[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 3 (Monday, January 8, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8-S11]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Remembering Herb Kohl

  Ms. BALDWIN. Madam President, I rise today to honor the life of 
former U.S. Senator Herb Kohl.
  Herb was a successful businessman, a generous philanthropist, a 
dedicated public servant, and my role model. He was a model boss, 
public servant, and Senator--always putting people first. But, if you 
knew Herb, you knew how humble he was. In fact, after he was first 
sworn in, one of his colleagues whom he respected in this body said to 
him: You are going to be a model Senator. I have heard him tell this 
story a number of times. He decided to look up the definition of 
``model,'' and he quipped back by saying: ``Model, my friends, is a 
small replica of the real thing,'' making light of his rather modest 
stature and deflecting credit for his leadership. That scenario 
embodies a lot of who Herb was. He was modest, funny, and at his core, 
an unrelenting advocate for the people of the State of Wisconsin.
  Senator Kohl served in this body for 24 years, but he served the 
people of Wisconsin and our country throughout his entire life. In the 
Senate, he didn't care how long a fight would take, how long the odds 
were, or who he was up against; if it would help the people of 
Wisconsin, it was worthy of him to engage in that fight. His mantra 
throughout his service was ``Nobody's Senator But Yours,'' and his 
record in Washington reflected that commitment to a tee.
  In Congress, he worked quietly, diligently, and with focus. Herb 
fought to get Wisconsin's dairy farmers fair prices for their products, 
and he worked to invest in and save Wisconsin's family farms. He 
championed vital food assistance programs that children and working 
families rely on and worked to expand access to affordable childcare, 
elder care, and healthcare for millions of Americans. Herb knew that 
taking care of our great outdoors and our environment was key not only 
to our Wisconsin way of life but also to our economy. Working with both 
environmentalists and

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business interests, Herb secured resources to clean up drinking water 
sources and combat invasive species and pollution in our Great Lakes. 
He championed initiatives to help workers get the skills they needed to 
be competitive in today's economy and keep Wisconsin's manufacturing 
jobs in Wisconsin.
  Senator Kohl was never afraid to stand up to special interests on 
behalf of his constituents. He diligently led the oversight of mergers 
and acquisitions to protect competition and consumers in everything 
from agriculture to rail, to telecommunications, to healthcare, working 
with Democrats and Republicans to lower the everyday cost of essentials 
like prescription drugs and gasoline.
  At the end of the day, it was always about the people of Wisconsin. 
That is why it should come as no surprise that his office was rightly 
regarded as the best constituent services shop in Congress. As he said 
in his farewell to the Senate in 2012, every Wisconsinite had an ally 
and an advocate in his Senate office. Whether it be getting veterans 
their healthcare benefits, helping a senior navigate Medicare, or 
getting a family their passports in time for a vacation, the Kohl 
office was always there. It is not the stuff that makes headlines, but 
it makes a difference for people, so Herb was invested in it.
  While Senator Kohl actively avoided taking credit for his work, his 
colleagues knew that behind his measured and unassuming demeanor was an 
industrious work ethic, a ready sense of humor, and a fierce commitment 
to doing what was right for Wisconsin. As my predecessor in the Senate, 
I could not have asked for a better role model. Coming into this 
Chamber can be daunting, especially when trying to fill the shoes of 
someone with such a distinguished record and reputation, but luckily 
for me, Senator Kohl's steadfast support and mentorship began well 
before he escorted me into this very Chamber.
  Throughout the years, Senator Kohl had been a constant source of 
wisdom and encouragement. He was generous with his resources, his 
knowledge, his time, and his heart. Any Wisconsinite who had the 
pleasure of meeting Herb knew this overwhelming spirit of generosity 
permeated everything that he did.
  A product of Milwaukee public schools himself, Herb truly believed 
that investing in the next generation of engaged citizens was the 
bedrock of our democracy. Since 1990, his foundation has invested 
millions of dollars in scholarships and fellowships to help Wisconsin's 
students pursue higher education and allow teachers to better meet the 
needs of their classrooms. I know Wisconsin's teachers and students 
will remember Herb as a friend to education.
  Whether you ran into him at a basketball game, at Ma Fischer's in 
Milwaukee, or visited his Washington, DC, office, Herb always had the 
time to say hello and take a picture. No matter his fame or fortune, 
Herb was truly a man of the people.
