    [Senate Document 113-40]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                          TRIBUTES TO HON. MAX BAUCUS

                                    Max Baucus

                           U.S. SENATOR FROM MONTANA

                                    TRIBUTES

                               IN THE CONGRESS OF

                               THE UNITED STATES

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                                                     S. Doc. 113-40

                                          Tributes

                                    Delivered in Congress

                                         Max Baucus

                                  United States Congressman

                                          1975-1978

                                    United States Senator

                                          1978-2014

    [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
                 Letters of Resignation................................
                                                                      xviii
                 Proceedings in the Senate:
                    Tributes by Senators:
                        Bennet, Michael F., of Colorado................
                                                                         24
                        Cantwell, Maria, of Washington.................
                                                                         22
                        Carper, Thomas R., of Delaware.................
                                                                         15
                        Casey, Robert P., Jr., of Pennsylvania.........
                                                                         18
                        Durbin, Richard J., of Illinois................
                                                                         17
                        Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah.......................
                                                                         13
                        Levin, Carl, of Michigan.......................
                                                                         19
                        Menendez, Robert, of New Jersey................
                                                                         11
                        Nelson, Bill, of Florida.......................
                                                                         18
                        Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
                                                                         12
                        Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
                                                                      3, 12
                        Schumer, Charles E., of New York...............
                                                                          5
                        Tester, Jon, of Montana........................
                                                                          6
                        Wyden, Ron, of Oregon..........................
                                                                         20

                                          BIOGRAPHY

                   Throughout his career, Max Baucus never forgot where he
                 came from or who he represented. Raised on a ranch near
                 Helena, Max understands the values of hard work, faith,
                 family, and community. That's why he did ``workdays'' as
                 often as he could with local businesses in Montana. Max
                 would spend a full day working alongside Montanans to gain
                 a better perspective of the challenges they face. He's
                 done workdays on farms and ranches, at butcher shops and
                 pharmacies, schools and construction sites.
                   In 1995 and 1996, Max walked the entire 820-mile length
                 of Montana. An avid runner, Max completed a 50-mile
                 running marathon in just over 12 hours in 2003.
                   Boosting the State's economy and creating good paying
                 jobs in Montana topped Max's priority list. By combining
                 his trademark work ethic with independence and experience,
                 Max helped create thousands of good paying jobs in
                 Montana. He's held five separate statewide Montana
                 Economic Development Summits, each of which attracted more
                 than 1,000 people. These meetings, along with the State's
                 top economic development officials and business people,
                 helped lay the foundation for economic development
                 planning in the State.
                   Whether fighting to expand the Children's Health
                 Insurance Program or writing landmark health care reform
                 legislation that is working to reduce the deficit and
                 provide quality, affordable health care coverage for all
                 Americans, Max led the charge to improve choice and
                 competition and make health care work better for
                 Montanans. For decades he led efforts to cut the rising
                 number of the uninsured in Montana and to strengthen
                 Medicare for Montana seniors.
                   By traveling overseas and hosting foreign dignitaries in
                 Montana, Max helped knock down trade barriers and open
                 foreign markets to Montana's high-quality products. He led
                 Montana agriculture and business leaders on trade missions
                 to Asia, Cuba, Australia, and South America.
                   Max was also committed to boosting Montana's education
                 system and fighting to increase access to public lands
                 important to hunting and fishing.
                   Max graduated from Helena High School in 1959. He earned
                 both a bachelor of arts degree and a law degree from
                 Stanford University. He has one son, Zeno. In what little
                 free time Max has, he enjoys hunting, fishing, and hiking
                 on the public lands he fights so hard to keep open.
                                   Farewell to the Senate
                                 Thursday, February 6, 2014

