College and graduated from Harvard University Law School in 1959. He practiced and taught law in Michigan until 1964 when he was appointed an assistant attorney general of Michigan and the first general counsel for the Michigan Civil Rights Commission. He won election to the Detroit City Council in 1969, becoming its president in 1973 by winning the most votes citywide. In 1978, he won an upset victory over the number two Republican in the U.S. Senate. He was reelected in 1984, 1990, 1996 and 2002.
FAMILY
Carl Levin married Barbara Halpern in 1961. They have three daughters: Kate, Laura and Erica, and three grandchildren. His brother Sander has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1983.