  Of course, it is hard to talk about Herb Kohl without mentioning his 
beloved Milwaukee Bucks. In fact, it was hard to talk to Senator Kohl 
without talking about the Milwaukee Bucks. As the long-time owner of 
the team, Senator Kohl fought on more than one occasion to keep the 
Bucks in Milwaukee, recognizing the immense value of the franchise to 
the State of Wisconsin and to the city he loved. In large part, because 
of his determination and generosity, Herb was able to watch Milwaukee 
bring home a national championship in 2021 for the first time in 50 
years.

  While Herb is no longer with us, I know his legacy will live on for 
years to come in every young fan who attends a Bucks game and every 
student who jumps around at the Kohl Center while cheering on Badgers 
basketball in Madison. His impact will be felt by the thousands of 
students who will continue to benefit from his philanthropic efforts 
and the Wisconsin families who have food on the table and access to 
affordable healthcare, thanks to his tireless advocacy. I hope his 
legacy of service lives on in me and in all those called to serve the 
communities they love.
  Though Herb Kohl may have had a reputation as a ``common man,'' his 
legacy is anything but ordinary. From humble roots as the son of 
immigrants in Milwaukee, Herb's immense success in business, in public 
life, and philanthropy personified the American dream made reality 
through a Wisconsin work ethic and unwavering commitment to doing right 
by his neighbors.
  There is truly no one like Senator Herb Kohl, and Wisconsin is so 
lucky to have had him fighting in our corner. Herb's record of 
achievement and commitment to Wisconsin is undeniable. While he may not 
like to be called it, it is the truth: Herb was a model Senator, and my 
role model.
  Thank you, Herb, for your service to Wisconsin. You will be dearly, 
dearly missed.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Minnesota.
  Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, I would like to thank our colleague 
from Wisconsin for her beautiful words, her heartfelt memories.
  And, mostly, I know personally how proud Senator Kohl was that you, 
Senator Baldwin, got elected and serve your State so well. You are 
truly a tribute to your State but also to Herb's memory.
  I am here as the neighbor, the Senator next door, the one who got to 
know Herb Kohl, because Minnesota and Wisconsin, despite our 
rivalries--as the Presiding Officer knows, when it comes to the Vikings 
and the Packers and the Badgers and the Gophers--we actually have a lot 
more in common than what divides us.
  In fact, my mom grew up in Milwaukee. I talked to her many times. She 
also was the daughter of immigrant parents. In her case, her dad worked 
at the Porth Pie Company, which Herb was aware of, and came from humble 
roots.
  Senator Kohl's life was really as American as they come. He was born, 
as we noted, in Milwaukee to immigrant parents. He learned the value of 
hard work, as Senator Baldwin discussed, as a bag boy at his dad's 
market. He attended public high school and the University of Wisconsin 
before earning his MBA. From there, he and his brother worked to build 
their family's business into an iconic department store chain, Kohl's, 
of course. I can't tell you how many times, visiting my grandma in 
Milwaukee, we would be like: We can get that at Kohl's. We can go to 
Kohl's.
  They were so proud of the work that he did.
  Later, when his beloved Milwaukee Bucks almost left Wisconsin, it was 
Herb who bought the team just so he could keep them there. I know that 
Senator Baldwin is proud of the Bucks' 2021 final win, and we all know 
it would never have been the Milwaukee Bucks without Herb Kohl.
  After working his way up from a bag boy to a basketball team owner, 
Herb didn't have to seek public office, but he loved his State and its 
people too much to rest on his laurels. To him, running for office was 
not in any way a path to personal gain. It was a moral obligation.
  After winning election to the Senate in 1988, he got to work right 
away for the people of Wisconsin, and, as Senator Baldwin noted, he 
worked to expand the supply of affordable housing for elderly 
Americans, crack down on corporate espionage, expand safe and 
affordable childcare, and secure critical medical training investments 
in the Affordable Care Act. How proud I know he was of Senator 
Baldwin's--then-Representative Baldwin's--important role in making sure 
that older kids were able to be covered under their parents' policies 
under the Affordable Care Act.
  But he took as much pride in making sure of the big things, as how a 
single dairy farmer could stay afloat in a low-producing season.
  On a personal note, I was lucky to call Herb a mentor and a friend. 
We worked together during my early years in the Senate, including on 
ending 30 years of delay so that the construction of the St. Croix 
River bridge between Minnesota and Wisconsin could move forward. 
Senator Baldwin and I were there for the completion of that historic 
bridge, what we consider one of the most beautiful bridges in our 
State--maybe the most beautiful bridge, but I can never say that. Herb 
was there from the beginning on that project.
  When Herb cared about something, he would work to get it done, and he

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would work, as Senator Baldwin has said, in a humble way. He was never 
one to seek the spotlight, and, in a Chamber full of egos and big 
speeches, that certainly made him stand out.
