Date: 2004-11-18
Speaker: TOM DASCHLE (democrat)
Chamber: S

It is hard to put into words how much I will miss Senator DASCHLE when he leaves the Senate at the end of this session. Senator DASCHLE and I were both first elected to the Senate in 1986. He immediately became a friend. and that friendship has only grown stronger over the years. Senator DASCHLE had already served South Dakota in the House of Representatives for many years when he came to the Senate. so he was able to help show me the ropes when I first arrived in Washington in 1987. His advice and counsel were given freely. But what really drew me to TOM were his genuine delight in seeing and greeting friends. staff and colleagues. his selfless passion for serving the people of South Dakota. and. above all his wonderful. selfeffacing sense of humor. Put simply. Senator DASCHLE was able to take on issues very seriously without taking himself too seriously. Over the years. we have served together on the Agriculture. Finance and Indian Affairs Committees. We have fought sidebyside in numerous battles to serve the interests of the people of the Dakotas. On the Agriculture Committee. Senator DASCHLE was a tireless advocate for the interests of the northern plains producers we both represent. We fought together for targeted farm assistance to ensure that scarce Federal dollars for commodity programs would most benefit average size family farms. We fought together against concentration in the agriculture industry. We fought together against unfairly traded imports of Canadian grain. We fought for disaster aid time and time again. And we joined to make sure a new farm bill was enacted in 2002. It is safe to say that without the active leadership and support of Senator DASCHLE. we would not have had a new farm bill in 2002. And if we had not written the bill in 2002. I firmly believe that mounting budget pressures would have made it virtually impossible to write good legislation in 2003 or 2004. So family farmers all across this country. many of whom might not ever have heard of ToM DASCHLE. have lost a champion. On the Finance Committee. Senator DASCHLE fought passionately for better health care for all Americans. We fought together to strengthen the Medicare program and improve payment rates for rural health care providers. We fought to preserve the Medicaid program. which provides a health care safety net for the most vulnerable among us. We fought to create the State Childrens Health Insurance Program. which expanded health coverage for children who otherwise would have no insurance. And Senator DASCHLE again and again took the lead on trying to reform our health care system to make health care affordable and accessible. So average workers all across the country who worry about losing their health coverage or skyrocketing health costs have lost a champion. And Senator DASCHLE took a special interest in working on behalf of Native Americans. He has fought to bring attention to the terrible epidemic of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome among Native Americans. And he has led the fight to secure increased resources for the Indian Health Service to help end the health care rationing that occurs on too many reservations. He also has been a strong proponent of the tribal colleges. His efforts have helped put a college education within reach of many Native Americans who might not otherwise get the opportunity. Finally. Senator DASCHLE stood up and gave a voice to the thousands and thousands of individual Indians seeking a full accounting of their trust assets and fought to make sure that the Federal Government fulfilled its trust obligation. So Native Americans all across the country have lost a champion. As Democratic leader. he continued to work on all these issues. And because he was leader. he delivered real results for real people. time and again. That was especially the case when it came to causes important to South Dakota. Senator DASCHLE tirelessly used his clout to ensure that South Dakotas interests were protected. But Senator DASCHLEs role as a Senator and as a leader cannot be summed up in a simple listing of the causes and issues he championed. often without fanfare or great recognition. The job of leader has often been compared to herding cats. It is not easy. but Senator DASCHLE did an outstanding job. Senator DASCHLE was a strong leaderand a great Senatorbecause he didnt just listen to people. he heard their concerns. He didnt just propose compromises. he built consensus. It took enormous patience. great flexibility. strong persuasive skillsand a liberal dose of good humor and humbleness. It also meant that much of what Senator DASCHLE accomplished was done quietly behind the scenes. Too often. he did not get the public credit he deserved for the painstaking hours he spent building consensus and moving issues forward to benefit the American people. Instead. he quietly stepped back and let others take credit. You cannot be successful as a Senator. and especially as a leader. if other Senators cannot trust you. Senator DASCHLE may at times have left our colleagues on the other side of the aisle frustrated by his mastery of Senate rules and political tactics. But they always knew he was someone they could deal with in good faith. They always knew they could trust his word. And they always knew he would work hard to achieve the result he had committed to. At the end of the day. that is the ultimate measure of Senator DASCHLES valuesthe values he and I learned growing up in the Dakotas. He was honest. fair and hard working. He gave credit to others. And he genuinely respected his colleagues and enjoyed their company. South Dakota. the Senate. and the Nation are losing a true champion. in every sense of the word. As Senator DASCHLE goes on to other things. my wife Lucy and I wish all the best to TOM and his wife. Linda.