[Senate Document 113-28]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]





 
                      TRIBUTES TO HON. TOM COBURN


                                           

                               Tom Coburn

                       U.S. SENATOR FROM OKLAHOMA

                                TRIBUTES

                           IN THE CONGRESS OF

                           THE UNITED STATES

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                                           




                 

 
 



                                                  S. Doc. 113-28
                                                  
                              Tributes

                      Delivered in Congress
                            Tom Coburn

                    United States Congressman

                            1995-2001

                     United States Senator

                            2005-2015

   
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
                                           

                         U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 

                               WASHINGTON : 2015  















                            Compiled under the direction

                                       of the

                             Joint Committee on Printing






                                      CONTENTS
             Biography.............................................
                                                                      v
             Farewell Address......................................
                                                                    vii
             Proceedings in the Senate:
                Tributes by Senators:
                    Ayotte, Kelly, of New Hampshire................
                                                                      9
                    Begich, Mark, of Alaska........................
                                                                     26
                    Bennet, Michael F., of Colorado................
                                                                     10
                    Boxer, Barbara, of California..................
                                                                     33
                    Burr, Richard, of North Carolina...............
                                                                     19
                    Carper, Thomas R., of Delaware.................
                                                                     17
                    Chambliss, Saxby, of Georgia...................
                                                                     10
                    Coats, Daniel, of Indiana......................
                                                                     25
                    Collins, Susan M., of Maine....................
                                                                     15
                    Coons, Christopher A., of Delaware.............
                                                                      7
                    Cornyn, John, of Texas.........................
                                                                      3
                    Durbin, Richard J., of Illinois................
                                                                      6
                    Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
                                                                     30
                    Flake, Jeff, of Arizona........................
                                                                     22
                    Graham, Lindsey, of South Carolina.............
                                                                     28
                    Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah.......................
                                                                 28, 33
                    Hoeven, John, of North Dakota..................
                                                                      9
                    Inhofe, James M., of Oklahoma..................
                                                                     24
                    Isakson, Johnny, of Georgia....................
                                                                     24
                    King, Angus S., Jr., of Maine..................
                                                                     22
                    Leahy, Patrick J., of Vermont..................
                                                                     32
                    Manchin, Joe, III, of West Virginia............
                                                                     21
                    McCain, John, of Arizona.......................
                                                                      7
                    McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
                                                                     12
                    Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
                                                                      5
                    Schumer, Charles E., of New York...............
                                                                     21
                    Sessions, Jeff, of Alabama.....................
                                                                     26
                                      BIOGRAPHY

               Tom Coburn, M.D., was elected to the U.S. Senate on 
             November 2, 2004. Dr. Coburn and his wife, Carolyn, a 
             graduate of Oklahoma State University and former Miss 
             Oklahoma, were married in 1968 and have three children and 
             seven grandchildren. They are members of First Baptist 
             Muskogee.
               Dr. Coburn's priorities in the Senate included reducing 
             wasteful spending, protecting liberty, balancing the 
             budget, improving health care access and affordability, 
             protecting the sanctity of all human life--including the 
             unborn--and representing traditional, Oklahoma values. As 
             a citizen legislator, Dr. Coburn pledged to serve no more 
             than two terms in the Senate and to continue to care for 
             patients. He was a member of the Senate Select Committee 
             on Intelligence and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
             Urban Affairs. Dr. Coburn also served as ranking member of 
             the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
               As a Senator, Dr. Coburn offered more amendments than 
             any of his colleagues. He offered amendments to eliminate 
             funding for the ``Bridge to Nowhere,'' the ``Woodstock 
             Museum'' in New York, and countless other special 
             interests earmarks sponsored by Members of both parties. 
             Dr. Coburn also worked to make government more accountable 
             and transparent. In 2006, he teamed up with then-Senator 
             Barack Obama to create http://www.usaspending.gov/, an 
             online database of all Federal spending.
               Dr. Coburn issued over 50 oversight reports during his 
             10 years in the Senate, taking a closer look at nearly 
             every aspect, mission, and department of the Federal 
             Government. Washington bureaucrats feared being called out 
             in his annual ``Wastebook,'' which highlighted the most 
             outrageous government spending of the year that spared no 
             agency from scrutiny, questioning, or ridicule.
               Before his election to the Senate, Dr. Coburn 
             represented Oklahoma's Second Congressional District in 
             the House of Representatives from 1995 through 2001. He 
             was first elected in 1994, then reelected in 1996 and 
             1998, becoming the first Republican to hold the seat for 
             consecutive terms. Dr. Coburn retired from Congress in 
             2001, fulfilling his pledge to serve no more than three 
             terms in the House.
               In 1970, Dr. Coburn graduated with an accounting degree 
             from Oklahoma State University. One of the top ten seniors 
             in the School of Business, Dr. Coburn served as president 
             of the College of Business Student Council. From 1970 to 
             1978, Dr. Coburn served as manufacturing manager at the 
             Ophthalmic Division of Coburn Optical Industries in 
             Colonial Heights, VA. Under his leadership, the Virginia 
             division of Coburn Optical grew from 13 employees to more 
             than 350 and captured 35 percent of the U.S. market.
               After the family business was sold, Dr. Coburn changed 
             the course of his life by returning to school to become a 
             physician. Again he emerged as a leader, becoming 
             president of his class at the University of Oklahoma 
             Medical School where he graduated in 1983. He then did his 
             internship in general surgery at St. Anthony's Hospital in 
             Oklahoma City and family practice residency at the 
             University of Arkansas, Fort Smith.
               Dr. Coburn returned to Muskogee where he specialized in 
             family medicine, obstetrics, and the treatment of 
             allergies. Dr. Coburn has personally delivered more than 
             4,000 babies.
               Dr. Coburn also is a three-time cancer survivor.
                               Farewell to the Senate
                             Thursday, December 11, 2014

               Mr. COBURN. Mr. President, following in the traditions 
             of the Senate, I come to the floor to speak about my 
             experience in the Senate. Unfortunately, this will not be 
             the last time I speak, much to the chagrin of many of you, 
             as I have some adamant opposition to some of the things we 
             are doing.
               But I nevertheless will try to put in context some of my 
             feelings and thoughts about the great privilege that has 
             been granted to me by the people of Oklahoma. We hear a 
             lot of speeches in this place. As Members who are elected, 
             it gets reflected on us, but nothing could be further from 
             the truth. Because the things that really make this place 
             operate are the people who work with us, the people who 
             support us, the people who help guide us, the people 
             behind the scenes who are both brilliant and committed and 
             dedicated to the founding principles of this country.
               We all have them working for us. Yet they are rarely 
             recognized. So whether our accomplishments are big or 
             small, those accomplishments come through the work, 
             efforts, and labors of those who join with us as we come 
             here to try to make a difference. So I first wanted to say 
             there are a lot of people I need to say thank you to; from 
             our Parliamentarian Elizabeth to all of the staff who work 
             in the Senate, to the people who work at GAO, wonderful 
             people, CRS, the IGs, legislative counsel--they have 
             written thousands, I mean literally thousands of 
             amendments for me. They probably are going to have some 
             real mixed feelings about my departure. Then I have 
             personal staff--all tremendous--but one of whom I found to 
             be a phenomenal, brilliant person. His name is Roland 
             Foster. There is not anything he has ever forgotten. You 
             can ask him anything. He will find it. He knows it. So I 
             mention him. I have hundreds of others whom I could 
             equally speak about, from my former chief of staff Mike 
             Schwartz, who passed away from Lou Gehrig's disease, to 
             those in my office and staff who each knows what a 
             difference they make--they did--the Cloakroom staff and 
             the help we get from Laura Dove and David Schiappa and Mr. 
             Duncan on our side--same on the opposite side. We are only 
             able to function because of all the people who enable us 
             to do that. So with those thank yous, I actually wanted to 
             move to a different topic. The topic is believing in our 
             country. I tell people wherever I go: We do not have one 
             problem we cannot solve. There is nothing too big for us. 
             They are all solvable.
               To prove that is my chairman, Tom Carper, on homeland 
             security. He has been a phenomenal chairman. He is not in 
             my party. We do not agree on everything, but the one thing 
             we agreed on was that we were going to work together to 
             solve problems. We have. We did not solve them all, but I 
             would suggest if we look at what has come through this 
             place, even in this dysfunctional place at this time, we 
             will see more coming out under his leadership than any 
             other pieces of legislation. Why is that? It is because 
             the focus was not about him, it was not about me, it was 
             about solving the problems of our country.
               To those of you through the years whom I have offended, 
             I truly apologize. I think none of that was intended 
             because I actually see things differently. You see, I 
             believe our Founders were absolutely brilliant, far 
             smarter than we are. I believe the enumerated powers meant 
             something. They were meant to protect us against what 
             history says always happens to a republic. They have all 
             died.
               So the question is, What will happen with us? Can we 
             cheat history? Can we do something better than was done in 
             the past? I honestly believe we can, but I do not believe 
             we can if we continue to ignore the wisdom of our founding 
             documents. So when I have offended, I believe it has been 
             on the basis of my belief in article I, section 8. I think 
             we can stuff that genie back into the bottle.
               E pluribus unum. ``Out of many, one.'' But you do not 
             have one unless you have guaranteed the liberty of the 
             many. When we ignore what the Constitution gave us as a 
             guideline, to protect the individual liberties, to limit 
             the size and scope of the Federal Government so the 
             benefits of freedom and liberty can be expressed all 
             across this land, that is when we get back to solving our 
             problems.
               I think about my father--he had a fifth-grade 
             education--a great believer in our country. He would not 
             recognize it today. The loss of freedom we have imposed by 
             the arrogance of an all-too-powerful Federal Government, 
             ignoring the wisdom and writing of our Founders that said, 
             ``Above all, we must protect the liberty of the individual 
             and recognize that liberty is given as a God-given 
             right.''
               So my criticism isn't directed personally, it is because 
             I truly believe that freedom gains us more than anything 
             we can plan here. I know not everybody agrees with me, but 
             the one thing I do know is that our Founders agreed with 
             me.
               They had studied this process before. They know what 
             happens when you dominate from a central government. This 
             didn't mean intentions are bad; the intentions are great. 
             The motivations of people in this body are wonderful, but 
             the perspective on how we do it and what the long-term 
             consequences are of how we do it really do matter.
               We see ourselves today with a President whom we need to 
             be supporting and praying for, with an economy that is not 
             doing what it could be doing, and we need to be asking the 
             question, Why? Is there a fundamental reason? And there 
             is.
               We are too much involved in the decisionmaking in the 
             economy in this country that inhibits the flow of capital 
             to the best return, which inhibits the growth of wealth, 
             which leaves us at a standard of living the same as what 
             we had in 1988. That is where we are, yet it doesn't have 
             to be that way.
               I am going to read some words we have all heard before, 
             but they are worth rereading. ``We hold these Truths to be 
             self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they 
             are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable 
             Rights ...''
               All of us. ``... that among these are Life, Liberty, and 
             the pursuit of Happiness.''
               I look at legislation and say how does that have an 
             impact on those two things, and too often it has a 
             negative impact.