  I remember that even though he was a multimillionaire, he always used 
to eat his lunch in the cafeteria, often buying lunch for staffers that 
he encountered in line.
  One time, he brought me to eat there because I was taking over from 
him as the head of the antitrust subcommittee. He gave me advice from a 
business perspective. People don't always think of antitrust in that 
way, but Herb Kohl was a true entrepreneur. He was a competitor. He 
believed that competition was a big part of capitalism, and that is why 
he cherished his work on that subcommittee and gave me all kinds of 
advice about how to talk about it in a way that, from the very 
beginning of America's roots and our economy, from the Founding Fathers 
on, competition was what made us successful. And he certainly believed 
that when he built that department store chain up and didn't just 
kowtow to whoever was there from the beginning. That really dictated a 
lot about how I thought about antitrust.

  He also told me to hire his staff, like Caroline, and gave me such 
good advice on doing that. I think it was also a great example of Herb 
Kohl because he was looking out for his staff, not just while he was in 
the Senate but long after he left.
  He didn't have to do any of that. There is no rule in the Senate that 
subcommittee chairs have to impart their wisdom at a formal lunch in 
the Senate cafeteria--maybe not that formal--to the next generation, 
and there is no rule that Senators have to keep looking out for their 
staff years and years after they retire. But that is just who Herb was. 
He embodied midwestern compassion--generous with his spirit, generous 
with his time, and generous with his resources.
  He spent his early career working hard to build wealth, and he spent 
the rest of his life using it to make a difference in the world.
  As a product of the public schools, he knew firsthand that a quality 
education was a pathway to success, and that is why he made it his 
mission, later in life, to give back and to invest in public education, 
advocating for breakfast and lunch for low-income students, championing 
Wisconsin's Teacher of the Year Program, and on multiple occasions paid 
for entire slates of teachers' back-to-school supply wish lists, 
something that deeply resonated with me, as my mom would always 
complain about having to buy her own supplies for her classroom as a 
second grade teacher because she wanted them to have the best.
  Today, thanks to his charitable giving, scholarships, and educational 
foundation--and even though from Wisconsin, I must acknowledge--the 
Badgers' hockey and basketball arena bear his name. Herb's philanthropy 
was motivated not by glory but by an unwavering devotion to his State.
  So I will end with this. I think what best captures Herb may have 
been that slogan when he first ran for Senate, and it was this: 
``Nobody's Senator but yours.'' In a field where what is noble is often 
sacrificed for what is expedient, that might seem naive or 
unrealistic--not for Herb. Throughout his 24 years in the Senate, he 
never broke that promise.
  Anyone who has driven from Stillwater, MN, over to the Wisconsin side 
of the St. Croix River, they can thank Herb Kohl. And anyone who went 
to school on a Kohl Student Excellence Scholarship can thank him. And 
anyone who roots for the Milwaukee Bucks, which, once upon a time, 
almost became the Minnesota Bucks--but we are not going to go into that 
story because we have our own team now that is doing pretty well. No, 
this is not the time to do that. We can thank Herb Kohl.
  The Senate is better off, the State of Wisconsin is better off 
because of Herb, and, certainly, our country is better off.
  My thoughts are with his friends, his family, his former staff, and, 
of course, the intrepid and wonderful Senator Baldwin.
  Again, he couldn't be prouder that you got elected, Senator Baldwin.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Oregon.
  Mr. MERKLEY. Madam President, Wisconsin has lost a great man. When I 
came to the Senate in 2009, I made an effort to sit down with each 
Member, and, of the 100 Members, the quietest individual, the most 
soft-spoken, was Herb Kohl. He sat behind his desk. We talked about the 
family farms, particularly the dairies of Wisconsin. We talked a little 
bit about basketball--the Oregon Trail Blazers, the Milwaukee Bucks, 
and, of course, the pride that we had when the Blazers won a 
championship back in the 1970s. But, really, it was just a comfortable 
get-to-know-you. Yet I knew the man across the desk from me had been so 
powerfully successful in business and in politics.
  But unlike in virtually any other conversation here in the Senate, he 
didn't lay claim to a single accomplishment or talk about the great 
glories of his career. It was just a ``Welcome to the Senate. Here, you 
can help families out.'' That spirit really fits with what we have 
heard from Senator Baldwin about his legacy--a man who was humble, who 
was generous, who was disciplined, who was hard-working; a man who 
worked not just on agriculture but on housing, but on public education, 
but on cleaning up the Great Lakes, and on many other things that my 
colleagues have mentioned.
