[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 67 (Wednesday, May 25, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: May 25, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
A TRIBUTE TO ERIC DAVID NEWSOM
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I rise today to honor one of my closest
friends and trusted advisers, Eric Newsom. After nearly 15 years as a
senior Senate staff Member, Eric has returned to the State Department.
He is now the senior adviser to Under Secretary of State for
International Security Affairs, Lynn Davis. I have spoken to Under
Secretary Davis. I know that she is aware of how fortunate she is to be
gaining somebody of Eric's dedication, his extraordinary professional
experience, his unsurpassed knowledge of international security and
foreign policy issues--a person who seems to have the ability crossing
these very complicated and very complex areas, an ability really
unmatched in my experience.
In fact, in my 19 years, now almost 20 years in the Senate, I have
not known anyone who has accepted the responsibility and challenge of
public service with more selfless devotion than Eric Newsom. From his
first posting as a Foreign Service officer, he went on to serve as a
staff member for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Later he was
the minority staff director of the Select Intelligence Committee. He
was legislative director in my office, and served as the clerk of the
Foreign Operations Subcommittee. In all of these things Eric served the
U.S. Government and the American people with the utmost loyalty and
distinction.
During those 25 years, Eric's contribution to shaping the foreign
policy of this country we love so much was remarkable. At the State
Department during the 1970's, he served brilliantly in helping guide
United States arms control, nonproliferation, and defense strategy.
During the 1980's when the cold war was still in force, Eric mastered
the intricacies of American intelligence policies and programs. I
remember going head to head with some of the high-level officials in
the Reagan administration in debate with Eric at my side when we
debated everything from Iran-Contra to our foreign policy. His
persistence, and his mastery of the facts were indispensable, facts
that were presented in a dispassionate and objective fashion.
Since the end of the cold war he has been equally effective in
helping to shape our foreign policy priorities. Since 1989 when I
became chairman of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee, he was at my
side helping me implement an agenda consistent with the realities of
the changed world of the 1990's, when global problems such as
overpopulation, environmental degradation, and weapons proliferation
emerged as the most urgent threats to our national security.
Guiding the foreign operations bill through Congress can be an
extraordinarily difficult--I might say it can also be a thankless task.
It is not the most popular bill to bring before this Senate. But Eric
never failed me. His leadership in that process is going to be missed
by everybody in the Appropriations Committee, members and staff alike,
as we attempt to do the job without him this year and in the years to
come.
He and I have been through so much together. We even had a few close
calls. I remember one helicopter ride through the mountains of
Guatemala. We were going through the fog. I said to our Ambassador, ``I
hope the radar works.'' He said, ``Radar? What radar?'' We looked at
the place where the radar is supposed to be. There is a big hole in the
cockpit. There were a couple of wires out. I swear that one had a Band-
Aid around it.
We put on our bravest faces, and just as we broke out of the fog
heading straight to a cliff, the pilot moved around that. And then the
pilot and copilot argued about who was at fault. All I wanted to do was
get back to Earth. We made it. We are both able to laugh about it
today.
When my staff and I gathered to say goodbye to Eric, it was
especially moving to see how many of them regarded Eric as a mentor, as
staff member after staff member remembers how much he had taught them.
There is a time for everything, he told us that day; a time to stay, a
time to move on. He quoted Ecclesiastes. The words he spoke were as
fitting as any he could have chosen. Though he has moved on, he is
always going to be a good friend I know I can turn to for counsel as I
do to this day.
It is hard in many ways for me to see him go. But I am so grateful
for all he has done and so proud of all he has accomplished.
I am pleased that he is going to complete his Government service in
the State Department where he began working on the arms control issues
and foreign policy issues he knows so well and cares about so deeply.
To this day, I remember as I was deciding who should come to be my
foreign policy adviser sitting on the back deck of my home and getting
a telephone call from former Secretary Cyrus Vance who said he almost
never made such a call but he knew me well, and trusted my judgment,
and wanted to urge me to hire Eric Newsom because of Eric's service for
him, and for a previous Secretary of State. He had shown not only the
competence, but the honesty, and the abilities that stood out so much
to former Secretary of State Vance's mind. I found that if anything
Secretary Vance understated the case.
So I am delighted that we had the chance for him to be here in the
Senate. In fact, when he left for the State Department, we lost one of
our finest staff. All of us who worked with him are going to miss him
dearly. But I am delighted for the State Department and for the
administration that they have his service. And just as importantly, I
am delighted for the United States of America that we have such people
in our staffs here in the Senate, in the State Department, in so many
other departments who work selflessly, tirelessly, and with great
expertise for America.
I yield the floor.
eric newsom
Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, every Senator in this chamber knows the
high value of staff but their contribution is often hidden from the
public. Today I want to join my colleague, Senator Leahy, in providing
this public recognition to Eric Newsom, who is departing after working
nearly 14 years in the Senate.
I came to know Eric, who has served Senator Leahy's staff for many
years, when he took over as Staff Director to the Foreign Operations
Subcommittee on the Appropriations Committee. I know that Eric takes
pride in his yearly efforts to craft a foreign aid budget which
furthered United States security as well as poverty alleviation and
economic development. He did so despite the increasing fiscal restraint
imposed upon our foreign aid spending.
Eric leaves his position with the Committee to work for the
Department of State as a senior advisor to Undersecretary Lynn Davis. I
expect that Eric will approach this new challenge with his typical
professionalism and wish him the best of success. And I would like to
publicly thank him for his efforts on behalf of the Appropriations
Committee over these past 5 years.
in recognition of eric newsom
Mrs. MURRAY. I am happy to have this opportunity to express my
appreciation for the fine work done by Mr. Eric Newsom, who has served
with distinction as Staff Director of the Senate Appropriations
Subcommittee on Foreign Operations. I have recently learned that Eric
is leaving that position to work for the Department of State, and I
know he will be greatly missed.
