US senate armed services panel chairman will not seek re-election

U.S. Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced on Thursday evening that he will not run for a seventh term in 2014. During the rest of his time in Washington, Levin, 78, said he plans to keep pushing for stricter rules against tax avoidance, fight to boost manufacturing and address flawed campaign finance laws. He also expressed concern about the U.S. government's fiscal problems on the military, and said he wanted to help see a "rapid transfer of responsibility for Afghan security to the Afghans." First elected in 1978, Levin is the longest-serving U.S. senator in Michigan history. In a statement released by the White House on Thursday night, President Barack Obama said of Levin, "No one has worked harder to bring manufacturing jobs back to our shores, close unfair tax loopholes and ensure that everyone plays by the same set of rules. As chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Senator Levin is a true champion for all those who serve, and his tireless work will be missed not just in his home state of Michigan, but by military families across our country."