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Mary Landrieu

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Mary Landrieu currently serves as the Sr. Senator for Louisiana

Mary Loretta Landrieu is the Senior Senator for the state of Louisiana. She is a Democrat and was first elected in 1996. (map)

Contents

Record and controversies

General information about important bills and votes for can be found in Congresspedia's articles on legislation. You can add information you find on how Mary Landrieu voted by clicking the "[edit]" link to the right and typing it in. Remember to cite your sources!

H.R. 3590 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (health care reform)

On December 9, 2009, Senator Landrieu was one of ten Democratic Senators to reach what Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called a “broad agreement”[1]on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The discussion focused on abandoning or greatly narrowing the public health insurance option. In exchange, people 55-64 would be able to buy in to Medicare and Medicaid eligibility would be expanded to people within 150 percent of the federal poverty line. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s office released a statement on the compromise:

"I asked Senators Schumer and Pryor to work with some of the most moderate and most progressive members of our diverse caucus, and tonight they have come to a consensus. 
It is a consensus that includes a public option and will help ensure the American people win in two ways: one, insurance companies will face more competition, and two, the American people will have more choices. I know not all 10 Senators in the room agree on every single detail of this, nor will all 60 members of my caucus. But I know we all appreciate the hard work that these progressives and moderates have done to move this historic debate forward. I want to thank Senators Schumer, Pryor, Brown, Carper, Feingold, Harkin, Landrieu, Lincoln, Nelson and Rockefeller for working together for the greater good and never losing sight of our shared goal: making it possible for every American to afford to live a healthy life. As is long-standing practice, we do not disclose details of any proposal before the Congressional Budget Office has a chance to evaluate it. We will wait for that to happen, but in the meantime, tonight we are confident." [2]

Iraq War

Landrieu voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq in Oct. 2002.

In 2003, Landrieu offered an amendment to the Supplemental Appropriations Act to Support Department of Defense Operations in Iraq for Fiscal Year 2003, which would have appropriated $1 billion to procurement for the National Guard and Reserves. The amendment was intended to fill a Guard and Reserve shortage of "helmets, tents, bullet-proof inserts, and tactical vests" and "chemical and biological protective gear". Landrieu based the $1 billion on National Guard and Reserve Unfunded Requirement lists. The amendment would offset the $1 billion appropriation with a $1 billion reduction in President Bush's tax cuts. The amendment failed when it was tabled in a 52-47 vote.

Main article: Congressional Actions Providing Body Armor to Troops
For more information see the chart of U.S. Senate votes on the Iraq War.

Environmental record

For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Energy policy and companies

In 2006, Landrieu and Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) sponsored the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act. The legislation planned to open 8.3 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico and share 37.5 percent of the new royalty revenues, dedicated to coastal protection, with Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama. The legislation was passed and signed by President George W. Bush.

Main article: U.S. federal oil and gas royalties

Oil

Mary Landrieu has voted in favor of big oil companies on 67% of important oil-related from 2005-2007, according to Oil Change International. These bills include Iraq war funding, climate change studies, clean energy, and emissions.[1] See below for oil money in politics.

Earmarks

Landrieu posts the earmarks she has secured for Louisiana on her official website, including a breakdown by county. [2]

Gang of 14

On May 23, 2005, Landrieu was among the Gang of 14, the group of moderate senators who forged a compromise on the use of the judicial filibuster, thus blocking the Republican leadership's attempt to implement the so-called nuclear option over the organized filibustering by Senate Democrats of judicial nominees in the US Senate. Under the agreement, the Democrats would retain the power to filibuster a Bush judicial nominee only in an "extraordinary circumstance", and the three most conservative Bush appellate court nominees (Janice Rogers Brown, Priscilla Owen and William H. Pryor, Jr.) would receive a vote by the full Senate.

Common Ground Coalition brought on think tank's support

The Common Ground Coalition, founded to help form bipartisan legislation and led by Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), sought the help of the Bipartisan Policy Center, an off-the-Hill think tank, to suggest paths to compromise on contentious bills.[3]

During a time where both parties were strongly divided over Iraq war policy and Republican filibustering, the Common Ground Coalition echoed the work of the Gang of 14, although the Gang was formed to create compromise over the filibustering of judicial nominees specifically, and the Coalition was created to make bipartisan compromises on a range of issues.[4]

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina destroyed Sen. Landrieu's lakeside New Orleans home. The senator has become a national spokeswoman for victims of the hurricane and has complained of "the staggering incompetence of the national government." In an interview with Chris Wallace, Landrieu called the evacuation of New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina "the best evacuation."[3]