                   Mr. BAUCUS. Let me begin by thanking so many of my
                 friends here: Senators Durbin, Carper, Hatch, and so many
                 others. I must say to you, you have expressed your
                 remarks, and they mean a lot to me. But they probably mean
                 more to me than I think you know. They mean so much to me.
                 Thank you for what you have said.
                   I would also like to begin by thanking the people of
                 Montana. The people of Montana have given me the honor of
                 representing them in the Congress for nearly 40 years. It
                 is 39 now, and actually at the end of this year it will be
                 40 years. I want to thank President Obama very much for
                 the opportunity to serve the American people as Ambassador
                 to China.
                   I also want to recognize one of the best teammates and
                 friends anyone could ever ask for, Senator Jon Tester.
                 Thank you, Jon.
                   There is nothing greater in life than the love of
                 family. I have been an incredibly lucky man. I would like
                 to thank my wife Mel, my son Zeno, his wife Stephanie. I
                 would also to thank our grandchildren, Katie and Joey.
                   Mel, Zeno, Stephanie, Katie, and Joey, you inspire me
                 daily. I am so grateful for each of you. I am so blessed
                 to have Mel in my life. Her energy, her zest for life, her
                 positive outlook, and her love have transformed me. I am
                 the luckiest guy in the world because of Mel. Katie and
                 Joey are clearly inspired by their mother. They are great
                 kids, great achievers. I think the last grades I saw--one
                 is in law school and the other is in college--they had all
                 A's. Why? Because they are inspired by their mother. That
                 is why they do so well, in the best sense of the term.
                   My son Zeno is one of the best kids parents could ever
                 wish for. I am so proud of him. He is so smart,
                 intelligent, and decent. He is currently an assistant U.S.
                 attorney, living in Helena with his wife Stephanie. I am
                 proud of him. You may have read about that case where a
                 lady pushed her husband off a cliff in Glacier Park, MT.
                 He is the prosecutor in that case.
                   I am very proud of him. Again, an indication of how
                 proud I am of him, I learned more about that case reading
                 the papers than I did from him. He keeps his cards close
                 to his vest and is such a decent, smart, effective guy.
                   Stephanie, his wife, has jumped right into life in
                 Montana. She is so talented and special, and the Helena
                 community is very lucky to have her.
                   Thanks so much to my parents Jean and John Baucus. I
                 wish they were here today.
                   Growing up on a ranch in Montana, you learn the simple
                 lessons, the measure of life. You learn to cherish the
                 land. It gets in your blood. You work hard. It is
                 humbling. There is so much you cannot control working on a
                 ranch. You cannot control the weather, whether it rains or
                 it does not rain. You cannot control the prices. It gives
                 you a little perspective to feel philosophical about life.
                   On the ranch you are charged also with nurturing life,
                 nurturing livestock, producing a small part of nature's
                 bounty. You have an obligation to learn as a rancher.
                   It is also the Montana way to love the outdoors. We are
                 outdoors people in Montana. We hunt, we fish, we backpack,
                 we hike, we grow crops, we raise livestock, we mine coal,
                 and we cut timber. I think Montanans are more outdoor
                 people than any other people in the country. We love it.
                 It becomes part of our soul. Montana writer Bud Guthrie
                 said, ``Somehow I am part of it, a mortal partner to
                 eternity.''
                   I grew up this way, and it shored up my belief that we
                 all have a moral obligation to our kids and grandkids when
                 we leave this place, to leave it in as good a shape or in
                 better shape than we found it. That internal compass is
                 also a lasting gift from my parents and their love of the
                 land. My mom is one of the most special persons one could
                 have the privilege to know. She had the class of Grace
                 Kelly and the spunk and grit of Katharine Hepburn. She was
                 a combination of them both--an intelligent, classy lady,
                 always positive, always upbeat. She was so intelligent and
                 so well read. She even read more books than I did. I would
                 come home at night and say, ``Mom, what are you reading?''
                   She would tell me all about the book. One she was
                 reading was President Obama's second book, which he wrote
                 when he was a Senator. ``What do you think about that,
                 Mom?''
                   ``Oh, it is a pretty good book. It has something to say.
                 It is a little long, though.''
                   Anyway, she wrote a note to the President and told him
                 that she liked it. He wrote back, and they became pen
                 pals. It was very nice.
                   Someone asked me last week what my mother would have
                 thought of all this. She would have been incredibly
                 excited and fascinated with the adventure ahead. Although
                 I miss her every day--in fact, I talked to her every day
                 at 5 o'clock in the afternoon. That hour goes by daily,
                 but I keep thinking of her. She is always on my mind, as
                 is my father. He loaded bombs on airplanes in Europe
                 during World War II. A product of the Great Depression, he
                 instilled in me the values of hard work, humility, and
                 good faith. He worked me hard on the ranch, stacked a lot
                 of hay, a lot of fencing. I know why he did it--for the
                 right reasons. I did not complain because I knew that he
                 was trying to raise me in the way that he hoped would help
                 me later in life.
                   He was also such a decent person. No one ever spoke an
                 ill word of my father--ever--such a rock solid character.
                 The Republican Party in Montana asked him to run for
                 Governor. He would not have anything to do with it. He did
                 not care about that politics stuff. He was a rancher and
                 liked what he was doing--ranching. I was so blessed to
                 have such great parents.
                   Now 52 years ago, I was full of youthful idealism and
                 curiosity about life beyond the ranch. I am sure it was
                 caused somewhat by my parents. As a college student at
                 Stanford, I decided to take a year off from my studies
                 between my junior and senior year. I grabbed a knapsack
                 and I hitchhiked around the world for 1 year. It was June-
                 August 1962 to about August-September 1963.
                   I set out to visit countries I had only imagined--India,
                 Japan, and China, to name a few. Before I departed, I had
                 never thought about a life in public service. But that
                 trip opened my eyes. It charted my course. I realized how
                 people across the globe were interconnected. We are all in
                 this together.
                   I saw the indispensable role that America plays as a
                 leader on the world stage. It was so obvious. I knew right
                 where I was, in the middle of the then-Belgian Congo, and
                 I had an epiphany. All this realization hit me that we are
                 so connected, that our natural resources are diminishing.
                 Somehow we have to work better together if we are going to
                 have better lives, not only for ourselves but for everyone
                 on the globe. We are so connected.
                   The world is getting smaller. Our natural resources, in
                 fact, are diminishing. We have to find a way to work
                 better together. I returned home with a commitment to a
                 career where I could improve the lives of my fellow
                 Montanans and of all Americans. I would not be standing
                 here today had it not been for that trip where I
                 hitchhiked around the world, probably the most defining
                 era of my life.
                   It was by far the most influential, and that 1 year set
                 into motion a series of opportunities to serve that I
                 would never have dreamed would take me back to China to
                 represent the United States 50 years later. When I first
                 ran for statewide office in 1973, no one knew me from
                 Adam. I had been away from the State for many years.
                   I needed some advice. I had met Mike Mansfield when I
                 was in high school. Instantly there was a man I totally
                 respected and honored. He planted the seed, I know, for
                 later interest in public service. It was not a defining
                 moment, but I could tell at the time. He told me I should
                 run; I should go back home and serve. I was then working
                 at the SEC, just a short distance from here.
                   If I wanted to run for Congress, he said, it would take
                 a lot of hard work, a lot of shoe leather, and a little
                 bit of luck. I took his advice literally. I wore out as
                 much shoe leather as I knew how. I walked the entire
                 length of the State of Montana from Gardiner in the
                 south--Gardiner is next to Yellowstone Park--up to the
                 Yaak, a remote part of Montana near the Canadian border.
                   I got to know so many great people who later put me to
                 work for them in the House. It was right in the middle of
                 the Watergate political scandal. I joined a congressional
                 class determined to restore good faith and trust in
                 government, a terrific bunch of folks. They were just
                 great, the ``Watergate class.''
                   I think of my friends Chris Dodd, Tom Harkin, Paul
                 Simon, Henry Waxman, and George Miller, to name a few. It
                 was a great class. They were running for office and
                 serving for the right reasons.
                   When I hitchhiked around the globe as a young man, I
                 also realized that no country has a monopoly on religion,
                 culture, or virtue. We are all together. We are all in
                 this together. All people basically have the same dreams
                 for their families--to put food on the table, to make ends
                 meet, to take care of the kids, have health care they
                 could afford, and a clean environment for their families
                 to explore and enjoy.
                   The Senate can make people's dreams a reality. We are so
                 lucky as Americans to have this institution under our
                 Constitution written by our very perceptive forefathers.
                 It offers what few institutions in the world can boast--
                 the opportunity to make a difference when history calls.
                   One of the greatest privileges I have had in this job is
                 having one of the best staffs on the Hill. They are
                 sitting behind me--some of them. They are terrific. They
                 have always been ready with big ideas and dedication to
                 answer history's call. If there is a vanguard of vision,
                 my staff has been in it.
                   I might say, parenthetically, I am very proud of my
                 staff for another reason. My office has spawned about six
                 marriages. A woman or a man working in my office who
                 didn't know each other until they started working in my
                 office got together and got married--six times--and they
                 have all worked but for one. I don't know, but maybe I
                 worked them too hard or maybe not hard enough. Whatever
                 the reason, over the years after they were married, to see
                 their kids, it has been terrific. It meant so much to me.
                   How many people have served since the time I have been
                 here? The answer is 1,423 folks have worked on behalf of
                 Montanans and on behalf of Americans, each person making a
                 positive difference to the lives of others.
                   I thank them all very much.
                   In the years I have been in the Senate, we voted to send
                 our sons and daughters to fight wars overseas, to protect
                 our national security. I think the strongest human
                 instinct is self-preservation. When you come from a
                 beautiful place such as Montana, and from the wonderful
                 people of our State, you will stop at nothing to defend
                 them.
                   Montana has a tradition of answering the call to serve.
                 As a matter of fact, more Montanans have volunteered for
                 service per capita than nearly any State in the Nation.
                   My own nephew Phillip left college to enlist in the
                 Marines. Before long he was far away in Anbar Province
                 serving our country. I loved Phillip as a father. His
                 fellow marines looked to him for support, counsel, advice,
                 and leadership as they faced many firefights. He made
                 lance corporal in record time. He gave his life to our
                 Nation and then returned to the family ranch for the very
                 last time.
                   Phillip, like each one of the fallen heroes who bore our
                 battles, left behind big dreams undone and countless
                 broken hearts. Dust to dust--we still shudder.
                   President Lincoln concluded his second Inaugural Address
                 with a call for the Nation to ``care for him who shall
                 have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan.''
                 Lincoln's commitment remains our sacred duty today.
                   In the Senate we have made progress. We enacted tax
                 credits for businesses that hire veterans and enacted a
                 new GI bill. In the past 10 years Congress has doubled
                 support for the VA. That is an investment of which we
                 should be proud. Someone once wrote: ``In war, there are
                 no unwounded soldiers.'' It is important we remember that.
                 We make the tough votes to authorize war, and we must also
                 find the courage to band together so that our troops
                 return to a nation that honors their service.
                   Of all the bills that I have worked on, there are two
                 that stand out. In 2010 we took the Montana National
                 Guard's model of improved PTSD screening and expanded it
                 nationwide. That concept of very meaningful PTSD screening
                 began in Montana with the Montana National Guard. It
                 worked so well I got it in the defense bill, and it is now
                 being enacted nationwide to make sure we do the very best
                 to protect our kids who are coming home.
                   The new screenings have resulted in more than 800,000
                 servicemembers who have received personal and private one-
                 on-one attention from a trained health care provider--both
                 before and after deployment. Make no mistake; these
                 screenings are saving lives.
                   I am also proud of another life-saving bill, the
                 Affordable Care Act. It has been almost 4 years since
                 President Obama signed that act into law, and in that time
                 the law has done more than any other in the past half
                 century to expand access to health coverage. It has
                 provided 71 million Americans free preventive service.
                 More than 6 million seniors have received discounts on
                 vital prescription drugs.
                   More than 3 million young people have peace of mind
                 knowing they will be allowed to stay on their parents'
                 health plans. I am especially proud that now no child will
                 ever be denied health care coverage because they had been
                 sick or had a preexisting condition.
                   It has been a tough road. It has been a challenge I am
                 proud to have taken on. While the debate over the law
                 continues, I am proud to stand for it because it is
                 helping millions of Americans.
                   Take Julie from Helena. Julie wrote to me that she is
                 self-employed and finally able to get access to
                 affordable, quality health care coverage because of the
                 ACA.
                   John, from Missoula, has a daughter who survived ovarian
                 cancer. Thanks to the ACA, she was able to stay on her
                 parents' insurance and win her battle against cancer.
                   I am very proud of the role I played in helping to make
                 health care more accessible and more affordable to many
                 Americans.
                   In this Chamber there are brilliant men and women. With
                 great respect to my colleagues, I insist that, in the most
                 important respect, Senators are just ordinary people--big,
                 not-so-big, tall, short, men and women. We are just
                 people.
                   It is only through the extraordinary institution of the
                 Senate that the ordinary people have the power to make
                 life better for all Americans. We belong to something
                 bigger than ourselves. When I first came to the Senate,
                 Senators from opposing parties actually had lunch together
                 in the private Senate Dining Room on the floor below the
                 Chamber. It was called the inner sanctum.
                   In those daily rituals we learned about each other's
                 families, home States, and developed real friendships.
                 Senators dined together--no spouses, no staff, only
                 Senators from both sides of the aisle. We compared notes,
                 talked about our kids, and talked about our family. We
                 talked about legislation, and we got to know each other.
                 It was wonderful getting to know each other, to build
                 trust, confidence, and understanding. It was the backbone
                 of respect that we all relied upon.
                   Those friendships provided a refuge from the political
                 firestorms and common ground to turn to after the
                 wrangling over the disagreements of the day.
                   Now schedules are packed with caucus meetings and
                 political fundraisers. The Senate is losing the spirit of
                 friendship and forgiveness that, in the words of
                 Protestant theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, ``is the final oil
                 of harmony in all human relations and which rests upon the
                 contrite recognition that our actions and attitudes are
                 inevitably interpreted in a different light by our friends
                 as well as foes than we interpret them.''
                   Friendship and forgiveness, that is the oil of human
                 relations that brings us together. That private Senate
                 Dining Room now carries only the echoes of the friendships
                 once forged at its tables, and we are poorer for it. Yet
                 there is nothing inevitable about this trend. The hope of
                 this body lies in individual Senators. The heart set upon
                 solutions to problems will win over the heart devising
                 traps for political gain.
                   It is my honor to have friendships that formed the basis
                 for solving some of the Nation's most difficult problems.
                 I will never forget working together with the late Senator
                 John Chafee on the Environment and Public Works Committee.
                   I worked with John for years before finding out he was
                 an amazing war hero, decorated for his service in Korea.
                 He didn't tell us that. It took years before I learned
                 what a hero he was, a self-effacing kind of guy. Few
                 people knew about his war record because he didn't brag
                 about it or use it for political gain. He served because
                 he believed in it, not because he thought he could benefit
                 from it. Without a doubt, we need more John Chafees in the
                 world.
                   Between 1989 and 1990, we sat together in a small room
                 off the Senate floor, facing wave after wave of unhappy
                 Senators--sometimes until 1 or 2 in the morning. He was
                 the ranking Republican member of the EPW Committee. I
                 became chairman of the Environmental Protection
                 Subcommittee.
                   Together we met with our colleagues ironing out the
                 compromises on acid rain, ozone depletion, air quality
                 permits, and scores of other issues. Senator Chafee later
                 became chairman of the full committee. We had our
                 disagreements, but by and large under Senator Chafee's
                 chairmanship I recall an oasis of civility.
                   That friendship helped us to pass the Clean Air Act
                 Amendments of 1990. I am very proud of that effort. I was
                 chairman of the committee at that time, and we finally got
                 it.
                   It is a small point, but I always respected that he
                 never raised his voice. He was always civil, always
                 decent, always positive, upbeat, and trying to find a
                 solution. John never lost his temper. He listened
                 carefully to the other person's point of view.
                   He was a paragon of the Senate--as is my good friend
                 from Iowa, Chuck Grassley.
                   Chuck and I began our friendship by deciding to meet
                 weekly face to face in his office or my office. It turned
                 out to be 5:30 p.m. every Tuesday. We would bring our
                 staffs together. Pretty soon our staffs were talking to
                 each other. The health care staff after a while started
                 talking to each other and our trade staff started talking
                 to each other.
                   Heck, we were basically one office. If you were a fly on
                 the wall, you would think this was one office where people
                 were trying to get together to solve problems.
                   Chuck is a Republican; I am a Democrat. We have
                 differences, but our goal is to solve the problems and
                 find solutions while adhering to our principles.
                   Our friendship led to a culture of respect and honesty
                 in the Senate Finance Committee that helped us pass
                 important agreements of other bills to expand trading
                 opportunities with the rest of the world. I am especially
                 proud of our work together to successfully shepherd the
                 Medicare Modernization Act of 2003. Senator Carper
                 referred to it just a short while ago.
                   I thank my good friend Dave Camp. Dave is chairman of
                 the House Ways and Means Committee. We have worked
                 together a lot over the past couple of years on tax
                 reform. We have bridged the partisan divide to help pass
                 the most recent highway bill and the payroll tax cut. Dave
                 is a super American and a wonderful man. I am very lucky
                 to have him as a friend.
                   It has also been a terrific honor working with my good
                 friend Senator Orrin Hatch.
                   Orrin, Dave, and I, recently worked together to
                 introduce trade promotion authority legislation to make
                 Congress a full partner in trade negotiations. In trade,
                 as in so many important areas, working together is the
                 only way to get the job done. The Senator is a real
                 American--Orrin Hatch. He is the salt of Utah and cares
                 about his State and his country. The Senator is a
                 wonderful person to work with. I can't thank him enough.
                   Thank you, Senator Hatch.
                   In 1961, President-elect John F. Kennedy said:

                   Our governments, in every branch, at every level,
                 national, State, and local, must be as a City on a Hill--
                 constructed and inhabited by men aware of their great
                 trust and their great responsibilities.

                   If we are indeed a City on a Hill, it rests firmly on
                 the bridges that Senators built when they faced even the
                 deepest of divides. I mention my closest friendships
                 across the aisle because it is those bridges that we lack
                 the most today.
                   The epiphany I had as a young man hitchhiking around the
                 world 52 years ago I believe is even more relevant today.
                 Advances in technologies and communications have made us
                 more interconnected as people than ever before.
                   The challenges of globalization bind us even more.
                 Climate change--we are all in this together--terrorism,
                 economic development, and education, can all be addressed
                 with good faith and a commitment to finding common ground.
                   I am committed in my next chapter to meet these
                 challenges. The United States-China relationship I believe
                 is one of the most important bilateral relationships in
                 the world that will shape global affairs for generations.
                 We must get it right.
                   Thirty-eight years ago, Mike Mansfield said farewell to
                 this institution by simply declaring: ``There is a time to
                 stay and a time to go.''
                   Now, as I face my own crossroads, I am humbled to have
                 the opportunity to follow in his footsteps.
                   As America's Ambassador to Japan, Mansfield worked hard
                 to strengthen and improve America's relationship
                 throughout history. I will try to do the same.
                   Many of you know I love to run. I actually have my eye
                 on the Beijing Marathon--but, to be more honest, maybe I
                 will scale it down to a half-marathon, something a little
                 shorter. When I think about my next endeavor, I am
                 reminded of something a professional runner, Paul Tergat,
                 once said: ``Ask yourself: `Can I give more?' The answer
                 is usually `Yes.'''
                   I can give more; we all can. I thank President Obama for
                 asking me. I am indeed energized to serve America in this
                 new role and to look at this as my sprint to the finish.
                   I trust Montanans to choose wisely as they have so well
                 with my friend, the great Senator from Montana Jon Tester.
                   My final message is not for my esteemed peers but for
                 the young people chasing their dreams across the Montana
                 Hi-Line, searching for meaning through the Yellowstone
                 River Valley or climbing toward their future along the
                 Rocky Mountain Front.
                   The headlines paint the picture that there is no honor
                 in public service. I disagree. I think the greatest noble
                 human endeavor is service--service to friends, service to
                 family, to church, to synagogue. Public service. The most
                 noble human endeavor is service. So I urge you young folks
                 to take up that challenge that politics is not an
                 honorable profession. It is more than honorable. It is an
                 obligation to serve. I urge you to follow and serve.
                 Choose to serve others. For me, it has been the honor of a
                 lifetime. I am so lucky. And be ready--because history is
                 calling.
                   It is with deep gratitude and respect that I say for the
                 last time, with full faith in the highest forms of the
                 Senate, I yield the floor. But before doing so, I just
                 have to say I am not going anywhere. I am just taking a
                 trip, maybe for a year or two, across the Pacific--just a
                 trip. I will be coming back because we all are together on
                 different journeys that we take.
                   I thank all of you, my colleagues.
                   I yield the floor.
                                   Letters of Resignation
                                  Monday, February 10, 2014

                          U.S. Senate, Washington, DC, February 6, 2014.

                 Governor Steve Bullock,
                 Montana State Capitol,
                 Helena, MT.

                   Dear Governor Bullock: In order to assume the
                 responsibility of serving as the United States Ambassador
                 to China, I write to resign my seat in the United States
                 Senate effective upon my appointment as Ambassador.
                 Representing the people of Montana for 40 years has been
                 the honor of a lifetime. I am grateful for the trust
                 Montanans have bestowed on me and the opportunity to
                 contribute to our great state and nation.

                    Respectfully,
                                                        Max Baucus.

                                     ------------------

                                                       February 7, 2014.

                 Hon. Joseph R. Biden, Jr.,
                 President of the Senate,
                 Washington, DC.

                   Dear Vice President Biden: In accordance with my letter
                 of February 6, 2014 to Governor Bullock, this is to
                 clarify that my resignation as United States Senator
                 became effective at the close of business on February 6,
                 2014.

                    Sincerely,
                                                        Max Baucus.
    ?