               That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted 
             among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of 
             the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes 
             destructive of these Ends, it is the right of the People 
             to alter or abolish it.

               I don't know where we are on that continuum, but I know 
             we are not where we were intended to be in the vision of 
             our Founders, and we are suffering, no matter where you 
             are in the country, as a consequence.
               We established the Constitution to try to protect those 
             rights and to delineate those rights. We put in the 
             limitation of the government and outlined the rights of 
             each individual citizen upon which the government shall 
             not infringe. Yet what comes out of this body and this 
             Congress every day, to my chagrin, infringes those 
             guaranteed rights.
               Every Member of the Senate takes the same oath and this 
             is where I differ with a lot of colleagues. Let me read 
             the oath, because I think it is part of the problem.

               I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and 
             defend the Constitution of the United States against all 
             enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith 
             and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation 
             freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of 
             evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the 
             duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help 
             me God.

               Your State isn't mentioned one time in that oath. Your 
             whole goal is to protect the United States of America, its 
             Constitution and its liberties. It is not to provide 
             benefits for your State. That is where we differ. That is 
             where my conflict with my colleagues has come. It is nice 
             to be able to do things for your State, but that isn't our 
             charge. Our charge is to protect the future of our country 
             by upholding the Constitution and ensuring the liberty 
             that is guaranteed there is protected and preserved.
               The magic number in the Senate is not 60, the number of 
             Senators needed to end debate, and it is not 51, a 
             majority. The most important number in the Senate is one--
             one Senator. That is how it was set up. That is how our 
             Founders designed it, and with that comes tremendous 
             amounts of responsibility, because the Senate has a set of 
             rules that gives each individual Member the power needed 
             to advance, change, or stop legislation. That is a tool 
             that has to be mentored and refined and wise in its 
             application.
               Most of the bills that pass the Senate never receive a 
             vote. We all know that. It is a vast majority of the 
             bills. They are approved by unanimous consent. It only 
             takes a single Senator to withhold consent to stop most 
             legislation.
               There are many other rules and procedures a Member can 
             use. They are often referred to as arcane, but that is 
             only because they are rarely used. They are not arcane. 
             They were designed to protect liberty, to secure liberty, 
             to make sure that we don't all follow history and fail.
               Every Senator has the power to introduce legislation 
             and, until recently, offer amendments.
               No single Senator should be allowed to decide what the 
             rights of another Senator should be. That is tyranny. It 
             has nothing to do with the history and classics of the 
             Senate.
               To exercise the rights we have been entrusted with, we 
             must respect the rights of others. That is the true power 
             of our Constitution. That is also the true power of the 
             Senate. It is what binds our Nation together, and it is 
             what is needed to make the Senate work properly again.
               The Senate was designed uniquely to force compromise, 
             not to force gridlock--to force compromise. One Senator 
             had the power to stop everything for the first 100 years, 
             but it didn't because compromise was the goal.
               Our Founders understood there were many differences 
             between the States--in size, geography, economy, and 
             opinions. They united the States as one country based upon 
             the premise that the many are more powerful than the one. 
             As Senators, we have to follow this example. I have not 
             always done that; I admit that freely to you. I should 
             have. As Senators, we must follow the example, stand for 
             our principles, but working to find those areas of 
             agreement where compromise can be found to unite and move 
             our country forward. My colleague Senator Carper has my 
             admiration because he has worked tirelessly the past 2 
             years to try to accomplish that.
               Not all of the powers of the Senators are exercised on 
             the Senate floor. Each Member of the Senate has a unique 
             role to participate and practice oversight, to hold the 
             government accountable, and that is part of our duties, 
             except most often that is the part of our duties that is 
             most ignored.
               To know how to reach a destination, you must first know 
             where you are, and without oversight--effective, vigorous 
             oversight--you will never solve anything. You cannot write 
             a bill to fix an agency unless you have an understanding 
             of the problem, and you can only know this by conducting 
             oversight, asking the tough questions, holding the 
             bureaucrats accountable, find out what works and what 
             doesn't, and know what has already been done.
               Effective oversight is an effective tool to expose 
             government overreach and wasteful spending, but it also 
             markedly exposes where we lose our liberty and our 
             essential freedoms.
               I have had some fun through the years, taken some 
             criticism for the waste vote--and it is opinion, I agree. 
             Everybody who has seen the ``Wastebook'' has a great 
             defense of why it is there. But the real question is will 
             we become efficient at how we spend the money of the 
             American people? This is a big enterprise. There is no 
             other enterprise anywhere close to it in size in the 
             world. It is not manageable unless we all try to agree to 
             manage it and have the knowledge of it.
               I think there ought to be 535 ``Wastebooks'' every year, 
             and then we ought to have the debate about where we are 
             not spending money wisely and have the information at our 
             fingertips so we make great decisions because, quite 
             frankly, we don't make great decisions because we don't 
             have the knowledge. Then what knowledge we do have we 
             transfer to a bureaucracy to make decisions about it when 
             we should have been guiding those things.
               True debates about national priorities would come about 
             if we did effective oversight. It is the Senate, once 
             hailed as the world's greatest deliberative body, where 
             these differences should be argued. Our differences should 
             be resolved through civil discourse so they are not 
             settled in the street.
               Just as the Constitution provides for majority rule and 
             our democracy while protecting the rights of the 
             individual, the Senate must return to the principles to 
             bring trust of the electorate, and it can. Our Founders 
             believed that protecting the minority views and minority 
             rights in the Senate was essential to having a bicameral 
             legislature that would give us balance and not move too 
             quickly against the very fundamental principles upon which 
             this country was based--and not out of guessing, but out 
             of thorough knowledge of what had happened in the past. We 
             have to be very careful to guard both minority rights and 
             the rule of law.
               There is no one who works in the Senate who is 
             insignificant, whether it is the people who serve us when 
             we have lunch, to the highest of the high. They all 
             deserve our ear. Each of us has value.
               I end with one final comment. The greatest power I have 
             not used as a Senator, which I would encourage you to use 
             in the future, is the power of convening. You have 
             tremendous power to pull people together because of your 
             position.
               To convene the opposite opinions--Chuck Schumer has been 
             great at that for me. When we have a difference, he wants 
             to get together, convene, and see how we work. That power 
             is the power that causes us to compromise, to come 
             together, to reach consensus. So my encouragement to you 
             is to rethink the utilization of the power of convening. 
             People will come to you if you ask them to come.
               Again, I end by saying a great thank you to my family 
             for their sacrifice, a great thank you to the wonderful 
             staff I have, and a thank you to each of you for the 
             privilege of having been able to work for a better country 
             for us all.
               I yield the floor.
               (Applause, Senators rising.)
?

                                           

                                      TRIBUTES

                                         TO

                                     TOM COBURN
                              Proceedings in the Senate
                                               Monday, December 8, 2014
               Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, in the waning days of the 
             113th Congress it is a bittersweet moment as many of us 
             are saying goodbye--although not on a permanent basis but 
             at least in terms of our official relationships working 
             together as Senators--to so many of our good friends and 
             valued colleagues. Every other December we find ourselves 
             bidding farewell to some of the most admired and respected 
             Members of this Chamber. Today I want to say a few words 
             about three of these esteemed Members, starting with my 
             good friend, the senior Senator from Georgia [Mr. 
             Chambliss]. ...
               I will close my remarks today on our retiring colleagues 
             by paying tribute to Dr. Tom Coburn. He is someone we have 
             all come to know and admire over 20 years as a relentless 
             fighter for limited government and conservative values 
             here in the Congress.
               Tom can be a very charming guy, but I know he can also 
             be a pain in our side when he is determined to make sure 
             he gets a chance to get a vote on an important matter here 
             in the Senate. I think he is comfortable in both of those 
             roles. In fact, I know he is.
               Tom Coburn is a man of strong principle, a man of great 
             integrity, and, perhaps just as important, a man of 
             remarkable humility. Our country has benefited greatly 
             from the wisdom and leadership Tom has provided during his 
             service in Congress--first in the House and then in the 
             Senate. I have been in the Senate now for a little more 
             than a decade, and during that time our colleague from 
             Oklahoma has done more than anyone else in this Chamber to 
             eliminate wasteful spending, expose fraud and abuse in the 
             Federal budget, and get our entitlement programs on a 
             sustainable path. Tom would be the first one to say that 
             job has just begun, but he has certainly given it 
             everything he has.
               He has educated our Nation on the fiscal threat we live 
             under and what it means for our children and 
             grandchildren, and he has worked tirelessly to correct it.
               He has done a remarkable job as the ranking member of 
             the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, 
             as well as his service on the Intelligence and Banking 
             Committees.
               Furthermore, Tom has been an unyielding force for 
             protecting liberty and improving access to affordable 
             health care by proposing positive patient-oriented 
             alternatives, and for these reasons and many more I am 
             grateful for his service.
               But perhaps the thing he does not want to be remembered 
             for--but that has made such a profound impression on many 
             of us--is his courage and ability to deal with the fact 
             that he is a three-time cancer survivor. Even last week, I 
             know he was receiving treatment for this most recent 
             flareup, but he will be back here today. He will be doing 
             what he does best, and that is fighting for his principles 
             and perhaps causing more than a little bit of turbulence 
             in the process in this otherwise staid Chamber.
               I know I speak for this entire Chamber when I say it is 
             an honor to serve with a man such as Tom Coburn. I know 
             this to be true because Tom is well respected on both 
             sides of the aisle.
               In fact, when Time magazine named Tom 1 of the 100 most 
             influential people in the world in 2013, a friend of Tom's 
             and former Democratic Senator wrote:

               The people of Oklahoma are lucky to have someone like 
             Tom representing them in Washington--someone who speaks 
             his mind, sticks to his principles, and is committed to 
             the people he was elected to serve.

