[Senate Document 111-35]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]






                                                           S. Doc. 111-35
 
                  TRIBUTES TO HON. BLANCHE L. LINCOLN


                                           

                           Blanche L. Lincoln

                       U.S. SENATOR FROM ARKANSAS

                                TRIBUTES

                           IN THE CONGRESS OF

                           THE UNITED STATES








                               Blanche L. Lincoln


                                      Tributes

                                Delivered in Congress

                                 Blanche L. Lincoln

                              United States Congressman

                                      1993-1997

                                United States Senator

                                      1999-2011









                            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:
                    Akaka, Daniel K., of Hawaii....................
                                                                     14
                    Alexander, Lamar, of Tennessee.................
                                                                      3
                    Boxer, Barbara, of California..................
                                                                     19
                    Carper, Thomas R., of Delaware.................
                                                                     18
                    Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota..................
                                                                     14
                    Dodd, Christopher J., of Connecticut...........
                                                                     12
                    Durbin, Richard, of Illinois...................
                                                                     12
                    Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
                                                                     10
                    Harkin, Tom, of Iowa...........................
                                                                     17
                    Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah.......................
                                                                     18
                    Levin, Carl, of Michigan.......................
                                                                     10
                    Murkowski, Lisa, of Alaska.....................
                                                                     22
                    Pryor, Mark L., of Arkansas....................
                                                                      5
                    Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
                                                                      5
                    Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
                                                                   4, 8
                    Snowe, Olympia J., of Maine....................
                                                                     20
                    Warner, Mark R., of Virginia...................
                                                                      5
                                      BIOGRAPHY

               During her 16-year public service career in the U.S. 
             Congress, Blanche Lincoln blazed many trails.
               At age 38, she made history when she became the youngest 
             woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate in 1998.
               Later she became the first woman and first Arkansan to 
             chair the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 
             Committee in its 184-year history.
               She cofounded the Third Way, an innovative think tank 
             that produces new solutions to old problems, and she 
             helped established the Senate Hunger Caucus.
               She was frequently at the forefront of bipartisan 
             initiatives to solve questions about national policy on 
             energy, tax, and agriculture.
               She served in Congress under three Presidents and during 
             some of America's greatest challenges, including the 
             impeachment trial of President Clinton, the 9/11 terrorist 
             attack, and the great recession of 2008.
               A champion for working families as a U.S. Representative 
             and Senator, today Blanche Lincoln is a recognized, 
             national leader on issues related to rural development, 
             agriculture policy, energy reform, elder care, education, 
             and children's health care. She currently serves on the 
             Board of Directors of Entergy Corporation.
               A native of Helena, AR, Senator Lincoln was first 
             elected to public office in 1992 as U.S. Representative 
             for Arkansas' First Congressional District. She earned a 
             bachelor's degree from Randolph-Macon Woman's College in 
             Lynchburg, VA. She also studied at the University of 
             Arkansas, Fayetteville. The Senator and her husband, Dr. 
             Steve Lincoln, are the proud parents of twin boys, Reece 
             and Bennett. In her spare time, she enjoys duck hunting 
             and fishing with her family and is planning to author a 
             book spanning her life and public career.
                               Farewell to the Senate
                            Wednesday, December 15, 2010

               Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, I am glad to be here with 
             my colleagues to express my gratitude for the incredible, 
             blessed life's journey I have experienced thus far and the 
             wonderful contributions this place has made to that. I 
             have been enormously blessed by the people of Arkansas to 
             have represented them in the U.S. Congress, first as a 
             Member of the House of Representatives and finally now as 
             a U.S. Senator. Today, I rise as the daughter of two 
             amazing parents, Martha and the late Jordan Lambert, the 
             proud daughter of a seventh-generation Arkansas family, 
             dirt farmers--not to be confused, we didn't farm dirt, but 
             we were hard-working farmers who were not afraid to get 
             dirty, to get our hands into the earth and to do what it 
             was we have done for generations in Arkansas.
               I am also the proud wife of Dr. Steve Lincoln and the 
             very proud mother of two incredible young men, Reece and 
             Bennett--great boys. You all have watched them grow up. It 
             is the many unique life experiences each of us brings to 
             this place and to this job that really and truly 
             contribute to the mark we leave on this institution.
               When I came to the Senate, my boys were 2 and we were 
             about to celebrate their third birthday. We didn't have 
             any friends up here, so I looked around the Senate to see 
             who had children, who could bring their kids to our 
             birthday party, and there were a few. We kind of had to 
             rent out some kids to come to the Moonbounce to have a 
             great party and it was fun. I realized how important that 
             experience was for me to bring to this body, to share with 
             people. Patty Murray knows--she has been there--Mary 
             Landrieu, Amy Klobuchar, and so many others who have had 
             their children here in the Senate. What a difference that 
             makes in your perspective on what you are doing here. It 
             makes a big difference.
               Birthdays were a big deal when we first got here. In my 
             household, you are allowed to celebrate your birthday for 
             an entire week, and it is always a great time. My first 
             birthday I celebrated in the Senate was unusual. We had 
             just moved. My husband had moved his practice. The boys 
             were here. They had just turned 3. It was hectic. It was a 
             new Congress. We had all just come through an impeachment 
             trial. There were many things going on. When my birthday 
             came around, it kind of came and went. My husband noticed 
             that. We had gone to a spouse dinner shortly after my 
             first birthday in the Senate. My good friend, Joe Biden, 
             who was my seatmate before he left to become Vice 
             President, and his wife Jill had reached out to us to make 
             us feel comfortable. We were young parents. We had small 
             children. We were both working very hard.
               The first spouse dinner we went to, we were sitting with 
             Joe and Jill, and Jill produced a lovely birthday gift. It 
             was a monogrammed box, obviously something that was 
             thought about. It wasn't something she picked up and 
             regifted from her closet at home. It meant so much to my 
             husband and to me, that we were a part of a family who 
             realized what we were going through--not just what they 
             were going through but what we were going through. I 
             looked at Jill and told her: You couldn't have done 
             anything to make me or my husband more happy than to think 
             of something that was important in our lives, and they did 
             that. I have been a part of this family, and it has been a 
             great time.
               As I glance back on my time here, I do so with great 
             pride, knowing that each of my votes and actions were 
             taken with the best interests of the people of Arkansas in 
             mind. I have always attempted to conduct myself in a 
             manner that would make Arkansans proud, and my tears today 
             I hope are not going to affect that. Living by my mother's 
             rule as we did growing up, if it was rude or dangerous, it 
             was not allowed, and I hope I have definitely met that 
             rule because Mother sent us off with it.
               As a farmer's daughter, I am honored to have helped 
             craft three farm bills that were crucial to the economy of 
             Arkansas. I was able to persuade my colleagues to 
             understand the regional differences in production 
             agriculture in our country but, most of all, I am proud I 
             was able to impress upon my colleagues and others, 
             hopefully, across this great Nation of ours the enormous 
             blessing our Nation receives from farm and ranch families, 
             what they bestow upon us, what they allow us and all the 
             rest of the world to do each and every day; that is, to 
             eat, to sustain ourselves, and to be able to grow.
               I am particularly honored to have become the first woman 
             and the first Arkansan to serve as the chairman of the 
             Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. 
             It has been a wonderful year I have had, and I will always 
             be proud of what we have accomplished in that committee 
             this year and certainly in years past.
               We passed historic child nutrition legislation. As a 
             result, each meal served in schools will meet nutritional 
             standards our children and future generations deserve, 
             putting them on a path to wellness instead of obesity. As 
             a result, we will see an increase in the reimbursement 
             rate for schools for the first time since 1973--since I 
             was in junior high, younger than my own children today--
             and we did so by not adding one penny to the national debt 
             as well as doing it in a bipartisan way.
               We produced historic Wall Street reform legislation. 
             When I became chairman of the committee, our economy was 
             on the brink of collapse. Our legislation targeted the 
             least transparent parts of the financial system and will 
             bring them not only within the plain view of regulators 
             but also in the view of hard-working Americans who want to 
             know what is going on in our economy and in the 
             marketplace.
               Throughout my time in the Senate, I have fought hard on 
             behalf of rural communities and families. In the House, 
             sitting next to Ed Markey on the Energy and Commerce 
             Committee, he always called me Blanche ``Rural'' Lambert. 
             He said, ``Blanche, every time your mouth opens, it says 
             rural.'' I said, ``That is where I grew up, that is whom I 
             represent, and you will always hear me speaking on behalf 
             of the families in rural America.''
               I wrote the legislation establishing the Delta Regional 
             Authority, the only Federal agency designed to channel 
             resources, aid, and technical assistance for economic 
             development in the rural and impoverished Mississippi 
             Delta region.
               I fought for tax relief for hard-working low- and 
             middle-income Arkansas families, and I am most proud of 
             the refundable child tax credit I worked on with Senator 
             Olympia Snowe. I have also fought for the certainty for 
             farmers and ranchers and small businesses in Arkansas with 
             fair estate tax reforms with Senator Jon Kyl.
               I am proud of my work on behalf of Arkansas and our 
             Nation's seniors, including my work on the prescription 
             drug program for seniors, working with Senator Baucus and 
             others on the Finance Committee; the Elder Justice Act 
             that is now law, the first Federal law ever enacted to 
             address elder abuse in a comprehensive manner. I was 
             honored to be joined in that effort by Senators Orrin 
             Hatch and Herb Kohl and the hard work we put toward that.
               Growing up in a family of infantrymen, I am proud to 
             have fought for Arkansas servicemembers, veterans, and 
             their families, specifically fighting for funding 
             increases for the VA and the creation of the VA's Office 
             of Rural Health, as well as better access to quality 
             mental health care for all our veterans.
               I came to Congress to fight on behalf of our Nation's 
             children, families, veterans, small businesses, and 
             farmers, and I am honored and humbled that in each of 
             these areas, I was able to achieve legislative success on 
             their behalf.
               As my mother would say, straighten up and pay attention 
             to what this is about. This speech is not about yesterday, 
             and it is not about today. What I would like for people to 
             remember about this speech is that it was about our 
             Nation's future and what we can achieve together. We have 
             great work to do. I may be leaving this body, but that 
             doesn't mean I give up on my country. You all have much 
             work to do.
               Colleagues, we have approached a fork in the road. This 
             is not the first, nor do I suspect it will be the last, 
             but we have within ourselves the ability in this Nation to 
             choose a positive and uplifting path. Harry Reid teases me 
             all the time: ``Do you smile at everything?'' You know 
             what. There is a lot to smile about. We have great 
             opportunities ahead of us in this country, but they are 
             not going to happen by themselves. We have the opportunity 
             to choose a path that respects differences of opinion. We 
             have the opportunity to choose a path that sets aside 
             short-term political gains, a path that maintains this 
             body's historic rules that protect the views of the 
             minority but also puts results ahead of obstruction.
               Again, I grew up in a family of four kids, and I am the 
             youngest. You all wonder why I am so tough. I have been 
             beat up on all my life. My dad always said, ``It is 
             results that count. It is what you finish and what you 
             accomplish.'' It is not these little battles we fight; it 
             is the war we are going to win, and it is not a war we are 
             going to win without the Republicans or without the 
             administration or without our constituents. It is a war on 
             behalf of our Nation, and it has to be done together.
               Many of my colleagues have had the wonderful opportunity 
             of meeting my husband. My husband doesn't like crowds a 
             lot. I love crowds because I love being together. I love 