                                          TRIBUTES

                                             TO

                                         MAX BAUCUS
                                  Proceedings in the Senate
                                                 Thursday, February 6, 2014
                   Mr. REID. Mr. President, I have had the good fortune of
                 serving in Congress for more than three decades with a
                 good man, the senior Senator from Montana, Max Baucus. We
                 hope to schedule a vote sometime this afternoon on his
                 confirmation to be our Nation's Ambassador to China.
                   Senator Baucus has served in the Senate for a long time.
                 At the end of this year, he will have served 36 years.
                 Prior to that, he served in the House of Representatives
                 for 4 years. Prior to that, he served a term in the
                 Montana State Legislature.
                   He has his undergraduate and law degree from Stanford.
                 He is an extremely smart person and is certainly versed on
                 what goes on in the Congress.
                   After he received his law degree from Stanford, he
                 worked as an attorney at the Securities and Exchange
                 Commission and entered private practice in Missoula after
                 that.
                   His mentor, and the person who got him interested in
                 politics, was Mike Mansfield. I didn't know him--I
                 shouldn't say I didn't know him. He attended the Prayer
                 Breakfast, and I met him on a number of occasions at our
                 Wednesday Prayer Breakfast. He was a very quiet man, and
                 that is what everybody says about him. He was the worst
                 guest in the world to interview on a Sunday show because
                 he wouldn't say anything. He would just answer yes or no.
                 He was well respected in the Senate by Democrats and
                 Republicans.
                   I heard Senator Baucus tell the story many times about
                 how Mike Mansfield suggested that he go into politics.
                 Well, he did do that.
                   Senator Baucus served 2 years in the Montana State
                 Legislature before he was elected in 1974 to the House of
                 Representatives. He served, as I indicated earlier, 4
                 years in the House before coming to the Senate. He has
                 been elected and reelected to the Senate 5 times. As I
                 said, at the end of this year, he will have served for 36
                 years in the Senate.
                   He has been chairman of the Finance Committee. He has
                 been chairman of the Environment and Public Works
                 Committee. He has a been a member of the Agriculture
                 Committee for a long time. By the way, he was appointed to
                 that committee on a temporary basis many decades ago and
                 never left.
                   As chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, he was
                 instrumental in developing lots of landmark legislation,
                 but the most significant law he helped to pass in this
                 body was the landmark health care reform bill, the
                 Affordable Care Act, which is saving lives and a lot of
                 money for American taxpayers.
                   He has been a longtime advocate for the Children's
                 Health Insurance Program. He worked on that with a number
                 of people--not the least of which is Senator Orrin Hatch
                 of Utah.
                   While Senator Baucus is well known nationally for his
                 tireless work on health care, tax reform, and as a member
                 of the Environment and Public Works Committee, he was also
                 involved in public works projects.
                   I think the most important thing that Montanans will
                 remember about him is that he always put Montanans first.
                 He is an avid hunter. He authored one of the largest
                 public land grant bills in American history which
                 preserved 310,000 acres of forest land in northwestern
                 Montana.
                   It is a testament to his love of the outdoors that Max
                 Baucus walked almost 1,000 miles across Montana in 1995
                 and 1996.
                   Max and I have an ongoing dialog about running. I have
                 run a number of marathons, but Max Baucus is a better
                 runner than I am. He is faster, and he has run--I ran one
                 31-mile race, but Max has run 50-mile races, and he has
                 trained for 100-mile races. During one of those, he fell
                 and hurt himself quite significantly. He hit his head
                 because of a fall.
                   We have exchanged news articles and stories about
                 runners. We enjoy focusing on our athletic skills. It was
                 just the two of us, so we could say whatever we wanted
                 because there was no one there to listen.
                   He is someone who loves running. He is still an avid
                 runner, and I have admired him for his athletic skills in
                 addition to his legislative skills.
                   Senator Baucus' independent spirit has made him a
                 powerful advocate for Montana and for the issues he cares
                 about. He is a respected member of the Democratic caucus
                 and has great respect from the Republican caucus.
                   During the time that Senator Grassley was the ranking
                 member--I can't vouch for this, but I think I am right--
                 and Senator Baucus was chairman of the Finance Committee,
                 they met every week for lunch. Every week we were in
                 session, they had lunch together.
                   His passion is well known to all of us. He has decades
                 of experience in Congress. President Obama made an
                 excellent choice in appointing Senator Baucus to represent
                 America's interests in China, a growing power in our
                 global economy.
                   He has never shied away from difficult issues of the
                 day, and I have no doubt that his fearlessness will serve
                 him well in his new role as a representative for our
                 country in China.
                   Although Senator Baucus will be missed by the entire
                 Democratic caucus and the Senate family, our loss will be
                 the Nation's gain.
                   I wish the senior Senator from Montana the very best.
                   I hope we will vote this afternoon on Senator Baucus'
                 nomination to be Ambassador to China. We have not locked
                 that in yet.

                   Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I rise to speak of my
                 colleague, our friend Senator Baucus, who hopefully will
                 be confirmed by the Senate to his new post in a few hours.
                   I have, of course, known Senator Baucus since I came to
                 the Senate, but even before, one of my first impressions
                 of him was a picture of Senator Baucus in his white cowboy
                 hat on his ranch in Montana. To me, a kid from New York
                 City, he looked like the Marlboro Man. He was handsome and
                 he was in the cowboy hat. So I said, ``Wow.''
                   When I met Senator Baucus, I found his heart, his brain,
                 and his soul were every bit as good as the outside. He was
                 a great leader of the Finance Committee. First, he had
                 great intellect. Max Baucus would see an issue, understand
                 the issue, and get to the heart of the issue quicker than
                 almost anybody else. He understood the vagaries of
                 legislation, and he knew how to try to get things done. He
                 always worked in a bipartisan way. He reached out to
                 Republicans, and many criticized him sometimes for doing
                 it, but given the gridlock in this body, in retrospect,
                 everybody would think: Wow, that is what we should be
                 doing. And he tried and tried.
                   Of course, his crowning legislative achievement was
                 health care. I know there are some--particularly on the
                 other side of the aisle--who criticize it, but I have no
                 doubt that Max Baucus will be regarded as a giant in what
                 he did in coming up with the health care reform bill. I
                 have no doubt that as the kinks are worked out and as the
                 effort moves forward, it will be regarded as one of the
                 pieces of landmark legislation of this decade and this
                 century, and it wouldn't have happened without Max Baucus.
                   There are 37 million Americans who now have access to
                 health insurance, a whole generation of young adults who
                 will be insured through the age of 26, and protection of
                 all Americans with preexisting conditions because of the
                 diligence, the never-give-up attitude Senator Baucus had.
                 On so many other things in the bill--getting after the
                 private insurance companies; now community health centers
                 are providing health care for the poorest among us in a
                 better way--this is one of many issues on which Max Baucus
                 took the lead.
                   As I say, he was a premier legislator, worked long and
                 hard, figured out what he thought the right thing to do
                 was, tried to get colleagues from the other side of the
                 aisle as well as on our side of the aisle to support it,
                 and then got it done. The list of his accomplishments is
                 long. He took the bull by the horns, never backing off.
                   I know Senator Baucus will be an outstanding Ambassador
                 to China. It is one of the most important foreign policy
                 positions our country has to offer, and having someone
                 with Max Baucus' acute mind, great persistence, good
                 heart, and good soul will mean a lot.
                   Not only are we going to miss Max, we are going to very
                 much miss his wife Mel. She is terrific. They met not too
                 long ago, and I know how happy they make each other. I
                 think it makes all of us feel happy as well.
                   Max, you are truly the best of the ``Last Best Place,''
                 and we will all miss you.

