[Senate Document 111-32]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
TRIBUTES TO HON. JUDD GREGG
Judd Gregg
U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE
TRIBUTES
IN THE CONGRESS OF
THE UNITED STATES
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Judd Gregg
Tributes
Delivered in Congress
Judd Gregg
United States Congressman
1981-1989
United States Senator
1993-2011
a
Compiled under the direction
of the
Joint Committee on Printing
CONTENTS
Biography.............................................
v
Farewell to the Senate................................
vii
Proceedings in the Senate:
Tributes by Senators:
Alexander, Lamar, of Tennessee.................
3, 19
Bunning, Jim, of Kentucky......................
30
Cochran, Thad, of Mississippi..................
33
Collins, Susan M., of Maine....................
17
Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota..................
26
Corker, Bob, of Tennessee......................
20
Cornyn, John, of Texas.........................
28
Dodd, Christopher J., of Connecticut...........
24
Durbin, Richard, of Illinois...................
22, 24
Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
11
Harkin, Tom, of Iowa...........................
5
Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah.......................
29
Hutchison, Kay Bailey, of Texas................
33
Levin, Carl, of Michigan.......................
23
McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
7
Murkowski, Lisa, of Alaska.....................
34
Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
6
Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
4
Shaheen, Jeanne, of New Hampshire..............
15
Snowe, Olympia J., of Maine....................
31
Thune, John, of South Dakota...................
21
BIOGRAPHY
A leading voice for fiscal discipline, U.S. Senator Judd
Gregg served three terms in the Senate and was the ranking
member of the Senate Budget Committee. When reelected in
2004, Senator Gregg received the highest number of votes
in New Hampshire history. He also served the Granite State
as Governor (1989-1993) and U.S. Representative (1981-
1989).
Senator Gregg is a national leader on fiscal policy, a
well-known budget expert, and a respected voice on health
care, economic, and financial regulatory issues. His
commonsense New Hampshire values have shaped some of the
most significant legislation that Congress has passed in
recent decades. Senator Gregg played a major role in
rescuing our country from the brink of economic collapse
as a chief negotiator of the Emergency Economic
Stabilization Act of 2008. He also was the lead sponsor of
the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 and, along with the late
Senator Ted Kennedy, coauthored the No Child Left Behind
Act of 2001.
Working across the aisle, Senator Gregg was a key
decisionmaker on several important issues. He championed
bipartisan efforts to address the Nation's looming
entitlement crisis, improve our health care system, and
revamp our complex and inequitable tax system. In March
2010, Senator Gregg also was appointed to President
Obama's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility. This
bipartisan commission, which is modeled after legislation
first introduced by Senator Gregg and Senator Kent Conrad,
is responsible for developing recommendations that will
help balance the budget and achieve fiscal sustainability
over the long term.
As a member of the Senate Banking Committee, Senator
Gregg served as one of the principal negotiators working
to modernize our Nation's financial regulatory system. His
expertise on banking issues and derivatives reform
positioned him as a pivotal voice in the debate on
regulatory reform. Senator Gregg remains focused on
maintaining our Nation's position as the best destination
for capital and investment, as well as helping job
creators and families obtain affordable credit during
these challenging economic times.
In New Hampshire, Senator Gregg is known as one of the
State's greatest champions of land conservation, as he
continues to build on a 30-year commitment to protect the
State's environment. To date, his efforts have helped
preserve more than 337,000 acres of sensitive land. As the
former chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions (HELP) Committee, he was also a major force
for promoting excellence in the higher education community
in New Hampshire, especially at the University of New
Hampshire.
A New Hampshire native, Senator Gregg attended Columbia
University (A.B. 1969), received his J.D. in 1972 from
Boston University Law School and his LL.M. in tax law in
1975. He is married to Kathleen MacLellan Gregg. They have
two daughters, one son, and one granddaughter. Senator and
Mrs. Gregg are residents of Rye Beach, NH.
Farewell to the Senate
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I rise today on behalf of
myself and my wife Kathy to thank the people of New
Hampshire for giving us the great honor and privilege to
represent them.
This is an extraordinary body, the Senate. It is filled
with wonderful people. I look around this room and I see a
lot of them, friends, people I have had the chance to work
with. I admire them immensely. I thank them for their
friendship. When people ask me about leaving the Senate,
and what is the thing I am going to miss the most, I
always say, it is the people, the people of the Senate,
because they are special, dedicated to making this country
a better place, dedicated to doing their jobs well,
dedicated to serving America.
So I thank you for the great honor and privilege that
you have given Kathy and me to allow us to serve and
participate in this body with yourselves and your spouses.
I want to thank everybody else who has been so helpful
throughout our career, the folks here at the dais, the
staff, people in the Cloakroom, throughout this building.
I mean, there are so many people who make this Senate
work, people working in the furniture room, and people
working in the hallways, and our staffs, obviously.
This is a special place filled with people who are
committed to making the Senate work. I thank them for
allowing Kathy and me to be part of that. I want to take a
point of personal privilege here and especially thank my
wife Kathy who is here today. You are not allowed to
acknowledge people, I know that, but I am going to violate
the rules. My wife is sitting right up there. Kathy.
We have been married 37 years, and for 32 of those years
we have held elective office; nine major campaigns,
innumerable campaigns such as those for other people that
we have participated in. Through this whole intensity--and
we all know, who have participated in this process, the
intensity of the elective process in this Nation--there
has been a rock and a solid force in our family. She has
raised three extraordinary children, Molly, Sarah, and
Joshua, who have been exceptional in their own right and
have done exceptional things, even though they are still
young by our standards. Some of them think they are aging
a little bit, but they are still young.
Their value system and their belief in this Nation and
their willingness to give of themselves to other people is
a direct expression of the values Kathy has given them;
sometimes a little overcompetitive on occasion, but that
has been one of her strengths also. We have been through
some hard times and some good times, and always she has
been there to basically be our lighthouse. So I express my
love and thanks to her.
As an aside, I should say, Kathy told me I should not
walk back and forth like this. I have been doing it for 18
years. And she says it makes people sick who are watching
it on television. Like the famous time she called up, and
we were having a colloquy, and there were a bunch of us
talking and I am talking to, I think, Johnny Isakson. She
calls the floor staff and says, ``Go out and tell him to
turn around and face the cameras.''
Bismarck, at the turn of the 20th century--of course,
Bismarck was one of the true great forces in Europe
throughout the late 1800s and into the 1900s--said that,
``the defining fact of the 19th century was that England
and the United States spoke the same language.''
What I think he meant was that the defining fact of the
19th century was that England and the United States had a
value system which believed in the individual, in liberty,
democracy, and markets. It was a value system that grew
out of the Scottish Enlightenment, people such as John
Locke, Francis Hutcheson, Adam Smith.
In the 20th century, if you look at it, it was a test of
that value system against the other value systems which
had come up over the years, mostly totalitarianism. There
was a test of democracy against fascism, a test of
democracy against totalitarian socialism. And we won. We
won that test.
The second big challenge of the 20th century was a test
of how you would create prosperity for people, a test of
markets versus communism, of markets versus, again,
totalitarian socialism. By the end of the 20th century,
there was no longer an issue. The American philosophy of
government had come to dominate the world--democracy,
individual liberty, and markets. The whole world was
moving in that direction. Now we are 10 years into the
next century, and we are challenged again. This time the
challenge is different: Substantive, significant. Maybe
not at the same level that the Soviet Union represented a
challenge, because they had the capacity to destroy us,
maybe not even at the same level of fights against Japan,
fascist Japan and fascist Germany. But the challenges are
huge and they will determine our future as a country.
They basically, in my opinion, break into two primary
areas: The first is, of course, the threat of a terrorist
group using a weapon of mass destruction against us. We
must acknowledge that 9/11 fundamentally changed our
culture, changed our personality as a nation, and caused
us to realize our vulnerability. That threat of terrorism
is driven by a fanatical belief in a religious philosophy.
We should not deny that. We should acknowledge that.
Because in order to defeat that threat we have to
understand that.
The second major thrust that I see as our concern as we
go forward is clearly of our own making. It is a positive
making, but it is still an issue for us, and that is we
have a nation which has always been extraordinarily
prosperous, where one generation has always passed on to
the next generation a better, more prosperous, and more
secure country. Yet today we are on the cusp of not being
able to do that again, because we have this population, of
which I am a member, called the baby boom generation,
which is taking our retired population from 35 million to
70 million people. As a result, we and the rest of the
world, and in Japan for that matter, because of this
demographic shift, find ourselves confronted with
governments which are struggling to figure out how they
are going to pay for our entitlement society. The way I
have sort of phrased it is that when a populist
government, a government that moves by election of the
people--when a populist government meets a massive
demographic shift in an entitlement society, you get
unsustainable debt. That is something we confront right
now and need to stand up to.
