[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 19929-19937]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        RETIRING FROM THE SENATE

  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, even a diehard Red Sox fan has to give 
the devil his due. Probably the most moving moment in the history of 
baseball was when longtime New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig 
walked on the field to accept the tribute of his fans and teammates. On 
Independence Day in 1939, he told the crowd at Yankee Stadium that he 
considered himself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.
  I consider myself pretty lucky, too. I was elected to the House of 
Representatives in 1974. That was not the best year to be a Republican 
candidate. Out of an enormous freshman class of 92 new Members, which 
included Chris Dodd and Tom Harkin, only 17 of us were Republicans. And 
as Chuck Grassley and I walked down the aisle of the House, he with 
crutches and I with a neck brace, one Democrat muttered: There's two we 
almost got.
  Time has gotten just about all of us. With my retirement and that of 
Henry Hyde in the House, Chuck Grassley next year will become the last 
remaining Member of the Republican class of 1974, an iron horse in his 
own right. The silver lining for me in the electoral losses suffered by 
the Republicans was a chance to land senior positions on the 
Agriculture and Education Subcommittees that would quickly throw me 
into the thick of things. Throughout my career in the House, I focused 
on those two issues.
  In 1988, with the retirement of Bob Stafford, I ran for and won a 
seat in the Senate. Senator Stafford was a tough act to follow. He had 
held just about every office in the State of Vermont and had an 
enormous impact on the Federal policy for education, the environment, 
and elsewhere. I was lucky when I got to the Senate that there were 
openings on both the Education and Environment Committees.
  Early on, I learned what the Senate can be at its best. In 1989, 
Congress was in the midst of reauthorizing the Clean Air Act. Even 
though I was a freshman, the door was open for anyone who had the time 
and interest. As John Chafee, George Mitchell, and the rest of us 
forged a strong renewal of the Clean Air Act, I realized these were the 
moments I enjoyed most. I realized these were the moments I enjoyed 
most when smart and committed people worked together to solve tough 
problems and improve the lot for Americans. Every year since has 
provided similar moments, from rebuilding our roads to rewriting our 
food and drug laws.

[[Page 19930]]