             being a part of things. I love being a part of a team. My 
             team is here, my Lincoln team. It is a great team. They 
             have been a wonderful group to work with. You are a part 
             of my team. You are my family in the Senate. Being 
             together and working together is an incredible blessing, 
             and we have to make sure we realize that.
               Our country is certainly at its best when we are 
             collectively working together for a goal. All you have to 
             do is listen to your parents or your grandparents talk 
             about victory gardens or rationing nylons or anything else 
             that happened during the war when people were working 
             collectively together.
               Our country is facing many challenges. There is no doubt 
             the American people are frustrated. They are frustrated 
             with our lack of productivity, and they are so anxious to 
             be a part of the solution that needs to happen here--the 
             coming together, the finding of solutions to the problems 
             we face and the results we need to have. I am confident 
             that, together, we can overcome all these differences and 
             continue to be the leader of the rest of the world as we 
             have been and should be. I leave this body with confidence 
             that we can provide our citizens with the type of 
             government they deserve: a government that provides 
             results and certainty about the future they so longingly 
             want to be a part of and that they want to protect for 
             their children, rather than obstruction and sound bites 
             and confusion.
               With teenage children at home, it is a true blessing 
             that we live in a day and in an age where information is 
             available at a moment's notice. I have watched my 
             children--I had to go borrow the encyclopedia from my 
             cousins next door. My kids click on the computer and 
             immediately there are incredible volumes of information. 
             They teach me: Mom, come look at this. Did you ever know 
             this? It is amazing what is available to us. It is equally 
             as important, though, that we, the American people, take 
             the time that is necessary to understand the solutions to 
             the challenges and not succumb to the convenience of 
             modern technologies to take the place of our own good 
             judgment. We cannot do that. The minds of the people of 
             this country, the minds of the body of this institution 
             ensure that we use the good sense God has given us to know 
             what those right solutions are. To all of America, myself 
             included, we must all discern carefully the information 
             that is provided to us. It is all extremely convenient, 
             but convenience is not what this is about. It is not about 
             convenience. It is all about doing the right thing. So I 
             call on not only our good judgment but our collective love 
             for this country so we can meet the challenges our Nation 
             faces. I know I am teaching my children that at home. I am 
             blocking some of the things they can get on the Internet. 
             But I am also teaching them to use their own minds, their 
             own thoughts: What is it you would have for your fellow 
             man? How would you want people to behave? It is absolutely 
             critical in this day and age.
               To my colleagues on both sides of the political aisle, I 
             implore each of you to set the example for our country by 
             working together to move our Nation forward. We must start 
             practicing greater civility toward one another, both 
             privately and publicly. I can't forget when I first came 
             to the House of Representatives, I called my colleague and 
             neighbor, Bill Emerson from southern Missouri. I told him, 
             I said, ``Bill, you know when you move into a new place, 
             where I come from you bring somebody a cake or a pie, a 
             batch of rolls or something.'' I said, ``I am not a bad 
             cook, but I don't have a lot of time on my hands. I want 
             to visit with you. You are a Republican, I am a Democrat, 
             but you are my neighbor, and I am willing to bet you we 
             agree on far more than we disagree on.'' As we visited for 
             45 minutes in that very first introduction, we came to the 
             conclusion that we agreed far more on the same things than 
             we disagreed. We decided to start the Civility Caucus. It 
             lasted 3 months.
               The fact is, there is much work to be done there, and we 
             can do it.
               Taking advantage of political gusts of wind is not what 
             our constituents expect of us nor is it what they deserve. 
             I urge you to have the courage to work across party lines. 
             There is simply no other way to accomplish our Nation's 
             objectives, nor should there be. Although you run the risk 
             of being the center of attention for both political 
             extremes, it is a far greater consequence to put personal 
             or political success ahead of our country, and I know 
             first hand.
               We must have the courage to come out of our foxholes--
             the foxholes we dig into--to the middle, where the rest of 
             America is and discuss our collective path forward. I am 
             counting on each of you to do so in a way that respects 
             the temporary position we have all been granted here and 
             respect this institution of ours that we have been blessed 
             to inherit. It is an amazing place. Each of you has seen 
             it in your own right and you know it.
               To the young people of America, I think this is so 
             important. I came here as the youngest woman in the 
             history of our country to ever be elected to the Senate. I 
             did so because I believed so strongly in the difference I 
             could make. I still do. That is what this country is 
             about. It is about making a difference, not for yourself 
             but for others. I continue that journey now, as I leave 
             this place, knowing there are still so many ways I will 
             make a difference. But to those young people out there in 
             this country, do not think this place is reserved just for 
             age or experience. It is here that you could make a 
             difference, whether you are elected or whether you are one 
             of the incredible and phenomenal staff that helps to run 
             this place, or whether you just simply choose to be out 
             there and engaged in what is going on. There are many 
             contributions to be made to this Nation by the young 
             people of this country.
               I leave this body with no regrets and with many 
             incredible friendships. You know the old adage, ``If you 
             want a friend in Washington, get a dog.'' You all know I 
             have a very large dog. But I also have some wonderful 
             friends, and I am very grateful for those friendships.
               When I first arrived, my friend Mary Landrieu had been 
             in the hospital. I showed up at her house with a chicken 
             spaghetti casserole, a bag of salad, and a bottle of wine.
               She said, ``What are you doing here?''
               I said, ``You know, where I come from, when your 
             neighbor or friend is sick, you take them dinner.''
               She said, ``Blanche, we don't do that up here.''
               I said, ``Let me tell you, if we forget where we come 
             from, there is a big problem.''
               I am grateful. I will not attempt to go one by one 
             through each of you, but know that every one of you all 
             have a special place in my heart. You have taught me 
             something. You have enriched my life in such a way, it is 
             amazing. You also know--many of you personally--that I 
             follow in some very large footsteps, between so many 
             Arkansans, most recent being McClellan and Fulbright, 
             David Pryor, and Dale Bumpers, who is my immediate 
             predecessor. I thank Dale for the incredible mentor he has 
             been to me and for the wonderful things he has done for 
             our State.
               I leave you with an unbelievable Senator, and that is my 
             good friend Mark Pryor. He is a statesman. He follows in 
             the footsteps of all of those giants from Arkansas. I am 
             enormously grateful to him for his friendship and, more 
             important, for his great service to the people of 
             Arkansas. So I leave you in good hands, without a doubt, 
             with my good friend, Senator Mark Pryor.
               I have been surrounded, both in the past and currently, 
             by an unbelievably dedicated, loyal, and hard-working 
             staff, in my personal Senate office both in Arkansas and 
             Washington, and certainly in the Agriculture Committee. To 
             my staff, they know how much I love them. Our State and 
             this institution are better because of their hard work and 
             dedication. Without a doubt, they are smart and they are a 
             great group of people. I am so blessed to not only know 
             them but to have worked with them.
               I have always been blessed with a loving and supportive 
             family who has been my inspiration and bedrock all my 
             life, and it continues to be.
               Finally, let me, once again, say thanks to the people of 
             Arkansas. My roots have been and always will be in 
             Arkansas. That will never change. When Steve and the boys 
             and I left after Thanksgiving to come back for the 
             lameduck session--of course, as you all know, traveling 
             with your family and just getting back in time--we left at 
             5 in the morning. We drove to Memphis because it was 
             faster. We were halfway between. We had been at the cabin 
             duck hunting and celebrating Thanksgiving with family. We 
             were headed to the Memphis Airport, and the Sun was rising 
             over the Arkansas Delta.
               Now, I am sure many of you all have never seen that, but 
             it is a magnificent view. It reminded me of all the great 
             things I came here to do. It made me feel blessed with all 
             of the things I was able to accomplish. But to know that I 
             could go back to that same home and see that sunrise, it 
             is unbelievable.
               I will always treasure the experiences of this chapter 
             in my life and the thousands of Arkansans I have come to 
             know and love. They are a great group of people. I thank 
             you again from the bottom of my heart.
               To the people of Arkansas and this body, my good 
             friends, I yield the floor.
               (Applause.)
?