Those two streams are our biggest concerns, or at least
my biggest concerns as I leave the Senate. How do we
defend ourselves against a fanatical movement, which has
an asymmetry base, which wants to do us harm--they are not
a nation state, we cannot find them easily--but wants to
do us harm and will do us harm if they have the capacity,
and will do it with a weapon of mass destruction? And how
do we deal with this shift in our society--this is driving
the populist movement, which is making our structure of
government unaffordable in many ways?
America's greatness and our ability to address the
issues such as this comes from our people and from our
Constitution. It is that Constitution which embraces,
basically, the liberties that allow our people to create
prosperity and give this Nation its strength.
Our freedom and prosperity is absolutely resilient.
There is no question about that. But government can either
be an enabler of that freedom and that resilience or it
can be a stifler of it. Whether we are going to succeed, I
believe, is whether we continue to assert the core values
which allow us to govern well, and they all basically
arise from our Constitution.
I have the good fortune to sit at the Webster desk.
Daniel Webster was a Senator from Massachusetts. New
Hampshire, in an act of appropriate stealthiness, had the
desk designated to the senior Senator from New Hampshire
by statute in the 1970s. It is a great honor to have the
right to sit at this desk. Webster and Clay kept this
Nation together at a time when had it been torn apart it
would no longer have existed, because we had no Lincoln,
and we had no strength of the North to survive.
Webster, in his speech on the Compromise of 1850, said:
I mean to stand upon the Constitution. I need no other
platform. I know but one country. No man can suffer too
much. No man can fall too soon if he suffers on or if he
fails in defense of the liberties of the Constitution of
our country.
At the center of our constitutional form of government,
which was designed by Madison and Randolph, which was
built on the concept that there should never be an overly
powerful branch of the government, at the center of this
government is the Senate. It is the cauldron of liberty
for our Nation.
Why is that? Because it is the place where issues are
aired, people are heard, amendments are made, and no one
gets to shut down the minority until a supermajority
decides to do so. The rights of the minority are the
source of the power of our government. They are the source
of the power of our Constitution. They are the source of
the power of our liberty.
This is the center, this institution is the center of
the rights of the minority. I have been in the minority. I
have been in the majority. It is almost irrelevant from
the standpoint of the importance of the role of the
Senate, because it is the Senate that gives voice to all
Americans, that does not allow us to shut out any American
or any thought process in America that is legitimate and
which can come to the floor of the Senate and make its
case.
I have often wondered, what would this government be
like if there were no Senate? Well, it would be a
parliamentary government, for all intents and purposes,
lurching to the left, lurching to the right, and as a
result, in many ways, undermining individual rights, but,
more important, having no continuity of purpose or force.
We play politics in this city and in this country
between the 40 yard lines, for all intents and purposes.
We are not a government that ever moves too radically left
or right. That is the way it should be. In this
institution, compromise is required. To govern you must
reach agreement. We are 300 million people obviously of a
diverse view. If we are going to govern 300 million
people, we must listen to those who have legitimate views
on both sides of the aisle.
So as I leave this Chamber, I want to say this, simply:
It has been a huge honor to have the chance to serve here.
It is something that is the highlight of our career,
Kathy's and mine. We move on with reservations, we
hopefully move on to something equally interesting, but it
will never have the same status as being in the Senate.
This, to me, is the ultimate job when it comes to the
governance of America. I simply ask you who stay here--and
I know this will be done--continue to carry the torch.
Understand that it is the Senate that is the center of the
liberty that leads to the prosperity our people expect. It
is the Senate that is the center of our Constitution.
Thank you very much.
(Applause, Senators rising.)
?
TRIBUTES
TO
JUDD GREGG
Proceedings in the Senate
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, 16 Senators will retire
this year. There is a pretty big turnover in this body,
but that is a lot of Senators at once. We are losing an
enormous amount of talent, but, of course, we are gaining
a lot of talent with the new Senators.
I wish to show my respect for those who have served,
which I will do in a summary fashion because we are
talking about 16 individuals with very complex and
distinguished backgrounds.
One might ask, what are the characteristics of a
Senator? There are a lot of different answers to that,
depending on your background and attitude toward politics
and government. First, I have always thought that one
characteristic of almost every Member of the Senate is
that he or she probably was a first grader sitting in the
front row, hand in the air waiting to be recognized. This
is an eager bunch or you would not have gotten here.
Second, it is a group of risk takers. Most people who
end up in the Senate get here because a lot of other
people who wanted to be Senators were standing around
waiting for the right time to run. A lot of people who
were elected to the Senate seemed to have no chance of
winning at the time they decided to run, but the voters
decided differently, and here they are.
Third, we are almost all professional and congenial.
That is a big help. It is almost a requirement in an
organization of 100 individuals who spend almost all their
time with one another, who serve in a body that operates
by unanimous consent, when just one Senator can bring the
whole place to a halt, and whose job basically is to argue
about some of the most difficult issues that face the
American people. So it helps that almost every Member of
the Senate is an especially congenial person.
Back in Tennessee, people often say to me it must be
rough being in that job. They are awfully mean up there.
The truth is, I don't know of a more congenial group than
the Members of the Senate. We begin the day in the gym.
The next thing you know we are at a Prayer Breakfast, and
then we are at a committee hearing. Then we are on the
floor voting, and then we have lunch. It goes through the
day until 7 or 8 o'clock, or sometimes later. We live
together and we get along very well. We know and respect
each other.
Not long ago, the Presiding Officer (Mr. Udall of New
Mexico) and I were having dinner together with our wives.
We were lamenting the loss of families who know one
another, the way it happened when his father was serving
in Congress and when I first came to the Senate to work
for Senator Baker. And that's true. We've lost some of
that. Still, there is an enormous amount of affection and
good will here. You don't always get to be very close
friends in this job, but you get to be very good
acquaintances, and you learn to respect people for their
strengths.
Senator Domenici said, when he left, that we don't do a
very good job of saying goodbye here. That is true. As one
part of saying goodbye, I wish to say at least one good
thing about each one of the 16 retiring Senators. Much
more could be said about each, of course. Mostly, I am
going in alphabetical order. ...
There is no better Senator than Judd Gregg on either
side of the aisle. One indication of that is that the last
three leaders of Republicans in the Senate have asked him
to sit in on leadership meetings to get his wisdom and
advice. He doesn't say too much, but what he says we all
pay attention to. He has been the voice of our party and
we believe the voice of Americans who are concerned about
fiscal responsibility, spending, and too much debt. ...
It has been my privilege to serve with these 16
Senators. We thank them for their service to our country.
They have had a chance to serve in what we regard as the
world's greatest deliberative body; it is a special
institution. We will miss their leadership, and we hope
they will stay in touch with us because they are not just
retiring Senators, they are all our friends.
I yield the floor.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that
there be printed as a Senate document a compilation of
materials from the Congressional Record in tribute to
retiring Members of the 111th Congress, and that Members
have until Thursday, December 16, to submit such tributes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Mr. HARKIN. ... I would like to make a speech in praise
of another colleague who is retiring, on the other side of
the aisle, and who is a good friend and someone for whom I
have had not only great friendship but great respect, and
I have served with him a lot on our committees--Senator
Judd Gregg of New Hampshire.
Senator Gregg can be a very effective and persuasive
partisan for the conservative causes he holds dear. He
also has a strong New Hampshire independent streak and is
willing to buck his party when he thinks it is wrong--for
example, when he voted against President Bush's Medicare
prescription drug benefit bill because it was unpaid for
and would add hundreds of billions of dollars to the debt.
Indeed, as ranking member and former chair of the Budget
Committee, Senator Gregg has been one of the Senate's
leading champions of fiscal discipline.
I especially admire Senator Gregg's capacity for
reaching across the aisle, building bridges, and getting
important work done. On that score, he has represented New
Hampshire and the United States at his very best. This
quality has made him a standout member of the Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, which I chair.
He forged a very productive working relationship with my
predecessor as chair, Senator Ted Kennedy. For example, he
played a key role with Senator Kennedy in crafting the
bipartisan No Child Left Behind Act, and a few years
later, I was proud to work with both of those New England
Senators again--especially Senator Gregg--to reauthorize
and improve the Americans with Disabilities Education Act.
In 2008, Senator Gregg was a key leader in crafting and
forging bipartisan support for the Emergency Economic
Stabilization Act. Many have criticized the Troubled Asset
Relief Program, TARP, but facts are facts: TARP prevented
a total meltdown of our financial system. And almost the
entire $700 billion taxpayer investment has been or soon
will be paid back to the U.S. Treasury. In fact, just this
week, the Treasury booked a $12 billion profit on its
previous $45 billion investment in Citigroup.
This year, Senator Gregg has played a key role on the
HELP Committee in bringing together Senators from both
parties to advance food safety legislation. Frankly, there
were many times when sharp policy disagreements threatened
the survival of that bill. But at every turn, Senator
Gregg played a constructive role in working through the
options, crafting bipartisan compromises, and keeping the
legislation on track to passage. I have nothing but
admiration and gratitude to Senator Gregg for his
leadership on the food safety bill, which, as you know,
passed the Senate. ...
