So far, Levin has accomplished a great deal. Right now, he is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he supports our national defense, and is also an effective waste fighter. He has been pushing to prepare the American military for terrorism and other threats that could impose on America. In January 2003, Levin received the highest award ever given to someone not in the Navy, the Distinguished Public Service Award. Previous to that award, Levin was given the Christian A. Herter Award because of his work after September 11 to ensure bipartisan response to the threat to the United States. This award is only given to people who have worked to make contributions to improving international understanding. .
Carl Levin is very well known for his work to make the government more efficient and ethical. He created the Whistleblower Protection Act, which protects federal employees who expose their companies" wasteful practices. He has developed a number of other programs like these, such as the Taxpayers Bill of Rights, which protects people from IRS harassment. .
Levin also works to help investigate and change unethical business activities. In 2002, Levin led the investigation that led to the collapse of Enron. He exposed how Enron performed unethical and deceptive accounting and tax procedures to alter financial reports. Levin also launched an investigation on gasoline prices, and issued a 400 page report on how U.S. retail gasoline prices are manipulated. .
To further prove his integrity, Levin can not be considered a greedy politician. He has never accepted rewards or gifts, and in 1995 he tried to persuade the Senate ban gifts and paid trips. In 2001, the Council on Government Ethics Laws awarded Levin with their highest honor to reward him for his leadership in this area. .
Levin has also worked to help improve the school system. He fights for more funding for programs, and Pell grants for college.