                   Mr. TESTER. ... We have just come through the worst
                 recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
                 Unemployment is still at 7 percent. We need to get it
                 lower. The bottom line is there are still some folks out
                 there who need some help, and as the economy continues to
                 improve--we are not where we need to be yet--we ought to
                 give those folks the help they need to get back on their
                 feet, to give them the hope they need to reenter the
                 workforce and become valuable parts of our economy again.
                   Madam President, there is a beautiful small town in the
                 farthest corner of northwest Montana. The town is called
                 Libby, and it sits in the heart of the Kootenai Valley,
                 surrounded by majestic snow-capped mountains. It is a
                 beautiful place. But despite Libby's postcard-worthy
                 views, the town has a troubled history.
                   Starting in 1919, mining companies began pulling
                 vermiculite from the mountains outside of town.
                 Vermiculite was used to bake, to build soil in gardens,
                 and to insulate buildings. It was not long before the
                 families of Libby began to pay the price for keeping their
                 fellow Americans warm.
                   Mining vermiculite exposed Libby's miners and residents
                 to asbestos dust. That asbestos got into their homes,
                 their schools, and--eventually--their lungs. Over the
                 decades, hundreds of folks in Libby died from asbestos
                 exposure, and thousands more continue to suffer today.
                   When the W.R. Grace company bought the mines in 1963,
                 the company denied that asbestos caused the illnesses
                 plaguing the town's residents. Instead of sounding the
                 alarm, they kept quiet while building corporate profits on
                 the backs of Libby's suffering families and workers.
                   Word about Libby's fate finally made it to national news
                 in 1999. The plight of Libby's families caught the
                 attention of one man in particular, Montana's senior
                 Senator Max Baucus.
                   Max soon began his crusade to get the EPA and the
                 Department of Health and Human Services to take action.
                 Despite Max bringing countless government officials to
                 northwest Montana to see what asbestos had done to the
                 men, women, and children of Libby, it took 10 years for
                 the government to declare this region a public health
                 emergency, the first of its kind. Thanks to Max, Libby
                 today is home to a state-of-the-art medical clinic that
                 screens and treats residents for asbestosis.
                   Thanks to Max, the Affordable Care Act extended Medicare
                 coverage to everyone in the emergency zone. Thanks to Max,
                 funds are flowing into Libby to remove asbestos from
                 homes, schools, and playgrounds. Due to Max's hard work
                 and the determination of the people of Libby, the town is
                 slowly putting the sordid legacy of W.R. Grace in its
                 rearview mirror. Max's hard work for the people of Libby
                 is the Max Baucus that Montanans have come to know.
                   But Max's work for the people of Montana started many
                 years before he led the fight to help the people of Libby.
                 In the early 1970s when Max started in public service, he
                 traveled to Butte to meet a fellow by the name of Harp
                 Cote. Harp knew the lay of the land in Butte, but he did
                 not know Max. Max did not know Butte. Harp was instantly
                 impressed with Max's willingness to work or, as Harp said
                 it, Max's ``fire in the belly.'' Max asked Harp to
                 introduce him to Butte's leaders and voters. Unlike other
                 candidates, Max did not want Harp to lobby the folks of
                 Butte on his behalf. Instead, Max went door to door
                 himself to win their support.
                   That kind of work ethic, where you put your own shoe
                 leather into the fight, is the reason for Max's many
                 achievements in Congress, achievements that include saving
                 Social Security from privatization, leading the charge to
                 modernize the Clean Air Act, passing six farm bills and
                 three highway bills to strengthen Montana's and America's
                 economy.
                   Folks in Washington do not always recognize Max's hard
                 work. In a town where too many people race for the nearest
                 TV cameras, Max's preference for hard work does not always
                 do him any favors. That is practically a mortal sin around
                 here. But not for Max. Max has represented Montana in
                 Congress since 1975.
                   His long record of service proves that Montanans do not
                 want a showman. They do not want someone who yells across
                 the aisle. They want someone who will reach across that
                 aisle and find a way to say yes even when saying no is
                 easier to do. It is like the folks in Libby. Montana wants
                 someone who will work hard for them, who will get results
                 and fight to improve our quality of life. Montanans have a
                 soulmate in Max Baucus.
                   I first met Max in 1998 at an economic development
                 meeting in Havre, MT. Max is famous for his economic
                 development summits in Butte. So it was no surprise that
                 we first crossed paths when Max was working to improve
                 Montana's economy. At that point in his career Max's
                 record was already impressive.
                   In 1972, as director of Montana's constitutional
                 convention, Max helped pass one of the most progressive
                 State constitutions to date, enshrining protections for
                 clean air, for clean water, and for the right to a quality
                 education into law. He then walked the entire length of
                 our State to introduce himself to Montanans and win a seat
                 in Congress, meeting more men and women along the way like
                 Harp Cote.
                   As Max gained experience in the Senate, he became
                 chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee.
                 Soon thereafter, well into his fifties, Max hiked 820
                 miles, from one corner of our State to the other, to earn
                 the support of Montanans during his 1996 reelection. So
                 Max, in your new role as Ambassador, take my advice and do
                 not try to walk from one end of China to the other.
                   Max next rose to become chairman of the Senate Finance
                 Committee. As chairman, Max did not have the luxury of not
                 getting the job done. The Finance Committee has been home
                 to some of our Nation's hardest working Senators and
                 greatest examples of bipartisanship because failing to
                 support critical programs like Social Security and
                 Medicare is simply not an option.
                   On the Finance Committee, you cannot sit back and throw
                 stones. You have to roll up your sleeves, you have to find
                 common ground, and you have to get the job done. That is
                 what Max did. He passed legislation to reduce Americans'
                 tax burdens, improve children's health, and, most
                 recently, to reform our Nation's broken health care
                 system.
                   Max's penchant for hard work and thoughtful,
                 independent-minded leadership stems from another great
                 Montanan that he and I both admire, former Senate Majority
                 Leader Mike Mansfield. Max met Mike as a teenager, and for
                 many Montanans of today, myself included, Max connects us
                 to Mike's legacy as a champion for the greater good, as
                 the champion for putting service and sacrifice well before
                 self, and a champion for Montana.
                   Montana's leaders always put Montana first, and Max is
                 no exception. Just as Montana has shaped Max, Max has
                 shaped Montana. Max's dedication to our public lands is
                 legendary. Montana is known as the Treasure State because
                 of our incredible natural resources and unrivaled public
                 spaces. From Yellowstone to Glacier, Montana is a place
                 like no other. Throughout his career, Max has set out to
                 preserve our treasured lands for future generations to
                 enjoy. In 2008, the same year he won reelection and became
                 the first person to win all 56 counties in Montana, Max
                 helped set aside 320,000 acres of prime hunting and
                 fishing lands across our State.
                   This land, which will forever be open to the public, is
                 part of Max's brainchild called the Montana Legacy
                 Project. Max's love of our outdoors extends to those who
                 share his love. In March 2000, he came to the Senate floor
                 to remember a young Montanan, Sean-Michael Miles, who had
                 tragically died in a car accident just over a year before.
                   Max dedicated a scholarship in Sean's name. Max repeated
                 Sean's words:

                   I know this land may pay a price for being beautiful, as
                 change advances, carrying with it the prospect of loss. It
                 is a land I desperately love. It is a part of me. It hurts
                 so much to care so much. Yet as a westerner, I am invited
                 to breathe it all in deeply each day.

                   Max, Sean would be proud of your hard work to preserve
                 our treasured places. I pledge to carry on your efforts so
                 Montanans can continue to cherish our special places and
                 pass our traditions down to our kids and our grandkids.
                   It is not a stretch to say that I would not be here if
                 it were not for Max Baucus. Max has brought world leaders
                 to Butte for his economic development summit. He brought
                 camera crews onto construction sites and small businesses
                 as part of his famous Montana workdays. He operated
                 forklifts in warehouses, made bread in Montana's bakeries,
                 and dug ditches--all to get a better feel for hard-working
                 Montanans each and every day.
                   He fought for Montana farmers and ranchers who feed our
                 Nation. But he also helped bring a dry-land farmer from
                 Big Sandy, MT, to the Senate. Max, I cannot tell you how
                 much you have meant to me as a friend, as a partner, as a
                 mentor. I have lost track of how many meetings and rallies
                 we have attended together across our State. But I do know
                 that at each one you have had my back.
                   So when I arrived in the Senate in 2007, it was because
                 of you that a guy with seven fingers and a flat-top
                 haircut quickly figured how to get from his office to the
                 Senate floor. It is because of you that I had a model for
                 working across the aisle to pass thoughtful, responsible
                 legislation. It is because of you that I always know that
                 I have a friend to turn to when I need advice; that is,
                 because along with your tremendous staff, you have always
                 put Montana first. You have built the Montana Democratic
                 Party into a beacon of common sense, freedom, and
                 opportunity in the West. Our party is stronger because of
                 you and your dedication to our State.
                   After retiring from the Senate in 1976, Mike Mansfield
                 became the Ambassador to Japan. Now you are posed to
                 continue following in Senator Mansfield's footsteps as
                 Ambassador to China. I know that you will continue to
                 serve Montana, even as you serve our Nation's interests
                 overseas. I wish you the best. While you are gone, I will
                 keep up your fight for Montana, particularly the Montanans
                 who need someone to fight for them. Montanans like Les
                 Skramstad. Les was a longtime Libby resident. For years,
                 he saw politicians come to Libby with a promise to help.
                 That help never arrived.
                   When Max came to Libby, Les told him he would be
                 watching. Les passed away in 2007 before Libby began
                 getting its help. But Max keeps Les' photo close because
                 in Montana a promise to help is a promise to keep. That is
                 the Montana way. That is the Max Baucus way.
                   Max, it has been an honor to serve with you. It is an
                 honor to call you friend. The Senate will be a lesser body
                 without you. I wish you Godspeed and good luck. This is an
                 incredibly important job. I know you are more than up to
                 that task. Thank you for your service to this Senate and
                 to Montana and to this country.

