What I did in Congress this year, by Russ Feingold

There's been a lot of talk this year about the "do-nothing Congress." Many are angry that the Democrats, given a mandate and a majority in 2006, didn't show much backbone and act on it to reverse President Bush's __________ (pick an adjective: disastrous, monomaniacal, misguided, idiotic, forward-thinking, inspired, Heaven-sent) foreign policy.

Others talk about the "do-nothing Congress" as a good thing. I've seen many comments grateful for Congress' lack of action ... since so much of what is "accomplished" turns out to bite us in the backside.

But those are both the views of outsiders. What does a real Congressman think was accomplished this year? Below, unedited, is U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold's staff-written self-evaluation. You be the judge. (We would, of course, welcome similar reports from Sen. Herb Kohl and Congressman Paul Ryan.)

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Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold’s 2007 list of legislative accomplishments included helping secure the extension of Wisconsin's popular SeniorCare program and the passage of landmark lobbying and ethics reform largely based on legislation Feingold authored. The extension of SeniorCare, the prescription drug coverage program for Wisconsin seniors, runs through December 31, 2009 and will provide approximately 100,000 low-income Wisconsin seniors with meaningful prescription drug coverage while saving the federal government $27 million over five years. Feingold worked closely with Senator Herb Kohl, despite opposition from the Administration, to negotiate a SeniorCare extension in the Emergency Supplemental Spending bill passed in May.

Feingold was the main architect of tough lobbying and ethics reform legislation that passed the Senate in January. The bill curbs lobbyists’ gifts and privately funded travel, slows the revolving door between Congress and lobbying groups, improves lobbying disclosure, and prohibits elaborate parties for members of Congress at conventions. More than two years after Feingold introduced the first comprehensive lobbying and ethics reform bill in the Senate in July 2005, the president signed the final version of the ethics and lobbying reform bill into law on September 14.

“I am pleased with the success in the last year of measures to provide the best drug coverage for Wisconsinites, clean up Congress, and much more,” Feingold said. “I look forward to the opportunity to work on these and other issues for Wisconsin in 2008.”

Health Care: Along with extending SeniorCare, Feingold also passed two more important measures to improve health care for Wisconsinites. A Feingold-sponsored amendment passed in December to more than double funding for dental care for people living in underserved areas. The Senate also adopted in the Farm Bill a Feingold proposal to help Congress understand the current state of, and how to improve, health care for farmers and rural communities.

Supporting American Workers: Feingold was an original cosponsor of successful legislation to increase the federal minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour over the next two years. In addition, Feingold’s Buy American reporting requirement, which requires federal agencies to report on purchases of foreign-made goods, was strengthened and extended for the next five years. The requirement now requires agencies that use an exception in the Buy American Act to specify the exact legal provision allowing them to purchase foreign-made goods.

Education: Provisions modeled on Feingold’s legislation to allow two-year colleges across the country to apply for TRIO grants were included in the Higher Education Amendments passed by the Senate. The TRIO grant program provides outreach and assistance to low-income students and underrepresented minority students to help them achieve a college education. Also included in the Higher Education Amendments was a measure cosponsored by Feingold to combat ongoing student loan abuses around the country.

Rural Opportunities: The Senate Farm Bill contained many of the provisions Feingold authored in his Rural Opportunities Act introduced in February, including improved support for organic agriculture, beginning farmers, bioenergy, rural broadband and local food systems. Several Feingold amendments were accepted to the Farm Bill on the Senate floor to require improvements in the Office of Small Farms, improved oversight of dairy markets, ginseng country-of-harvest labeling, and a report on the safety of high protein imports like gluten and milk protein concentrates. In addition, Feingold was part of an effort to restore the original payment rate of the Milk Income Loss Program, which acts as an effective safety net by targeting small and medium dairy farmers and only operating when prices are low.

Fairness for Farmers: The Senate Farm Bill also included a provision based on Feingold’s bipartisan legislation to protect farmers from being forced into mandatory arbitration agreements as part of a comprehensive package to improve the USDA’s ability to ensure fair competition. The Farm Bill also includes language from Feingold's Farmer Tax Fairness Act of 2007 to help ensure farmers and other self-employed individuals are able to remain eligible for social security and disability benefits.

Veterans and Military: In response to revelations of alarming conditions at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Senate passed provisions based on legislation Feingold cosponsored to improve oversight of military medical facilities. Feingold also passed an amendment requiring the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on the state of mental health care for female servicemembers and veterans, as well as legislation to ensure compensation for veterans who lose sight in both eyes as a result of service-connected injuries.

Foreign Policy: As Feingold led the fight to end the disastrous war in Iraq, he also fought to establish an inquiry into waste, fraud and abuse in wartime contracting, including violations of law by private military contractors. To protect against wasteful use of taxpayer dollars in reconstruction projects, Feingold was an original cosponsor of an amendment that created a special inspector for Afghanistan reconstruction. As the chair of the Senate’s Subcommittee on Africa, also Feingold authored a successful resolution calling on the warring parties in Northern Uganda to recommit to peace talks, cosponsored an effort to prohibit assistance to governments that use child soldiers, and two successful resolutions calling for greater action to halt the genocide in Sudan. To help address the ongoing conflict in Somalia, Feingold played a catalyst role in the appointment of a Special Envoy to that country.