  Probably the biggest and the most rewarding challenge for me has been 
in the area of education. From my first year in the House when we 
enacted the Education of the Handicapped Act, to work that continues 
today on the Higher Education Act, I have tried to do my best to ensure 
that every child is given the opportunity to reach his or her 
potential.
  There is plenty of work left to be done to reach this goal, and 
nowhere is that more true than in the District of Columbia. A decade 
ago, Congress stepped in to try and help the District resolve the 
problems plaguing its overall budget and its schools in particular. As 
chair of the DC Appropriations Subcommittee, I helped lead that effort. 
The city is to be commended for its record of fiscal responsibility in 
the years since, and I hope the superintendent, the new mayor, the 
council, and the school board will be able to make similar progress in 
improving the city's school system.
  While Vermont has always been home, I have lived in the District of 
Columbia since coming to Washington. Luckily, I have never lost the 
ability to be moved by the sight of the Capitol dome. Its majesty 
struck me when I first came to Washington and it still does today. 
Under that dome and in the buildings around it work thousands of good 
people. We are all privileged to work with a whole host of people who 
get too little recognition, from the person recording my words, to the 
people who put them in the Congressional Record while we sleep--not 
always easy tasks, in my case.
  Ours, too, is not always an easy task. I know it is hard for the 
public to understand the reality of life in the Congress, but the 
continual travel, the campaigns, and the unpredictable hours of our 
jobs can take a toll on our families. I have been blessed with two 
wonderful children, Laura and Leonard, who are here with me today, and 
a feisty, funny, and an incredibly strong wife, Liz. They have had to 
put up with an awful lot over the years so that I could serve Vermont.
  Three decades is a blink of an eye in history, but what a tremendous 
period of change in our country we have been through. When I came to 
Washington, we were only three decades removed from the Second World 
War. My childhood heroes were heroes of that war, and it seemed as 
though every family had a father or son or uncle who served and 
sacrificed in that war. But when I came to Washington, an entirely 
different war was being waged in Southeast Asia. Vietnam has colored 
much of our thinking since. Whether Vietnam had too much or too little 
influence upon the ensuing three decades is a much larger debate, but 
we would be better served in world affairs today by being less haughty 
and more humble.
  I regret that my departure from Congress, like my arrival, finds our 
country at war. Young and even not so young Americans are sacrificing 
life and limb while the rest of us are making little or no sacrifice. 
It seems to me the very least we should do is pay today for the fiscal 
costs of our policies. Instead, we are floating IOUs written on our 
children's future. This year we have no budget, and we are unwilling 
even to debate most of our basic spending bills before the November 
election. Thirty years from now, we could well face the biggest crisis 
in government since the Civil War, if Congress and the White House do 
not adopt a more honest approach to government.
  The basic compact between generations is being broken. F.D.R. was 
right to borrow heavily to finance World War II, but are we justified 
in doing so today?
  Earlier this month, I was privileged to attend the dedication of a 
monument in Virginia commemorating the sacrifice of more than 1,200 men 
of the Vermont Brigade during the battle of the wilderness. The tangled 
thickets of the 19th century have given way to mature forests. The 
individuals are largely forgotten, but our collective memory must 
endure. Today, we use blocks of granite to remind us of the sacrifices 
of the Civil War. In its immediate aftermath you would think no such 
reminder would have been needed. But 140 years ago, so the story goes, 
a northern Congressman literally waved a bloody shirt before his 
colleagues to inflame them against the South for alleged misdeeds. True 
patriotism is the incredible bravery of those men whose too-brief lives 
ended on that wilderness battlefield. Waving the bloody shirt then or 
today is anything but patriotic.
  The beautiful Capitol dome above us, completed even as the Civil War 
concluded, should serve to inspire us. I am an optimist and have been 
every day of my life. With Lincoln, I hope that the mystic cords of 
memory will stretch from every battlefield and patriot grave to the 
hearts of the living, and that we will soon again be touched by the 
better angels of our nature.
  Mr. President, I wish you and all of my colleagues good luck and 
Godspeed.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Vitter). The minority leader is 
recognized.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, Senator Jeffords has been a friend and 
colleague for many years. We had the opportunity to serve together in 
the House of Representatives. We served together in the Senate. To say 
that he has made history during his time in Congress is an 
understatement. But more important, he has made a difference. I have 
always been impressed by his knowledge of the issues, his dedication to 
the public well-being, and the environment. I have had the good fortune 
of serving with him on the Environment and Public Works Committee. He 
is a stalwart. He is a true believer that the environment is in 
distress and things need to be done to change our environment.
  He has worked to preserve the middle class and to provide for the 
safety of the American people in so many different ways. Senator 
Jeffords is a man of conscience. No one can question that. He grew up 
in Vermont where the Jeffords family first settled in the 18th century. 
His father was a longtime member of the Supreme Court. After Jim 
Jeffords graduated from Yale, he served in the Navy on active duty for 
4 years. He served then in the Naval Reserve, retiring as a captain. 
Senator Jeffords studied law at Harvard--Yale and Harvard--which shows 
his intellect. He returned after having finished law school to Vermont 
to practice law. Shortly thereafter, he was elected to the Vermont 
State Senate and then attorney general. He was elected to the House of 
Representatives in 1975 and served there until he came to the Senate in 
1989.
  In walking in here I grabbed a book that has a lot of definitions. I 
flipped to courage. Whatever definition you have of courage, you can 
pick one here going back to two centuries ago:

       I love the man who can smile on trouble, who can gather 
     strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. It is 
     the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is 
     firm and whose conscience has approved his conduct will 
     pursue his principles unto death.

  That really is Jim Jeffords, and that, Mr. President, is a quote from 
Thomas Payne. I have seen up close Jim Jeffords' courage. Everyone 
knows, as it has been written about in books, the conversations that 
Senator Jeffords and I had prior to Senator Jeffords deciding that he 
wanted to change course and become an Independent. That was not an easy 
decision. It involved years of friendship, and it involved years of his 
being a member of two different legislative bodies on Capitol Hill.
  Most of our discussions took place on the Senate floor as people were 
walking around, but we had conversations in private. I know firsthand, 
I repeat, of the courage of this man. I in my now long public career 
have been involved in a number of things that I will always remember, 
but I will never, ever remember anything more vividly than the Senator 
from Vermont, as a matter of principle and courage, changing not only 
his course but the course of this country.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont is recognized.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I have listened to my friend, Jim Jeffords, 
the Senator from Vermont speak here this morning. I couldn't help but 
think as I heard Senator Jeffords speak with wit and clarity, and you 
might