               The friend I am referring to who made those remarks is 
             none other than our President, Barack Obama, when he 
             served with Tom in the Senate. When the President said 
             that, he found out that Tom received a number of angry 
             letters from constituents that said he and President Obama 
             looked a little too chummy together, to which Tom 
             replied--and this is classic Tom Coburn, ``What better way 
             to influence someone than to love them.''
               This serves as a testament to his character. You see, 
             Tom has an extraordinary ability not just to win the 
             respect of those who agree with him but the admiration and 
             respect of those who disagree with him as well. That is a 
             rare thing in politics and especially in today's society.
               Nevertheless, Tom has spent his career promoting what is 
             good for the country while never wavering from his 
             personal conversations. Along the way he has racked up a 
             lengthy list of accomplishments that protect taxpayers and 
             increase transparency in government.
               Tom's resume proves he has been a leader not only in 
             Congress but in every aspect of his life. For example, I 
             think many of our colleagues don't realize he had a 
             distinguished career in business and medicine before he 
             got here. Tom served as president of the school of 
             business student council while getting his accounting 
             degree at Oklahoma State University. Later he went back to 
             law school--excuse me, that was a Freudian slip he 
             wouldn't be happy with. Later he went back to medical 
             school, where he trained to become a physician and served 
             as president of his class at the University of Oklahoma 
             Medical School.
               Tom has a lot to be proud of about his service in the 
             House and in the Senate. But, again, like all of us, he is 
             most proud of his family. He has been married to the 
             former Miss Oklahoma for nearly 50 years, and he and 
             Carolyn have three daughters and seven grandchildren. 
             Meanwhile, in his career as a physician, he has delivered 
             more than 4,000 babies, which perhaps explains the vote 
             totals in some of his elections, because I am sure many of 
             them have grown up to vote for him.
               The things that I mentioned are only a few of Tom 
             Coburn's long list of notable achievements. Knowing Tom 
             and his work ethic, I have no doubt he will be giving 110 
             percent right up until the last minute he serves in the 
             113th Congress on January 3, 2015.
               I wish Tom and his family the very best as they enter 
             the next season of life.
                                              Tuesday, December 9, 2014
               Mr. REED. Mr. President, I would like to take a few 
             minutes to salute my colleagues who are departing the 
             Senate at the end of this year with the conclusion of the 
             113th Congress: Mark Begich of Alaska, Saxby Chambliss of 
             Georgia, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Kay Hagan of North 
             Carolina, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Mike Johanns of Nebraska, 
             Tim Johnson of South Dakota, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, 
             Carl Levin of Michigan, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Jay 
             Rockefeller of West Virginia, Mark Udall of Colorado, and 
             John Walsh of Montana.
               They have all worked hard, ceaselessly giving their 
             energy and considerable time and service to their 
             constituents, to their home States, and to our country. I 
             want to thank them for their service and for their 
             kindness to me over many years in so many cases. In 
             particular, I want to say a few words about these 
             colleagues. ...
               Tom Coburn has always been passionate on the issues he 
             cares about. We have engaged in vigorous debate, 
             demonstrating, I hope, that principled disagreement can 
             lead ultimately to principled progress. My thoughts are 
             with him, particularly as he battles health issues, his 
             cancer. I hope and wish him success and much happiness as 
             he moves forward. ...
               Along with all of my other colleagues who are leaving us 
             at the conclusion of the 113th Congress, let me thank them 
             for their service, their dedication to improving the lives 
             of Americans, and on a very personal level for their 
             friendship. I wish them all well.
                                           Wednesday, December 10, 2014
               Mr. DURBIN. I have some tributes here for my colleagues 
             who are retiring, leaving the Senate. It is a lengthy list 
             of tributes. ...
               I want to say a word about three others on the other 
             side of the aisle who are retiring: Saxby Chambliss of 
             Georgia, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, and Mike Johanns of 
             Nebraska. I got to know them when I gathered with one of 
             these gangs, as they call them around here, to talk about 
             deficit reduction. We spent more time together trying to 
             explore the Federal budget in ways to reduce our deficit 
             in a thoughtful manner so that we really got to know one 
             another and respect one another.
               There is a world of difference in our political values 
             and philosophies, but each of them in their own way made a 
             positive contribution toward making this a stronger 
             nation. ...
               Senator Tom Coburn and I come from different parts of 
             the country and different ends of the political spectrum, 
             but we found there is a lot we agree on. I have always 
             believed, as Senators Paul Douglas and Paul Simon said, 
             that being a liberal doesn't mean you have to be a 
             ``wastrel.'' Senator Coburn knows that being a 
             conservative and protecting America's economy demands more 
             than blind budget cutting. His nickname is ``Doctor No,'' 
             but when it comes to wishing him well as he steps down 
             from the Senate, my colleagues join me in a resounding 
             ``yes.'' ...
               None of them is running for reelection so I can't hurt 
             them politically by saying that I regard each of these 
             Senators as friends. They showed political courage when 
             partisanship would have been easier.
               I wish them the best in all their future endeavors.

               Mr. COONS. ... As I close, I would also like to thank 
             those of our colleagues who will be leaving the Senate 
             after the New Year.
               It is an incredible privilege to work in this Chamber 
             and to represent the people. Every day I am awed by the 
             dedication and talent of many of my colleagues, public 
             servants who come to work to fight for their States and 
             their government.
               To those who are ending their service in the Senate, 
             know that I value your friendship and partnership. It has 
             been an honor to work with you, and I thank you for all 
             you have done for our Nation.

               Mr. McCAIN. Today, I would like to offer words of 
             tribute to my departing colleague, Senator Tom Coburn, 
             whose service exemplifies standards of purposefulness, 
             integrity, and decency, to which we should all aspire and 
             whose example ought to inspire the service of new and 
             returning Senators alike.
               I am going to miss an awful lot our colleague from 
             Oklahoma. I have always admired Tom for the strength of 
             his convictions and the courage and candor with which he 
             expresses them day after day. ``The No. 1 thing people 
             should do in Congress,'' Tom once said, ``is stay true to 
             their heart.'' No one in the history of this institution 
             has ever followed that injunction more faithfully than Tom 
             Coburn has.
               Tom Coburn has an unshakable faith in the goodness of 
             America, and he has worked diligently with others when he 
             could and alone, if necessary, to make sure government 
             respects the people we serve--respects their hopes and 
             aspirations, their concerns and sacrifices. He has never 
             forgotten he is the people's servant first and last, and 
             they have never had a more genuine and determined 
             champion.
               I think Tom has often acted as the conscience of the 
             Senate. He can be unmovable on matters of principle when 
             to do otherwise would harm or do no good for the country. 
             Tom Coburn is sometimes called ``Dr. No,'' affectionately 
             most, if not all, of the time. He has held up more 
             legislation that he thought ill served the public interest 
             than any other Member of this body. He even placed a hold 
             on one of his own bills that he thought no longer met his 
             high standard of accountability after it was reported out 
             of committee. I don't think the American taxpayer has ever 
             had a greater defender than Tom Coburn.
               I like to think I have taken a few principled stands 
             when the situation has warranted it, and I have made 
             myself an occasional nuisance in service to what I thought 
             was a good cause. But I have never been so conscientious 
             that I felt obliged to defeat my own legislation. That is 
             a pretty high standard of personal responsibility to meet 
             and a character test of the first order. I am not sure 
             many of us would pass it. I wouldn't. But then, as all his 
             colleagues can attest, Tom Coburn is a person of the very 
             highest character. He possesses the highest virtues--
             courage, humility, compassion--in an abundance. It has 
             been an honor to serve with him.
               As principled as he is, as unwavering as he can be when 
             he believes it necessary, he has also been a brave and 
             determined proponent of compromise when he believed it 
             served the public interest, when it would help build a 
             more prosperous and secure society with more opportunities 
             for more people and brighter futures for our children.
               We always have detractors. It comes with the job. 
             Whether Tom was standing on principle or seeking a 
             principled compromise, he stood up to criticism. He stood 
             up to pressure. He stood up to threats and insults and 
             whatever negative personal consequences he might suffer. 
             He stood up to whatever came his way to do what was right 
             for his country. He stood up for the American people, no 
             matter how difficult it was. What better can you say about 
             a public servant?
               Tom and I worked together on a lot of things. We fought 
             together to end earmarks and opposed other forms of 
             wasteful spending. We worked together on oversight 
             projects for the stimulus bill and highway trust fund 
             spending. We also fought for a long time to let veterans 
             decide where they could best receive health care. We made 
             good progress on some issues and not enough on others, but 
             Tom Coburn was always an example and an inspiration to me.
               If I could speak more personally, Tom has been more than 
             a paragon to me and to other Members of the Senate. He is 
             first and foremost a kind, considerate, and loyal friend--
             a friend in good times and bad, a friend who brings out 
             the best in you because he believes in the best part of 
             you. I said earlier Tom Coburn sees the innate goodness in 
             the American people. He also sees it in his colleagues, 
             even when it isn't apparent to other observers.
               We have shared happy times together, Tom and I, but Tom 
             has the instinct and the kindness to be the kind of friend 
             who is there when you need him--when you need him most, in 
             moments that aren't so happy.
               We all lead pretty good lives here. We get the chance to 
             serve the greatest country in the world and, on occasion, 
             to make history. We are honored and feted and praised more 
             than we deserve. But as all human beings do, we have 
             moments of worry and doubt and disappointment. Tom always 
             has the knack for showing up when I need cheering up. He 
             has made the point over the years of being company when 
             you most need it.
               Friendship is a virtue to Tom, and he means to live a 
             virtuous life. You could be working on something with him 
             or opposing each other on an issue, it doesn't matter. If 
             you need him, he will be there for you with a kind word, a 
             piece of advice, a little encouragement or just good 
             company. There are too few people like that in anyone's 
             life not to cherish the hell out of those who are. I 
             cherish my friendship with Tom Coburn, and I always will.
               The Senate will be a poorer place without Tom Coburn to 
             set an example of public service for the rest of us. But 
             in gratitude to him for his leadership and friendship, I 
             will try a little harder to live up to his standards, and 
             I hope he will let me know when I fall short.

