[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 148 (Tuesday, October 2, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12429-S12430]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN RECOGNITION OF SCOTT GUDES

  Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to Scott Gudes, 
who leaves his post at the helm of my Budget Committee staff this week. 
After 29 years of loyal service to the Federal Government, Scott has 
chosen to become vice president for government relations for the 
National Marine Manufacturers Association--a job well suited for a man 
who loves the sea as much as he does.
  When I became chair of the Senate Budget Committee in 2005, I asked 
Scott if he would serve as my staff director. In under a year, under 
Scott's stewardship, we passed both a budget for the first time in 2 
years, specifically the fiscal year 2006 budget resolution, and a 
reconciliation bill, the Deficit Reduction Act, DRA--marking the first 
time in 10 years Congress had passed a reconciliation bill to reduce 
spending.
  The DRA was a notable achievement in that it saved $39 billion, a 
feat which is practically unheard of around here, as the last time it 
was done was in 1997. These accomplishments could not have been done 
without Scott, who worked tirelessly to shepherd each authorizing 
committee through the often confusing reconciliation process. His 
unique combination of intellect, humor, and humbleness was a key 
component in navigating the complex waters of the compromise that was 
necessary to pass the first substantive deficit reduction legislation 
in 10 years.
  Scott followed up his initial year of success by spearheading efforts 
to develop a more comprehensive approach to restraining spending. His 
efforts contributed to the introduction of the Stop Over-Spending Act, 
a budget process reform bill that helped focus the national debate on 
solutions to our long-term fiscal challenges. Just this year, Scott 
helped structure the Conrad/Gregg Bipartisan Task Force for Responsible 
Fiscal Action Act of 2007, legislation that will encourage bipartisan 
action to put our fiscal house back in order. At heart, Scott is a true 
nonpartisan who recognizes that the best policy is made when both sides 
of the aisle work together, and his first instinct is to seek out 
common ground rather than partisan differences.
  However, much like Thomas Jefferson chose to be remembered as author 
of the Declaration of Independence rather than various elected offices 
he held, including President, I expect that Scott would rather be 
remembered for spearheading efforts to write, edit, and publish the 
``Budget Committee History'' rather than his impressive legislative 
credentials. Scott took it upon himself to initiate a historic 
accounting of the Senate Budget Committee. This labor of love reflects 
countless interviews and hours chronicling the birth, history, and 
importance the committee has held in shaping the Federal budget and 
fiscal policy. His devotion to this project is an example of Scott's 
love of history and respect for the institution of the Senate.
  The handful of aforementioned achievements merely reflects Scott's 
latest accomplishments in an achievement-filled career. It would be 
nearly impossible to chronicle the numerous programs and projects he 
created, funded, and oversaw--programs that improved and enriched both 
individual lives and the environment.
  In addition to his tour of duty at the Senate Budget Committee, Scott 
has held key positions on both sides of the Capitol, both ends of 
Pennsylvania Avenue, and a point I like to forget, Scott has even 
worked on both sides of the aisle. Included in this impressive list are 
stints as the clerk of the Commerce, Justice, and State Appropriations 
Subcommittee, professional staff on the Defense Appropriations 
Subcommittee, and Acting NOAA Administrator, where he championed 
science, service, and environmental stewardship programs and greatly 
improved agency morale. In NOAA circles, Scott is a virtual god--king 
of satellites, staunch advocate of the NOAA Corps and its ships and 
planes, and an addict of the NOAA label, which I understand is 
plastered on literally everything under and around his home, car, and 
office.
  But the true bearing of Scott's 29 years of Federal service is not 
the remarkable list of the jobs he has held, although the list is long 
and distinguished, but the manner in which Scott

[[Page S12430]]

has approached these positions and the people he has touched along the 
way. Those who know Scott best describe him as a loyal, encouraging, 
and creative boss, who supports and celebrates those who work with him. 
Everything Scott does is done in an ``all hands on deck'' manner that 
gives everyone an opportunity to pitch in and support the common goal.
  One cannot talk about Scott without recognizing his acumen for all 
things trivia--Scott is a virtual trivia savant. He knows the answer to 
nearly every trivia question, regardless of topic, and can somehow 
relate every event back to an old movie or seventies rock song. He will 
search to the end of the Internet to find a historic or comic analogy 
to make a point about fiscal responsibility, or often the lack of it. 
He is equally conversant on the latest entertainment news and military 
strategies of ancient times. The influence of his crosscutting interest 
and knowledge has occasionally found its way to the Senate floor, where 
both the Geico Caveman and a Rube Goldberg cartoon have been used to 
drive home a point.
  As a lifelong boater, fisherman, and lover of all things relating to 
the ocean, Scott reminds me of the remarks that President Kennedy made 
at the 1962 America's Cup sailing race. He said, ``All of us have in 
our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in 
the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in 
our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea--
whether it is to sail or to watch it--we are going back from whence we 
came.''
  Kathy joins me in wishing Scott well as he joins the National Marine 
Manufacturers Association, to ``go back from whence he came'' and 
advocate on behalf of issues he is most passionate about. As he sets 
off for new adventures with his wife Ann, and, of course, Buddy the 
Budget beagle dog by his side, Scott leaves in his wake a nation that 
is better off for his service, and colleagues that will miss him 
dearly.

                          ____________________