That is the first modernization of our Food and Drug
Administration inspection systems in 70 years. Again, I
wish to publicly thank Senator Gregg for hanging in there
over several years' period of time to make sure we kept it
on track from one Congress to another, up and down, but we
finally got it done. As I just said, I have the utmost
admiration and gratitude to Senator Gregg for hanging in
there and making sure we got the job done.
As many of our colleagues will remember, several years
ago, Senator Gregg bought a $20 Powerball lottery ticket
and won $850,000. Again, we all want to go up and touch
him and see if it will rub off on us a little bit. To this
day, Senator Gregg is the only person I have ever known
who won a Powerball lottery ticket. Well, as we have often
said, that was Judd Gregg's personal good fortune, but it
has been our good fortune to have a Senator of his high
caliber and character in this body for the last 18 years.
During that time, I have placed great store by his
friendship and his counsel. Of course, that relationship
and friendship will continue, but I am sorry we are going
to miss him here in the Senate.
I join with the entire Senate family in wishing Judd and
Kathleen the very best in the years ahead.
I yield the floor.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to
our colleagues who are departing the Senate after
distinguished service on behalf of their States and on
behalf of the Nation. I have been privileged to work with
these individuals, to learn from them, to collaborate and
cooperate with them, and to, in some small way, help them
do what they have done so well--represent their States
with fidelity, with great effort, and to move the agenda
of the Nation forward. ...
Senator Judd Gregg and Kathleen are stalwarts in the
Senate, with their 18 years of service. I worked very
closely with Judd on so many issues but most recently on
the Dodd-Frank bill, where we worked collaboratively on
this whole complex concept of derivatives. I was impressed
with his intellect, his grasp, his balance, and I think we
both pushed ourselves to think harder, to do better, and
to come up with a solution, frankly, that was much better
than I know I could have done individually. So I thank
Judd Gregg for what he did there and on so many other
things. ...
To all of these colleagues and their families, my
deepest appreciation and my profoundest respect.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I would hope it is not the
intention of the senior Senator from New Hampshire [Mr.
Gregg, immediately after his farewell speech] to leave the
floor. The accolades our friend and colleague, the senior
Senator from New Hampshire, has just received from both
sides of the aisle are richly deserved. I would hope he
might be able to stay a bit longer so some of us have a
chance to comment on his extraordinarily distinguished
career.
He has devoted his entire life to public service, always
served with a deep sense of purpose and with the
overriding conviction that we must leave America in a
better place than we found it, as he so articulately
expressed. He has worked tirelessly for the people of New
Hampshire and for all Americans, and he has been a truly
invaluable member of the Republican Conference. He is the
smartest guy in the room, usually the most strategic, and
as witty as they come. Yet even as Judd's national profile
has increased over the years as a result of his many
natural gifts, he never lost sight of where he came from
or the people he represents back home in New Hampshire.
Judd grew up in Nashua in southern New Hampshire and was
introduced to the world of politics early on. In 1952,
when he was just 5 years old, his father Hugh Gregg was
elected Governor of the State. Judd went on to Phillips
Exeter Academy for high school in the mid-1960s and to
Columbia University after that, graduating with a degree
in English in 1969. It was an eye-opening experience being
in New York City, particularly in those years. Judd took
it all in. He jokes that his minor in college was subway
exploration.
Even as he witnessed all the student demonstrations and
clashes with police on campus, he found time to dress up
as the school's mascot for a time, the Columbia Royal
Lion, working the sidelines at games. Judd returned north
to attend law school at Boston University and got his J.D.
in 1972 and then an LL.M. in tax law in 1975. Then he
returned to New Hampshire to practice law.
Meanwhile, he began to venture into New Hampshire
primary politics, coordinating primary campaigns for
Ronald Reagan in 1976 and George H.W. Bush in 1980. It was
during this time that he really developed his conservative
principles. Over the years, he has stuck to those
principles, and the voters have rewarded him for it. He
has never lost a race--not one. Part of the reason Judd
wins is that he is not afraid to lose. He would rather
lose for the right reasons than win for the wrong ones.
Over the years, he has become something of a political
legend in New Hampshire, and for good reason; he is the
first person in New Hampshire history to serve as
Congressman, Governor, and Senator. He was first elected
to Congress in 1980, where he would serve four terms, and
then, in what some viewed as a political gamble, he
followed his father's footsteps to run for Governor in
1988. He was elected and easily reelected in 1990.
During his second term, New Hampshire, like the rest of
the country, faced a difficult recession. But faced with
pressure to raise the State's income tax or sales tax, he
cut government spending instead. The New Hampshire Union
Leader would later credit Judd as being able to manage the
State through the crisis far better than anyone expected,
and the Wall Street Journal ranked him ninth in its Good
Governor Guide for cutting spending and keeping a lid on
taxes during a serious budget crisis.
In 1992, Judd decided to run for U.S. Senate on his
strong record on environmental protection and fiscal
discipline. He won a close race. Upon arriving in this
Chamber, Judd immediately set out to work for the people
of New Hampshire. I know one of the things he is proud of
in his nearly 17 years in the Senate is the work he has
done to protect more than 300,000 acres of land in New
Hampshire from development. He can also be justifiably
proud of the remarkable work he has done as a Republican,
the top Republican on the Senate Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions Committee, and, most important from our
conference's point of view, on the Budget Committee, where
his knowledge and command of the issues always impressed
the rest of us. He was clearly the right man for the job.
When the budget came up, I think we would all agree on our
side of the aisle, when Judd stood up and had something to
say, everybody quieted down and listened. You can't say
that about all of us on every issue all of the time. We
recognized his talents from the very beginning.
Just 2 years after arriving here, he was selected to
serve as chief deputy whip as well as cochairman of
Senator Dole's Senate agenda committee, a working group
tasked with developing and managing the Republican agenda
at that particular juncture. It was the first time in 20
years that a Senator from New Hampshire had served in a
Senate leadership role.
He never hesitated to work across the aisle to get
things done. Judd understood that to make something happen
in this body, it happens between the 40 yard lines, and
that means both sides have to participate. He teamed up
with Senator Kennedy to coauthor No Child Left Behind.
Referring to that particular accomplishment, Judd once
said:
I don't think any of us ever gave up our basic
principles ... Ted just understood that even though he had
strong beliefs ... he understood you had to legislate to
accomplish that. There was no point in just standing off
in the corner and shouting.
History will remember that Judd also played a central
role in Congress' response to the financial crisis of 2008
which we all remember very well. With our Nation on the
brink of economic collapse, I was to select one person to
represent our point of view at that critical moment. The
choice was completely obvious, the one person we had who
everybody knew had no other agenda and would at the end of
the day do what was right for the country. So I made him
the top Republican negotiator on the Emergency Economic
Stabilization Act, now infamously referred to as TARP. His
top priority then and throughout the entire debate over
the effort was to ensure that the original package
protected taxpayers by including language in the bill that
stated all proceeds from the paybacks would go to reducing
the debt, and he did a fabulous job.
It was because of Judd's principles, intelligence,
common sense, and ability to work across the aisle, as I
indicated, that I asked him to join my leadership team
after I was elected Republican leader. I have relied on
him heavily these last 4 years. Judd has been right in the
middle of every legislative debate we have had since I
have been in this position. He has never disappointed. He
has been so effective, in fact, that Senator Reid gave him
a couple of nicknames late in his career. First he called
him the ``see-if-we-can-mess-up-the-legislation guy.''
After that, he described Judd as:
Somebody who comes into a basketball game, not to score
points, just to kind of rough people up, just to kind of
get the game going to a different direction.
I think Judd and I would both agree that is a heck of a
compliment. In fact, this is Senator Gregg's reaction to
those nicknames given to him by the Democratic leader: ``I
appreciate the Senator's comments. I take them as a
compliment. I have been active legislatively. That is,
obviously, our job.''
It is funny how people see things differently. I never
saw Judd as a Bill Laimbeer-type player out on the court
just to rough people up. I always saw Judd--sticking with
the basketball metaphors for a moment--as the intelligent
point guard, as the ideas guy with the extraordinary
judgment, as the type of guy who could see the whole
floor, the big picture, and could make the unselfish play
that would win the game.
Over the years, that is exactly what Judd did for our
team. He has been instrumental in our efforts to hold the
line, slow down or call out the Democrats these past 2
years in particular on an agenda that we viewed as deeply
harmful to our future. He has been an indispensable member
of the team. In fact, I am not sure where we would be now
without him, and sometimes I have wondered where we will
be a few years down the road without him. But he leaves
his example, and he leaves the knowledge he has passed on
along the years, and we will all continue to draw on that
in the years ahead.
