[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 166 (Tuesday, December 20, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14194-S14195]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   COMMENDING DR. DOUGLAS HOLTZ-EAKIN

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate now 
proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 341, which was submitted 
earlier today. I ask the resolution be read.

[[Page S14195]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 341) commending Dr. Douglas Holtz-
     Eakin for his dedicated, faithful, and outstanding service to 
     his country and to the Senate.

                              S. Res. 341

       Whereas Dr. Douglas Holtz-Eakin has served as the sixth 
     Director of the Congressional Budget Office since February 4, 
     2003 and will end his service on December 29, 2005;
       Whereas during his tenure as Director, he has continued to 
     encourage the highest standards of analytical excellence 
     within the staff of the Congressional Budget Office while 
     maintaining the independent and nonpartisan character of the 
     organization;
       Whereas during his tenure as Director, he has expanded and 
     improved the accessibility of the Congressional Budget 
     Office's work products to the Congress and the public;
       Whereas he has expanded and enhanced the agency's 
     macroeconomic analyses of the range of negative and positive 
     feedbacks on the economy and budget from fiscal policy 
     changes; and
       Whereas he has earned the respect and esteem of the United 
     States Senate: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate of the United States commends Dr. 
     Douglas Holtz-Eakin for his dedicated, faithful, and 
     outstanding service to his country and to the Senate.

  There being no objection the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, the executive branch agencies have many 
programs to recognize performance and talent. In the legislative 
branch, we too often take personal effort and hard work for granted. 
Unfortunately, the Senate does not possess many ways to recognize 
excellence, and thank the people who make this institution function so 
well.
  Today, I would like to take a little time to mention something that 
is not debatable. I think this is simply stating something that all 
Members, on both sides of the aisle, know only too well.
  In the three years that Dr. Douglas Holtz-Eakin has been Director of 
the Congressional Budget Office, he has led with dedication and 
integrity. He has provided the Members of Congress with impartial 
analyses of a wide array of budgetary and economic issues. He has never 
hesitated to meet with Members and staff regarding any issue. Douglas 
has always approached his responsibilities with enthusiasm and a desire 
to make sure that the information CBO provides leads decisionmakers to 
create better public policy outcomes.
  Douglas Holtz-Eakin is the sixth Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office. He was appointed to that position on February 4, 2003; 
following an 18-month stint as chief economist for the President's 
Council of Economic Advisers.
  During his tenure, he has certainly made an impression on CBO; 
leaving behind a legacy that Congress will benefit from for years to 
come. He has strengthened and improved the transparency of CBO's 
analytical methods by convening an annual Director's Conference to 
bring in outside experts to assist the agency in tackling complex 
economic issues. He also has enhanced the publication production effort 
by publishing background papers that explain CBO's models and methods, 
working papers that discuss new analytical developments and 
improvements, and issue briefs that communicate analyses in a concise 
manner for those unable to commit the time to more indepth research. 
Dr. Holtz-Eakin has devoted a great amount of attention to improving 
the clarity of CBO's work to make it more accessible to policymakers, 
professional analysts, and the public.
  Under Doug's guidance, CBO extended its modeling and analytic 
capacity; most notably in the critical areas of dynamic analysis and 
long-term microsimulation. CBO also has begun to apply the tools of 
modern financial analysis to improve budgetary and economic cost 
measures.
  Prior to his appointment as CBO Director, Dr. Holtz-Eakin already had 
a remarkable career, distinguishing himself in academia and as a public 
servant. He is a trustee professor of economics at the Maxwell School 
of Syracuse University, where he also served as chairman of the 
Department of Economics and as associate director of the Center for 
Policy Research. He held positions as editor of the National Tax 
Journal, associate editor of the Journal of Human Resources, and as a 
member of the editorial board for Public Budgeting & Finance, Economics 
and Politics, Journal of Sports Economics, Regional Science and Urban 
Economics, and Public Works Management and Policy.
  Earlier in his career, he held academic appointments at Columbia 
University and at Princeton University. Since 1985, he has served as a 
faculty research fellow and research associate for the National Bureau 
of Economic Research. He has been a consultant to the New Jersey State 
and Local Expenditure and Revenue Policy Commission, the State of 
Arizona Joint Select Committee on State Revenues and Expenditures, and 
the New York State Office for the Aging. He also has served as the 
Executive Director, Tax Study Commission, New York State Assembly.
  Dr. Holtz-Eakin's remarkable career in public service will not end 
with CBO. He will continue making positive contributions to public 
policy research as the next Paul A. Volcker fellow in international 
economics and as the director of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for 
Geoeconomic Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. The council is 
a nonpartisan research organization that is national in scope and 
global in its reach.
  Doug's quick wit and sense of humor will be sorely missed in the 
Halls of the Capitol and on the fourth floor of the Ford House Office 
Building. We wish him good luck in his new endeavors and are grateful 
for his contributions and work on our behalf. He leaves behind a first-
rate professional staff with high morale, testimony to his excellence 
in leadership. We wish him well.
  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I want to join Senator Gregg in commending 
the public service of Congressional Budget Office, CBO, Director 
Douglas Holtz-Eakin. Congress will lose a valuable member of the budget 
community when he leaves CBO at the end of this year to join the 
Council on Foreign Relations. He has been an exemplary leader for the 
agency and deserves to be recognized for his outstanding performance.
  Director Holtz-Eakin has lived up to the high standards set by his 
predecessors at CBO. He will be remembered for leading the agency in an 
open, straightforward, professional, and nonpartisan manner. From day 
1, Director Holtz-Eakin has been responsive and helpful on a wide range 
of requests. And he has repeatedly shown his considerable knowledge of 
the budget and economic affairs of the Nation.
  I was initially concerned about Director Holtz-Eakin's appointment in 
2003 to the nonpartisan CBO, because he was coming directly from an 
administration position, as the chief economist of the President's 
Council of Economic Advisers. However, Director Holtz-Eakin put my 
concerns to rest by demonstrating his desire and ability to rise above 
political pressures and focus on the best interests of the American 
people.
  Notably, Director Holtz-Eakin took a balanced and scientific approach 
regarding the issue of dynamic scoring. Ultimately, he concluded that 
the dynamic impact of various fiscal policies could include a range of 
positive and negative effects and, in any case, was likely to be small.
  Although we have faced difficult times for our Nation's budget, 
Director Holtz-Eakin has provided Congress with crucial information and 
insight. His expertise, honesty, and good humor will be missed. I 
commend Director Holtz-Eakin for his public service and wish him the 
best of luck in his new position.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the resolution be 
agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be 
laid on the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 341), was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.

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