While foreign aid has never been popular, it has served our Nation
well. As guardian on the staff level of the foreign aid budget, Eric's
job was not an easy one. He had to constantly work with a budget under
attack from all directions, and yet under great demand from just as
many others. He shepherded the foreign aid spending bill through the
last years of the tumultuous 1980's, when Congress battled with the
administration over military aid to nations like El Salvador and to the
Contras in Nicaragua. Eric was instrumental in forging a consensus to
condition military aid to El Salvador, ultimately paving the way for a
peace accord.
It was during that time, too, that United States family planning aid
came under fire from the White House. Fortunately, women and families
around the globe had an ally in Senator Leahy and Eric Newsom, who used
the Foreign Operations Subcommittee to preserve that very important
funding.
Under Senator Leahy's guidance, Eric has helped to shape our Nation's
foreign aid priorities in the aftermath of the cold war. He had to
balance competing interests as the United States began to reach out to
nations in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, while preserving
aid to our traditional allies such as Israel and Egypt.
Since coming to the Senate, I have had the occasion to work with Eric
personally in addressing concerns my constituents in Washington State
have had with the Russian aid program, among other issues. After many
months of examining ways to strengthen the United Staes Russian Aid
Program, I believe we are beginning to make true progress in this area,
and I could not have gotten this far without the support of Senator
Leahy, Eric and the Subcommittee.
In areas ranging from aid to improve the status of women worldwide to
providing reconstruction air to the people of El Salvador, Eric has
been a champion of justice. I wish him well in his new position, and I
am certain he will be a true asset at the Department of State.
Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I would like to wish Eric Newsom well
as he leaves the Senate to take on new responsibilities at the
Department of State.
For many years, I and my staff have worked closely with Eric on the
Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee where he served as clerk
to Senator Leahy. Eric is a devoted public servant who has ably served
Senator Leahy, the Appropriations Committee, and the Senate. He is
thoughtful, dedicated, and hard-working. While working on the
Appropriations Committee, Eric has skillfully assisted Senator Leahy in
shepherding the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill through the
Senate. It's a difficult and complicated bill which Senator Leahy has
been able to successfully guide through the Senate, in part, because
Eric understands the complexities of the Senate and U.S. foreign policy
so well.
The Senate's loss is truly the State Department's gain. I wish Eric
well in his future endeavors.
tribute to eric newsom
Mr. DeCONCINI. Mr. President, it is always with a mix of happiness
and regret when we bid farewell to a friend and former staff member. On
the one hand, we are pleased that he or she has been given an
opportunity to serve the country in a new position, further a career,
and widen horizons. At the same time, we regret the loss to Congress--
and the Senate in particular--of a skilled and innovative legislative
team member.
It is in this vein that I join my friend from Vermont, Senator Leahy,
in congratulating Eric Newsom on his new position as Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State for nonproliferation issues at the State Department.
Eric, who initially came from the executive branch in 1979, has been a
Senate asset for nearly 15 years. Clearly, the Senate's loss is State's
gain--a gain which some of us around here believe State can well use.
It has been a pleasure to work with Eric in a number of his
capacities, but especially in his role as staff director of the Foreign
Operations Appropriations Subcommittee. It is never easy to assemble
and then pass a foreign aid bill. It has been particularly difficult in
the past decade or so because of ideological and other battles.
However, in light of the fact the Congress has not enacted a foreign
aid authorization bill since 1985, the role of Foreign Ops and the
annual appropriations bill has taken on even greater importance.
Whether it has been on the big issues such as aid to Russia, the
Freedom Support Act, Israeli loan guarantees, and Egyptian debt
foregiveness, or the relatively smaller--and often more parochial--
issues such as prohibiting the sale of Stinger missiles to Persian Gulf
nations, restricting aid to Kenya, or ensuring that AID understands
what is the intent of Congress when we speak of ``very small loans to
the very poorest'' in the microenterprise loan program, Eric has
conducted himself in a professional, patient, and nonpartisan manner.
I do not envy the job he leaves to his successor, for his shoes are
very big ones to fill. Eric will be missed, but I wish him the very
best in his new and challenging position.
tribute to eric newsom
Mr. BRADLEY. Mr. President, for nearly 14 years, Eric Newsom has
dedicated his professional career, along with his knowledge and
background in foreign policy, to the U.S. Senate. I first had the
opportunity to work with Eric when he served as minority staff director
in the mid-1980's during my term on the Senate Select Committee on
Intelligence. For the past 3 years, I have worked with Eric to ensure
the creation and continuation of a program I care deeply about--a
large-scale high school exchange program with the former Soviet Union
that has become a key component of our assistance to Russia and the
other republics.
As Senator Leahy's chief foreign policy, defense, and security
adviser since the early 1980's, Eric has made many contributions to the
Senate's formulation of foreign policy. In his most recent position,
staff director of the Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee,
he negotiated passage of two of the U.S. Congress' most important
foreign aid packages in the post-cold-war era--funding for the FREEDOM
Support Act of 1992 and last fall's $2.5-billion NIS assistance
package. At a time when the former Soviet republics have needed our
assistance in making the transition to democracy and a free market
economy, the impact of Eric's leadership and understanding of the
issues have been felt all the way to other side of the globe.
As Eric departs for new challenges at the State Department, we will
miss him. But his contributions to the Senate will not be forgotten,
and I extend my congratulations to him in his new position. Under
Secretary of State for International Security Lynn Davis is lucky to
have Eric joining her team.
____________________