Judd was recently asked what the hardest thing about
being a Senator was, and he answered without hesitation.
The hardest thing was being away from his family. It is
another principle on which he never, ever hedged.
I made a decision early on in my career which I've
carried throughout my career--that if the choice was
between being here and being with something that was
important to my family, I would be with my family. Maybe
my children feel differently, but I don't think I have
missed anything that was really critical in their
upbringing.
Which brings us to Kathy, as Judd indicated, a wife of
37 years, a cherished member of the Senate family. We are
so grateful for Kathy's grace and patience with the
demands of public life, along with her important work in
education, promoting the arts, the environment, and
historic preservation, as well as her work in raising
awareness about child abuse. Somehow, she and Judd's three
children--Molly, Sarah, and Joshua--managed to put up with
Judd's three decades of public service, and we thank them
all for sharing Judd with us all these years in
Washington.
One of Judd's greatest assets as a Senator has been his
profound love for this institution and his gratitude for
having had a chance to serve as a Member of it. He never
took this place or this job for granted. As he once put
it:
From my first day in the Senate to today, I remain in
awe of this fabulously interesting place. When I'm on the
floor and I look around and take in its history, it never
ceases to hit me that this is the most successful
deliberative democracy in history. It's an honor to serve
there.
To say that I tried to convince Judd to stay is an
understatement.
But he knew it was his time to move on and to write the
next chapter in his life. While Senators come and go all
the time, I cannot help but note that when Judd walks out
of this Chamber for the last time, he will leave an
enormous void.
So I will close, old friend and colleague, by saying you
certainly are going to be missed. We wish you well in your
future endeavors. Thank you for your service. You have
done an extraordinary job.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming.
Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I want to say a few words about
the Senator from New Hampshire as well.
I have had the pleasure over the years of serving with
him and watching him and learning from him, as we did once
again today. It is always amazing at these going away
speeches that we learn things we did not learn about them
during the 18 years they served. So I appreciate Senator
McConnell's comments and some new insights there.
I know Senator Gregg at one time moved from being the
chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Committee to being chair of the Budget Committee, and that
gave me the opportunity to be the chairman of the Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. For that I will
always be grateful, and I hope I have made good use of the
things he taught me when he was in that position.
Over the years as we have watched Senator Gregg in
action in committee or on the floor we have all learned a
lesson or two about how to be a more effective Senator.
That is why when I look back on Senator Gregg's career, I
will always think of him as one of the best of my Senate
mentors. Over my 14 years in the Senate, I have learned
more from him than almost anyone else.
I know no one knows better how this Senate operates and
the procedural details than the Senator does. If I were on
the other side of an issue and I saw Senator Judd Gregg
getting up to plead his case, I know I would feel a sense
of grave concern as I listened to him that would only
increase in strength and intensity. It is always a worry
for either side when he unfolds, if he might be on the
opposite side. But, on the other hand, if he is on the
floor to express support for my position, I would sit
back, relax, and watch him in action with great relish.
He is a brilliant legislator and orator because he is
always one to follow the admonition of Rudyard Kipling to
``keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and
blaming it on you.'' Once he had determined the right
thing to do and how to do it, he would very calmly come up
with a plan of action that made it happen, and then follow
his strategy step by step without ever wavering from his
plan.
In all my years of public life, as an observer and a
participant, I do not think I have ever worked with anyone
quite like him. No one speaks better off the cuff than he
does. Even in a few casual remarks, his context and focus
showcase his natural talent for the art. He knows the
right words to say and how and when to say them for
maximum impact. That means more often than not he knew how
to present the perfect argument that could not be refuted.
Year after year, that great talent has shown itself on the
floor and in committee as he took a more and more active
role in our deliberations on a long list of subjects,
including but not limited to budget reform, education
reform, and entitlement reform. He has, for instance, been
a very strong supporter of the need for Congress to take
action to address the problems currently facing Social
Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. This has been most
recently evident as the ranking member of the Budget
Committee and an active member of the President's National
Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.
To put it quite simply, during his service in the
Senate, he has been the younger generation's best friend,
as he has done everything he possibly could to ensure that
our children and grandchildren would have it as good as we
did--if not better.
Senator Gregg has been a true leader on budget reform
issues for his entire public service career. One of his
greatest successes as the chairman of the Budget Committee
was the passage of the Deficit Reduction Act in 2005. It
was the first time in 8 years that the Congress took the
necessary steps to curb entitlement spending and began to
put our country's fiscal house back in order. In his own
words, Senator Gregg said the following on December 21,
2005:
This bill represents a reduction in the Federal deficit
of nearly $40 billion over 5 years. Yes, there is more to
be done, but it is a step in the right direction ... It is
my hope that the Congress will continue the hard work we
have done here, by seeking to reduce the rate of growth of
government at every opportunity. By focusing on how to
make government programs work more effectively and at a
lower cost. And by making fiscally responsible decisions
about what kind of economic future we want to leave to our
children and grandchildren.
As an accountant, Senate colleague, and his friend, I
could not have been more proud of the bold step Senator
Gregg took in addressing our Nation's deficit by drafting,
promoting, and ultimately enacting the Deficit Reduction
Act. We will miss his leadership on the Budget Committee.
As a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions Committee, it was good to have a chance to see
how well he worked to get things done in committee. For
example, he worked well with Senator Kennedy on creating
and passing the No Child Left Behind Act. He was able to
bring together Senator Kennedy and President Bush to work
on a common goal for our Nation's children and our
country's future.
What he was able to accomplish during those days has
made a difference and it will continue to do so for many
years to come. Because of the work he has been such an
important part of, countless Americans are living better,
more rewarding, and more fulfilling lives all over the
country.
Needless to say, the people of New Hampshire were very
fortunate he was willing to serve in so many posts over
the years. I have no doubt his insights on the law and how
it affects the people back home come from his experience
on every level of our government.
Since he first arrived in the Senate, with every trip
home his constituents would tell him how the changes in
the law were affecting them and their businesses and, if
they are like the people of Wyoming, they also gave him
some very valuable suggestions on what we could do in the
Congress to address their concerns. I always tell my
constituents to share their good ideas with me. It is my
secret weapon and it really helps me to make a difference.
I am sure it has been the same for him.
I do not know what he has planned for the coming years,
but one thing I feel certain about: We have not heard the
last from Judd Gregg. That will be a good thing for all of
us, as well as the younger generation who is very
concerned about the legacy we are leaving behind for them.
As he has pointed out repeatedly, it would not be fair for
us to continue to spend their inheritance to such an
extent that they will be left with a huge deficit and an
economy so slow and weak that they will not have any
possibility of paying it off without a great deal of pain
and difficulty. They are counting on us to do the right
thing to ensure they have the same advantages and ability
to access the American dream we have had.
There is an old Native American saying: We have not
inherited the Earth from our ancestors, we are borrowing
it from our children. If we follow this lead and use that
frame of reference as our guide, we will be able to ensure
their future will be as promising as they have every right
to expect and demand.
As the end of the current session of Congress
approaches, I know I am not the first, nor will I be the
last to say thank you, Judd, for your willingness to serve
the people of New Hampshire and the United States for so
long and so well. Most of all, thank you for your
friendship and for serving as such a great resource for us
all during your service in the Senate.
Before I close, I know I would be remiss if I did not
also say a quick thank you to your wife Kathy. As we both
know from serving in the Senate, there are a lot of late
nights, trips both home and abroad with little notice, and
a lot of other things we have to deal with because they
come with the job. Our wives never complain, but we both
know they have every reason to do so. They probably do not
because they know, as well as we do, we could not do what
we do without them by our side. They are our greatest
supporters, our best friends, our most trusted political
advisers, and the ones who always make sure we are heading
in the right direction.
So while I am thanking you for your service, I think
Kathy deserves a word of thanks too. Together you have
been a remarkable team, and that is why New Hampshire is
so proud to claim both of you as their own.
In the days to come, Diana and I will not be the only
ones who will miss you and Kathy. Fortunately, we know
where to find you--right near the ocean. We had so much
fun there when we had the chance to explore it with you
both earlier this year. The fishing was pretty good and
the scenery was just magnificent. Just let us know when
the fish are biting, and we will be there. Come to Wyoming
anytime. Good luck in your future. Thanks for all you have
done for us.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Hampshire.
Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I am honored to be here on
the floor today to join Senator McConnell and my other
colleagues in recognizing the service Senator Judd Gregg
has provided to the people of this country, and for us,
importantly, to the people of New Hampshire.
I have had the good fortune to know Senator Gregg since
I first got elected to public office. In the New Hampshire
political tradition, you learn to work together with
people on both sides of the aisle for what is in the best
interests of New Hampshire. Senator Gregg has been a fine
example of that tradition.
I have enjoyed working with him over the years, and his
presence in the Chamber and the Senate halls will be
missed both by me and, as we have already heard, by the
rest of our colleagues. I think, as Senator Gregg was
giving his remarks, the number of Senators who were here
to say goodbye shows the respect and how much he will be
missed by all of our colleagues.
