Champions of the issue
US Senate
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS)
Senator Sam Brownback, representing the great state of Kansas, has long thrown his considerable influence on Capitol Hill into the cause for peace. His legislative achievements are matched by his deep concern for communities affected by the conflict and his willingness to discuss the conflict with everyone from Kansas college students to Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni. A frequent visitor to northern Uganda, Sen. Brownback also co-sponsored the 2004 Northern Uganda Crisis Response Act, Congress’ first effort to bring attention to this forgotten conflict. An architect of multiple Congressional initiatives since then, Sen. Brownback is a leading voice among his colleagues, urging the US to match its rhetoric with concrete action to bring sustainable peace to the region.
Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI)
Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin has been a leading light in Congress for people affected by this crisis for over 5 years. He authored the 2004 Northern Uganda Crisis Response Act, Congress’ groundbreaking (and first!) effort to take action for children affected by the conflict. Since then Sen. Feingold has spearheaded several legislative efforts to encourage US diplomatic support for a resolution to the conflict and to secure assistance for war-affected communities in northern Uganda. The good Senator from Wisconsin has also invested personally in efforts to end the war, traveling to the region in 2007 and meeting with grassroots Wisconsinites during both our 2006 and 2008 Uganda Lobby Days.
US House of Representatives
Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ)
Representative Donald Payne, proud spokesperson for the Garden State’s 10th district, is one of the House of Representatives’ most active voices for an end to this conflict. His office door is always open to welcome fellow Jerseyites also eager to make peace possible in northern Uganda, and he visited the region himself in August of 2007. As chairman of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Africa, Rep. Payne has put his stamp on Congressional action concerning the crisis, and has also led efforts to ensure the Administration is taking steps to end the conflict.
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ)
Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey’s 4th district rounds out our roll of House Congressional champions, giving Jerseyites a clean sweep of this category. Rep. Smith is the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Africa and has shown great interest in Uganda since 2004, when he was the driving force behind the creation of the Congressional Uganda Caucus. He visited Uganda in January of 2006, and has been vocal in the press about the need for US leadership to end the conflict and assist war-affected communities. Rep. Smith also has sponsored several bills seeking to end human trafficking and the use of child soldiers.