Citizens for Global Solutions 2005 Report Card Recognizes Global Champions and Pushes Others to Do More

Washington, DC – Want to know which Senators supported greater funding for UN operations, or which Representative failed to oppose nuclear proliferation? You can find the answers in the Citizens for Global Solutions 2005 Congressional Report Card, the most comprehensive tool for evaluating which legislators are true advocates of cooperative solutions to global problems.

As featured in The Hill, the CGS Report Card ranks Members of Congress on their positions on such issues as:

• Genocide in Darfur                         • UN Democracy Caucus
• International Criminal Court             • Funding for UN operations
• Treatment of detainees                  • Nuclear proliferation
• International AIDS funding, and      • Global environment.

Charles J. Brown, President and CEO of Citizens for Global Solutions noted that “Americans strongly support the idea that their government should work with our friends and allies to find global solutions to the challenges facing our country. By offering voters a detailed assessment of their elected officials’ positions on a range of global issues, the Citizens for Global Solutions Report Card will help them determine whether their Representatives and Senators share their support for an engaged U.S. foreign policy.”

Not only has Citizens for Global Solutions analyzed legislators’ voting records on global issues, it has awarded extra credit for floor speeches, public statements, articles and op-eds written or made by Members of Congress in support of cooperative global solutions.

Don Kraus, Executive Vice President of the CGS, noted, “Citizens for Global Solutions wanted to recognize that legislators make essential contributions to global issues that are often not reflected in roll call votes. Our final grades award extra credit to those legislators who took such actions. Our Report Card can help Americans determine whether their Members of Congress promoted effective global solutions or fought against constructive U.S. global engagement.”

A total of 25 Members of Congress were recognized by Citizens for Global Solutions for outstanding work on behalf of global issues. Among those receiving extra credit were,

• Senator George Voinovich (R-OH), who received special recognition for his principled stance against John Bolton and his commitment to stronger U.S.-UN relations;

• Representative Frank Wolf (R-VA), who tirelessly supported ending the genocide in Darfur and pursued greater global democracy initiatives;

• Representative Jim Leach (R-IO), who sponsored a bill on the United Nations Emergency Peace Service and worked for a more effective UN; and

• Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA), who publicly supported multilateral responses to international challenges, the reduction of global poverty and nuclear disarmament.

CGS members across the country also use the Report Card to measure how their members of Congress stood on important global issues; many have told us that they also use it to guide how they will vote in future elections. In addition, Citizens for Global Solutions and its political action committee, Global Solutions PAC, will use it to determine which candidates to endorse and fund in the next election cycle.

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Click here for further information on the Citizens for Global Solutions Report Card, including detailed vote descriptions, roll call breakdowns, method of calculation, as well as who received extra credit and why.

Notes to Editors: Citizens for Global Solutions is a grassroots membership organization that envisions a future in which nations work together to abolish war, protect our rights and freedoms, and solve the problems facing humanity that no nation can solve alone. We promote effective democratic global institutions that will apply the rule of law while respecting the diversity and autonomy of national and local communities.
 

Contact:

Sam Stein
Communications Associate
202 546 3950 ext 123

Don Kraus
Executive Vice President
202 546 3950 ext 103