Throughout my own public life, I have always appreciated
the civility and generosity Senator Gregg has shown me.
When I was elected to the State senate in New Hampshire,
it was then-Governor Gregg who swore me in for the first
time. When I was elected to the Senate, he was the first
Republican to call me, not just to offer his
congratulations but to offer his advice and help in
getting started in Washington.
The Senator and I have followed similar paths to the
Senate, although his service has been longer than mine,
although we are the same age.
So I will not say your service has been older than mine,
Judd.
But I think that experience--both of us having served as
Governor, leading New Hampshire--has given us a much more
similar mindset than most people would expect. I think it
contributes to our concern about controlling the debt and
ensuring that this government is functioning in the best
interests of all of its citizens. I, again, appreciated
his commitment to addressing that debt for future
generations in his remarks this afternoon.
While we have not always agreed on the best approach to
solve those problems, Senator Gregg's civility has never
wavered. Since coming to the Senate, I have noticed that
he extends that same civility and courtesy to colleagues
on both sides of the aisle. In a town that is not always
known for its good manners, Senator Gregg reminds us we
can disagree without being disagreeable.
Senator Gregg, of course, is known for his expertise on
budgetary matters and his dedication to one of the gravest
issues that faces this country; that is, its rapidly
ballooning deficit. His expertise will not be easily
replaced, especially at a time when our Nation so urgently
needs a New Hampshire-style approach--strong, bipartisan,
and no-nonsense. It is a concern about the deficit that we
share, and I hope in some small way I can continue his
search for solutions to this challenge.
What might be less known to people in Washington--
although Senator McConnell mentioned it--is Senator
Gregg's passion for the preservation of open lands. He is
a conservationist in the fine Republican tradition of
Teddy Roosevelt, and he has helped preserve New
Hampshire's wonderful legacy of forests and lakes.
For those of you who may some day visit the New
Hampshire statehouse, you will be surprised to see that
Senator Gregg appears in his formal gubernatorial portrait
in the mountains of New Hampshire, as I think is fitting
for somebody who cares so much about the environment.
In 2001, when I was Governor and Senator Gregg was here,
we worked together to preserve the Connecticut Lakes
Headwaters. At more than 171,000 acres, it was the largest
contiguous block of land in New Hampshire in private
ownership, and with his leadership we were able to ensure
that future generations could enjoy the beauty of this
beautiful working forest and part of New Hampshire.
As another well-known Senator--again, one that Judd
alluded to when he spoke--Daniel Webster once said, ``We
have been taught to regard a representative of the people
as a sentinel on the watch-tower of liberty.''
In Congress and the Governor's office, in Washington and
in New Hampshire, Senator Gregg has served as that
sentinel. He will be missed. I join my colleagues and the
people of New Hampshire in wishing him and Kathy and their
whole family well in all of their future endeavors.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, as I listened this afternoon
to Senator Gregg's farewell address, I thought about how
much all of us who have been privileged to serve with him
will miss his wisdom. But for me, the loss will be even
more intense, for there is no one to whom I have turned
more often for advice during the past 14 years than my
neighbor from New Hampshire--unless, of course, it was his
wife Kathy, who also gave very good advice.
Judd's extraordinary knowledge of so many issues, his
keen insights into policy and politics, and his abiding
friendship have meant so much to me. I truly cannot
imagine a debate in this Chamber about the budget,
spending, entitlement programs, or taxes without his
leading it. Given his strong work ethic, his commitment to
the prosperity of future generations, and his unwavering
dedication to doing what is right, I am confident his
clear call for action on our fiscal crisis will continue
to be heard and to be influential in the debates ahead of
us.
Raised in a family devoted to public service,
Congressman, Governor, and now Senator Gregg has always
been guided by the principle that the public interest is
paramount and the public's trust is essential. As a strong
voice for fiscal discipline and a champion of bipartisan
solutions, Senator Gregg has always upheld those
principles.
Senator Gregg faced up to the looming entitlement crisis
and our inequitable tax system by introducing
comprehensive, bipartisan bills to address both concerns.
His sponsorship of legislation early this year to
establish a bipartisan commission on fiscal responsibility
brought to the forefront of the national debate our debt--
a debt that America can no longer ignore.
Senator Gregg's service on the President's commission
demonstrated his determination to present to the American
people an analysis of the tough choices we must face and
the means to return to fiscal sanity. As always, Judd has
been dedicated to one goal: ensuring that our country's
children and grandchildren inherit a just and prosperous
nation where the American dream can still be a reality for
millions of hard-working families. The idea of saddling
future generations with trillions in unpaid bills has
always been anathema to Senator Gregg.
Although fiscal issues have been Judd's passion, the
soaring and unsustainable debt has not been his only
focus. For example, 2 years ago, Senator Gregg helped lead
a coalition that called for a bipartisan national summit
to develop an energy strategy for our country. He
recognized and warned against our overreliance on foreign
oil as a threat to our Nation that forces one energy
crisis after another on the businesses and families of our
great country. Senator Gregg has been a powerful advocate
for a common-sense, achievable energy policy that balances
increased domestic production, conservation, and the
development of alternative and renewable fuels. As his
colleague from New Hampshire mentioned, Judd's work to
preserve open space in New Hampshire has led to the
conservation and protection of more than 330,000 acres of
sensitive land, leaving a tangible legacy for future
generations to enjoy.
Senator Gregg is also committed to strengthening our
national security. In 2005, I was honored to join with him
and thousands of people throughout Maine and New Hampshire
in saving the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, which is, by the
way, in Kittery, ME, not Portsmouth, NH, but it was indeed
a joint effort. Standing together under Senator Gregg's
leadership, our two delegations, working with the people
of our two States, prevailed. In addition to saving the
shipyard, Judd has been in the forefront in strengthening
and modernizing it. Thanks to his efforts, the U.S. Navy
submarine fleet remains unsurpassed as our Nation's shield
and our sword.
As chairman for years of the Homeland Security
Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Gregg recognized the
threat we faced from radical Islamic terrorism, and he
ensured that the resources were provided to help protect
our homeland, while eliminating funding that was
ineffective or extravagant.
This is quite a career. Throughout his long and
distinguished life in public service, Judd Gregg has been
a champion of good government, an independent and creative
thinker, and a bipartisan problem solver. He has fought
for the public interests and has earned the public's
trust. I know that not only the people of New Hampshire
and Maine, who know him well, but people all across this
great country join me today in thanking Senator Judd Gregg
for his exceptional leadership, countless accomplishments,
and fierce dedication to our country and the State he
loves so much. We wish both Judd and Kathy all the best.
Thank you.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.
Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, during the 1980s, somehow
the Senate took a survey among themselves about who was
the most admired Member of the Senate, and according to
press reports, Senator Howard Baker of Tennessee was the
most admired Senator by both Republicans and by Democrats.
If such a survey were to be taken today, Judd Gregg would
certainly be at the top of that list for most of us. There
is not a better Member of the Senate.
Much has been said about him, so I will say three things
quickly because there are other Senators who wish to
speak. First, Judd Gregg is of New Hampshire, not from New
Hampshire. Sometimes we say, Senator so-and-so is from
Tennessee or from New York or from South Dakota or from
Maine, but the Senator whose roots are where roots are
supposed to be is ``of'' his State. Judd Gregg sounds as
though he is from New Hampshire. He acts as though he is
from New Hampshire. He is from New Hampshire. He votes as
though he is from New Hampshire. The Old Man of the
Mountain, which was a rock up in New Hampshire, could be
seen by those who drove by it. The rock fell down a few
years ago and I thought: Well, maybe the best way to
replace it is to put Judd Gregg back up there because he
is of New Hampshire.
Second, Judd Gregg is a very good politician. I know
that from direct experience. There is such a thing as the
``Gregg machine'' in New Hampshire. Those who have the
temerity to run for President find that out. It was on the
other side of my efforts when I was there, and to give an
example, one day a reporter asked me, ``Well, Mr.
Alexander, what is the price of a gallon of milk?'' Of
course, I knew what a gallon of milk costs, but I made the
mistake of turning around to someone and asking, just to
make sure what it was. A press person overheard it, and
the next thing I knew, the ``Gregg machine'' had spread
that story all over the State that this fellow in a red
and black shirt didn't know what the price of milk was. So
they are a very intimidating, effective crowd in New
Hampshire.
The third thing, the final thing I will say about Judd
is one reason I admire and like him so much is that I so
often agree with him. I agree with him on conservation
issues, on education issues, on fiscal issues, but
especially on his view of this body, which he expressed so
eloquently many times but especially in his remarks today.