               Ms. AYOTTE. Mr. President, I rise to thank my friend 
             Saxby Chambliss. Senator Coburn spoke about leadership. We 
             are very much going to miss Senator Coburn, Senator 
             Johanns, and Senator Chambliss in this body. ...

               Mr. HOEVEN. Mr. President, in the new Congress we will 
             welcome 12 new Republican Senators, and that is wonderful. 
             They are great people. They are excited. They are 
             enthusiastic. I think they are going to do wonderful 
             things. So there are 12 new Republican Members coming into 
             the new Senate, and we are going to lose 3 of our 
             Republican colleagues. I am thinking, maybe that is about 
             the right ratio; it is about 4 to 1.
               But these are three individuals who are unbelievable in 
             what they have been able to do in the relationships they 
             built, the friendships, and the work they have done on 
             behalf of the American people. So I am looking at that 
             statistic and I am thinking: Wow, these are three great 
             people who have done the work of many, and I think they 
             have laid the foundation in many ways for us to get to a 
             majority: Senator Johanns, Senator Coburn, and Senator 
             Chambliss. I think they have done a lot of that work 
             required for us to get to majority.
               We have heard about the great Senator from Georgia. But 
             I think the things I am going to talk about for a minute 
             in regard to Saxby Chambliss apply to the two individuals 
             sitting here with him. They are cut from the same cloth: 
             Senator Coburn, Senator Johanns, true public servants. 
             People who ran for the right reason; people who serve for 
             the right reason. I think we could ask anybody in this 
             body on either side of the aisle, and they would tell us 
             that these three individuals served for the right reasons, 
             and served to the very best of their ability the American 
             people--not just the people of their State, but the 
             American people. They will be remembered long after they 
             are gone. They will be remembered because of the great, 
             wonderful people they are, for the relationships they have 
             built, and for that service. So I echo Senator Ayotte's 
             comments. ...
               When we talk about Saxby Chambliss, Tom Coburn, Mike 
             Johanns, it doesn't get any better than that. We will miss 
             them a lot.
               I wish all three of them Godspeed, and may God bless you 
             in your next career.
                        ORDER FOR PRINTING OF SENATE DOCUMENT
               Mr. BENNET. I ask unanimous consent that the tributes to 
             retiring Senators be printed as a Senate document and that 
             Senators be permitted to submit tributes until December 
             23, 2014.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
             ordered.
                                            Thursday, December 11, 2014
               Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, we have all just heard a 
             very moving, a very inspirational and what I consider a 
             motivational speech from our dear friend Tom Coburn.
               Twenty years ago, in 1994, there were a bunch of wild 
             and crazy folks who got elected to the U.S. House of 
             Representatives. The Republicans took the majority for the 
             first time in 42 years. They ran on a Contract with 
             America and were led by a group of firebrand leaders. Tom 
             Coburn was in that group of folks who got elected in 1994 
             to the U.S. House. I was in that group. Senator Graham was 
             in that group. Senator Burr was in that group. Senator 
             Wicker was in that group.
               There were a few Members of that class who became known 
             as real bomb throwers. Tom Coburn was a bomb thrower. Tom 
             Coburn would object for the sake of objecting to anything 
             that was going on. It didn't make any difference which 
             side of the aisle it was coming from. But let me tell you, 
             Tom Coburn matured into a class act, No. 1, which he 
             always was; and No. 2, he matured into a legislator second 
             to none.
               Tom did not hesitate to object to any spending bill that 
             came from either party if Tom Coburn believed that was not 
             provided for in the Constitution and was something the 
             U.S. taxpayer should not be paying for. There is nobody 
             who has guarded the pocketbook of the taxpayers of the 
             United States like Tom Coburn.
               It is remarkable that those of us who were elected with 
             Tom have had the opportunity to see him over the last 20 
             years take on major subjects that most veterans said, you 
             know, in the end, we are going to prevail. But guess what. 
             They never did. Tom Coburn, even though he may have lost a 
             vote from time to time, in the end, Tom Coburn prevailed.
               Tom is one tough guy too. He has been through a lot 
             physically and, boy, what a survivor. I mean we think we 
             have issues to deal with. None of us can imagine what Tom 
             has gone through. When somebody comes up to me as I am 
             walking through an airport--and they will have seen Tom 
             Coburn on television--and they say, ``What about this guy 
             Coburn,'' there are two things that immediately come to 
             mind when I think of Tom Coburn, family and faith.
               First, family. Tom and Carolyn have had such a solid 
             marriage. He tried to date her as an eighth grader and she 
             wouldn't go out with him. But he kept pestering her long 
             enough that she finally did and what a great marriage they 
             have had. They have three beautiful daughters and a 
             household of grandchildren whom he absolutely loves to 
             death and likes to spend time with, as opposed to being 
             here.
               Second, Tom's faith. There is nobody I have ever met who 
             has a stronger faith than Tom Coburn. He exhibits it on 
             the floor, he exhibits it one on one, he exhibits it in 
             the Prayer Breakfast every Wednesday morning. He is one 
             person who has probably counseled more people in this 
             body, on both sides of the aisle, than anybody other than 
             the Chaplain.
               On top of that, he is just a class act. He has been a 
             dear friend. We have spent many hours on the road 
             together, many hours on the golf course together, and many 
             hours socializing together. There is no finer individual 
             who ever served in the Senate than Tom Coburn. He is one 
             of the things I am truly going to miss about leaving here. 
             But actually, as we have already talked, we will probably 
             now spend more time together than ever since both of us 
             are retiring.
               Tom, to you, I thank you for that great friendship and 
             also thank you for what you have done for my children and 
             my grandchildren. You are a great American and you have 
             served this country well.
               God bless you.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The minority leader.

               Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, along with many of my 
             other colleagues, I pay tribute to one of the most decent 
             and principled men I have ever met, Senator Tom Coburn.
               Washington is going to miss Tom, but the irony of that 
             is Tom really can't stand Washington. When he first got 
             here, the feeling appeared to be mutual. Some just didn't 
             know what to make of this doctor from Oklahoma--so 
             frequently on the losing end of lopsided votes, so often 
             pressing ahead on his own and never giving up. That was 
             apparent from his days in the House, when we hear he led 
             the only ``filibuster'' in the House anybody can ever 
             remember. He may have placed more holds than any 
             equivalent Senator in history. He apparently placed a hold 
             on his own bill once.
               Fast forward to today. The pundit class has declared Tom 
             Coburn a card-carrying member of the establishment. The 
             rebel who once described himself as a kamikaze pilot has 
             now been branded, incredibly, with a scarlet ``E'' right 
             on his forehead. It may seem contradictory, but Tom always 
             fought smart battles--the kind you might lose today but 
             win later--and he forged an amazing bond with the people 
             he represents. For Tom that meant spending as much time 
             away from Washington as possible and making himself 
             available when he was home.
               Tom published his address, and Oklahomans were never shy 
             about coming over to share their opinions. Tom was never 
             shy about sharing how he felt either. He believed his 
             constituents deserved the truth. He gave it to them 
             absolutely unvarnished, but he did it in a respectful way.
               It reminds me of the two posters he has framed on either 
             side of his desk. One says: ``NO,'' N-O. The other says 
             ``KNOW,'' K-N-O-W. That is Tom in a nutshell. It is why 
             Tom has made so many friends on both sides of the aisle. 
             It is why you can't flip on MSNBC most mornings without 
             seeing him.
               I think Tom actually prefers these settings. It is a 
             challenge he relishes. Not only is Tom confident enough to 
             tangle with anyone, he usually wins, and he rarely makes 
             lasting enemies. It is a trait that has served him well, 
             particularly at the beginning of his career.
               Tom first came to Washington representing a district 
             that was heavily Democratic. He won a close race that 
             year. I am told he also gained a friend, and that friend 
             was the Democrat he defeated. His opponent's grandson 
             actually ended up joining Tom's staff, which obviously is 
             a great honor.
               But it is no picnic being on Tom's staff. Tom works his 
             staff hard. It is difficult even to take a sick day over 
             there. Tom has always got the stethoscope nearby. If the 
             doctor is in, so are you. Yet the people on Tom's team 
             seem to love him. ``Once a member of Coburn's family, 
             always a member.'' That is their motto.
               It doesn't mean they love everything about him. Take his 
             handwriting; it is just what you would expect from a guy 
             named Dr. Coburn. It is absolutely awful--a mix of chicken 
             scratch, hieroglyphics, and vocabulary from the extra 
             credit section of an MCAT.
               Back in the 1990s one staffer made the mistake of 
             letting Tom take a yellow highlighter back to Oklahoma. 
             Tom spent the entire weekend marking up a massive bill. 
             There were handwritten notes and questions in nearly every 
             margin. It took literally days to decipher any of it. It 
             was like something out of a Dan Brown novel. Needless to 
             say, an office ban on yellow highlighters was quickly 
             implemented.
               So the legacy of Tom's former profession gets him in 
             trouble sometimes, but it remains the job he enjoyed most: 
             helping to deliver new lives into the world. It brings a 
             unique perspective to Tom's work in the Senate. It 
             instilled a lasting appreciation for life too.
               Even though Tom has stopped delivering babies these 
             days, he still travels back to Oklahoma a lot. There is 
             nowhere he would rather be than his hometown of Muskogee, 
             and there is almost nothing he would rather be doing there 
             than mowing his lawn or eating a sandwich at his favorite 
             barbecue joint or sipping a cold Coors with olives. He 
             prefers these things over almost anything else, except 
             spending time with his grandkids and of course his wife 
             Carolyn.
               Tom has known Carolyn since grade school. She has always 
             been the one to keep him balanced and grounded. She 
             doesn't care that he is a Senator. She frequently reminds 
             him of that too.
               Carolyn is also the reason Tom is such good friends with 
             President Obama. Both men came to the Senate the same 
             year. At freshman orientation, Carolyn spotted Michelle 
             Obama from across the room. ``She looks like fun,'' 
             Carolyn said. ``Let's sit next to her.'' The rest, as they 
             say, is history, and it is also remarkable. Because when 
             Tom announced his retirement, warm sentiments poured in 
             from across the political spectrum. It was a day--listen 
             to this--when Barack Obama and Jim DeMint found something 
             to agree on. It must have brought some joy to Tom at such 
             a difficult time.
               As he departs the Senate, Tom will leave one battle 
             behind to confront another. We are sending him every best 
             wish in that fight. We are keeping him in our prayers. We 
             know he will prevail, but he is really going to be missed 
             around here. He is just the type of citizen legislator our 
             Founders envisioned.
               Tom has poured over more oversight documents than anyone 
             cares to imagine. His ``Wastebook'' has become an annual 
             phenomenon. It helps drive the conversation on spending. 
             He has led on issues like HIV and malaria.
               The Senate will lose a critical leader on intelligence 
             oversight when he leaves. Tom played an invaluable role on 
             the Intelligence Committee, where he brought a unique 
             blend of integrity, analytical rigor, and dogged 
             determination. He served our Nation selflessly, toiling 
             for hours every week in a secure hearing room, learning 
             many sensitive matters he could not discuss with others.
               He worked closely with another extraordinary departing 
             colleague, Vice Chair Saxby Chambliss, to ensure that our 
             Nation's intelligence community retains the tools 
             necessary to defend our country.
               If anyone thinks our Nation's classified programs aren't 
             overseen rigorously, they certainly haven't met Tom 
             Coburn. He brought a skeptic's eye and a professional 
             determination to the task. His probing lines of 
             questioning earned the respect of his colleagues and 
             helped the intelligence community craft stronger programs, 
             while also reminding us of the value of many other 
             intelligence activities.
               Now, Tom has obviously done a lot to earn his reputation 
             as a hawk on the budget, too. His interest there was never 
             about the baubles of office. It is about solutions. That 
             is why Tom actually volunteered for Simpson-Bowles. That 
             is why he lobbied me to actually take him off--believe it 
             or not--of the Finance Committee.
               You always know where Tom stands. I am told he was 
             overseas with a couple of other Senators when a government 
             minister launched into a finger-wagging harangue about our 
             country. Tom couldn't take it after he listened for a few 
             minutes. He cut him off, told the minister what he thought 
             of him, and caught the next flight home. So Tom is 
             literally one of a kind. We are not likely to see another 
             one like this guy.
               Here is what former Senator Kyl had to say about him: 
             ``Tom is like your conscience. You can try to ignore him, 
             but you know he's right even when you wish he weren't.''
               Some people may think Tom is a member of the 
             establishment now, but the truth is Tom never changed. 
             Washington changed. America changed.
               People recognize the wisdom of his ideas--about leaving 
             a better country to the next generation, about giving 
             Americans the freedom and the opportunity to achieve real 
             meaning and lasting happiness in their lives.
               We are going to miss the Senator who actually likes to 
             get his hands dirty, who actually likes to legislate. We 
             are going to miss the Senator who is so devoted to 
             procedure that he sleeps next to Marty Gold's book, and we 
             are going to miss a friend who understands that honest 
             compromise is necessary to achieve anything in a 
             pluralistic society. We are all going to miss Tom a lot. 
             But he can retire with pride, and he should know that we 
             are sending him our best wishes for a speedy recovery and 
             a joyful retirement.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.

               Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I was not at all surprised 
             as I listened to the words of our colleague Senator Tom 
             Coburn that he quoted extensively from the Declaration of 
             Independence and he referred to our Constitution--the 
             founding documents of our great country.
               When America's Founders conceived of a nation of citizen 
             legislators, they had leaders like Senator Tom Coburn in 
             mind. Indeed, throughout his service in Congress, he has 
             remained a compassionate physician, a devoted husband and 
             father, a fierce defender of the rights enshrined in our 
             Constitution, and an unwavering opponent of excessive 
             spending.
               Senator Coburn may be best known as our most diligent 
             fiscal watchdog, relentlessly hounding wasteful spending. 
             His annual ``Wastebook'' report is a call for transparency 
             and accountability in the Federal Government that has 
             guided oversight investigations and policy debates.
               The aspect of his service in the Senate that deserves 
             just as much acclaim is his work on the Senate Homeland 
             Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Select 
             Committee on Intelligence. Serving with Senator Coburn on 
             both of those committees for many years, I have seen first 
             hand his brilliance, his tenacity, and his determination 
             to strengthen our Nation and the safety of our people. He 
             has a keen understanding of the grave and ever-evolving 
             threats that our Nation faces.
               As a citizen legislator, Senator Coburn leads by example 
             and with compassion. With his expertise as a physician, he 
             has been a leader in promoting wellness, disease 
             prevention, combating HIV/AIDS, and advancing biomedical 
             research. When it comes to fiscal responsibility, he walks 
             the walk, having returned more than $1 million from his 
             Senate office budget to the American taxpayers.
               We have heard many descriptions of Tom Coburn today, but 
             the word I most associate with him is ``integrity.'' He is 
             a man of the utmost integrity, who always stands tall for 
             his principles and for what he believes in. He sets an 
             example for all of us who seek to serve the public.
               On a personal note, I want to thank Senator Coburn for 
             hounding me into joining a Women's Prayer Breakfast that 
             meets each week and has introduced me to a number of 
             wonderful women from the House of Representatives who have 
             become my close friends as well as colleagues. I use the 
             word ``hound'' appropriately. He mentioned it to me so 
             many times that eventually I gave in and went to one of 
             those breakfasts, and, indeed, it has been a spiritually 
             enriching experience that I never would have had but for 
             Tom continuing to press me to attend.
               This past January Senator Coburn announced his intention 
             to leave the Senate, due in part to his deepening health 
             problems--problems he has faced with extraordinary 
             courage. This somber news was counterbalanced by his 
             overarching concern, not for himself, but for his family 
             and for the people of his State and our Nation.
               As he now returns to the life of a private citizen, I 
             wish him every success in combating his illness, and I 
             thank him for his truly extraordinary service to our 
             country. To quote from Scripture, I think everyone would 
             agree with these words when it comes to Tom Coburn: ``Well 
             done, good and faithful servant.''

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Delaware.

               Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I have no prepared remarks. I 
             am trying to speak right from my heart, and my heart is 
             full.
               I want to start off by thanking Tom for the very kind 
             comments he made about serving with me. We met 10 years 
             ago. He was that bomb thrower--still is a little bit--that 
             Saxby talked about when they were elected 20 years ago. I 
             was one of the people who came up, along with Lamar 
             Alexander, George Voinovich, and Mark Pryor, for an 
             orientation for new Senators so that when they got here we 
             could actually spend some time and teach the new guys and 
             gals the ropes.
               I remember the first day we convened and put them all in 
             a big circle in Ted Stevens' office, a beautiful office 
             here in the Capitol, and out of those 3 days Tom and 
             Carolyn and Michelle and Barack began to bond and became 
             friends. I didn't know how close friends they were until 
             about 4 or 5 years ago. Barack Obama had given the State 
             of the Union Address. I was sitting on the Republican 
             side. There was a time when we actually went back and 
             forth to try to mix things up. The President finished his 
             speech, and there is no ropeline at those speeches. The 
             President came along to shake hands with people. I was 
             sitting next to Tom, and we walked down so we could say hi 
             to the President.
               I will never forget what the President said to him. In 
             just the quiet between the two of them--they embraced, and 
             the President said to him, ``Are you still praying for 
             me?'' Very quietly, Tom Coburn said, ``Every night.''
               Just like that--they didn't agree on everything, but 
             they were friends. They are friends, and they will always 
             be friends. I hope Tom and I will be as well.
               I remember sitting up there where Cory Booker, our new 
             Senator from New Jersey, is sitting now, listening to Mike 
             Enzi talking about how he worked so well with Ted Kennedy, 
             one of the most liberal Democrats in the Senate, and Mike 
             Enzi, one of the most conservative--and how they got 
             extraordinary amounts of stuff done.
               I just want to say that the legislation coming out of 
             our committee--and Senator Collins has led that committee 
             before--is moving through this body and the House--it is 
             really pretty amazing--to strengthen our cyberdefenses, to 
             take the chemical facility antiterrorism law that Susan 
             Collins authored and to make it better and make it real, 
             to better protect our Nation's information from attacks 
             from all over the world, to try to make our Postal Service 
             not just relevant and not just hanging on but actually 
             vibrant and real.
               But that day, Mike Enzi talked about the 80/20 rule with 
             Ted Kennedy. He said, ``Ted Kennedy and I agree on about 
             80 percent of the stuff, and we disagree on 20 percent. He 
             and I decided to focus on the 80 percent we agreed on and 
             set aside the 20 percent we didn't agree on to another 
             day.''
               I call that the ``Enzi rule,'' and that has helped guide 
             me here in the Senate, and it certainly has helped to 
             guide me in the work I have been privileged to do with Dr. 
             Coburn.
               When I became chairman of the committee about 2 years 
             ago and Dr. Coburn was going to be the ranking member of 
             the committee, somebody asked me what it was going to be 
             like. ``How are you going to work with this guy?''
               I said, ``It is going to be a little like a marriage. 
             You have to work at it every day. Everybody has to give 
             and meet somewhere in the middle.''
               I love to ask people who have been married a long time 
             what the secret is for being married a long time. Some of 
             you have maybe heard me talk about this. I get some really 
             hilarious answers but also some really terrific and 
             insightful answers.
               I think the best one I have ever gotten when I asked 
             what is the secret for being married 40, 50, 60, 70 years 
             is the two c's. It is not Coburn and Carper. It is the two 
             c's: communicate and compromise. That is not only the 
             secret for a vibrant, long marriage for two people; it is 
             a secret for a vibrant democracy.
               I believe the reason why Tom and I have had this 
             partnership that I think has been productive is, one, we 
             surround ourselves with people--certainly for me--smarter 
             than us. The second thing is we believe in communicating, 
             we believe in compromising, and we believe in 
             collaborating. I think the American people are the 
             beneficiaries of that.
               We have a reception later today for Tom, and I hope he 
             comes. We will have the opportunity to say some more 
             things, as well. He is not the kind of person who likes to 
             be praised, so this is probably punishment. There is a 
             verse in the Scriptures talking about heaping with praise, 
             pouring praise all over. This is probably a little like 
             that. But I want to close with this. His words on the 
             Bowles-Simpson Commission are for the ages, and I hope we 
             will never walk away from the lessons he showed us with 
             his courage in supporting that work and helping to craft 
             that work.
               There are words in the Scriptures, in Matthew 25, that 
             talk about the least of these in our society. When I was 
             sick, when I was hungry, when I was thirsty, when I was 
             naked, when I was in prison--those are the questions. The 
             answer: If you have done it to the least of these, you 
             have done it also to Me.
               Senator Coburn believes we have a moral responsibility, 
             a moral obligation to the least of these in our society. 
             He also believes we have a fiscal obligation, a fiscal 
             imperative to meet that moral obligation in a fiscally 
             responsible way. I think those two ideas guide him in his 
             work, and, frankly, it is an inspiration to me.
               Last word. Leaders should be humble, not haughty. 
             Leaders should lead by our example, not ``do as I say'' 
             but ``do as I do.'' Leaders should have the heart of a 
             servant. Leaders should have the courage to stay out of 
             step when everyone else is marching to the wrong tune. 
             Leaders ought to be committed to doing what is right, not 
             what is easy. Leaders should treat other people the way 
             they want to be treated. Tom has offended just about 
             everybody in this body, but he always comes back and 
             apologizes, and he has already done it here today. Leaders 
             should focus on excellence in everything they do. If it 
             isn't perfect, make it better. It is in the preamble of 
             the Constitution--``in order to form a more perfect 
             Union.'' That defines him. Finally, if you think you are 
             right and you know you are right, never give up. That is 
             what a leader should be about.
               For the years he served here and for a long time before 
             that and for a long time to come, he has been that leader, 
             and I feel lucky to say he is my friend.
               God bless you.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Carolina.