Shortly after the aftermath of the hurricane, Landrieu was involved in a testy exchange with Anderson Cooper of CNN in which she praised President Bush and the Senate for responding to Katrina and appropriating money for the effort. To which Cooper responded: "Excuse me, Senator, I'm sorry for interrupting. I haven't heard that, because, for the last four days, I've been seeing dead bodies in the streets here in Mississippi. And to listen to politicians thanking each other and complimenting each other, you know, I got to tell you, there are a lot of people here who are very upset, and very angry, and very frustrated." [4] After this exchange, Landrieu began to criticize President Bush very harshly for his response to Katrina in subsequent interviews.

CREW filed complaint

On January 8, 2008 Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington asked the Justice Department and Senate Ethics Committee to investigate whether Landrieu violated federal bribery laws in getting a $2 million earmark for a reading program whose executives and lobbyists donated to her 2002 re-election campaign. Landrieu inserted the earmark in a $7.1 billion spending bill for the District of Columbia and it provided $2 million for use of Voyager Expanded Learning in kindergarten and first-grade classes in the D.C. school district. Voyager was a company founded by Randy Best, a Dallas merchant banker and top Republican donor.[5][6][7]

On October 19, 2001, Best held a fundraiser for Landrieu. On or about November 2, Landrieu received $30,000 from Best, company employees, and their relatives. The Louisiana senator was the ranking Democrat and chairwoman of the Appropriations subcommittee responsible for D.C. at the time. She made the request for Senate financing on November 6, four days after receiving the campaign contributions.[8]

Landrieu spokesman Adam Sharp said the senator had been working on getting the funding for months before the vote and that they were made at the request of Paul Vance, Washington's then-superintendent of schools. Money for the program was included in a version of the D.C. spending bill reported out of committee on October 15, 2001. In response to the charges, Landrieu's office released three letter on January 8 intended to show that Voyager was a highly touted and sought-after reading program. One letter dated April 2001 was sent from D.C. school officials, urging the subcommittee to expand the use of Voyager because it had been succesful in summer and extended-day classes.[9]

Bio

Background

Mary Landrieu was born November 23, 1955 in Arlington, Virginia and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is daughter of former New Orleans mayor Maurice Edwin "Moon" Landrieu and the sister of current Louisiana Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu. She graduated from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge in 1977.

She was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1980 to 1988. She then served as Louisiana state treasurer from 1988 to 1996. Landrieu was an unsuccessful candidate in the 1995 gubernatorial race in Louisiana; she finished third in the open primary and failed to make the run-off.

Senate Career

Landrieu was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996, defeating Woody Jenkins, and narrowly won reelection in 2002, defeating Suzanne Haik Terrell.

Landrieu is one of the more conservative members of the Democratic Party. She is described in her Third Way biography as "a moderate Democrat who believes our nation can and should do a better job of balancing our budget, protecting and conserving our environment, and educating our children for the global challenges ahead."[5]

She supports eliminating the estate tax permanently, and voted for the tax cut passed in 2001. On November 17, 2005, she was one of only four Democrats to vote against repealing the the portions of the tax cuts passed in 2001 and 2003 that more liberal Democrats charge unfairly benefit the wealthy. She voted for the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 and the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. In 2004, Landrieu was one of only six Democrats to vote against renewing the ban on assault weapons. She has been one of the few Democrats to support drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).[6]

Her voting on President Bush's Supreme Court nominees have shifted toward the right also. She backed Justice John G. Roberts. While she voted against Samuel Alito, she voted in favor of cloture and sending the nomination to an up or down vote.

Money in politics

This section contains links to – and feeds from – money in politics databases. For specific controversies, see this article's record and controversies section. <crpcontribdata>cid=N00005395&cycle=2006</crpcontribdata>

Links to more campaign contribution information for Mary Landrieu
from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org site.
Fundraising profile: 2006 election cycle Career totals
Top contributors by organization/corporation: 2006 election cycle Career totals
Top contributors by industry: 2006 election cycle Career totals

Oil and Coal Money in Politics

Mary Landrieu has received $252,950 in oil contributions during the 110th congress. $163,600 of those dollars were from industry PACS. In total, Landrieu has accepted $574,005 from oil companies since from 2000 to 2008, which makes her one of the highest recipients of oil money.[10] In addition to oil, Landrieu has received $69,458 in coal contributions during the 110th congress. $54,108 of those dollars were from industry PACS.See above for her oil and energy voting record.[citation needed]

Committees and Affiliations

Committees

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

More Candidate Data

Wikipedia also has an article on Mary Landrieu. This article may use content from the Wikipedia article under the terms of the GFDL.