Judd Gregg knows and understands that this body is the
citadel of the protection of liberty in our government. He
said that today. It is the place where we avoid the
tyranny of the majority. It is a place where the voices of
the American people are heard, where we have open
amendment and open debate. He has been an effective
advocate for that. He understands we are not just a
debating society, but that in the end, we are a governing
body; that the purpose of our 60-vote majority is to force
consensus and a compromise so we can act, so we can do our
job.
Judd leaves a wonderful legacy. He has many friends
here. He will continue to have many friends here, this
Senator who is of New Hampshire, who is a pretty good
politician and with whom I so often agree. My special best
wishes to his wife Kathy, with whom I also agree. Thank
you.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.
Mr. CORKER. Thank you, Mr. President. I appreciate the
Senator from South Dakota allowing me to speak for about
60 seconds. I don't give long speeches on the floor. I
seldom use notes. I know Senator Gregg knows this, but I
have been here 4 years, and I can honestly say one of the
greatest highlights of my 4 years has been being able to
serve with Senator Gregg. I know of no one in the Senate
whom I hope to be remembered even close to as far as my
service. I know of no one whom I think creates a better
example for those of us in the Senate. I know of no one
whom I respect more than Senator Gregg. I know he knows
that. I know his wonderful wife Kathy knows that.
I think, upon his departure, there will be a tremendous
vacuum. I think all of us understand what each of us is
going to have to do to try to fill a component of the
shoes of the Senator from New Hampshire or the example he
has set.
So I just want the Senator to know he certainly has
raised my thinking as to what it means to be a Senator in
the Senate. Each of us have frailties and each of us have
strengths. There are always going to be occasions when
Senators cause us to rise because they inspire us. They do
things that are inspirational. There are always going to
be times when Senators disappoint us because we are human
beings, and that is the way human beings are. But I can
say that you, more than anybody in the Senate, have caused
me to want to be better more times than anyone and have
disappointed me fewer times than anybody in the Senate. I
will miss you. I wish you well, and I thank you for being
my friend.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Dakota.
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I also wish to join with my
colleagues today before I speak to the issue of the day
and express my appreciation to Senator Gregg for his great
service to this institution and to our country. I think it
is fair to say there is nobody quite like Judd Gregg. He
truly is one of a kind.
I remember when I first got here, I thought he didn't
like me, and maybe he didn't like me, but I concluded that
part of that was just his serious demeanor. He is a guy
who means business. Once you get to know him, you not only
appreciate that side of his personality, but you also gain
an appreciation for the incredible wit and sense of humor
he also possesses. I have had the opportunity to
experience that on many occasions.
I think what the institution is going to miss the most--
he is certainly someone who cares a lot about this
country's future and the policies we put in place--is his
abilities, his great skill and his great talent. It will
be a real loss to the Senate because Judd Gregg has a mind
like a steel trap. He is able to analyze with great
effectiveness the issues of the day and to explain them
clearly. He is someone in whom I have tremendous respect.
He has been a great mentor, a great leader, and someone,
as I said before, we are going to miss around here.
I can't say enough about how much I appreciate his
service and the service and the sacrifice his family has
made. He has served in public life for many years, both as
a Congressman, Governor, and a Senator. His wife Kathy,
similar to many of our wives, puts up with a lot of
things. Judd, similar to me and many of my colleagues, I
think, I would say probably married over his head or, as
one of my friends said, outpunted his coverage. We are
grateful to his family.
We are going to miss the many contributions he has made,
but probably none more than the passion with which he
approaches this job and the passion with which he
approaches building a brighter and better and stronger and
more prosperous future for future generations. There has
been no clearer voice on the issue of fiscal
responsibility, no clearer voice when it comes to the
important task we have in front of us, to insist that we
take steps and we put policies in place that will make the
country stronger and better for future generations.
So I wish to compliment as well my colleague from New
Hampshire. I have heard from folks from other parts of the
country. As someone who comes from the Midwest, I wish to
say how much I appreciate Judd Gregg, the incredible
contribution he has made, and I, similar to so many
others, will miss him greatly.
Mr. DURBIN. I want to join my colleagues in wishing our
friend, Senator Judd Gregg, the best of luck as he
prepares for his new life beyond the U.S. Senate.
I don't think it is any exaggeration to say that,
without the leadership and dogged insistence of Judd Gregg
and Kent Conrad, there would have been no Presidential
Deficit Commission.
As a member of that commission, I want to say to Senator
Gregg, ``I will get you back for that one.''
In all seriousness, serving on the Deficit Commission
was not an easy assignment. But I believe the commission's
work, and the way we went about our work, shows that
Democrats and Republicans can still reason together and
act together for the good of our Nation. I thank Senator
Gregg for helping to remind us of that important truth.
You might remember a few years back when Senator Gregg
won about $850,000 in a Powerball payoff. A bunch of us on
our side of the aisle tried to convince him that he ought
to do what all big lottery winners do--quit his job. He
said no--there was more he wanted to do in the Senate.
Judd and I served together in the House and the Senate
and, as I said, on the Deficit Commission. We're one of
the Odd Couples of Capitol Hill. He's Felix and I'm Oscar.
We haven't agreed on a whole lot. But we have been
allies on some big, important fights. Judd was an
indispensable leader in the effort to finally give the FDA
the authority to regulate tobacco. His work on that bill
will save thousands of lives in America and around the
world and I am proud to have been his partner on it.
I understand that Judd Gregg is the only person in New
Hampshire history ever elected Senator, Congressman,
Governor, and Councilor. Little-known fact: I think he was
also the model for the Old Man in the Mountain.
When Judd claimed his Powerball winnings, he told
reporters, ``Even Senators get lucky sometime.'' I am
lucky to have worked with Judd Gregg in both the House and
the Senate for almost 15 years. We have had some spirited
differences--always will. But I respect him as an
independent-minded Conservative, a tough negotiator, and a
man who believes in public service.
I wish Judd, Kathy, and their family the very best in
the next chapters of their lives.
Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, through three terms in this
Chamber, Senator Judd Gregg has been a consistent,
principled voice for responsible stewardship of the
taxpayers' hard-earned money. Though he and I have not
always agreed on the roles and responsibilities of
government, that has not diminished my admiration for his
principled stand on fiscal responsibility, a stand that
has at times brought him into conflict with Members from
both parties.
Senator Gregg has been willing to cross party lines on
important issues throughout his tenure in the Senate. At
times that has been the result of his belief in limiting
deficits, as when he opposed the creation of the Medicare
drug benefit in 2003 without identifying ways to pay for
it. But he also supported last year the nomination of
Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. He has voted to
allow FDA regulation of tobacco. And he has voted to give
U.S. workers a higher minimum wage.
Still, Senator Gregg will rightly be remembered
primarily for his advocacy of prudent spending. He
consistently has pressed for a detailed, bipartisan effort
to address the Nation's troubling fiscal situation. The
bill he worked on with Senator Conrad ultimately became
the model for the National Commission on Fiscal
Responsibility and Reform. While the success of the
commission is still unclear, it already is clear that
Senator Gregg's efforts have helped move the discussion
forward.
I congratulate Senator Gregg on his distinguished
service, and I wish him the best of luck in wherever his
new endeavors take him.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that
the order for the printing of tributes be modified to
provide that Members have until sine die of the 111th
Congress, 2d session, to submit tributes and that the
order for printing remain in effect.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to bid farewell to
my colleague, a fellow New Englander and Banking Committee
member, the senior Senator from New Hampshire, Judd Gregg.
It has been an honor and a pleasure serving with him in
this body for the past 18 years. As we both prepare to
leave the Senate this year, I would like to take this
opportunity to wish him and his family the very best in
the future.
Throughout his tenure in the Senate, Senator Gregg has
been an ardent advocate for his home State of New
Hampshire, and a knowledgeable legislator. Time and again,
during floor debate and committee proceedings, he has
demonstrated his sharp intellect and deep knowledge of a
broad range of issues--particularly on economic and budget
policy.
He is a deeply committed public servant, who has been
elected by the people of New Hampshire to serve them for 8
years in the House of Representatives, 4 years as
Governor, and as their U.S. Senator for the last 18 years.
In fact, they returned him to the Senate in 2004 with the
highest number of votes in New Hampshire history. It is
clear that his constituents have a great deal of faith in
this man, and during his time in Congress, he has
represented them and their values extremely well.
As one would expect from a man of New Hampshire, Senator
Gregg has always demonstrated his independence, commitment
to hard work, and self-sufficiency. Yet he has also been
someone that has sought compromise and has been ready to
collaborate with those willing to tackle the difficult
problems facing our Nation.
In 2001, he was one of the lead Republicans working on
the No Child Left Behind law to improve education across
the Nation for generations of Americans. In 2003, he and I
worked together with Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator Lamar
Alexander, and Senator Susan Collins to craft the Keeping
Children and Families Safe Act, which updated our Nation's
laws to meet the serious problem of child abuse.
Of course, improving education and ending child abuse
are issues on which both Liberals and Conservatives
broadly agree, so bipartisanship and collaboration on
these matters is easy.