                                           

                                      TRIBUTES

                                         TO

                                 BLANCHE L. LINCOLN
                              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. ...
               Senator Blanche Lincoln has been a pioneer throughout 
             her career, as a staff member and a Congresswoman, and 
             later as a Senator occupying Senator Hattie Caraway's 
             desk, who was the first woman to be elected to the Senate. 
             Blanche Lincoln was the youngest woman ever to be elected 
             to the Senate and left her mark with the passage of the 
             2008 farm bill. ...
               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.
                                              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. ...
               Blanche Lincoln. Blanche and I served in the House 
             together. She decided to raise her family and then came 
             back to the Senate. I can say without any hesitation that 
             without her very courageous stand with respect to some of 
             the aspects of the Dodd-Frank financial legislation, it 
             would not be as comprehensive, as effective as it is 
             today. She stood up and essentially demanded that we 
             create a structure where you could trade derivatives 
             rather than simply clear them. That is a remarkable 
             achievement, and it is her achievement. ...
               To all of these colleagues and their families, my 
             deepest appreciation and my profoundest respect.

               Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise again to recognize the 
             service of another great Federal employee. This is a 
             tradition that was started by our friend and former 
             colleague, Senator Kaufman, and I am proud to carry on 
             that tradition. But I want to first say that I appreciate 
             the remarks of the Presiding Officer (Mr. Reed) about our 
             colleagues who are leaving this body, and I share his 
             great respect for not only Senator Kaufman but all of the 
             colleagues who are leaving the body at the end of this 
             Congress. ...
                                           Wednesday, December 15, 2010
               Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, let me mention a very 
             abbreviated list of Blanche Lincoln's accomplishments: 
             First woman to chair the Senate Agriculture Committee; 
             first woman to chair the Finance Subcommittee on Social 
             Security Pensions and Family Policy--in fact, the first 
             woman to ever chair a Finance subcommittee--chair of the 
             rural outreach for the Senate Democratic caucus; chair of 
             the Senate Hunger Caucus; cofounder and cochair of the 
             Third Way; creator of the Delta Regional Authority; author 
             of the 2010 child nutrition bill; a key writer of the 2008 
             farm bill; author of the refundable child tax credit.
               Mr. President, I could go on and on, but most of her 
             accomplishments and contributions cannot be measured. As 
             she worked on the Agriculture Committee, the Finance 
             Committee, the Aging Committee, and the Energy Committee, 
             on a countless number of occasions, on amendments and 
             bills, she became the Senator who was the key to passage 
             or defeat. A couple of years ago, I watched a bill that 
             was making its way through the Senate Finance Committee, 
             and there were a lot of people outside of this Chamber who 
             had a vital interest in the outcome of that legislation. 
             Everywhere I would go I would be stopped and asked, ``Is 
             this bill going to pass? Will it come out of the 
             committee? Will it get through the floor?''
               What I told the folks who asked that back then turned 
             out to be true, ``As Blanche goes, so goes the Finance 
             Committee, because she was that way on all of her 
             committees.'' She was the swing vote, the key vote to 
             getting things done in the Senate.
               Blanche is a role model for many people, especially 
             young women who are interested in government.
               I remember sitting down with one of my good friends 
             earlier this year and his teenage daughter. We talked 
             about the Senate and politics, history, and Arkansas. As 
             we were winding up the conversation, my friend asked his 
             teenage daughter: ``Who is your favorite politician?'' Of 
             course, I sat there and straightened my tie because I 
             thought I knew what the answer would be.
               Then she said, ``Blanche Lincoln.'' And I know why. It 
             is because Blanche represents the best in Arkansas. She 
             represents the best in Arkansas in politics and in 
             government. She is a workhorse, not a show horse.
               Blanche gets things done. The other night, with my 
             teenage daughter, I watched some of ``The Wizard of Oz.'' 
             As I was watching it, I was struck that the scarecrow, the 
             tin man, and the lion were looking for three things that 
             Blanche has, and what every Senator needs in large 
             quantities: a brain, a heart, and courage.
               One of Senator Lincoln's role models she refers to often 
             is Hattie Caraway. Hattie Caraway is not exactly a 
             household name in American politics, but her portrait 
             hangs just outside this Chamber, in the corner, opposite 
             the Ohio Clock. Hattie Caraway of Arkansas was the first 
             woman ever elected to the Senate. There is much to admire 
             about Hattie Caraway as a Senator and as a person, but the 
             one thing that Blanche inherited from Hattie is the 
             pioneer spirit.
               Even in the first decade of the 21st century, Blanche is 
             the owner of many ``firsts.'' Even though we don't like to 
             admit it, and we are reluctant to talk about it, there is 
             a double standard in politics for women. There just is. I 
             am proud to serve with the largest number of women this 
             Senate has ever seen, and that goes double for my 8 years 
             with Senator Blanche Lincoln.
               Let me say a brief word about her family. Her husband 
             Steve is an old friend of mine. We trace our roots back to 
             Little Rock Central High School and the University of 
             Arkansas. The Lord has blessed Blanche and Steve with two 
             bright, energetic, athletic, and even sometimes well-
             behaved sons--and they are great--who are currently 
             freshmen at Yorktown High School in Arlington. They bring 
             their parents much joy. They are also extremely proud of 
             their mother. I have seen first hand what a wonderful 
             mother she has been and is. I stand in awe.
               In fact, Blanche is not only a good Senator and a good 
             mother and a good wife--she is much more. She is a good 
             daughter to her mother, who basically runs Phillips 
             County, AR. She is a good sister in her very large family. 
             She is a good member of her community, helping friends, 
             neighbors, and those in need. Blanche is very faithful in 
             her relationship with God, which has given her strength 
             and kept her grounded in good times and in bad. She 
             follows the Golden Rule and puts her faith into action 
             every single day. Simply put, she is a good person.
               Blanche is also a good boss. She has drawn to her a very 
             talented and hard-working staff in Washington, DC, and in 
             Arkansas. I know they will always be proud to tell people 
             they worked for Senator Blanche Lincoln.
               Before I get carried away, there is one minor matter 
             that I believe I need to address. On occasion--rarely, but 
             every so often--Blanche runs a little late. I know many of 
             you are shocked to hear this. Let me tell you why that is. 
             It is because people love Blanche and Blanche loves 
             people, and she is never too busy to stop, to notice, and 
             to listen. She is never too busy to talk to the Capitol 
             Police or to the janitor here or to that family from Idaho 
             who can't figure out the Dirksen Building. She takes time 
             for people. And that is one of her attributes that makes 
             her so special, because those people are as important to 
             her as the most powerful Members of the Congress. That is 
             what makes Blanche special.
               It is hard to find just one word to describe Senator 
             Lincoln--kind, smart, fearless, persistent, knowledgeable, 
             no nonsense, and I could go on. But the one word I would 
             like to focus on today is friend. There are 99 Senators 
             today who consider her a friend. They like her, they like 
             working with her, and they respect her. I have heard many 
             Republicans and Democrats say how much they hate to see 
             her leave because she makes this place better.
               There is a passage in the Bible that says: ``Well done, 
             thou good and faithful servant.'' This applies to Blanche, 
             but not only to the job that she has done here in Senate. 
             It applies to her as a person. There is a lot more to 
             Blanche than just being a Senator. In January, she starts 
             a new chapter. And as much as she will be missed around 
             here, we all have confidence there are many more great 
             things to come.
               I thank the Chair, and I yield the floor.

               Mr. REID. Mr. President, Arkansas has given America a 
             lot of which to be proud. From the late Senator William 
             Fulbright, whom I did not know, to President Clinton, whom 
             I do know, Arkansans have always produced proud public 
             servants.
               I had the good fortune to serve with two of the finest 
             Senators we have ever had in this body, Dale Bumpers and 
             David Pryor. I have said publicly--I will say again--the 
             finest legislator I have ever served with--I do not want 
             to hurt anyone's feelings here--is David Pryor. David 
             Pryor was a superb representative of Arkansas and the 
             country.
               Blanche Lincoln has continued that long tradition of 
             Arkansans who have come to Washington to shape our Nation. 
             And Blanche has never forgotten from where she came.
               Senator Lincoln has been a trailblazer during her time 
             in the Senate. In 1998, she became the youngest woman to 
             ever be elected to the Senate. She was also the first 
             woman elected to represent Arkansas in the Senate since 
             World War II. She was the first woman and first from 
             Arkansas to chair the Senate Agriculture Committee.
               A dozen years ago, Blanche was one of the youngest 
             people in this body. But from day one, she earned a 
             reputation for being very wise, wise beyond her years. She 
             has always understood we are here to serve, first and 
             foremost, and she has never forgotten that.
               Senator Lincoln once said:

               I am not normally a betting person, but I say that 
             putting your money on the American people is about as 
             close to a sure bet as you are going to get.