  When he was pondering retiring, he talked about the individual that 
he hoped would follow in his footsteps, in his spirit here in the 
Senate--our own Senator Tammy Baldwin. It was almost a family 
connection--a powerful, heart-to-heart connection. So one of the most 
important legacies that he has left is continuing his vision of 
fighting for ordinary families, ordinary people, here in the Senate, 
with the woman who took his place.
  Herb Kohl was modest in style but powerfully effective in practice. 
We miss him here in the Senate, and we know that the people of 
Wisconsin benefited enormously from his life and also miss him greatly 
in his passing.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Oregon.
  Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, I rise today with my colleagues to pay 
tribute to a special friend and our former colleague, Senator Kohl of 
Wisconsin.
  I was fortunate enough to be able to serve with Herb Kohl during his 
service in the Senate and have been equally fortunate to know his 
wonderful family.
  I have been listening to my colleagues describe Senator Kohl, and I 
thought that I would describe him in a way that Herb Kohl would never 
describe himself as being. That is because he was too modest.

  The fact is, Herb Kohl was really the embodiment of what we Jews know 
as tikkun olam, which is a belief that all of us have a responsibility 
to leave our world and our communities better off than we found them. 
Herb did that day in and day out, living his life always trying to 
boost the well-being of those less fortunate.
  As my colleagues have been saying, Herb Kohl didn't need to go into 
public service, but what we are all saying today is that public service 
desperately needs people like Herb Kohl: a successful businessperson, 
passionate about improving his home State of Wisconsin and his country 
through public service.
  When most people think of a U.S. Senator, my guess is they have an 
image of somebody who loves to hear themselves talk, puts out a 
blizzard of news releases, tweets every day, and aims to take credit 
for lots of stuff. Herb Kohl was just the opposite of all that.
  For example, at home in Oregon, I always make a point of going to 
Boys & Girls Clubs to shoot baskets with the kids in the summer. Again 
and again, I would encounter young people around lunchtime who came to 
camp ravenous and got two lunches right away. They weren't just hungry; 
they had had nothing to eat but a candy bar since the day before.
  Local Boys & Girls Clubs helped kids get substantial, nourishing 
meals, and they are always trying to find ways to get extra food to 
kids in need, particularly as the week comes to a close and many kids 
are facing a weekend in the summer not knowing where their next meal 
would come from.
  I assume my colleagues know this. It wasn't until years after I had 
been going to shoot hoops in the summer

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with the Boys & Girls Clubs--it wasn't until years later that I found 
out that Herb Kohl, our Herb Kohl, was giving generous support to those 
Boys & Girls Clubs for years. But did he say a word about it to my 
colleagues, to me? We talked basketball all the time, but he never 
talked about how he stepped in to help all those future hoopsters. And 
that was Herb Kohl in a nutshell. He would see a need for his 
community, and without any fanfare, without any notice, without any 
press releases, Herb Kohl didn't act like a Senator; he just acted in 
the spirit of tikkun olam. He stepped up. He wanted to help. He never 
asked for an award, never saw himself with a picture of himself in a 
blue suit and a red tie getting some kind of award.
  A number of Senators over the years--and I think this echoes what my 
colleagues have said--they said that Herb was very nice to them and 
very polite. I heard Senator Klobuchar talk about work on antitrust 
stuff. But a lot of colleagues would come up to you and they would say 
our first name and they would say: But I haven't really had a lot of 
extended conversations with Senator Kohl. Now, we know it was not 
because he was unpleasant or wished somebody ill but because he was 
very private, putting in the work each day to make good on his pledges 
to Wisconsin families and so many others.
  All of us read the really wonderful, gracious obituary for Senator 
Kohl in the New York Times. One of the reasons I wanted to come to the 
floor today was to mention a couple of things that they didn't even 
manage to get into that wonderful obituary. It was terrific. But let me 
give some examples.
  My background is working with the Gray Panthers, working with the 
elderly. I was thrilled to be able to work under him when he was chair 
of the Aging Committee. When it came to seniors, no issue for Senator 
Kohl was too small or too insignificant for him to tackle. He tackled 
end-of-life issues and long-term care, addressing unemployment among 
older workers, protecting seniors from financial abuse, tried to help 
them save for retirement. All of us could go through this laundry list 
of accomplishments. Not all of those ideas might have been on the front 
page of the paper, but they represented the quiet and thoughtful 
workhorse that Herb Kohl was.
  Older Americans had no better ally than they did in Senator Kohl. 
Through all the partisan infighting, he always worked on those senior 
issues because he saw that as ground that was exempt from all the 
pettiness that drives so much of politics.