               Mr. BURR. Mr. President, I feel surrounded by friends 
             and colleagues who are getting ready to leave, and being 
             part of that original class 20 years ago, there is one 
             thing that I have learned is unique in Washington. I am 
             next to two people who are voluntarily leaving. The 
             toughest decision a Member of Congress ever makes is to 
             leave this institution voluntarily. I know that for my two 
             friends and my third one, Mike Johanns, this was not easy. 
             It is not easy to stand here and know that in January they 
             are not going to be here any longer, because they are 
             truly friends, and that is tough.
               To say that Tom Coburn can be intimidating I think is an 
             understatement, and I think that comes because his breadth 
             of knowledge based upon his experiences in life enables 
             him to be an expert on a lot of issues.
               With that in mind, I remember the day Tom sat down--we 
             were leaving that week, and I said, ``What are you going 
             to do this weekend?'' And he said, ``Well, Sarah's future 
             fiance is coming to sit down with me to find out whether 
             he can marry my daughter.'' I looked at him and thought, I 
             would hate to be that young man.
               Well, the truth is that Tom is a very intimidating guy. 
             He plays hard, and he plays to win.
               There is not an individual I know who is more fair and 
             more compassionate than Tom Coburn. I remember the day the 
             Bush administration wanted to extend the PEPFAR Program--
             the AIDS in Africa program--and when Tom found out that 
             they were going to relax the requirement on how many 
             people were treated and that more money would go to 
             education than to actually saving lives, he grabbed me and 
             he said, ``We can't let this stand. We've got to fight it. 
             We've got to change it.'' It was Tom Coburn who blocked 
             the reauthorization of President Bush's PEPFAR plan for 6 
             months--a Republican President, a Republican Senator. Why? 
             On principle.
               Tom Coburn, if you didn't know it before this speech 
             today, has never done anything in this institution or in 
             life that wasn't based upon principle. No Member of 
             Congress should ever question whether he thinks he is 
             right because if he didn't think he was right, he wouldn't 
             fight so hard.
               It is particularly difficult for me to say goodbye to 
             Tom. We truly are legislative partners. We fought a lot of 
             battles for a long time, and inherently we have a level of 
             trust in each other that I would actually sign on to 
             legislation that I had no idea what it did; I just knew 
             that in that foxhole he needed somebody he could count on, 
             and I knew when he signed on to something that I needed, 
             that there was always somebody there to cover my back.
               The institution is losing something significant when we 
             no longer have that legislative expertise Tom Coburn 
             represents.
               There are a lot of descriptions that people have used 
             today and that people will use in the future to describe 
             Tom Coburn, but I would boil it down to two words that I 
             think best describe him: Tom Coburn is a good man. In 
             every sense of the word, he is a good man. This 
             institution will lose a great leader when Tom Coburn 
             retires.
               Godspeed, Tom.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New York.

               Mr. SCHUMER. I will be very brief. I know people are 
             waiting to speak.
               I guess it would surprise the world in general to know 
             that Tom Coburn and I are true friends, but we are. He is 
             a man of integrity above all.
               You don't have to agree with someone--we probably 
             disagree on 90 percent of all the issues--to trust 
             someone's integrity, to trust someone's handshake, to 
             trust someone that if you make a good argument, 
             understanding their values, they will come along. That is 
             just what Tom Coburn has done time and time again with 
             this Senator from New York and countless others on the 
             other side of the aisle.
               On so many issues where Tom was opposed, I said, ``Let's 
             just sit down and let me give you the logic and then you 
             will make your own judgment.'' I knew that would be good 
             enough. Sometimes it didn't work. Sometimes he disagreed. 
             But he always sat and listened. He always asked perceptive 
             questions, not ``gotcha'' questions. He was trying to 
             figure it out.
               Of course the most well known was when we negotiated on 
             the Zadroga bill. Thousands of New Yorkers had rushed to 
             the Towers and gotten poison in their lungs and their 
             gastrointestinal systems, and we wanted to help them. We 
             thought they were just like our veterans. Tom knew it was 
             a big expense. He sat with us, listened, made suggestions 
             to make it leaner and trimmer, and then supported the 
             bill. So right now there are people alive throughout the 
             New York area, heroes, because of the integrity of that 
             man from Oklahoma.
               Tom, I will miss you. This body will miss you. 
             Regardless of our ideological views and perceptions, we 
             will miss you. You are a great American.
               I yield the floor.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.

               Mr. MANCHIN. First of all, there is not a whole lot that 
             needs to be said that hasn't been said, but one thing I 
             want to say to my dear friend Tom Coburn is that he made 
             Washington happen for me, if you will. He made it more 
             tolerable. I had a hard time in transitioning. Tom reached 
             out. He saw that. We talked about this before, but Tom 
             made this place more palatable.
               Tom, you have expanded my area of friendships with more 
             people than you know and the right type of people, and I 
             appreciate it I think more than you even know.
               I will end with this, and I don't mean to say a lot. I 
             have been asked about Tom Coburn. How would I explain him? 
             Tom Coburn's got soul. I mean that from the bottom of my 
             heart, brother. You have soul, and I thank you for what 
             soul you brought to this place.
               God bless.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona.

               Mr. FLAKE. Fourteen years ago I entered the House of 
             Representatives. I had been elected, but before I took 
             office, I traveled to Washington, and Matt Salmon, the 
             Congressman I was replacing, said, ``Is there anybody you 
             want to meet?'' And I said, ``Tom Coburn.'' I had watched 
             from afar what he had done on the Appropriations Committee 
             and the stands he had taken, and I admired him. I went and 
             visited with him in his office while he was packing up his 
             stuff. I will never forget that. I have to say that today 
             I admire him even more than I did then, having watched him 
             go back into the private sector and then enter the Senate.
               Columnist George Will said Tom Coburn was the most 
             dangerous creature that could come into the Senate. Why? 
             Because he is simply uninterested in being popular. I 
             think that is certainly true. But if he didn't care about 
             it, it happened anyway. I have news for Tom. As you can 
             see around, he has become popular. But one thing he never 
             managed to achieve, if he sought it, was becoming 
             partisan. When you hear those across the aisle lavish 
             praise on this man, realize that was never one of his 
             goals and never happened, much to his credit.
               I thank you and your staff for your generosity over the 
             years to me and my staff and for what you have done for 
             this institution, for your colleagues, and for me 
             personally.
               I yield back.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.

               Mr. KING. Mr. President, I probably have known Tom for 
             the least length of time of anybody in this Chamber, and I 
             want to offer some comments from the perspective of only 2 
             years and really more like a year and a half since we 
             became friends and colleagues.
               I have seen Senator Coburn in two contexts--one is 
             intelligence and the other is faith. He and I serve on the 
             Intelligence Committee. We sit directly across from each 
             other. That committee is generally a nonpartisan one, but 
             it is also one where all the meetings generally are 
             closed. There is no press. You can really take the measure 
             of someone when they ask questions and participate in a 
             debate in that forum.
               His questions always struck me as the questions I wished 
             I had asked, and they struck me as the questions I am sure 
             the people of America would have wanted asked. They were 
             penetrating, they cut through obfuscation, and they were 
             always meaningful and helped us move toward the important 
             work that committee has to accomplish.
               I have also become acquainted with him through our faith 
             and participation in the Wednesday Prayer Breakfasts, and 
             more recently, for reasons that I am not entirely sure, he 
             has invited me to join him on Tuesday evenings for dinners 
             on the other side of the Capitol that have been very 
             meaningful.
               For the 9 years before I came here, I taught a course 
             called ``Leaders and Leadership,'' and I taught it at a 
             couple of colleges in Maine. I taught it really as much 
             for myself as for my students because I wanted to try to 
             understand what leadership was, and I thought if I signed 
             on to teach it, I would have to learn something about it. 
             Every year what we did was go through and discuss the 
             stories of great leaders throughout history, some well 
             known and some not so well known. We always started with 
             Ernest Shackleton. We talked about Eleanor Roosevelt and 
             Margaret Thatcher and Martin Luther King and Lincoln and 
             Churchill. We always tried to define the qualities that 
             make a leader, and there are lots of them--perseverance, 
             communication, vision, teamwork, trust--but the last one 
             on the list and the one that brings me back to Tom is 
             always character. It is an indefinable quality. You cannot 
             really put a specific definition to it, but people like 
             Lincoln had it, Ernest Shackleton had it, Joshua Lawrence 
             Chamberlain from Maine had it, Eleanor Roosevelt had it. 
             It involves a combination of qualities that Tom embodies, 
             and almost all of them have been mentioned here today--
             integrity, intelligence, honesty, faith, belief in 
             principle, and daring to stand for principle. It is the 
             hardest thing to teach, but it is the easiest thing to 
             see. The reason I felt so privileged to get to know this 
             man for such a short period of time is that he has shown 
             me what character is all about.
               Tom, it is one of the great joys of my life to have had 
             these 2 years to get to know you, if only slightly. It is 
             one of the great sadnesses of my life that it has only 
             been 2 years.
               Godspeed, Tom. You have made a difference for this 
             country that we all love and honor and respect. Thank you 
             for your service and for sharing your great character with 
             all of us.
               I yield the floor.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.