               Blanche Lincoln always bet on the American people, and 
             particularly the good people in Arkansas who first sent 
             her to Washington to get things done in 1992.
               Senator Lincoln never sought the national spotlight. She 
             has always been focused on making sure the people of 
             Arkansas are represented fairly and forcefully. Her 
             legislative accomplishments are too long to list here 
             today. Her impact will be felt long after she leaves this 
             Chamber.
               Perhaps her most important work has been her tireless 
             efforts to protect America's children. Senator Lincoln was 
             the lead driving force, along with the First Lady, on the 
             passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act to make sure 
             our children have access to healthy meals.
               She was a cofounder of the Senate Caucus on Missing, 
             Exploited, and Runaway Children. She is also the current 
             chair of the bipartisan Senate Hunger Caucus.
               So I am honored to call Senator Lincoln a friend and a 
             colleague, and I join my friends and colleagues in 
             saluting her remarkable accomplishments. I will miss her. 
             But we know her too well to think we have heard the last 
             from her.
               It would not be appropriate not to say something about 
             her wonderful family. Her doctor husband and her twins are 
             remarkably good individuals. Her husband is one of the 
             nicest people I have ever met. He has such a great 
             presence about him. I have met him on the many occasions 
             we have been able to get together as a Senate family, and 
             he certainly, to me, is part of that family.
               If I ever need to find Senator Lincoln, I will always 
             know where to look. Because if there is an issue that has 
             gone unnoticed or a person who feels forgotten or a cause 
             that is worth fighting, Blanche Lincoln is probably not 
             far behind and already on the case.
               I wish Blanche and her family the very best. It has been 
             a pleasure to get to know Blanche Lincoln. I look forward 
             to our future association.

               Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, over the last 210 years, many 
             pioneers and groundbreakers have passed through this 
             Chamber. Today, I would like to pay tribute to one such 
             groundbreaking Senator, one who will leave the Senate at 
             the end of this session.
               In 1998, when the people of Arkansas elected Blanche 
             Lincoln to represent them in the Senate, she became the 
             youngest woman ever elected to this body. After compiling 
             an impressive list of accomplishments after joining the 
             Senate, she became, in 2009, the first woman to chair the 
             Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. These 
             accomplishments are just some of the highlights of an 
             impressive career of Senate service.
               Senator Lincoln has been among the Senate's most 
             passionate and effective voices in combating hunger, 
             helping found the Senate Hunger Caucus to focus attention 
             on an issue that affects far too many Americans. She has 
             been a tireless advocate for the working families of 
             America's rural communities.
               I am especially grateful for the work Senator Lincoln 
             has done this year in helping craft comprehensive 
             financial reform. She was instrumental in ensuring that 
             the bill we passed into law this year brought new 
             transparency and safety to the largely unregulated world 
             of derivatives trading. I know from hard experience that 
             passing reform that Wall Street doesn't like is, to say 
             the least, challenging. The financial system is more 
             secure, and the people of Arkansas and the Nation are 
             better off, because Senator Lincoln was willing to take on 
             that challenge and able to overcome it so effectively. She 
             will long be remembered as one of the architects of 
             financial reform.
               Arkansas has given the Nation many accomplished public 
             leaders, names such as Caraway, Fulbright, Bumpers, Pryor, 
             and Clinton. As she prepares to leave the Senate, Senator 
             Lincoln can proudly join that list of Arkansans who have 
             improved the lives of those in their State and this 
             country. I have been proud to call her a friend and a 
             colleague, and I know that, while she is leaving the 
             Senate, her contributions to her country are far from 
             over.

               Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, the final gavel will soon bring 
             to a close the 111th Session of Congress. When it does, we 
             will all return home to spend time with our friends and 
             families to celebrate the holidays. We will also have a 
             chance to meet with our constituents as we prepare for the 
             challenges the New Year and a new session of Congress will 
             bring.
               Before all of that occurs, we will have to say goodbye 
             to several of our colleagues who will be returning home at 
             the end of the year. We will miss them and the important 
             presence they have been in our lives and our work over the 
             past few years. One such Senator I know we will miss is 
             Blanche Lincoln who will be returning home to her beloved 
             Arkansas.
               During her service in the House and the Senate, Blanche 
             was known for being one of the strongest voices for rural 
             America. She understands that what works well in the big 
             cities and towns back East doesn't always work so well in 
             rural areas--like those in her State and mine.
               Blanche came by her knowledge and understanding of the 
             difficulties and challenges inherent in rural life from 
             the days of her childhood. She comes from a family that 
             for seven generations has farmed rice, wheat, soybeans, 
             and cotton. She may be the only Senator who has walked a 
             rice levee.
               Blanche is a woman of great faith, and she is very open 
             about her personal relationship with Jesus Christ. ``When 
             I talk to Him,'' she said, ``it's pretty informal. I just 
             lay it out there and say it like it is.'' That is the kind 
             of straight talk that the people she represents found so 
             appealing. Simply put, what life is like on a daily basis 
             for them has been the same for her.
               Although she takes great pride in her title as Senator, 
             she has another that means just as much if not more to 
             her--she's the mother of twin boys. She works hard at both 
             jobs--raising her family and making sure she is prepared 
             for every issue that comes to the floor.
               Because she was raised on a farm she has a great 
             interest in what can be done to help support the farming 
             community of Arkansas and the rest of the United States. 
             That is what made her such an important part of the effort 
             to draft a major farm policy overhaul. She was no stranger 
             to the issue, having served as a subcommittee chair on 
             agriculture. She did such a good job with those issues she 
             was honored for her efforts with a ``Golden Plow'' award 
             from the American Farm Bureau Federation.
               Her support for farmers across the country and her 
             willingness to work in a bipartisan fashion to forge 
             workable solutions to difficult problems reflect the kind 
             of principles that have helped to guide and direct her 
             during her service in the Senate and throughout her life. 
             Another is the importance of family--her own--and families 
             just like hers all over the country.
               Those aren't just my observations--they are common 
             knowledge back in Arkansas. When Blanche won a seat in the 
             House of Representatives everyone was certain that the sky 
             was the limit for her. After she had served for 2 terms; 
             however, she decided not to run for another when she 
             learned she would soon be giving birth to twins. She 
             decided to return home so she could take care of her 
             family while she waited for another opportunity to serve 
             the people of Arkansas to present itself--which is exactly 
             what happened.
               As her twins began to grow up, she was able to return to 
             politics. She made a run for Dale Bumpers' seat when he 
             retired and was elected by a margin of 13 percent. Her 
             victory made her the youngest woman ever elected to the 
             Senate, an expression of the great confidence and trust 
             the people of her State had in her.
               For 12 years Blanche has worn the title of Senator with 
             great pride not for her accomplishment, which was 
             historic, but for the opportunity it gave her to make the 
             world a better place for the people of Arkansas, the 
             people of rural America, the citizens of our great Nation 
             and, of course, for those twins of hers.
               I do not know what Blanche has planned for the days to 
             come but I think I can predict with safety and certainty 
             that we haven't heard the last from her--and that is a 
             good thing.
               Keep in touch, Blanche. We will always be pleased to 
             learn what you are doing and your thoughts on the latest 
             issues before the Senate. Diana and I send our best wishes 
             to you and all your family. God bless and keep all of you.