[[Page 19931]]

say even some emotion, that Jim Jeffords, given the opportunity to make 
a speech--and many of us will do so on this Senate floor as we leave--
did it being true to himself, with his own good nature, his own sense 
of history, and his own justifiable pride in what he has accomplished.
  I have known Jim Jeffords from his days as a State senator in 
Rutland. I have known his wonderful wife, Liz Daley Jeffords. They are 
both dear friends of mine and my wife Marcel. Mrs. Jeffords was 
referred to as a great lady the other night by the anchor of our 
State's largest TV station. Some of us who have known Jim for years 
would say she gets that greatness for putting up with him for all these 
years. But we Vermonters found no difficulties in putting up with Jim 
Jeffords. He has been elected overwhelmingly to the offices he has held 
and he has done it with support from Republicans, Democrats, and 
Independents alike. He has gotten these votes the old-fashioned way--he 
earned them.
  We came here together 32 years ago. I like to talk about the Leahys 
coming to Vermont in the 1850s. Jim reminds me his family came to 
Vermont a century before. We both live in small towns in Vermont; we 
have had that sense of Vermont. He has never lost it. He has been a 
good friend.
  His career highlights are legendary. Let me tell you why he is 
supported so. First and foremost, Senator Jeffords is known as an 
environmental champion. In Vermont, they say, If you scratch a 
Vermonter you scratch an environmentalist, no matter the party.
  He has done it in the great tradition of Senator Bob Stafford. 
Senator Bob Stafford is also from the same county as Jim Jeffords--
actually Jim grew up near him. He mentioned Bob today.
  He carved out a legend on education and the environment when he was 
here. But then Jim Jeffords had done that as attorney general and as a 
State senator in our State. For the past three decades he has left his 
fingerprints on nearly every environmental law enacted, from the Clean 
Air Act and the Clean Water Act to the Superfund program to acid rain 
reduction.
  In fact, when others in his position would be thinking about where 
are the papers going and how will we retire, just a matter of months 
ago he offered the boldest solution to combat global climate change 
this body has ever considered.
  He has championed legislation to strengthen our Nation's education 
system and increase the opportunities for individuals with 
disabilities.
  In 1975, as a brandnew Member of the House of Representatives, as he 
said, coming in with a neck brace--the walking wounded from an election 
where both of us ran in Vermont--he coauthored what would later be 
known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA. It was 
strongly supported by his colleagues here in the Senate and before that 
in the House. It has provided equal access to education for millions of 
students with disabilities, students who otherwise would have been 
shunted aside and this country would not have had the value of their 
achievements.
  As chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee, he 
worked tirelessly on education, job training, and disability 
legislation. Most recently, his leadership in the Senate Environment 
and Public Works Committee was essential to the passage of the highway 
bill. Of course, Vermont and the rest of the country will benefit from 
that.
  I might say there has been no greater leader for Vermont's dairy 
industry than Senator Jeffords. In his work on the Northeast Dairy 
Compact and the milk programs, he has fought tough battles for Vermont 
dairies--and won. He actually knows as much about our dairy industry as 
most dairy farmers.
  It is what he has done for future generations. All of us can talk 
about what we do here. It is what we leave for our children and our 
grandchildren that counts. Future generations of Vermonters will honor 
Jim's legacy when they see the work that he began as attorney general 
and continued throughout the Senate--helping to restore Lake Champlain 
to its brilliance, its magnificence; or witness the bald eagles 
abounding in the wilderness areas, thanks to Jim.
  I applaud him for this statement as he takes leave of the Senate--
although it seems this year we will never know when we leave. None of 
us are getting our final airplane reservations yet. But he has done it 
with his usual grace and good humor. I applaud him for that and I hope 
all of us when we come to leave, whenever that may be, will have the 
opportunity to show that same grace. He served Vermont well and, just 
as importantly, he served the Senate well.
  After a long career I might violate the rules somewhat, addressing my 
friend and colleague directly: For a long career, Jeff, you can leave 
with your head held high. You have served Vermont and your Nation 
proudly.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa is recognized.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I rise for the purpose of telling my 
colleagues that I am going to miss my colleague.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. I will interrupt the good Senator. Because the 
minority controls the next 7 minutes, it is necessary to gain consent 
from the minority.
  Mr. DURBIN. I ask consent the Senator from Iowa be recognized.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The 
Senator is recognized.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I rise to tell the Senator from Vermont 
that I am going to miss him in the Senate and still consider him a 
friend. I hope to have a long relationship with him, even in his 
retirement. I am that Senator that Jim Jeffords, the Senator from 
Vermont, referred to as the one remaining Republican of the class of 
1974. There were 17 of us. I think there were about 70 Democrats. It 
was a bad year for Republicans. You couldn't even put the word 
Republican on your literature. It was the year Nixon resigned.
  There were only 140 of us in the House of Representatives at that 
time. I don't know whether Senator Jeffords felt this way, but I felt 
this way, that it was probably the end of the Republican Party. Well, I 
was wrong. He and I have been reelected to serve together, to serve our 
respective constituents.
  I remember Senator Jeffords as an outstanding member of the 
Agriculture Committee in the House of Representatives the 6 years I 
served on that committee. Then there was a period of time where I was a 
Member of the Senate and he still stayed in the House of 
Representatives. Our friendship still held. But working together--you 
know how it is in Congress, the House and Senate; there is a Grand 
Canyon between us sometimes, and we don't communicate as much as we 
ought to. Consequently, it was like getting reacquainted with Senator 
Jeffords again when he came to the Senate. I was glad then and I am 
very glad now that he continued his service.
  I think he is an outstanding example of probably what is an 
unacknowledged principle of political science--at least it is a feeling 
I have about the people of our country--that if you serve honorably 
where you are at a certain time and do the best job possible, you are 
going to have opportunities to enhance your position within public 
service. So as a State senator, then as an attorney general, then as a 
Congressman, and then as a Senator for the people of Vermont, I believe 
he got to be a Senator because people in Vermont recognized him, as a 
State senator, as a Congressman, and as an attorney general, as a 
person who was not there because of political ambition, wanting to rise 
to the top, but a person, in each stage of his public service life, who 
did what that job required and did it well. People recognized that and 
in the end of the process, he came to the Senate.
  In every relationship I have had with Senator Jeffords, whether he 
was Republican or an Independent, it has always been one that has been 
friendly and honorable and honest, and, most importantly, to describe 
him as a humanitarian as he approached public policy.
  It seemed to me that as a Member of the Senate, whether as an 
Independent