  I will close with this: I was especially appreciative that Senator 
Kohl, in his quiet way, had the vision to look down the road at big 
challenges. For example, he talked to me often--and I am sure my 
colleagues as well--about how the guarantee of Medicare had evolved 
over the years. In other words, Senator Kohl knew that Medicare was not 
a voucher, that it wasn't some piece of paper, some snippet of paper; 
it was a guarantee of Medicare. He also knew that it had evolved over 
the years. It is still continuing with the prescription drug benefit. 
He knew the program inside out, and Senator Kohl would always say to 
me: Let's just keep figuring out how to update the Medicare guarantee, 
protect the elderly, and promote choice and alternatives without 
compromising the protections that older people deserve.
  Let me just say to my colleagues, as chair of the Finance Committee, 
if you walk into the Senate Finance Committee room today and you talk 
about the issues relating to Medicare and Medicare Advantage and them 
spending $6 billion on garbage advertising, Herb Kohl was telling us 
years ago there were supposed to be guardrails for that, there were 
supposed to be protections for that. That was Herb Kohl--thinking down 
the road as well as helping people today.
  So I am really pleased to be here with my good friends, and I will 
just close with one last point. I think one of my colleagues talked 
about it. Senator Klobuchar knew that the Senate was kind of a 
community, and I suspect that there are a few people in the House today 
who understand that as well. But when staff was working late at night--
they might have a bill or an amendment or something or maybe they would 
be working on a project where staff was helping the bigger campus 
community--and it would get to be 8 or 9 o'clock at night and people 
were kind of hoping that somehow, out of the sky, a pizza would 
arrive--not with Herb Kohl. When it got to be 9 o'clock, we got 
ourselves a real dinner, and nobody knew where it came from, but a 
handful of us did.
  Until his last days, Herb Kohl practiced tikkun olam. That is why you 
have some of my most thoughtful colleagues--the Senate is made up of a 
lot of people, but I have just been here a few minutes, and I heard 
Senator Baldwin, Senator Klobuchar, and my partner from Oregon, Senator 
Merkley. These are the kind of people who also represent the best of 
public service. That is why all of us are here--because our hearts are 
heavy today because we so admired him, we so appreciated him.
  I send my love tonight to Sid and Dorothy and Lisa and the whole 
family because they continue to represent the ideals Herb Kohl stood 
for.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Michigan.
  Ms. STABENOW. Madam President, I rise today to pay tribute to someone 
I was honored to work alongside, and I know that many other Members on 
both sides of the aisle feel the same way.
  Herb Kohl wasn't the most outgoing Senator. Some people might have 
called him quiet or even shy. But he was never quiet about fighting for 
the people of Wisconsin. And he was never shy about standing up for the 
things he believed in. He was absolutely passionate about protecting 
our Great Lakes, our land, and the people in Wisconsin and across the 
country who depend on them for their livelihoods. Wisconsin's dairy 
farmers and rural communities had no greater champion, and they are so 
fortunate that Senator Baldwin has carried on Senator Kohl's good work.
  He was also a champion for American families and for ensuring that 
they have access to fresh, healthy food. As chairman of the Agriculture 
Appropriations panel, he fought to expand nutrition programs for 
children and to fund the WIC Program, which helps make sure American 
moms and babies have the food they need to thrive. And as chairman of 
the Special Committee on Aging, he was laser-focused on the needs of 
older Americans, including through improving the quality and safety of 
nursing homes.
  Of course, we all know what a huge sports fan he was as the longtime 
owner of the Milwaukee Bucks and a member of the team that brought the 
Brewers to Wisconsin. It was wonderful that he was able to watch his 
beloved Bucks win the NBA title in 2021, and he even rode in the 
championship parade.
  Perhaps he will be most remembered for his generosity. His Herb Kohl 
Educational Foundation has provided more than $34 million to support 
Wisconsin schools, teachers, and students since 1990. And he made a 
lasting impact at his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 
where the Kohl Center Arena and the Herb Kohl Public Service Research 
Competition still carry his name.
  But beyond the sports teams and beyond his legislative legacy, 
Senator Kohl was kind. He was humble. He believed in treating everyone 
with respect. He knew how fortunate he was, and he spent his life 
ensuring that as many other people as possible could share in his good 
fortune. I firmly believe that the Senate--and our country--would be a 
kinder, better place if more of us would follow his lead. Senator Kohl 
was a statesman, and he was my friend. I am grateful for the time we 
worked together in the Senate.
  I want to offer his family, friends, and the entire State of 
Wisconsin my deepest condolences.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Texas.