                   Mr. MENENDEZ. I know we are shortly going to be voting
                 on, among other issues, the nomination of Senator Max
                 Baucus to be the next U.S. Ambassador to China. I would
                 expect that he would have a unanimous, if not nearly
                 unanimous, vote in the Senate.
                   I said in the Foreign Relations Committee this week that
                 clearly one of the biggest challenges and the biggest
                 opportunities before U.S. foreign policy today is getting
                 the relationship between the United States and China--in
                 the context of our rebalance to the Asia-Pacific--right. I
                 can think of few more able or qualified at this important
                 moment in history than our friend and colleague, the
                 Senator from Montana, to help provide advice and guidance
                 to the President and to Congress about how to get that
                 relationship right.
                   He is an expert on trade issues. He understands what we
                 face in the coming years as China's economy continues to
                 grow. He is fully aware of the fact that we have had U.S.
                 exports to China that have increased by almost $40 billion
                 in the past 4 years alone, creating and sustaining
                 millions of U.S. jobs in sectors across the board--
                 automobiles, power generation, machinery, aircraft, and
                 other vital industrial sectors. His trade missions to
                 China, since he has been the chairman of the Finance
                 Committee, have given him the perspective he needs to deal
                 with the realities of our policy options.
                   From the hearing he clearly understands that through the
                 rest of the 21st century and beyond, much of the
                 strategic, political, and economic future of the world is
                 likely to be shaped by decisions made by Washington,
                 Beijing, and the capitals of Asia over the next 4 to 5
                 years. How we get that rebalance right is incredibly
                 important, and the Ambassador to China is equally
                 important in that regard.
                   Finally, trade is not the only issue as it relates to
                 China. Our collective security, having China pursue a
                 rules-based system, is extremely important, as well as
                 what happens in the South China Sea--all of the issues
                 Senator Baucus addressed in his nomination hearing with
                 great ability, insight, and a willingness to take them on.
                   As the very final point, human rights is an incredibly
                 important issue as it relates to China. I want to read
                 briefly from the transcript where he was asked about the
                 question of human rights. He described a moment as a
                 Senator in which he raised the issue with then-President
                 Jiang Zemin.
                   Senator Baucus said:

                   He [the President of China] said I did not know what I
                 was talking about, basically. But then I went to Tibet,
                 went to Lhasa and raised the same point there. And sure
                 enough, within about 2 or 3 weeks, this person was
                 released. ...
                   Protection of human rights is the bedrock. It is the
                 underpinning of American and world society. ... People
                 look to America, look to America to lead on so many
                 issues, including the protection of human rights,
                 religious freedoms, freedom of the press, all the rights
                 that are enumerated in the universal declaration. It is
                 what most progress springs from.
                   And the answer is yes, Senator [Cardin]. You have my
                 commitment [on human rights].

                   I think the totality of trade, currency manipulation,
                 security, human rights, and the answers that he gave in
                 his hearing, clearly show manifestly that he is very
                 capable of being the next Ambassador.
                   I urge a unanimous vote in the Senate, and I yield the
                 floor.

                   Mr. REED. First let me add my accolades to those of the
                 chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about
                 Senator Baucus. He is superbly prepared to be our next
                 Ambassador to China. He is a friend and colleague. The
                 President chose wisely, and I anticipate his confirmation.
                 ...

                   Mr. REID. Madam President, after having consulted with
                 the Republican leader, I now ask unanimous consent to move
                 to executive session to consider Calendar No. 629, the
                 nomination of our friend Max Baucus to be Ambassador to
                 China; further, I ask that all time be yielded back, with
                 all of the provisions under the previous order remaining
                 in effect.

                   The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
                   Without objection, it is so ordered.
                   Under the previous order, the Senate will proceed to
                 executive session to consider the following nomination,
                 which the clerk will report.
                   The legislative clerk read the nomination of Max Sieben
                 Baucus, of Montana, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and
                 Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the
                 People's Republic of China.

                   The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is, Will the Senate
                 advise and consent to the nomination of Max Sieben Baucus,
                 of Montana, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and
                 Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the
                 People's Republic of China?

                   Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

                   The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
                 There appears to be a sufficient second. There is a
                 sufficient second. The clerk will call the roll.
                   The legislative clerk called the roll.
                   The result was announced--yeas 96, nays 0.
                   The nomination was confirmed.

                   The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the
                 President will be immediately notified of the Senate's
                 action.

                   Mr. HATCH. Madam President, I am pleased that my
                 colleague and very dear friend Max Baucus was confirmed by
                 this body the way he was. He will make a fine Ambassador
                 to China. We all know what an honorable, decent man he is.
                 We all know of his abilities. We all know he has run a
                 very tough committee, a very important committee, and has
                 done a terrific job in doing so.
                   All I can say is I rise to wish my good friend Senator
                 Max Baucus good luck as he departs to serve as the next
                 U.S. Ambassador to China.
                   We are going to miss Max. I do not think it is fair to
                 this body, but, nevertheless, I think it is fair to our
                 country because Max will make a great Ambassador. Senator
                 Baucus first came to the Senate in 1978 and has the
                 distinction of being Montana's longest serving Senator.
                 So, as you can see, I have served with Senator Baucus for
                 a long time--longer than the two of us would like to admit
                 sometimes. Over the years I have come to respect his
                 commitment both to his constituents and to his principles.
                 Having worked side by side with him on the Senate Finance
                 Committee, I know a lot about his constituents and his
                 principles. He raises his constituents constantly and his
                 principles I do not think ever wavered.
                   If you want to understand my friend Max Baucus'
                 priorities, take a look at the sign on his Senate office
                 desk. Like Max, it is to the point and unequivocal. The
                 sign says: ``Montana comes first.'' Plain and simple, not
                 much nuance, the language is pretty declarative.
                   That is Max Baucus. In his long and distinguished Senate
                 career, he always put the people of Montana first.
                   Both Senator Baucus and I are westerners, and westerners
                 expect a certain amount of independence in their Senators.
                 They expect us to work across the aisle and attempt to
                 solve problems and work together.
                   Of course, we Republicans tend to view that problem
                 solving as less government and Democrats tend to view that
                 problem solving as more government. That is not universal,
                 but that is where the two sides usually come down. That
                 being the case, Max and I have often found ourselves on
                 different sides of some of these issues. However, we share
                 the desire to solve problems and, as Max's sign says it,
                 to put our constituents' interests first. Senator Baucus
                 has always understood that notion very well, and I am here
                 to declare that to everybody who listens.
                   As a result, his disposition--particularly as chairman
                 of the Finance Committee--has been to try to find a way to
                 a bipartisan yes rather than a partisan no. I have always
                 respected him for that.
                   Over the last few years, as I have served alongside Max
                 as the ranking member of the Finance Committee, I have
                 greatly appreciated his willingness to put partisan
                 differences aside for the greater good of all.
                   One adjective you could use to describe Senator Baucus
                 is one that was used by his predecessor as chairman of the
                 Finance Committee, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. The
                 term I am thinking of is ``indefatigable.''
                   Whether it was preparing for and running a marathon,
                 walking across the wide expanse of his home State, or
                 working at one of the many jobs he regularly undertook
                 back home on recess visits, Max has been indefatigable.
                   He has been a tireless legislator. Just ask his staff.
                 They will affirm that fact. As a Senator, he was always
                 working. I have no doubt he will do the same as our
                 Nation's Ambassador to China, arguably the most important
                 diplomatic post in the world today.
                   As we saw today, the vote on his confirmation was not
                 even close. That is because all of his colleagues know
                 that Max Baucus is a committed public servant who will
                 serve the American people with competence, dignity, and a
                 tireless commitment to our Nation and its interests.
                   I have to say I feel personally about this nominee and
                 about this nomination. I like Max very much. Having served
                 with him on the Senate Finance Committee, he has always
                 tried to be fair. He has always tried to consider the
                 other's point of view. He has always tried to consider
                 different ways of solving problems, and he has worked to
                 do so. That is about all we can ask from our colleagues on
                 the other side--either Democrats or Republicans.
                   I just want to at this time wish Senator Baucus and his
                 lovely wife Melodee and, of course, his family the best of
                 luck in this and all future endeavors.
                   As Max departs the Senate, Senator Baucus leaves behind
                 a great legacy and very big shoes to fill. So at this
                 particular point, I hesitate to say farewell to my friend
                 Max Baucus, but I only say farewell knowing that he is
                 going to go on to a very important job for our country,
                 where I think he will do a very good job.
                   He will have my support as he serves over there, and
                 let's just hope that we on the Finance Committee can do a
                 better job or at least an equivalent job to what Max has
                 done to keep these very important issues on the most
                 important committee of the Congress moving along.
                   I have nothing but respect for Max. I appreciate him
                 very much. I am his friend, and I intend to continue this
                 friendship as long as we both live.
                   With that, I congratulate Senator Baucus. I am proud of
                 the Senator, and I intend to support him while he is there
                 as well.
                   I yield the floor.

                   The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Delaware.