               Mr. ISAKSON. I was elected in a special election 16 
             years ago. I was No. 435 in the House of Representatives, 
             so I did what my father told me to do when I went into 
             business. He said, ``Son, sit in the back of the room, 
             listen to people who are smart, pay attention to them, and 
             do what the smart people do.''
               After 2 weeks of listening to Tom Coburn, I said no 
             human being could know as much about everything as this 
             guy named Coburn. In 16 years, I have come to believe, 
             yes, there is one who knows about everything he speaks of, 
             and that is Tom Coburn.
               Senator Coburn has been a great role model for me. The 
             Senator from Oklahoma has taught me many great lessons, 
             and I have learned a lot from him.
               The greatest evangelists in life are those who witness 
             their faith, and Tom Coburn is a true witness for his 
             faith and has changed the lives of many people. I have 
             enjoyed, as much as anything, our walk with faith at the 
             Prayer Breakfasts, in private meetings, and what we have 
             shared together.
               Last, every Christmas I try to give my grandchildren who 
             can read something to read as a little treasury to put in 
             their book to save so that when they grow up, they can 
             refer to great things and great historical statements that 
             have been made. I doubt if there has ever been a better 
             statement made on the floor of the Senate about our 
             heritage, our country, our future, and our hopes than Tom 
             Coburn has said today. It will be required reading for my 
             grandchildren this Christmas, and I can assure you that I 
             am a better man for having served with Tom Coburn, the 
             great Senator from the State of Oklahoma.
               God bless you, Tom.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma.

               Mr. INHOFE. The other Senator from Oklahoma.
               I wish to make some unscripted comments, but sincere and 
             from the heart. I hope I am accurate when I say this, that 
             I think in some respect I discovered Tom Coburn. I suspect 
             that Tom and I are the only two who have ever been to 
             Adair, OK. I remember hearing that there was a 
             conservative doctor from Muskogee. I remember calling him 
             up at that time and asking him to run for the House of 
             Representatives, which he did. He kept his commitments and 
             did everything he was supposed to do. I always remember 
             that day.
               As Senator Coburn knows, we have a place my wife and I 
             built on a big lake in Oklahoma back in 1962--a long time 
             ago. When I drive up there, I go through Adair, and I go 
             by that little sheltered area that is half torn down now. 
             They tore down the biggest bank in town. Every time I go 
             by there, I have to say I recall meeting for the first 
             time with a young doctor named Tom Coburn.
               I regret to say there are times in our service together 
             when we have not been in agreement on specific issues, and 
             I think we have a characteristic in common. I think we are 
             both kind of bullheaded, which has created some temporary 
             hard feelings, but there is one thing that overshadows 
             that. Jesus has a family, and His family has a lot of 
             people in it. Some are here in this room. Tom Coburn and I 
             are brothers.
               In the 20 years I have been here in the Senate, I don't 
             believe I heard a speech that was as touching and sincere 
             as the speech I heard from my junior Senator a few minutes 
             ago.
               I really believe that in spite of all the things that 
             have happened--and there were some differences, but they 
             were minor--that he never ceased to be my brother, and I 
             want to ask the Senator right now to forgive me for the 
             times I have perhaps said something unintentionally that 
             was not always right and was not always from the heart. 
             But I want my junior Senator to know that I sincerely love 
             him and am going to be hurting with him with the troubles 
             he has right now, or might have in the future, and will 
             sorely miss him in this body.
               I ask that the Record show that I sincerely love my 
             brother, Senator Coburn.
               I yield the floor.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Indiana.

               Mr. COATS. I have been sitting here listening to the 
             respect and the emotion of people recognizing the service 
             of Tom Coburn. I don't have a prepared speech, but I 
             second everything that has been said about Tom.
               My emotions well up in me when I think about Tom. Tom 
             exhibits the conviction that I wish I had more of, Tom 
             exhibits the commitment I wish I had more of, and he 
             exhibits the courage I wish I had more of.
               I remember my very dear friend Chuck Olson made this 
             statement, ``Lord, show me the kind of person You would 
             like me to be and give me the strength to be that 
             person.''
               I feel like God has given a gift to the Senate, and 
             certainly a gift to me, by simply saying, take a look at 
             Tom Coburn. Look at the qualities he exhibits and his 
             commitment to faith. He is a pretty good model to follow.
               Thank you, Tom.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.

               Mr. BEGICH. I came down to give my farewell remarks, but 
             before I do, I have to make a comment about Senator 
             Coburn. Senator Coburn is absolutely what many people said 
             about his word. Yesterday was an example of that when he 
             resolved an issue.
               There is always activity after the Senate, and I wish my 
             friend from Oklahoma the best.

               Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I would like to make some 
             remarks about Senator Coburn.
               Tom Coburn is one of the more remarkable Senators who 
             have served in this body--certainly since I have been 
             here. He is a man with absolute courage, conviction, and 
             dedication to make this country better. He didn't come 
             here to go through the job and go through the motions; he 
             came here to invest his great skills and his great 
             intellectual ability and to pour his drive and effort into 
             making America a better place. It is very special. It is 
             unusual. I have not seen anything like it, as I said, 
             since I have been here.
               I always had great reluctance to disagree or oppose 
             anything Tom offered. They were not always perfect, but 
             basically I opposed them so seldom because I agreed with 
             him time and time again. I always hated to vote no because 
             I knew he had studied the issue, understood it, and was 
             doing what he believed was right.
               His whole philosophy and approach to government, had it 
             been more effectively followed by other Members of this 
             body, would have led us to a better country. To support 
             what he said, I think in a way, was supporting high ideals 
             for America.
               I want to say I am going to miss him. People have no 
             idea how many times he has stopped or altered bad 
             legislation to make it better and less problematic and 
             more principled. He believes that ours is a 
             constitutionally limited government. He didn't just 
             believe that, he acted on it and has acted on it 
             consistently.
               I understand, and I have no doubt of this--we don't need 
             to run a test--but I understand and have no doubt that he 
             has offered more amendments since I have been in the 
             Senate than any other Senator. They have been amendments 
             to stop waste, fraud, and abuse, to make the government 
             more efficient, leaner, to consolidate multiple programs 
             that should be consolidated for efficiency.
               He has worked across the aisle on a host of issues. He 
             has sought bipartisan support for matters that are small 
             and large. It is remarkable. I have to say that we are 
             going to lose someone who is of great value. He would 
             easily have been reelected had he run again.
               I remember him saying one time--and this is his 
             philosophy--if you want to be reelected, don't worry about 
             being reelected, just do the right thing, and you won't 
             have any difficulties. He never had any difficulties in 
             his election, because people trusted him. They knew every 
             day, night and day, long hours, whatever, he was working 
             to advance the common interest of our country. They 
             trusted that he was not seduced, bought out, compromised 
             by the powers that be in Washington, DC, and he remained 
             true to those who sent him here.
               I would say this: Part of the strength he has--as a 
             matter of fact, maybe the greatest part of his strength is 
             his faith. He is intelligent, sophisticated, 
             knowledgeable, a scientist, a doctor, but a man of simple 
             Christian faith which impacts his life as much as anybody 
             in this body. He understands the true meaning of life, and 
             he gives himself to others in a most remarkable way.
               Thank you, and colleagues, for the opportunity for me to 
             share these remarks. We are going to miss our friend Tom 
             Coburn, who is going to object to those bills that require 
             a lot of effort to make them better or stop some that are 
             so bad they cannot be passed. A lot of us are going to 
             have to pick up the slack.
               Maybe Tom would say, ``What are you doing down here, 
             Jeff, wasting time talking about me when you ought to be 
             studying this bill and finding some of the bogus spending 
             that is in it? You should be spending your time fixing 
             it.''
               But every now and then I think we should stop and 
             recognize an extraordinary life and an extraordinary 
             Senator.
               I wanted to share these remarks.
               I thank the Chair and yield the floor and suggest the 
             absence of a quorum.
                                              Friday, December 12, 2014
               Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, I will now speak very briefly 
             about my retiring colleagues and then turn it over to the 
             Senator from Florida. I promise I will be brief.
               Everybody will face retirement, voluntarily or 
             involuntarily. There will be a last vote to cast and a 
             last speech to make. Only God knows when that day comes 
             because we are all just one car wreck away from ending our 
             careers.
               To the retiring Members, I have had the pleasure of 
             serving with you, and I know you all. You did what you 
             thought was best for our country and your State, and what 
             more could anyone ask? My good friend Mark Pryor, who 
             tried to find common ground at a time when it is hard to 
             find. Mary Landrieu, who would drill under the Capitol if 
             she thought it would help American energy independence. We 
             have good friends on the other side, and I will miss you, 
             and I wish you well. But I would like very briefly to 
             speak about four. ...
               To Tom Coburn, when I grow up, I want to be like Tom. I 
             don't see that happening anytime soon, me growing up. Tom 
             Coburn has been at this for 20 years. We came in together. 
             He was one of the first people I met in the freshman class 
             of 1995--the 1994 Contract with America class. He was full 
             of ideas and determination from the first day I met him 
             until the very last day he leaves.
               I cannot tell you, Tom, how proud I am to call you my 
             friend. You and Carolyn have become dear friends, and you, 
             my friend, have changed this body for the better. You had 
             an awesome staff, and you will be missed, but what you 
             contributed to the Senate will last long after I am gone, 
             and we will all be the better. ...
               To all of you, Godspeed. I wish you nothing but the 
             best.
               I am fortunate enough to go into my third term. To my 
             colleagues, as we go into the next Congress, let's try to 
             do better. I know we can. If we do, all boats will rise.

