[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 59 (Thursday, March 30, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4839-S4840]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     THE NOMINATION OF DAN GLICKMAN

  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, in a few moments we will be voting on 
confirmation of Dan Glickman to be Secretary of Agriculture. I 
compliment the President on his nomination for that position. I think 
that former Congressman Glickman is preeminently well qualified for 
that position.
  I would like to say that I have known Dan Glickman since before he 
was born because we come from the same town, Wichita, KS. Actually we 
come from a number of towns; Wichita, KS and Philadelphia, PA. But at 
various times in my life I have lived in those places, and lived in 
Wichita. The Specter family and the Glickman family were friends for 
many, many years. In fact, my father, Harry Specter, was a business 
associate of Dan Glickman's grandfather, J. Glickman. Maybe that is too 
high an elevation. Actually, my father borrowed $500 from J. Glickman 
in about 1936 or 1937 at the start of a junk business. In those days my 
dad would buy junk in the oil fields of Kansas and ship them in 
boxcars, and ship them through Glickman Iron and Metal. And J. Glickman 
got the override on the tonnage. So our family relationship goes back 
many, many years.
  My family left Wichita in 1942, a couple of years before Dan Glickman 
was born. So that I like to say that I have known Dan since before he 
was born. But I have certainly have known him for his entire lifetime. 
I have a very, very high regard for him.
  [[Page S4840]] He had a very, very outstanding record as a Member of 
the House of Representatives from Wichita, KS. He has a very thorough 
grasp of the agriculture community and farm problems in America; a 
background that I share to some extent. Russell and Wichita and all of 
Kansas are in the wheat country, and as a teenager I drove a tractor in 
the farmland. It is quite an experience to drive a tractor in the 
harvest, round and round knocking down grain; pulling a combine, again, 
again, and again. It is a great incentive to become a lawyer, which I 
did after moving out of Kansas.
  But beyond his professional qualifications and his experience, Dan 
Glickman is a great human being, compassionate, understanding, and will 
really be able to work with the problems of the American agriculture 
industry.
  Still I think he has a keen eye for budget deficits and cost 
reductions to fit into the trend of the times as we try to move to 
balance the Federal budget for the target year 2002.
  So I do not know that my colleagues will need too much urging because 
Dan has such an outstanding record and an outstanding reputation. But I 
wanted to add these few words in support of his nomination for 
Secretary of Agriculture.
  I thank the Chair. I yield the floor.
  Mr. FAIRCLOTH addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the Senator from North 
Carolina.
  Mr. FAIRCLOTH. Mr. President, I rise to support the nomination of Dan 
Glickman. I could not help but notice the Senator from Pennsylvania 
saying that he was driving a tractor and that encouraged him to become 
a lawyer. Well, I failed to become a lawyer.
  But I rise to support the nomination of Dan Glickman as Secretary of 
Agriculture.
  As the distinguished majority leader has indicated, Dan Glickman has 
an outstanding record on agricultural issues and I am certain that he 
will serve this Nation well as its Secretary of Agriculture.
  As Secretary, I am optimistic that Mr. Glickman will take an even-
handed approach to agricultural regulations. Recently, legislation has 
been introduced which is intended to provide special treatment for a 
limited class of poultry producers. I am referring to S. 600--the so-
called Truth in Poultry Labeling Act of 1995. It is anything but truth 
in labeling.
  This legislation is just one example of the pressures which may be 
brought to bear on the Department of Agriculture during Mr. Glickman's 
tenure as Secretary.
  I am hopeful that he will not yield to special interests seeking 
preferential market treatment under the guise of antifraud legislation. 
If successful, S. 600 would result in significant economic harm to 
poultry producers across the Nation--so that a limited class of local 
producers could achieve market dominance.
  I hope that as Secretary, Mr. Glickman will send a clear signal that 
such tactics have no place in the rulemaking procedures of the 
Department of Agriculture under his leadership or at any other time.
  Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  

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