                   Mr. CARPER. Madam President, the Chinese New Year began,
                 as you probably know, just a couple days ago. I do not
                 know a lot of words in Chinese, but among the words I have
                 learned is how to say ``Happy New Year.'' It is a new year
                 in China. It is a new year for Chinese Americans in this
                 country as well. I think the way we say ``Happy New Year''
                 is ``Gong Xi Fa Cai.'' So I say that to my friend.
                   When word came out that Max had been nominated by the
                 President for this role, I say to our friend from Utah, I
                 ran into Max. He was about to go into an elevator, I think
                 in the Hart Building, and I said, ``I know the President
                 has nominated you for this, but you can't leave. We need
                 your leadership on tax reform. We need your leadership on
                 an SGR fix and doctors and all these other issues--trade
                 policy. You can't leave now.''
                   He said, ``Well, the President has nominated me.''
                   I said, ``Well, I am going to put a hold on your
                 nomination.''
                   He was about to get in the elevator and go away, and he
                 put his head back out and said, ``Oh no, you are not.''
                   I was tempted. I was tempted because there is a lot he
                 leaves. Actually, I think he leaves at a time when this
                 place is working better. I am encouraged by that. Frankly,
                 I am encouraged by the relationship the Senator has
                 kindled with Senator Hatch. I am encouraged by the
                 relationship the Senator has kindled with our friend Dave
                 Camp from Michigan over in the House as chairman of the
                 Ways and Means Committee. Max has set an example for the
                 rest of us.
                   It is ironic the chairman of the committee and the
                 ranking member are sitting here across the aisle from each
                 other, but the two of them, in terms of providing personal
                 examples--the kind of leadership we need; do as I do, not
                 as I say--both of them are terrific at reaching across the
                 aisle, doing what the people sent us to do: find
                 principled compromises, get things done.
                   I wish to mention--let me just ask, and he can maybe nod
                 his head--my recollection is, when we took up the issue of
                 whether there should be a Medicare prescription drug
                 program that was supported initially by Senator Kennedy
                 and by President George W. Bush, I think in the end the
                 version that prevailed was the version preferred by
                 President Bush.
                   My recollection is that Senator Baucus may have gone
                 across the aisle and supported that version of the bill
                 and took me and probably another 10 or so Democrats with
                 him--not an easy thing to do.
                   I remember going back to Delaware--I have told him this
                 story before--I went back to Delaware and held a number of
                 townhall meetings, if you will, on that issue and got
                 excoriated, eviscerated by mostly Democrats. They would
                 come and say: How could you do this? How could you support
                 that prescription drug program, the Medicare Part D
                 Program.
                   I explained I thought it was a principled compromise. I
                 thought it would work. A year later, it has an 85 percent
                 approval rating by the people who use it. For 6 or 7
                 straight years--it still has an 85 percent approval
                 rating, a little higher than ours. If you look at how we
                 are doing in terms of anticipated costs, it is 7 years
                 under budget.
                   When the time came to try to find a compromise on
                 comprehensive health care reform, I remember the Senator
                 did not just work with three or four Republican colleagues
                 on the Finance Committee--Senator Grassley, Senator Snowe,
                 Senator Enzi. The Senator did not work with them for a
                 couple of days to try a find a principled compromise,
                 Senator Baucus worked with them for weeks--I think
                 months--to try to do that. Ultimately, the Senator was
                 unsuccessful. But the Senator led us through a difficult
                 markup in committee and on the floor. I know there are
                 reservations in that law that we should tweak and change
                 and make it better. But I think in the end, the Senator's
                 leadership will be vindicated by a lot of Americans, just
                 like we did with the Medicare prescription drug program.
                 Obviously, that was the right thing to do. Thank you for
                 the leadership you provided.
                   On a personal level, I would say, as Senator Hatch has
                 said, this is a personal loss to me, and I know to many
                 Democrats and Republicans. But the Senator leaves behind a
                 wonderful legacy. You leave behind a whole lot of people,
                 and they all have their resumes--no, not really. One or
                 two of them may have. But you have a reputation as
                 surrounding yourself with really good people. I sought to
                 do that. I kind of learned from you and Senator Hatch, but
                 I have always sought to surround myself by people smarter
                 than me. My wife always says that it is not hard to find
                 them.
                   You have done a great job surrounding yourself with
                 terrific people. They are here today sitting behind you,
                 over in the Republican side, up in the galleries--a lot of
                 love here. I hope you feel it from all of us.
                   In the Navy when people pull up their anchor and prepare
                 to sail off into the sunset or the sunrise, whatever the
                 case may be, we always like to say: Fair winds and a
                 following sea. That is what I wish to you and to Mel. We
                 are going to miss you here, but we are really going to
                 miss her. We hope we will have an opportunity to see you
                 again and to work with you again.
                   We hope the same, that we will have an opportunity to
                 see Mel. We think the world of her. Good luck to both of
                 you. May God bless you.

                   The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.

                   Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I just want to make a brief
                 statement before Senator Baucus speaks and thank him for
                 his service in the Senate, thank him for representing
                 Montana, and accepting some of the toughest assignments in
                 the Senate. We have a similarity in our background. We
                 were both inspired to this position by Senators who served
                 before us; in his case, Senator Mansfield, who was an
                 extraordinary leader in the Senate and an extraordinary
                 man when you consider his contribution to our country. He
                 served in two world wars, if I am not mistaken, perhaps in
                 three different branches of the military. It was just an
                 exceptional life of public service which ended with his
                 ambassadorship to Japan.
                   Now, Senator Baucus, who was inspired to public life by
                 Senator Mansfield and followed in his footsteps in
                 representing the State of Montana, serving in one of the
                 highest leadership spots in the Senate, is now off to an
                 ambassadorship, which, when you consider the ebb and flow
                 of history, is singularly the most important ambassadorial
                 assignment which the United States of America can make.
                   Today, this overwhelming bipartisan vote in the Senate
                 is a fitting tribute to Senator Max Baucus for his
                 service, his friendship, and his continued dedication to
                 be a servant of our Nation. I wish you and Mel the very
                 best in this new assignment. We hope to get a chance to
                 come to see you, and also, more important, to work with
                 you, to make sure that our relationship with China remains
                 strong for decades to come.
                   Thank you, Max, for being such a great colleague and a
                 friend.

                   Mr. CASEY. Madam President, I rise today to pay tribute
                 to my colleague, Max Baucus. Senator Baucus has been a
                 leader in the areas of tax, trade, health, agriculture,
                 and the environment. I have served with him on the Finance
                 Committee and the Agriculture Committee and have enjoyed
                 working with him and learning from him. On the Finance
                 Committee, Senator Baucus worked to improve the health
                 care of all Americans, most notably with the passage of
                 the Affordable Care Act. It should also be noted, one of
                 his last acts as a Senator today was to introduce a
                 bipartisan and bicameral agreement on Medicare physician
                 payment reform. On the Agriculture Committee, he was a
                 passionate advocate for farmers. Max leaves a legacy he
                 should be proud of. I wish him well in China and thank him
                 for his continued service.

                   Mr. NELSON. Madam President, I rise today to
                 congratulate Senator Max Baucus for his confirmation as
                 Ambassador to the People's Republic of China. I am
                 grateful to have had the opportunity to serve with him for
                 several years in the Senate and on the Finance Committee,
                 which he chairs.
                   Max's entire life has been dedicated to public service.
                 He was a member of the Montana House early in his career,
                 before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives
                 and then the Senate in 1978. Few people have served as
                 long in the Senate as Max and led such an illustrious
                 career here. Max has been behind many landmark pieces of
                 legislation that will benefit people's lives and the
                 country for years to come. As chairman of the Finance
                 Committee, he has influenced so many issues that have an
                 impact on American families every day, from tax policy to
                 pensions, health care, and education.
                   What is more, I have seen first hand Max's unique desire
                 to work with people across the political spectrum. Max's
                 commonsense approach and collegial nature, learned from
                 growing up on a ranch in Montana, has played a significant
                 role in his ability to get things done. I hope that all
                 Senators will learn from his example. In fact, I believe
                 it is what we must do to best serve the people who elected
                 us.
                   On behalf of all Floridians, I want to thank Max for
                 serving his country in the Senate for more than three
                 decades. I wish him well as he follows in the footsteps of
                 his mentor, Senator Mike Mansfield, in becoming Ambassador
                 to the People's Republic of China.

                   Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, Max Baucus has never been
                 afraid of the long haul. As the son of Montana ranchers,
                 he knows the meaning of a long day's work. Before his 1996
                 election, he walked the length of Montana, more than 800
                 miles. In 2003, well past his 60th birthday, he ran a 50-
                 mile ultramarathon.
                   For the last three decades, I have had the privilege of
                 running a different sort of marathon with Max. We entered
                 the Senate together after the election of 1978, and have
                 served together since then. Today we mark the end of that
                 marathon, as Senator Baucus prepares to become Ambassador
                 Baucus and assume one of our Nation's most important
                 diplomatic posts as Ambassador to the People's Republic of
                 China.
                   As chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Max Baucus
                 has played a central role in some of the most important
                 legislative accomplishments of recent decades. He has
                 helped bring health care coverage to millions of Americans
                 by working toward establishment of the Children's Health
                 Insurance Program and the Affordable Care Act. At the same
                 time, he was worked tirelessly on issues of major
                 importance to Montana, fighting to support his State's
                 agriculture, and to support important educational and
                 economic development initiatives.
                   He moves from this important role to another. Our
                 relationship with China is more important than ever.
                 Decisions made today will affect that relationship for
                 decades to come. We are seeking to cement a positive
                 relationship, one in which China joins with our friends
                 and allies in the Asia-Pacific region to support
                 collective security and economic growth, and fosters
                 stability through adhering to international norms. As the
                 representative of the American people in Beijing, Max will
                 be instrumental in getting and keeping the United States-
                 China relationship on a positive footing. He will be in a
                 crucial position to help open Chinese markets to American
                 goods.
                   I will miss Max as a friend and a colleague, but I am
                 grateful for his willingness to take on this job, to
                 continue serving his Nation in a new and challenging
                 capacity.

