[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 29, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S7731]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  EXPIRING TERMS OF APPOINTED SENATORS

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, the 111th Congress will be recorded as one 
of the country's most historic. It will be rightfully remembered for 
the landmark legislation we passed to help our economy recover from 
recession and to help Americans afford to recover from health problems 
and for the passion that characterized the debates over many of these 
laws. But it will also be remembered for the replacement of remarkable 
Senators, under remarkable circumstances, by dedicated and devoted 
appointees.
  Two years ago, for the first time in half a century, the men elected 
President and the Vice President of the United States were sitting U.S. 
Senators. One year before the last time that happened, in 1959, Robert 
C. Byrd was sworn in for the first of his record nine consecutive full 
terms in this body.
  In the 111th Congress, three pairs of the biggest shoes in American 
history needed to be filled, three public servants were chosen to sit 
in the seats vacated by the President, the Vice President, and the 
longest serving Member of Congress. That has never happened before and 
will probably never happen again.
  Though Senators Edward Kaufman, Roland Burris, and Carte Goodwin were 
selected and not elected, none was content to be merely a footnote of 
history or the answer to a congressional trivia question. Each made the 
most of his time in the service of his State.
  Before he became the junior Senator from Delaware, Ted Kaufman was an 
engineer, a university professor, and Vice President Biden's right-hand 
man in this body for two decades. He spent nearly all his political 
career behind the scenes but impressed everyone in his State and in the 
Senate every time he stood up on the Senate floor or spoke out in a 
committee hearing.
  Rarely has an appointed Senator serving such a short term made such 
an impact. Senator Kaufman wrote legislation to make sure no Wall 
Street bank is too big to fail and made it easier for Federal 
prosecutors to root out financial fraud. His ideas on how to crack down 
on health care fraud are now the law of the land.
  He served less than one Congress, but he was no rookie. His knowledge 
of parliamentary procedure is vast, and he was a great legislative 
partner to me personally over the last 2 years.
  But among the most remarkable things Senator Kaufman did in his time 
here were the 100 tributes he gave on the Senate floor honoring Federal 
employees of all stripes: military engineers, intelligence analysts, 
nuclear scientists, Medicare benefits administrators, advocates for the 
homeless and the sick, and so on everyone from administrative 
secretaries to assistant Cabinet Secretaries.
  Senator Kaufman knows that the 2 million selfless public servants who 
choose to spend their careers in the Federal Government often make 
personal and financial sacrifices to work in relative anonymity and 
rarely receive recognition. He knows they often bear an undeserved 
reputation as part of a vast bureaucracy. But Senator Kaufman, a great 
former Federal employee himself, has both the character and class to 
publicly honor them for their good, hard, and honest work. He should be 
recognized for the same.
  Roland Burris came to the Senate under difficult circumstances, but 
he impressed our caucus by rising above the controversy and 
concentrating on doing his job for the people of Illinois. He had 
already built an impressive record in that State, becoming the first 
African American to ever hold statewide office in Illinois and spending 
more than three successful decades in the public and private sectors.
  During his time here, Senator Burris stood up for many progressive 
causes, including advocating for better civil rights education and 
writing legislation in support of our servicemembers overseas. He also 
presided over the Senate Chamber far more than anyone else during the 
111th Congress, soaking in every minute of it along the way.
  Senator Goodwin succeeded the irreplaceable Senator Byrd with 
humility and honor. He was here only briefly, and he didn't waste any 
time before delivering for West Virginians. In his first day as a U.S. 
Senator, he cast our caucus crucial 60th vote to break a filibuster and 
extend unemployment insurance for the millions of Americans who had 
lost their jobs and exhausted their benefits while looking for new 
ones. In the aftermath of this year's Big Branch Mine disaster that 
killed 29 West Virginians, Senator Goodwin fought for comprehensive 
mine safety reforms.
  In his young career, Senator Goodwin has worked as a lawyer, as the 
general counsel to the Governor of West Virginia, the chairman of his 
State's School Building Authority, and the Independent Commission on 
Judicial Reform. He will soon be a 36-year-old former Senator, and my 
colleagues and I eagerly anticipate following the bright career he has 
ahead of him.
  Senators Edward Kaufman, Roland Burris, and Carte Goodwin represented 
their respective States with distinction. They will forever hold a 
special place in American history for the good work they did in the 
short time they were U.S. Senators.

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