Of course, in the fall of 2008, our Nation was faced
with a nearly unprecedented economic collapse--and the
views of Liberals and Conservatives on how to respond
could charitably be described as divergent, at best.
It was at that moment, when our Nation faced a calamity
of historical proportions, that Senator Gregg grit his
teeth and set to work, negotiating with me, Treasury
Secretary Geithner, Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke, and
others, to fashion a legislative response to the crisis.
Despite the heavy criticism that came with being a party
to those discussions, he remained a key negotiator, and in
the end, the House and Senate approved the Emergency
Economic Stabilization Act. Today, our economy, though far
from recovered, is far better off than it would have been
without this bill and many of the institutions which
received assistance have repaid the Treasury with
interest.
Let me be clear that was a bill that none of us ever, in
our wildest dreams thought we would have to write, or vote
to pass. However distasteful, it would have been wrong to
allow our financial system to go into full cardiac arrest,
with little chance of survival.
The politically expedient route to take would have been
to walk away, vote against the bill, and join the pundits,
commentators, and bloggers who've said ``It never should
have passed, and we would have been fine without it
anyway.''
But that wouldn't be leadership. That wouldn't be
statesmanship. And that isn't the type of legislator that
Judd Gregg is.
I would also like to thank Senator Gregg for his work as
a member of the Banking Committee. He joined the committee
late in his tenure, but his deep knowledge of the economy
and expertise in financial matters was greatly
appreciated. He played an important role in helping to
craft what became the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and
Consumer Protection Act.
Though he was a staunch opponent of some of the bill's
provisions, he didn't see that opposition as an impediment
to continuing to offer ideas and thoughtful debate in
order to shape the legislation into what he thought was a
better product.
Yet, as fierce a partisan as Senator Gregg is, he is
also a consummate legislator. He knows that the people of
New Hampshire sent him here to work hard, and work with
the other Members of this body. He has shown that at the
end of the day, even if you work hard on something, you
may not be able to support it--but you will know that you
have done your best to advocate for your positions and
shape the debate.
The Senate will miss his knowledge and work ethic, and I
hope that newly elected Members--of both parties--will
follow his example.
I wish him, his wife Kathleen, his children, and
granddaughter, the very best.
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I have come to the floor
today to pay tribute to Senator Judd Gregg of New
Hampshire, who will be leaving the Senate at the end of
this session.
Although I am happy for Judd and his wife Kathy, as they
set off on the next stage of their lives, Judd's
retirement represents a great loss for the U.S. Senate,
for the people of New Hampshire, for the entire Nation,
and for me personally.
Simply put, Judd has been an outstanding public servant.
He has worked tirelessly and effectively on behalf of his
State, first as a Congressman, then as Governor, and then
as a Senator. The people of New Hampshire rewarded his
faithful service by repeatedly electing him by wide
margins. When he was reelected to the Senate in 2004, Judd
received the highest number of votes in New Hampshire
history.
Judd has been a true leader in the Senate. Few Members
have the breadth of knowledge and insight that he holds on
the key issues that come before this body. Whether it be
the budget, education policy, or banking reform, he has
been at the center of the debate, and Members on both
sides of the aisle seek out and respect his judgment.
I have come to know Judd best for his work on the Budget
Committee. He has been on the committee for all of the 18
years he has been in the Senate. He served as chairman in
2005 and 2006, after Senator Nickles retired, and has been
the ranking member ever since.
I could not have asked for a better partner on the
committee. It has been a pleasure to work closely with
him. Our staffs have also worked very well together, which
is a testament to the leadership of Judd and the example
he set in his work with me.
Judd has tremendous integrity. His word is his bond.
Although we haven't always agreed on policy, Judd has
always upheld the highest standards of the Senate by
knowing how to disagree without being disagreeable. We
have had fierce debates over the years, but we have never
let that affect our ability to work together.
Of course, the highlight of our work together came in
our legislative effort to adopt a bipartisan fiscal task
force to address the country's long-term debt crisis. That
joint effort was truly one of the most rewarding
experiences of my career in the Senate. I will never
forget the days we spent discussing the proposal during a
trip in 2006.
While we were not able to pass our legislation in the
Senate, our effort resulted in the creation of the
President's fiscal commission. It has been an honor to
work alongside Judd in this fight. Like me, Judd cares
deeply about our Nation's fiscal future and understands
the danger of rising Federal debt. He has been a tenacious
advocate of fiscal discipline and putting the budget on a
sustainable long-term path.
Judd is a true-blue fiscal Conservative. But that has
never stopped him from reaching across the aisle to work
with Democrats. In addition to working with me, Judd
teamed up with Senator Ted Kennedy in 2001 to coauthor the
No Child Left Behind Act. More recently, he teamed up with
Senator Wyden to write the first major bipartisan tax
reform legislation in decades, the Bipartisan Tax Fairness
and Simplification Act.
Notably, Judd also played a key role in the bipartisan
negotiations that led to the creation of the TARP
legislation. TARP was widely criticized during this past
election season, but the results are now in, and it is
clear that the TARP Program was successful in stabilizing
the financial sector and helping to prevent the economy
from dipping into a full-blown depression. The success of
the program and the repayments now coming into the
Treasury can be attributed, at least in part, to Judd's
insistence on including provisions in the legislation to
protect American taxpayers.
Finally, Judd's retirement means more to me than just
losing a great partner on the Budget Committee. I am also
losing a great friend. At a time when Washington is filled
with so much partisan rancor and disagreement, we need
more individuals from across the aisle to form friendships
like ours.
Judd, I wish you all the best in your retirement. You
will truly be missed.
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, today I would like to join
with my colleagues in appreciation and admiration of
Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire.
Judd is a native of New Hampshire and after practicing
as an attorney in Nashua, where he was born, he began a
devoted career of public service to his State. Before
coming to the Senate, Judd served as a member of his
State's executive council, as a representative, and then
on to become, as his father Hugh Gregg had been before
him, Governor of the Granite State.
Judd was a successful and accomplished Governor. When he
left Concord to join the Senate, he left his State with
not only a balanced budget but a surplus as well. His
leadership and record of fiscal responsibility has served
as an example for our entire Nation to follow.
His expertise on budgetary and fiscal issues has
benefited all his fellow Senators on the Budget Committee.
As both chairman and ranking member of the committee, Judd
put together both excellent staff and the resources
necessary to advance our goals of cutting spending,
balancing the budget, and reducing our Nation's debt. With
steps such as his successful sponsorship of the fiscal
year 2006 budget resolution, which reduced mandatory
spending for the first time in years, hard-working
American taxpayers have saved billions thanks to Senator
Gregg's efforts.
Senator Gregg and I worked hard together in fighting to
reduce our government's burden on taxpayers and the
excessive spending that fuels it. We have both fought hard
for our government to take our financial future seriously
and to make the tough decisions necessary for it to be
secured for our generation and for many more to come.
I would like to thank Senator Gregg again for his
leadership on these important issues, and his extensive
service to the people of New Hampshire. My wife Sandy and
I wish Senator Gregg, his wife Kathy, and their family all
the best.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise to speak today to
recognize the departure of my good friend Senator Judd
Gregg. Senator Gregg has been a tireless advocate for the
people of his State and a devoted public servant. He will
most certainly be missed.
Senator Gregg is a New Hampshire man through and
through. He was born in Nashua, NH, in 1947. His father,
Hugh Gregg, served as Governor of New Hampshire when Judd
was just 5 years old. Judd graduated from Phillips Exeter
in 1965 before going on to earn his baccalaureate from
Columbia University and his law degree from Boston
University School of Law.
After finishing law school in 1972, Judd returned to
Nashua to commence his law practice, though it wouldn't be
long before he would answer the call into public service.
From 1978 to 1980, Judd served on the New Hampshire
Governor's Executive Council. Then, in 1980, he was
elected to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives,
where he served for four terms. In 1988, he followed in
his father's footsteps and was elected Governor of New
Hampshire and was reelected in 1990.
In 1992, after two successful terms as Governor, in
which he was able to balance the budget and leave the
State with a surplus, Judd was elected to represent New
Hampshire here in the U.S. Senate. And, after serving for
three terms, he is stepping down at the end of this
session.
If one were to describe Judd's political philosophy, I
think they would have to say that he was for fiscal
discipline even when fiscal discipline wasn't cool. As
chairman and ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee
and senior member of the Banking Committee, his has always
been a voice of warning and restraint, even when restraint
wasn't the status quo around Washington. His knowledge and
expertise on these issues made him one of the most
respected voices in our debates over health care, economic
and fiscal policy, and financial regulatory reform.
While Judd has always been a Conservative, he's never
let go of his independence, refusing to put party before
his principles. Everyone in Washington claims that they
are that way, but Senator Gregg is one of the few that has
walked the walk. That, more than anything, is why he has
won the respect and admiration of his colleagues on both
sides of the aisle.