[[Page 19932]]

or as a Republican, Senator Jeffords brought forth what it takes to get 
things done in the Senate, and that is moderation. It doesn't matter 
whether it is a bill that is representing the philosophy of the extreme 
left or a bill that represents the philosophy of the extreme right, 
nothing such as that is going to get through the Senate. Eventually you 
have to have people come together seeking a middle ground, a bipartisan 
approach to get things done. It seems to me, in every respect, that is 
what Senator Jeffords did--he sought moderation because that is how you 
get solutions and that is the only way the Senate produces.
  I compliment him on his dedicated public service. I congratulate him 
on his long service to the people of the United States and the people 
of Vermont. I will miss working with him. I will miss him, but I hope 
we have opportunities to have great relationships for the rest of our 
lives.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts is recognized.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, could I inquire of the Chair, do we have 
a limited period of time? I see a number of our colleagues here. I am 
just inquiring of the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. There is 7 minutes 20 seconds remaining in 
this block of time for the minority.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Well, I see the floor leader. I will take 2 or 3 
minutes, then, because I see half a dozen of our friends here.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois is recognized.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I believe there are at least four or five 
Members here who would like to speak about Senator Jeffords' 
retirement. I ask unanimous consent those Members currently on the 
floor, Senators Rockefeller, Boxer, Harkin, Dodd and Kennedy, be 
recognized for such time as they consume, and I would like to add 
myself to that list, and then extend whatever time we use on the 
minority side, if they would like to use it as well.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is 
so ordered.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, it is entirely appropriate that we take 
these few moments on the floor of the Senate to listen carefully and 
take the measure of an extraordinary Senator, Senator Jim Jeffords. In 
these next several weeks, this Nation is going to be focused in many, 
many States on trying to select who is going to represent them in the 
Senate. And if the people of those States just took a few moments to 
listen to the eloquence of this Senator, they would know what the 
standard should be in selecting someone to represent them in this body. 
It is Jim Jeffords. He sets the standard. So we thank Jim Jeffords for 
his service--his service to the State of Vermont and his service to all 
of our States and to the country. We thank him for that service.
  We also thank the people of Vermont for their wisdom in selecting 
this extraordinary talent and giving him the kind of support that they 
gave over a long and distinguished career, especially in those times 
when he was willing to take positions and stand up on issues as a 
matter of conscience. They understood their native son. They respected 
him, and they supported him. So thank you to the voters of Vermont.
  Thank you to his family, Elizabeth that Senator Jeffords mentioned, 
Laura, and Leonard--a family that gave him great support. I think those 
of us who have been fortunate enough to know that family and meet that 
family understand what a strong influence it has been in terms of his 
service.
  And thank you, Senator Jeffords, for that simple eloquence that we 
heard from you today on the floor of the Senate, going back into the 
history of our country, providing inspiration as we listen to you talk 
about the history of the Nation, mentioning with great pride the role 
of Vermonters in the time of the Civil War--and his understanding of 
history, talking about the Greatest Generation, which were inspiring 
figures to him and many of us continuing to the present.
  He typically understated his own achievements and accomplishments. I 
think many of us on this floor are well familiar with them. I certainly 
am as someone who has had the good opportunity to serve with him on the 
Education Committee. I know the difference that he has made in the 
education of children in this country, particularly those with special 
needs, accomplishments which are memorable and historical. He mentioned 
just causally his interest in the education of the children here in the 
District of Columbia. A number of us who are here on the floor now 
remember Jim Jeffords speaking in our caucus not many years ago how 
that we, as members of the Senate who happen to either live here in the 
District or work here, even though we are working in this body, have a 