                   Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, before he leaves the floor,
                 I would like to make a few comments about Senator Baucus.
                   Our part of the world has sent to the Senate some of our
                 most distinguished and thoughtful Members. The great
                 Pacific Northwest sent Wayne Morse from my home State to
                 the Senate and Warren Magnuson and Scoop Jackson of
                 Washington State. I note that Senator Cantwell is here.
                 Frank Church of Idaho was sent to Washington, and, of
                 course, Mike Mansfield, Senator Baucus' mentor and pioneer
                 in terms of promoting closer relations between our country
                 and Asia. It is very fitting that this afternoon Max
                 Baucus joins that very special group of Senators from our
                 part of the United States.
                   Second, I wish to caution Senators on one point, and the
                 distinguished Senator from Utah and I have had a little
                 bit of a laugh about this. Max is exceptionally friendly,
                 and he always tells Senators: Our paths are going to cross
                 again. I look forward to working with you in the days
                 ahead. Senator Hatch and I just want to say to everyone
                 here in the Senate: However close you are to Senator
                 Baucus, that doesn't mean every Senator can insist that
                 Max come back from China to talk about the latest twist in
                 the debate about currency manipulation or some other
                 issue.
                   The last point I want to mention is a personal one. When
                 you are here in the Senate for more than three decades,
                 you deal with scores of bills and amendments, and you talk
                 about coalitions that were built to pass measures that
                 needed to be passed, and from time to time you have to
                 build a coalition to stop something that shouldn't be
                 passed. But what I want to do--out of those thousands of
                 bills and thousands of amendments--is talk about a special
                 Baucus commitment that was especially important to me;
                 that is, the needs of senior citizens.
                   Max Baucus had some particularly celebrated wins in the
                 fight for seniors--something in which the Presiding
                 Officer of the Senate is very involved. The reality is
                 that the person who did more to stop the privatization of
                 Social Security here on the floor of the Senate was Max
                 Baucus. He was the one who led the coalition. He reached
                 out to Senators on both sides and said, ``Look, of course
                 we need to save more for private retirement savings, but
                 we are going to do that on top of Social Security, not as
                 a replacement for Social Security.'' So Senator Baucus was
                 there building that coalition, making the case for why
                 this special program, this intergenerational program has
                 been so important for our country.
                   What I remember best about Senator Baucus and seniors,
                 though, is when the Finance Committee blew the whistle on
                 some of these ripoffs in supplements sold to older people,
                 and eventually these supplements really became the
                 delivery system for Medicare as we know it in much of the
                 country. Senator Cantwell and I, of course, know of the
                 Medicare Advantage Program.
                   We would have hearings in the Finance Committee where we
                 would hear about efforts in the private sector to sell
                 health insurance to seniors that was not worth the paper
                 on which it was written. I remember--kind of bringing my
                 Gray Panther roots into the cause--talking to Max about
                 this change and that change, and it would get pretty dense
                 pretty quickly. Max just said, ``This is wrong to rip off
                 senior citizens this way.'' We were able to get those
                 changes. The consumer protections Max Baucus locked into
                 the law for the Nation's vulnerable seniors essentially
                 remain the protections of today that are used as the model
                 for senior rights.
                   Senator Cantwell and I, since we are both on the
                 committee, also know that in the budget discussions, when
                 it came time for hard choices, Max always made it a
                 priority to stand up for what are known as the dual
                 eligibles--the seniors who are the most vulnerable, the
                 seniors who don't have political action committees and
                 don't have clout and can't participate in all of what we
                 normally think of as today's politics, from fundraising to
                 all of the grassroots work.
                   I will close by saying that when you see somebody week
                 in and week out stand for the most vulnerable people in
                 society, such as those dual eligibles, you learn a lot
                 about what a person feels strongly about, what values are
                 important to them. So I want to close by saying that when
                 we talk about the Senators from our part of the world--and
                 Senator Cantwell remembers so well the legendary Warren
                 Magnuson and Scoop Jackson and Frank Church, who, by the
                 way, was chair of the Senate Select Committee on Aging. I
                 met him for the first time when I was director of the Gray
                 Panthers and had a full head of hair and good looks. Max
                 was always on those issues, year after year.
                   I hope today, as we reflect on his contributions and
                 certainly all the bills and amendments he offered in the
                 Senate Finance Committee, people will also remember that
                 there is a reason Max belongs with those distinguished
                 Senators I mentioned from the Pacific Northwest. It is
                 because he had a heart for people, he had a heart for
                 seniors, and he had the values that represent the best in
                 public service.
                   With that, Madam President, I yield the floor.

                   The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington.

                   Ms. CANTWELL. Madam President, I too come to the floor
                 to say goodbye to our colleague from Montana and wish him
                 well in his new endeavor as Ambassador to China--something
                 the Pacific Northwest cares dearly about. So I know we
                 will be working with him in his new capacity, but it
                 really is a very historic moment for all of us and
                 certainly for those of us in the Pacific Northwest.
                   I will never forget Max and I riding back to our offices
                 on the subway once and talking about the Inland Empire. I
                 think people thought we were making something up, but that
                 is how we refer to our part of the country and the
                 interior, which is this huge economy that is built on
                 agriculture, built on trade, built on natural resources
                 that we hold so dear and for which we fight.
                   To come to the Senate and to sit in the seat Scoop
                 Jackson once held and think about how you will have the
                 wherewithal and ability to remember all of what Scoop and
                 Maggie and everybody fought for and to know the
                 incarnation of that is right there in Max Baucus, the
                 person who worked with them, who saw them, and who then
                 carried that torch on these important policy issues, to
                 me, is so important to recognize today because he really
                 is a legislator in the mold of Magnuson and Jackson.
                   I thank Max for one thing in particular; that is, doing
                 deals. Around here people sometimes criticize doing deals.
                 But you know what? The art of compromise and moving our
                 country forward requires that, and Max became a model
                 dealmaker in the context of these important policies on
                 which we have worked, whether the modernization of the
                 trade legislation for dislocated workers and expanding
                 that program and making it more robust because it needed
                 to be modernized or whether some of the changes we have
                 made to CHIP, because I can tell you he certainly helped
                 us in Washington State in making sure we had our fair
                 share as regards the Children's Health Insurance Program.
                   Just speaking about CHIP in general, I can't say enough
                 about CHIP as a program. When you get discouraged around
                 here about what we are actually getting done or what
                 problems we are solving, if you think of nothing else but
                 CHIP--just the Children's Health Insurance Program--and
                 literally giving health insurance to millions of children
                 across America who wouldn't automatically get health
                 insurance, this job is worth it right here and now. So I
                 thank Max for that.
                   Certainly on the Affordable Care Act I have often said
                 that Max applied his marathon skills to the patience of
                 Job in actually crafting that legislation. I think we
                 probably worked every day for 2 years in committee to make
                 that legislation a reality, and it took a lot of patience.
                 Many times late at night I would have lost my patience
                 with the process and our colleagues, but Max didn't, and
                 the end result is that this country is moving forward on a
                 major health care policy that I know 30 or 40 years from
                 now will be in the same category as our other key programs
                 such as Social Security and Medicare, as a foundation and
                 as a base of what we are doing to make sure people have
                 affordable health care in this country.
                   Max, I thank you for the staff you hired as well because
                 in the Finance Committee, while we didn't always agree on
                 every single policy, they also came to the table ready to
                 make things happen, and I certainly appreciate that.
                   To my colleagues, I feel as though we really are losing
                 a piece of our institution today, somebody who really
                 understood the issues that I care about in the Pacific
                 Northwest, and somebody who really knew how to make things
                 happen. I know our path forward is a new course on the
                 Finance Committee, but I hope we will continue in the way
                 that Max brought forth issues because in the end it is
                 about improving the lives of the people we represent, and
                 that means we are not always going to agree, but we are
                 going to have to put ideas on the table and we are going
                 to have to get them passed into law.
                   So, Max, as you go across the big Pacific, I know you
                 will remember us, but we will be looking to you too
                 because there is a lot we have to get done. I know that as
                 you are running around Beijing, you will have that little
                 app they now have that shows the level of pollution in
                 Beijing that comes right off the U.S. Embassy, and you
                 will be talking to the Chinese about how we have to work
                 together on a clean energy strategy, and we will applaud
                 you for that. But don't forget all of us here because
                 there is a lot of work to be done. We are very proud to
                 call you a former colleague and a key leader in the
                 history of the Inland Empire. Thank you very much, Max.
                                               Wednesday, December 10, 2014
                            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.

                                            [all]