[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 149 (Thursday, December 1, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: December 1, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                               JIM SASSER

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I'm honored to join my colleagues in 
paying tribute to Jim Sasser and his outstanding service to Tennessee, 
the Senate, and the Nation for the past 18 years.
  His friends and colleagues, and especially the people of Tennessee, 
will miss his dedication to the issues, his hard work for his 
constituents, his compassion for the average working person, his 
eloquence in debate, and especially the extraordinary sense of humor he 
brings to everything he does.
  One of the mottoes of Jim's State is ``Tennessee--America at its 
best.'' And all of us know how well that quality is reflected in Jim.
  Jim comes from a family that has always believed government can make 
a positive difference in the lives of citizens. His career in public 
service began in his work in the 1960 Senate campaign of another great 
Tennessee Senator and one of the great populist Senators of all time, 
Estes Kefauver.
  In 1973, Jim was elected chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party. In 
1976, he was elected to the Senate, and for the past 18 years, he has 
been an outstanding leader on issue after issue and a close friend to 
many of us.
  He was effective in championing local economic development projects 
such as the Oak Ridge National Laboratories and the Tennessee Valley 
Authority, and equally effective in leading the way on national issues 
that have made a difference in the lives of millions of Americans.
  Above all, we have come to know and admire his outstanding leadership 
abilities during his brilliant service as chairman of the Senate Budget 
Committee. He had a special ability to bring even the most difficult 
negotiation to a successful conclusion. One of his most superb 
achievements was passage of the 1993 Deficit Reduction Package that has 
cut the Federal deficit by more than 40 percent.
  Jim also ably used his role as Budget Committee chairman to protect 
America's senior citizens. He skillfully defended Social Security and 
Medicare against budget cuts. And he was equally a leader in developing 
more effective ways to make long-term care accessible and affordable to 
senior citizens who need it.
  We honor Jim now for his many outstanding accomplishments. But most 
of all, we honor Jim for his friendship. We wish him well in the years 
ahead, and we will miss him dearly.

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