Contact

DC Office:
724 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-5824
Fax: 202-224-9735
Web Email
Website

District Office - Baton Rouge:
Federal Building, Room 326
707 Florida Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
Phone: 225-389-0395
Fax: 225-389-0660

District Office - Lake Charles:
Hibernia Tower
One Lakeshore Drive, Suite 1260
Lake Charles, LA 70629
Phone: 337-436-6650
Fax: 337-439-3762

District Office - New Orleans:
Hale Boggs Federal Building, Suite 1005
500 Poydras Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
Phone: 504-589-2427
Fax: 504-589-4023

District Office - Shreveport:
United States Courthouse
300 Fannin Street, Suite 2240
Shreveport, LA 71101
Phone: 318-676-3085
Fax: 318-676-3100

Articles and Resources

Sources

  1. ↑ Vote Tracker, Oil Change International.
  2. ↑ See Landreiu's official website.
  3. ↑ Emily Pierce. "Landrieu, Snowe Team Up With New Bipartisan Coalition," Roll Call. June 19, 2007.
  4. ↑ Emily Pierce. "Landrieu, Snowe Team Up With New Bipartisan Coalition," Roll Call. June 19, 2007.
  5. ↑ Cain Burdeau, "Landrieu's ethics questioned over 2001 earmark for Texas company," The Houston Chronicle, January 8, 2008.
  6. ↑ Bruce Alpert, "Ethics group targets Landrieu earmark," The Times-Picayune, January 9, 2008.
  7. ↑ "Crew Files Justice And Senate Ethics Committee Complaints Against Sen. Mary Landreiu," CREW: Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, January 8, 2008.
  8. ↑ Bruce Alpert, "Ethics group targets Landrieu earmark," The Times-Picayune, January 9, 2008.
  9. ↑ Cain Burdeau, "Landrieu's ethics questioned over 2001 earmark for Texas company," The Houston Chronicle, January 8, 2008.
  10. ↑ See "Follow the Oil Money," "Follow the Coal Money," and vote tracker from Oil Change International and Appalachian Voices.

Resources

Local blogs and discussion sites

Articles

Corresponding article on Wikipedia and Cause Caller. (If Cause Caller link does not work, pick from its list of senators and representatives.)

Current Office: U.S. Senate
111th Congress
Leadership Position:
 Committees Chaired:
 Committees,
Ranking Member On:
 Caucuses:
Committees:
110th Congress
Leadership Position:
None		 Committees Chaired:
 Committees,
Ranking Member On:
 Caucuses:
Committees: Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senate Committee on Appropriations/Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, Senate Committee on Appropriations/Subcommittee on the Financial Services and General Government, Senate Committee on Appropriations/Subcommittee on State Foreign Operations and Related Programs, Senate Committee on Appropriations/Subcommittee on Homeland Security, Senate Committee on Appropriations/Subcommittee on Labor Health and Human Services Education and Related Agencies, Senate Committee on Appropriations/Subcommittee on Legislative Branch, Senate Committee on Appropriations/Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources/Subcommittee on Energy, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources/Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources/Subcommittee on National Parks, Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs/Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery, Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs/Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management the Federal Workforce and the District of Columbia, Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs/Subcommittee on State Local and Private Sector Preparedness and Integration, Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Congressional Career
First Elected to Current Office:
November 5, 1996		 First Took Current Office:
January 7, 1997		 Next Election:
November 4, 2014		 Term Ends:
Freshman Member?
No		 Previous Political Work?
Louisiana State Treasurer, Louisiana State Representative		 Other Party Membership:
District Offices:
1. Federal Building, Room 326, 707 Florida Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801
Phone: 225-389-0395 / Fax: 225-389-0660
2. Hibernia Tower, One Lakeshore Drive, Suite 1260, Lake Charles, LA 70629
Phone: 337-436-6650 / Fax: 337-439-3762
3. Hale Boggs Federal Building, Suite 1005, 500 Poydras Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
Phone: 504-589-2427 / Fax: 504-589-4023
4. United States Courthouse, 300 Fannin Street, Suite 2240, Shreveport, LA 71101
Phone: 318-676-3085 / Fax: 318-676-3100
Campaign Contact:

Website:
Webform Email: / Email:

Campaign Offices:

1.
Phone: / Fax:
Zip Code Affiliations:
Misc:

Date of Birth: November 23, 1955







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