[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 178 (Friday, December 9, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S7009]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO DAN COATS

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to my friend 
Dan Coats. Dan has twice served the people of Indiana as Senator, first 
in the late 1980s and 1990s, and again for the past 6 years. Dan is a 
man of integrity and a leader in the fight against government waste. He 
will be missed.
  Senator Coats was born in Jackson, MI, in 1943 and attended Wheaton 
College in Illinois and Indiana University School of Law. He served in 
the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1968, during which time he deepened his 
lifelong love of our country.
  Dan began his career in politics in 1976 when he went to work for 
future Vice President Dan Quayle, who at the time was serving in the 
House as a Representative from Indiana. When Representative Quayle 
decided to run for the Senate in 1980, Dan ran for and won Quayle's 
House seat.
  Dan served four terms in the House before being appointed to the 
Senate in 1989 to fill the remainder of Senator Quayle's term after 
Quayle was elected Vice President. Dan served in the Senate until 1999. 
He was a leader in tax and entitlement reform and provided unwavering 
support to our Armed Forces.
  After Senator Coats retired from the Senate, President George W. Bush 
appointed him Ambassador to Germany, where he developed a close working 
relationship with future Chancellor Angela Merkel and oversaw 
construction of a new embassy near the Brandenburg Gate.
  But Dan soon felt the pull of the Senate again and decided to return 
to this body in 2010, winning election to his old seat. Over the past 6 
years, Senator Coats has again been a leader in tax and entitlement 
reform and has become well known for his ``Waste of the Week'' 
speeches, in which he comes to the floor to highlight particularly 
egregious examples of government waste and abuse.
  Senator Coats has served the people of Indiana well. He has served 
our country well. He has led the fight against wasteful spending and 
helped keep our government accountable. I wish him, his wife, Marsha, 
and their family the very best.

                          ____________________