The State of New Hampshire has been well represented
here in the Senate and I know the people of his State are
grateful for Judd's service. It has been both an honor and
a privilege to have served alongside Senator Gregg. While
I am certain that Judd will be successful in whatever
endeavor he chooses next, I am even more certain that the
Senate will be a lesser place without him here.
I want to wish Judd and his wife Kathleen and their
family the very best.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I wish to honor my colleague
from New Hampshire, Senator Gregg, who is retiring from
the U.S. Senate after serving 18 years in this Chamber and
serving 8 years in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Born and bred in New Hampshire, Judd has dedicated his
life to public service. Judd served on the Executive
Council of New Hampshire in 1978 before running for
national office. In 1980, he was elected to the U.S. House
of Representatives and was elected to three additional
terms before returning to New Hampshire. In 1988, Judd
became the Governor of New Hampshire, a seat formerly held
by his father Hugh. During his two terms as Governor, Judd
managed to balance the State's budget and left Concord
with a surplus. Following his tenure as Governor, Judd
returned to Washington in 1993 and has represented New
Hampshire in the Senate ever since.
While working in the Senate, I have had the opportunity
to serve with Judd on the Banking Committee and the Budget
Committee, where he currently serves as the ranking
member. I have respect for the manner in which Judd has
conducted himself in the role of ranking member and the
Republican leader on the Budget Committee. I also admire
the fact that he always keeps our national deficit in mind
when making tough decisions, whether or not these
decisions are going to be popular.
Judd has a long list of accomplishments to show for the
people of New Hampshire and the United States. His
leadership in the Senate will be missed, and it has truly
been an honor serving with him.
I would like to thank Judd for his contributions to the
Senate and wish him well as he closes a chapter in his
life and begins another.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to join my
colleagues in paying a well-earned tribute to Senator Judd
Gregg, a fellow New Englander and one of New Hampshire's
much-admired icons of public service over the last three
decades.
Senator Gregg has been immersed in public service his
entire life, beginning with his father's election as
Governor of New Hampshire in 1952 when Judd was only 5
years old. And through the years, he has amassed a record
of leadership at every level of government that is truly
remarkable. It comes as no surprise that Judd is the first
public servant from the Granite State ever to realize the
political trifecta of being elected to the three offices
of Congressman, Governor, and Senator. Serving others goes
to the very core of Judd Gregg's persona and DNA. It
always has and always will.
Let me just say, at every step along the way, it has
been a privilege for me to witness Senator Gregg's
impressive trajectory in public life first hand. In fact,
it was during Judd's years in the U.S. House of
Representatives, where my husband, Jock McKernan, and I,
first got to know him as well as his wonderful wife Kathy.
And that friendship grew further during Judd's time as
Governor as both he and Jock were chief executives of
their respective States during the same period.
Having served with Judd for nearly his entire tenure in
the Senate, I have been proud to work side by side with an
individual whose organizing principle behind public
service has always been driven by common sense,
pragmatism, and the imperative to forge solutions across
the aisle. Time and again, Judd has sought to bridge the
political divide to garner results, whether by tackling
our Nation's fiscal challenges, promoting land
conservation, or most notably, coauthoring the No Child
Left Behind Act of 2001 with the late Senator Edward
Kennedy.
Indeed, Senator Gregg's rigorous intellect, financial
acumen, and budgetary expertise have earned him the
respect and admiration of his Senate colleagues from both
parties and made him one of the Nation's most well-
regarded, leading champions of fiscal discipline and
accountability, and one of the most knowledgeable voices
and authorities in addressing our Nation's deficits and
debt.
In fact, the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal
Responsibility and Reform, created by President Obama, is
modeled after legislation first introduced by Senator
Gregg, the former chair and current ranking member of the
Senate Budget Committee, and the current chair, Senator
Kent Conrad of North Dakota--both of whom are
commissioners. What a fitting coda for one of this
generation's stalwart guardians of our Nation's budget.
Senator Gregg's service could not be more emblematic of
his overall approach to public service which has always
hewed to principle with a genuine desire to forge
solutions across the aisle. No wonder that earlier this
month, Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus wrote that in
``both parties, there are too few Greggs, and too many of
them ... are leaving public office.'' I couldn't agree
more!
Just as Senator Gregg has rightly earned national
acclaim as a fiscal steward and sentinel on behalf of the
American taxpayer, the heart of his leadership has always
remained with his beloved Granite State as well as our
region of New England. I well recall the ironclad
solidarity our two delegations have shared, particularly
in defending against efforts to close the Portsmouth Naval
Shipyard. Through each of the five Base Realignment and
Closure, BRAC, rounds from 1988 through 2005, we have left
no stone unturned to champion the cause of the U.S. Navy's
oldest and best shipyard--and to ensure that the BRAC
Commission recognized the legendary work ethic and world-
class craftsmanship of a workforce that is second to none.
Former Senate majority and minority leader, Senator
Robert Dole, with whom Senator Gregg and I both served,
once observed:
As long as there are only 3 to 4 people on the floor,
the country is in good hands. It's only when you have 50
to 60 in the Senate that you want to be concerned.
When Judd Gregg was on the floor the people of New
Hampshire and, indeed, the Nation knew that our country
was in tremendously capable and conscientious hands, and
we could not be more grateful!
In thanking Senator Gregg for his immeasurable
contributions to this storied Chamber, I know I join all
of my colleagues in wishing him and his beloved wife
Kathy, Godspeed, as they embark on the well-earned, next
chapter of their lives.
Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, it has been a great pleasure
and honor to serve in this body with Judd Gregg. He and
his wife Kathy have enriched our lives with their
friendship and their contributions to the work and
responsibilities of the U.S. Senate.
Judd's leadership on the Budget and Appropriations
Committees have been especially important and worthy of
high praise.
His sense of humor has helped make our service in the
Senate an enjoyable experience.
I wish for him and his family all the best in the years
ahead.
Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I would like to take a
few minutes to pay tribute to the 16 Senators who will be
departing this body at the end of the year.
I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve
alongside each of these Senators as colleagues and as
friends. All served their States with distinction and gave
their constituents strong voices in the world's greatest
deliberative body. Senators Evan Bayh, Robert Bennett, Kit
Bond, Sam Brownback, Jim Bunning, Roland Burris, Chris
Dodd, Byron Dorgan, Russ Feingold, Carte Goodwin, Judd
Gregg, Ted Kaufman, George LeMieux, Blanche Lincoln, Arlen
Specter, and George Voinovich each left an indelible mark
on the Senate, and I wish them well as they take on new
challenges and opportunities into the future.
I would like to speak briefly about a few of the
Senators I knew best and served with in committees to
recognize their contributions and accomplishments and
share my fond memories of them and the legacies they will
leave behind. ...
As a leading voice for fiscal responsibility, Senator
Judd Gregg will be deeply missed in the Senate.
Throughout his long and distinguished career, with
unparalleled commitment to fiscal discipline, Senator
Gregg worked to address many pressing issues.
Senator Gregg is a well-known budget expert and national
leader on the most critical issues facing our country in
recent years, notably health care, economic issues, and
financial regulation.
His efforts to address the looming entitlement crisis,
the rising cost of health care, and the inefficient and
complex tax system are commendable and serve as an example
to all elected officials.
In the Senate, Senator Gregg has also focused his
efforts on helping the United States maintain its position
as the leading destination for capital and investment in
the world.
I appreciate the job Senator Gregg has done in his
position as the former chairman and current ranking member
of the Budget Committee.
In 2006, Judd sponsored an amendment that strengthened
border security by providing resources to integrate
biometric databases as well as construction of new
stations and check points and tactical infrastructure for
immigration and customs enforcement.
Unlike other similar proposals at the time, his
amendment was offset and did not add to the deficit.
I will miss working with him in this Chamber, and I will
miss his friendship and support on the issues that matter
most to America.
In conclusion, the departing Senators' contributions,
their dedicated service, and the issues they championed
will be remembered long after their final days in the
Senate.
I believe I can speak for my fellow Senators when I say
that we will all miss our departing friends.
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, when the 111th Congress
draws to a close, we will bid farewell to 16 colleagues
who have collectively given more than 200 years of service
to our Nation through their service in the Senate. These
include seven of the Senate's most experienced Members.
People like Chris Dodd and Arlen Specter who have each
served five terms in the Senate; Kit Bond who has served
four terms; and Bob Bennett, Byron Dorgan, Russ Feingold,
and Judd Gregg, who have each served three terms in this
Chamber. ...
Judd Gregg, one of our Nation's foremost experts on the
Federal budget leaves us at the end of the year. As this
Senate comes to grips with the challenges of a rising
deficit and economic stagnation we will miss his firm hand
and thoughtful guidance. ...
It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve with each
of the people who will leave this Chamber when we adjourn
sine die. Each has made substantial contributions to their
States, to the Nation, and to the Senate during their time
here.