               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 pay tribute to 
             the senior Senator from Arkansas, Blanche Lincoln, who, 
             like me, will be leaving the U.S. Senate in the coming 
             weeks. I would like to take this moment to thank Blanche 
             for her service, and wish her, her husband Dr. Steve 
             Lincoln and her two twin boys Bennett and Reece, the very 
             best as they embark on the next chapter in their lives.
               As a seventh-generation Arkansan, Blanche has dedicated 
             the better part of her adult life to serving the people of 
             Arkansas. She was elected to the U.S. House of 
             Representatives in 1992. After two terms representing 
             Arkansas' First District she retired briefly to give birth 
             to her twin sons. However, the call of public service led 
             her to run for a vacant seat in the U.S. Senate and in 
             1998, at the age of 38, the people of Arkansas elected her 
             to serve them as their U.S. Senator, the youngest woman 
             ever to be elected.
               As a young woman growing up on her family farm in the 
             small town of Helena, AR, Blanche developed a strong 
             appreciation and understanding for American farmers and 
             ranchers and the important work they do for our country. 
             She carried the lessons she learned, and the values they 
             instilled in her, with her to Congress. Throughout her 
             career in public service, Blanche has been particularly 
             vocal on issues related to agriculture, hunger, working 
             families, and children.
               In 2009, Blanche became the first woman to chair the 
             Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee. She 
             played the key role in brokering the compromise that led 
             to passage of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 
             2008, otherwise known as the farm bill, which reauthorizes 
             U.S. agriculture policy every 5 years and is of vital 
             importance to farmers and food producers across the 
             country.
               Senator Lincoln and the Agriculture Committee also 
             played a vital role in shaping the derivatives provisions 
             in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform bill. These were 
             difficult, highly complex matters, and Senator Lincoln 
             worked tirelessly to lead her committee throughout the 
             process. Her seriousness and hard work were a tremendous 
             asset to the overall process, and I commend her and her 
             committee for helping to shape the legislation.
               In addition to her work on the Agriculture Committee, 
             Blanche has been focused on our country's children. She 
             formed the Senate Caucus for Missing, Exploited, and 
             Runaway Children and the Senate Hunger Caucus. She 
             recently worked to pass the child nutrition bill, which 
             will improve the lives of millions of children in our 
             country.
               After Blanche leaves the Senate, I believe she will be 
             remembered as a tireless public servant who was devoted 
             first and foremost to advancing the interests of the 
             people of her beloved home State, Arkansas.
               Once again, I would like to thank Blanche for her years 
             of service, and wish her well as she leaves the Senate. It 
             has truly been a pleasure working with her over the years, 
             and I firmly believe that this body will not be the same 
             without her.

               Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise today to bid farewell 
             to a number of our friends and colleagues who are ending 
             their service in the Senate. Their contributions are too 
             numerous to mention, therefore I would like to take just a 
             few minutes to highlight some of the memories of the 
             Senators I came to know personally.
               Some of the departing Senators I have served with for 
             decades. Others were here for only part of a term. All of 
             them worked hard for their constituents and our country. 
             ...
               My good friend Senator Blanche Lincoln was a passionate 
             advocate for Arkansas throughout her Senate service. She 
             is recognized as a fighter who speaks her mind. She cares 
             deeply about American families. She worked hard on her 
             committee assignments. She has been a champion for 
             farmers, veterans, seniors, and Americans of all stripes. 
             She can be proud of her service. I thank her for her 
             contributions to this institution and her friendship. ...
               In closing, the end of this Congress is bittersweet, 
             with so many talented and dedicated public servants 
             leaving this institution. All of them made a lasting 
             impact on the Senate and on our country. Mahalo nui loa, 
             thank you, for all your work.

               Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to 
             recognize one of our departing colleagues, the senior 
             Senator from Arkansas, Mrs. Blanche Lambert Lincoln.
               A seventh-generation Arkansan and a native of Helena, 
             AR, Senator Lincoln grew up on a cotton and rice farm. She 
             spoke often of her experiences on the farm, and fondly 
             recalled how she was a farmer's daughter. It was her 
             experience helping her father work the land that taught 
             her the same core values she brought to the Senate--
             honesty, fairness, hard work, and common sense.
               Senator Lincoln is the kind of colleague you want to 
             have in the Senate. She is pragmatic. She is rational. And 
             she is reasonable. If you ever had an issue with her you 
             needed to resolve, you could count on her to be someone 
             you could work with. In fact, she is well known as someone 
             who tried to bridge the partisan divide. She even 
             cofounded and cochaired an organization dedicated to 
             working across the aisle to bridge differences and create 
             practical solutions.
               Senator Lincoln first came to Congress in 1992 as a 
             Representative for Arkansas' First Congressional District, 
             serving two terms. Following the birth of her twin boys, 
             Reece and Bennett, she made a successful run for the 
             Senate in 1998.
               During her time here in the Senate, she served her home 
             State of Arkansas with great distinction, serving in the 
             same seat as the late Senator Hattie Caraway, the first 
             woman ever elected to the Senate. Like Senator Caraway, 
             who also made history for being the first woman ever to be 
             chairman of a Senate committee, Senator Lincoln made 
             history in 2009 by becoming the first woman in the 184-
             year history of the Senate Agriculture Committee to be 
             named chairman.
               Senator Lincoln and I were able to collaborate on many 
             issues during her time in the Senate because we served 
             together on two committees--Agriculture and Finance. On 
             the Agriculture Committee, she was a fierce advocate for 
             her State's agriculture interests, particularly rice and 
             cotton producers. Since farm bills tend to be more 
             regional than party driven, she always represented her 
             producers with vigor. She was a key player in the 2002 and 
             2008 farm bills, both of which have been widely popular 
             throughout the countryside in the North and the South.
               She also looked out for those who are less fortunate, 
             making hunger in our country a signature issue of hers. 
             This year she pushed through the Senate a landmark bill to 
             improve school lunch programs. The child nutrition 
             reauthorization bill she authored contains almost 10 times 
             more new funding than the 2004 child nutrition 
             reauthorization. It includes $3.2B for the first school 
             lunch program base-level reimbursement increase since 
             1973. I hope the House will follow the Senate's lead and 
             pass this important bill yet this year.
               She also served as the chair of rural outreach for the 
             Senate Democratic caucus. It was in this role that we 
             collaborated to introduce the Rural Revitalization Act, a 
             bill to boost the economy in rural America in the wake of 
             the recent recession. This bill made significant 
             investments in rural development priorities, including 
             infrastructure projects, energy programs, housing 
             assistance and rural health care.
               Senator Lincoln also has been a champion for rural 
             health care issues as a valued member of the Senate Rural 
             Health Caucus. During her time in the Senate, she 
             successfully fought to protect small businesses, health 
             care providers, and, most important, seniors in rural 
             communities. Because of Senator Lincoln's dedication, 
             critical improvements to the Medicare Program were enacted 
             into law. In particular, senior women now have improved 
             access to bone density tests, osteoporosis screenings, and 
             other preventive services.
               Senator Lincoln also authored the Elder Justice Act, 
             legislation enacted into law this year which authorizes 
             new efforts to prevent, detect, treat, and prosecute elder 
             abuse and exploitation. Her work as a lead author of the 
             Small Business Health Options Program Act of 2009 (SHOP 
             Act) led to the adoption of tax credits and small business 
             health insurance exchanges in health reform. These 
             legislative accomplishments and many others will leave 
             this country with a lasting legacy of Senator Lincoln's 
             commitment to improving the health of Arkansans and of all 
             Americans.
               On the Finance Committee, Senator Lincoln was a strong 
             and effective advocate for working families. She worked 
             hard to make sure that the full child tax credit was 
             available to as many low-earning workers with children as 
             possible. She knows how valuable that benefit is for 
             parents who have to struggle to support their families.
               Senator Lincoln and I share a commitment to promoting 
             savings for retirement. She shares my concern that 
             retirement income security is a growing challenge for the 
             baby boomers who are beginning to head into retirement 
             right now as well as the generations that are following. 
             An important focus for her has been the promotion of 
             employee stock ownership plans, which not only help small 
             businesses--including many successful ones in my State of 
             North Dakota--to grow but also help the employee-owners 
             build a separate pool of retirement savings that they can 
             use during their retirement years.
               It is unfortunate that we are losing such a capable and 
             pragmatic colleague as Senator Lincoln. It will be sad to 
             see the Senate without her next year, but I know nothing 
             but good things await her in her future. I wish her the 
             best.
                                            Saturday, December 18, 2010
               Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, in these closing days of the 
             111th Congress, the Senate will be saying farewell to one 
             of our most popular Members, Senator Blanche Lincoln of 
             Arkansas.
               During her 12 years in this body, at a time when the 
             Senate has become increasingly partisan and ideologically 
             divided, Senator Lincoln has charted an alternative 
             course. She has cultivated friendships and collaborations 
             on both sides of the aisle, and has been skilled in 
             forging bipartisan agreements on a wide range of issues.
               Last year, Senator Lincoln succeeded me as chair of the 
             Agriculture Committee. I would note that she is the first 
             Arkansan and the first woman to serve in that position.
               She has used that position to champion causes that have 
             been her passion for many years, including revitalizing 
             rural communities, supporting family farmers, promoting 
             biofuels and other forms of renewable energy, and 
             advocating for better nutrition for our school-aged 
             children.
               Senator Lincoln is leaving the Senate at the very top of 
             her game. Just this week, President Obama signed into law 
             the Claims Resolution Act of 2010, the culmination of 
             Senator Lincoln's efforts to provide justice for African-
             American farmers who suffered decades of discrimination in 
             agricultural programs.
               Also this week, President Obama signed into law the 
             Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which will become a major 
             part of Senator Lincoln's legacy as a Senator.
               When I handed over the gavel of the Senate Agriculture 
             Committee to Senator Lincoln last year, much work had been 
             done on the child nutrition bill but much remained to be 
             done. Senator Lincoln did a fantastic job--a masterful 
             job--of taking over the child nutrition authorization and 
             shepherding it to a unanimous approval by the Senate. 
             Thanks to her leadership, low-income children will have 
             increased access to Federal nutrition programs, the 
             nutritional quality of the programs will improve, and the 
             financial foundation of the National School Lunch Program 
             will be greatly reinforced.
               Senator Lincoln also exhibited extraordinary leadership 
             earlier this year in the Wall Street reform bill. Again, 
             as the chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, she was 
             able to forge bipartisan consensus for strong reform of 
             the derivatives market. Indeed, the provision she 
             championed will help to restore integrity to the 
             derivatives markets, it will allow companies to safely use 
             derivatives to manage their business risk, and it will 
             help to prevent future financial crisis. I was proud to 
             support her in those efforts.
               For the last 12 years in this body, Senator Lincoln has 
             been a tireless advocate for the people of her State of 
             Arkansas, for American agriculture, for rural Americans, 
             and for families with small kids. She has been an 
             outstanding Senator and a wonderful friend. I join with my 
             colleagues on both sides of the aisle in wishing Blanche 
             and Steve and their twin boys Reece and Bennett the very 
             best in the years ahead.
               Mr. President, I yield the floor, and I thank my 
             colleague for his forbearance.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Delaware.

               Mr. CARPER. Before Senator Harkin leaves the floor, let 
             me say I am so pleased that I was literally able to be 
             here on the floor and hear you talk about our colleagues. 
             What a wonderful thing to do, and to single out Democrats 
             and Republicans and to reflect upon their service to their 
             States and to our country. I had to mention that.
               You mentioned Blanche Lincoln. A lot of people say, ``I 
             respect my colleague, I think highly of my colleague,'' 
             but here in the Senate we love Blanche. We love Blanche 
             and her family. She is such a joy to work with. Always up, 
             even during the course of the tough year she has had. I 
             remember her more than once saying what doesn't kill you 
             makes you stronger. And she has come through this with a 
             smile and such grace, it is just remarkable. I loved 
             working with her on the Finance Committee, especially on 
             the health care bill that is designed to provide better 
             outcomes for less money. ...
                                              Sunday, December 19, 2010
               Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise today to speak in honor 
             of my good friend, the senior Senator from Arkansas. 
             Senator Blanche Lincoln will depart from the Senate at the 
             end of this session. She will certainly be missed.
               Senator Lincoln is a seventh-generation Arkansan. She 
             was born in Helena, AR, in 1960 to a family of wheat, 
             soybean, and cotton farmers. Her first elected office was 
             president of the student council at Helena Central High 
             School. She got a bachelor's degree from Randolph Macon 
             Women's College in Lynchburg, VA, and then went to work on 
             the congressional staff for Representative Bill Alexander.
               She left the Congressman's office after 2 years to 
             pursue private sector work in Washington, DC, but would 
             return home to Arkansas to run against her former boss in 
             1992. Her campaign for Congress was successful and Blanche 
             became the first woman ever to represent the Arkansas 
             First District in the House of Representatives.
               All told, Senator Lincoln served two terms in the House 
             before running for the Senate in 1998. That year, at the 
             age of 38, Senator Lincoln became the youngest woman ever 
             elected to the U.S. Senate and only the second female 
             Senator in the history of Arkansas.
               Blanche's career in Congress has been defined by her 
             willingness to reach across the aisle and work with 
             Senators from both parties. She is a proud Democrat but 
             has never been an ideologue. Her devotion has never been 
             to a party line or platform, but to her own convictions 
             and to the people of Arkansas.
               I have had the privilege of working close with Senator 
             Lincoln on a number of occasions. Much of the time, we 
             found ourselves on different sides of the issues. But, 
             there were also a number of times where we were in 
             agreement. In fact, I can think of several occasions where 
             she defied her own party's leadership and was, at the end 
             of the day, a difference-maker on a number of important 
             efforts.
               Here in the Senate, things have a tendency to get 
             contentious in a hurry. Far too often, partisanship gets 
             in the way of good policymaking. We should commend those 
             who are willing to see past the politics of the day and 
             focus on the long-term impact of the things we do here in 
             the Senate. Senator Blanche Lincoln is one of those 
             people.
               I want to wish Senator Lincoln and her family the very 
             best of luck going forward.
                                           Wednesday, December 22, 2010
               Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute 
             to my colleague and friend, Senator Blanche Lincoln.
               Senator Lincoln has spent her entire career serving the 
             people of Arkansas, and she has been a passionate and 
             effective leader for her State.
               She has been an inspiration to so many women. Senator 
             Lincoln made history as the first woman to chair the 
             Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, and 
             I will never forget how Senator Lincoln led by example, 
             showing us you could be a young mom in the Senate, 
             dedicated to your children, while also being a strong 
             advocate for your State.
               She has been a leader in the Senate on child nutrition 
             and has worked tirelessly to pass important legislation, 
             including the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act that was just 
             signed into law by President Obama. The measure will help 
             combat the nationwide epidemic of obesity by making sure 
             our schoolchildren have access to healthy, nutritious 
             meals.
               As a cofounder of the Senate Hunger Caucus, Senator 
             Lincoln has played a crucial role in shedding light on a 
             problem that affects so many, both at home and abroad.
               Senator Lincoln was never afraid to stand up for what 
             she believed in. She showed her tenacity in fighting for 
             greater transparency and accountability in derivatives 
             markets during the debate over Wall Street reform.
               She has been a fighter for her State and her legislative 
             accomplishments will have a profound impact on the lives 
             of so many children and communities across our country.
               I want to thank her for her years of friendship and for 
             her dedicated service here in the Senate. We will all miss 
             her.

               Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to join my 
             colleagues in paying tribute to Senator Blanche Lincoln, 
             one of the finest public servants I have had the pleasure 
             not only to know, but to work with during our one term in 
             the U.S. House together and her distinguished 12-year 
             tenure in the Senate.
               A seventh-generation Arkansan, Senator Lincoln has 
             always been firmly rooted in the values and the people of 
             her great State. Their concerns have been her battles--
             their hopes have been her cause. Her State's bedrock 
             values of family and faith have always been at the center 
             of Blanche's life as a daughter, wife, mother, church 
             member, and Congresswoman. She has always been as 
             authentic as they come, warm as she is determined, 
             gracious as she is resolute, and Arkansans wouldn't have 
             it any other way.
               Blanche understood the inherent human element and 
             dimensions of public service as well as anyone--that you 
             pursued elective office not for personal gain, but in 
             order to make a difference on behalf of others, especially 
             for rural America. For Senator Lincoln, the phrase ``The 
             People Rule'' was more than her great State's cherished 
             motto, it was an organizing principle and a clarion call 
             which inspired her to serve.
               The youngest woman ever elected to the Senate and the 
             first woman to serve as chairman of the Senate 
             Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee in its 184 
             years of existence, Senator Lincoln was making her mark 
             from the first time she entered the august Chamber of the 
             U.S. Senate. From the beginning, she stood upon the 
             mightiest of shoulders, Arkansas' legendary Hattie 
             Caraway, the first woman to win a statewide U.S. Senate 
             race in Arkansas and the first woman to chair a U.S. 
             Senate committee. How fitting it is that Senator Lincoln 
             paid homage to her predecessor by using the same desk on 
             the Senate floor that Senator Caraway used 60 years ago.
               I was privileged to work with Senator Lincoln for her 
             entire time and mine as well on the venerable Senate 
             Finance Committee where we were kindred spirits and 
             compatriots from day one. In fact, our very first year on 
             the committee we forged a historic, bipartisan alliance to 
             make the childcare tax credit refundable for the first 
             time ever, and the bond we formed during that undertaking 
             only increased as we shepherded other dependent care 
             issues through the years to help give families the 
             resources to be stronger and find empowerment through 
             work.
               Senator Lincoln and I, as the former chair and current 
             ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business 
             and Entrepreneurship, also joined forces on the Small 
             Business Health Options Program, or the so-called SHOP 
             Act, to increase the number of insurers available to small 
             businesses, so that these engines of our economy could 
             benefit from greater competition. On issue after issue, I 
             valued our collaborations, our mutual respect, and our 
             common desire to achieve results and jettison the partisan 
             bickering that impedes not only progress, but our 
             obligation to do the will of the American people.
               Central to that collegiality has been our great 
             tradition as women in the Senate of getting together once 
             a month for dinner, and there is no question that Senator 
             Lincoln's absence will be keenly felt. Appropriately, we 
             described one of our dinners in the prologue to the book 
             we labored on together in the 1990s, entitled ``Nine and 
             Counting,'' to demonstrate the progress women had made in 
             the upper Chamber. In it, Blanche is described as 
             ``ebullient, energetic, and unpretentious--she is the 
             picture of representative government.'' That is the 
             Blanche Lincoln I know and the Blanche Lincoln I will 
             miss.
               Like all of the women I have had the honor of serving 
             with on both sides of the aisle, Blanche has been a 
             bulwark against the all too prevalent dynamic confronting 
             the American political system--the ongoing erosion of 
             bipartisanship, cooperation, and civility. She has helped 
             bridge the partisan divide as much as anyone, and has 
             acted time and again as a catalyst for cultivating common 
             ground in order to advance the common good.
               The Arkansas State flag contains diamond shapes in its 
             center as Arkansas is the only State where diamonds have 
             been discovered. It has been the pinnacle of generosity 
             for Arkansans to share one of their gems here in our 
             Nation's Capital in the form of Senator Blanche Lincoln. 
             We also thank her husband Dr. Steve Lincoln and their twin 
             boys, Reece and Bennett, for doing the same.

               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. ...
               When the 112th Congress convenes in January, the ranks 
             of women Senators will be reduced by one. In fact, the 
             112th Congress will be the first Congress in recent memory 
             in which the total number of women Senators will actually 
             decline. With the departure of our colleague, Roland 
             Burris, there will not be a single African-American 
             Senator when the new Congress convenes. ...
               All of the women of the Senate will miss our dear friend 
             and highly respected colleague Blanche Lincoln. Blanche 
             Lincoln made history in her own right when she became the 
             youngest woman ever elected to the Senate at the age of 
             38. Senator Lincoln represented the people of Arkansas 
             with distinction for two terms, juggling a demanding 
             career in public service while raising two wonderful twin 
             boys Reece and Bennett. She is truly a wonderful colleague 
             to work with, a centrist who comfortably works across the 
             aisle and votes her convictions. She is one of the kindest 
             people in the Senate. I expect great things of Blanche 
             Lincoln in the future and I have every confidence she will 
             deliver on that prediction.
               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.
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