               Mr. HATCH. Madam President, I pay tribute to my friend 
             Tom Coburn as he prepares to leave the Senate. For 10 
             years, Tom has served the people of Oklahoma as their 
             junior Senator. He is a man of principle and fierce 
             determination. He has shown himself willing time and again 
             to stand up to special interests and to fight for what he 
             believes in. He will be missed.
               Senator Coburn was born in Casper, WY, in 1948, and was 
             raised in Muskogee, OK. His father Orin was a prominent 
             optician and the founder of Coburn Optical Industries. Tom 
             attended college at Oklahoma State University, where he 
             graduated with a degree in accounting. From 1970 to 1978 
             he was a manufacturing manager at his family's company. 
             After a bout with cancer, Tom returned to school to become 
             a physician, graduating in 1983 from the University of 
             Oklahoma Medical School. Following his residency, Tom 
             moved back to Muskogee to practice family medicine and 
             obstetrics. He has personally delivered more than 4,000 
             babies.
               Senator Coburn began his career in public service in 
             1994, when he was elected to the U.S. House of 
             Representatives from Oklahoma. He served in the House for 
             6 years, then went back to Muskogee to resume his medical 
             practice. Three years later, in 2004, Tom was elected to 
             the U.S. Senate to fill the seat being vacated by retiring 
             Senator Don Nickles. Here in the Senate he has served with 
             distinction on a number of important committees, including 
             the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, 
             of which he is the ranking member.
               Since first arriving in Congress, Senator Coburn has 
             been a strong proponent of fiscal restraint. His efforts 
             to fight deficit spending, pork barrel projects, and 
             earmarks earned him the nickname ``Dr. No.'' I have always 
             thought this nickname was a compliment to Tom. It shows he 
             is willing to stand up against powerful interests in 
             defense of his principles, and that he takes seriously the 
             problems of unnecessary spending and long-term debt. 
             Passing a balanced budget amendment has been a priority of 
             mine for many years, and I have been glad to count Tom as 
             a strong ally in that effort.
               I have also been fortunate to work with Senator Coburn 
             on a number of other issues during his time in the Senate. 
             Earlier this year, Tom and I, along with Senator Richard 
             Burr, introduced the Patient CARE Act, a market-based 
             alternative to Obamacare. Tom and I have also worked 
             together to fight waste and corruption at the Department 
             of Health and Human Services and to reinvigorate the 
             States' roles in meeting transportation, safety, and other 
             needs.
               Madam President, Senator Coburn is an honorable and 
             steadfast man. He has served his country well. I wish him, 
             his wife Carolyn, and their family the very best.

               Mr. ENZI. Madam President, at the close of each session 
             of Congress it is our tradition to take a moment to 
             express our appreciation and say goodbye to those of our 
             colleagues who will be retiring at the session's close. It 
             is always a bittersweet moment to reflect on the important 
             contributions our friends have made as they worked so hard 
             to represent their States and our Nation.
               Such an individual is Tom Coburn and that is just one of 
             the reasons why we will miss him. Tom always has and 
             always will be a strong voice for conservative values and 
             principles. There are not many who can express their 
             beliefs with the same kind of clarity and power he brings 
             to the issues the Senate takes up for deliberations.
               I will always believe that Tom has been so successful in 
             his career as a political leader and a doctor because he 
             began his life with one of the greatest of all 
             advantages--he was born in Wyoming, in Casper. That was 
             not all. He graduated from Oklahoma State University with 
             a degree in accounting. As an accountant myself I was not 
             surprised by that. His love of accounting, his fondness 
             for numbers and details, and his Wyoming birth all help to 
             explain his power of persuasion.
               I am kidding about that but one thing that is true about 
             his background is how his love of numbers and his 
             understanding of budgets and accounting practices has 
             helped him to understand the financial problems we 
             currently face as a nation and the importance of taking 
             action to address them before they get so far out of hand 
             we will be jeopardizing the future of our children and our 
             grandchildren.
               That would have never happened on Tom's watch. 
             Grandfathers are like that. With one eye on the bottom 
             line and the other on the future of our Nation, Tom has 
             developed an amazing knack for finding ways to cut waste 
             and save money, time, and effort. For Tom it is clear, if 
             it is worth doing at all, it is worth doing well.
               His insight and his immediate grasp of the essence of so 
             many controversial and complicated issues has made him a 
             great asset on the committees on which he has served. His 
             willingness to get involved and lead on some pretty 
             difficult issues has enabled him to make a difference that 
             will be remembered around here for quite a while.
               In our deliberations one of Tom's great weapons has been 
             his mastery and understanding of the facts surrounding his 
             positions on the issues we have taken up in committee and 
             on the floor. He is an excellent speaker and when he talks 
             we are all very attentive. The reason why is simple. If 
             you agree with him you want to know what his views are so 
             you will be able to strengthen your own arguments on the 
             bill with some of his reflections and recommendations. If 
             you disagree with him you will still want to hear him 
             speak so you will know what the toughest arguments are you 
             will be faced with during our deliberations.
               No matter what side you are on, it is rare that anyone 
             has ever questioned his facts. They may not like them--but 
             you cannot avoid acknowledging them.
               In addition, as a father, a grandfather, and a 
             physician, Tom has been an outspoken advocate on health 
             and medical issues. During his career he has worked to 
             increase the access of seniors to the health care services 
             they need. He has also been active in efforts to try to 
             control health care costs and protect the right to life of 
             the unborn.
               He has such a strong kinship with the delegations of the 
             West because Tom has a strong and heartfelt understanding 
             of the challenges of our urban communities. I have often 
             said one of our great battles here in Washington is to 
             help our colleagues get a deeper understanding of the 
             difference in life in the large eastern cities and the 
             smaller rural communities of the West. It is a crucial 
             difference that must be understood to get a better sense 
             of what is needed to help both our rural and urban 
             communities to grow and prosper.
               In the next session I know we will miss him, his 
             understanding of our conservative values and principles 
             and his commitment to this generation and the next--and 
             beyond. Tom knows that if future generations are to have 
             it as good as we have we will all have to learn to get 
             along with a little less.
               Now Tom is closing that great chapter of his life that 
             contains his service in the House and the Senate. It has 
             not been easy. The House and Senate are very different 
             places in which to work--and make progress--but Tom has 
             managed to do it--and he has the results to show for his 
             efforts.
               Thank you, Tom, for all you have done to make our Nation 
             a better place to live. We are grateful for your service, 
             for your vision for America and most of all, your 
             commitment to the future of Oklahoma and our Nation. 
             Please keep in touch with us. I am going to keep your 
             number on speed dial in my office so I'll have it when one 
             of those days comes along when I need a thoughtful word or 
             two for a debate or a committee session. As the saying 
             goes, facts are tough and powerful things and when it 
             comes to those issues in which he truly believes, so is 
             Tom Coburn.
                                              Monday, December 15, 2014
               Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, while several Members of 
             this Senate class will be retiring this year at the end of 
             their terms, another Senator will also be taking his leave 
             of this Chamber, in the midst of his current term. For a 
             decade, Senator Tom Coburn has represented his 
             constituents in Oklahoma with steadfast dedication and 
             perseverance. He and I have not always agreed, but I have 
             always respected and admired his commitment to his 
             principles.
               Senator Coburn has built a record and reputation as a 
             fiscal hawk, reminiscent in some ways of the role that the 
             late Senator Howard Metzenbaum of Ohio assumed for many 
             years in the Senate. Senator Coburn can be a tough 
             bargainer, and sometimes he has chosen not to seek or 
             accept compromise at all. But he also has shown the 
             ability to work across the aisle, whether on reducing 
             government spending or promoting transparency in 
             government. In the first Congress in which he served in 
             the Senate, he partnered with then-Senator Barack Obama 
             and others to author the Federal Funding Accountability 
             and Transparency Act, which established a public, online 
             database detailing Federal spending. For many years he 
             served as an active member of the Senate Judiciary 
             Committee, where we worked together on such policy issues 
             as patent reform, copyright protections, and support for 
             law enforcement.
               Senator Coburn is a longtime public servant for the 
             State of Oklahoma. Members retire from Congress for a host 
             of reasons, and I know Senator Coburn's retirement has 
             been hastened. He has left his mark on this institution, 
             and I wish him, his wife Carolyn, their three daughters 
             and their grandchildren good health and all the best in 
             Tom Coburn's retirement from the Senate.
                                             Tuesday, December 16, 2014
               Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, as we wind down the final days 
             of the 113th Congress, it is a good time both to reflect 
             on the past and to look toward the future. I have been 
             very moved as I listened to the farewell speeches of our 
             departing Senators, and I wish I had time to pay tribute 
             to each one of them. They have all been wonderful 
             colleagues, and I enjoyed working with and getting to know 
             every one of them. I wish them all the very best in all 
             their future endeavors. They will most certainly be 
             missed. ...

               Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I wish to celebrate and thank 
             the 13 outgoing Senators who have worked tirelessly to 
             represent their home States in the Senate: Senator Mark 
             Begich, Senator Saxby Chambliss, Senator Tom Coburn, 
             Senator Kay Hagan, Senator Tom Harkin, Senator Mike 
             Johanns, Senator Tim Johnson, Senator Mary Landrieu, 
             Senator Carl Levin, Senator Mark Pryor, Senator Jay 
             Rockefeller, Senator Mark Udall, and Senator John Walsh.
               I have worked side by side with these men and women for 
             years--some for decades--and witnessed first hand their 
             extraordinary commitment to public service and to the 
             people they so proudly represent.
               Even when we didn't see eye to eye on every issue, I 
             always deeply respected and admired their service to our 
             Nation and their dedication to fight for what they believe 
             in.
               It has been a privilege to serve alongside each and 
             every one of these extraordinary colleagues. I will miss 
             their leadership and their friendship, and I wish them all 
             the best as they embark on the next chapter.

                                    [all]