[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 27, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S2929]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        FORMER SENATOR ED MUSKIE

  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I cannot speak about Senator Ed Muskie 
with the depth of knowledge that Senator Snowe had of his background 
and his impact on his beloved State of Maine. But it has fallen to me 
to be, at every stage of my growth in the Senate, on a committee with 
Senator Muskie.
  My first assignment was the Public Works Committee. I was the most 
junior Republican, and Senator Muskie was the third-ranking Democrat 
and chaired the Subcommittee on the Environment. I also served on that 
subcommittee. I saw in him a man of tremendous capability and 
dedication when he undertook a cause. He learned everything there was 
to learn about it, and he proceeded with that cause with the kind of 
diligence and certainty that is not so often found around here. There 
were various times during the evolution of clean water and clean air 
statutes in the country that we could go in one of two directions, or 
one of three. Senator Muskie weighed those heavily, and chose the 
direction and the course that we are on now.
  No one can deny that Senator Muskie is the chief architect of 
environmental cleanup of our air and water in the United States. Some 
would argue about its regulatory processes, but there can be no 
question that hundreds of rivers across America are clean today because 
of Ed Muskie. There can be no doubt that our air is cleaner and safer 
and healthier because of his leadership. I really do not think any 
person needs much more than that to be part of their legacy.
  But essentially he took on another job, and a very, very difficult 
one--to chair the Budget Committee of the U.S. Senate. Again, it fell 
on me as a very young Senator to be on that committee. I have been on 
it ever since. I was fortunate to move up. He became chairman in its 
earliest days.
  I might just say as an aside that the Chair would be interested in 
this. When we moved the President's budget--$6 billion in those days--
that was a big, big thing, and we had a real battle for it. He would 
take the Presidents--no matter which ones--on with great, great 
determination.
  But I want to close by saying that one of the things I will never 
forget about him is that he saw me as a young Senator from New Mexico. 
I had a very large family. He got to meet them and know them. On a 
number of occasions he personally said that he would very much like to 
make sure that we did not do things around here to discourage young 
Senators like Domenici from staying here. I think he was sincere, even 
though I was on the Republican side. I think he saw us with an awful 
lot of feeling ourselves up here in trying to establish rules that were 
very difficult, and he used to regularly say, ``I hope this does not 
discourage you. We need to keep some of you around.''

  So to his wonderful family and to all of those close to him, you have 
suffered a great loss, but I can say that his life has been a great 
legacy for the country. That ought to lend you in these days of sorrow 
a bit of consolation, because that legacy is great. Death is obviously 
inevitable. He accomplished great things before that day occurred.
  With that, I yield the floor.

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