responsibility for the education of the children here. He was the 
inspiration of a program, a literacy program called ``Everybody Wins!'' 
And Jim Jeffords led a number of us to Brent School here near the 
Capitol to read with the second and third graders each week to ensure 
that those children were going to have an opportunity to learn to read. 
It was just a simple illustration, once again, that Jim Jeffords does 
not just talk the talk, he walks the walk. And on so many different 
times, he has been there doing just that.
  So, Jim, we admire your service. You have demonstrated here--and we 
do not understand perhaps well enough--that you can speak with a quiet 
and soft voice, but you speak with a great passion and a compelling 
argument, and with a simplicity and effectiveness that has enriched and 
enhanced the quality of life and opportunity, particularly for children 
but also for all Americans. It is a distinguished career, and it is one 
I know that you should be--and are--proud of. All of us have had our 
own lives enriched and inspired because of our friendship with you and 
the type of Senator you have been.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut is recognized.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I add my voice to my colleagues who have 
spoken and those who will speak in thanking our wonderful friend from 
Vermont for his remarkable service to our country.
  I begin as well by thanking his family, Elizabeth and the children, 
as well as the people of Vermont, as Senator Kennedy has said so 
eloquently.
  Let me also include in enumeration his wonderful staff people, over 
the years, who have been very much a part of Jim's family. In fact, I 
note from the interns to senior staff people, everyone refers to him 
not as ``Senator'' or ``Mr. Chairman''--but just ``Jim.'' That is 
certainly a symbol of the kind of relationship he has had with his 
constituents and with his family over the years.
  I have had the privilege of serving my entire time in the Senate--in 
the Congress--with this remarkable person from Vermont. We arrived in 
the House of Representatives on the very same day, 32 years ago. As Jim 
pointed out, he had that neck brace on, and I had a head of black hair. 
We have aged over those 3 decades. But my respect for Jim Jeffords has 
only grown.
  He has taught us America will listen to you even if your voice is 
soft. His achievements in the Senate and the House are the envy of all 
who wish to improve a quality of life in this great country of ours. 
Jim's body of work is truly admirable.
  But it looks even more admirable when you remind yourself that it was 
all the doing of a man unpretentious enough to be fond of mismatched 
socks, frugal enough to spend his earliest days in Washington sleeping 
in a parked van, and humble enough to be universally known, as I've 
said, as just ``Jim.'' The people of Vermont returned him to office 
over and over again on the strength of his plainspoken integrity and 
his indefatigable Yankeeness. That's what Jim brought to this body of 
discussion; and that was more than enough.
  Jim came to Washington knowing what he wanted to accomplish, and his 
success is clear to us today. No one has worked with more dedication 
for a clean environment. Jim was an environmentalist practically before 
we had a word for it. In fact, he got his start in the Vermont State 
Senate in the

[[Page 19933]]

1960s, fighting the efforts of the paper mills to pour sludge right 
into Lake Champlain. He was a long-time nuclear watchdog and among six 
Congressmen to found the Congressional Solar Coalition years ago. It is 
telling that when he had his pick of chairmanships, Senator Jim 
Jeffords chose the Environment and Public Works Committee. Perhaps most 
importantly, he helped clean up the air we breathe. He mentioned it 
briefly. But the work of John Chafee, George Mitchell, and Jim Jeffords 
truly created the great Clean Air Act of 1990, a huge accomplishment. I 
want to thank Jim immensely for the tremendous effort he made years ago 
in improving the quality of air in this country. If he had done nothing 
else in 32 years, that alone would have been a significant achievement. 
Of course, his body of work is far more than that.
  Like Jim's dedication to the environment, his work for children who 
come from special education needs is decades long. In 1976, he was 
essential to the passage of legislation guaranteeing local school 
districts that the Federal Goverment would pay 40 percent of the costs 
of educating the disabled. And if that guarantee remains unfunded 
today, never let it be said that it was for lack of Jim's passionate 
work.
  I would be remiss if I didn't mention of Tom Harkin, another fellow 
classmate of 1974, working with Jim and many others who cared about 
this issue over the years. No one contributed more to the Individuals 
with Disabilities Education Act than Jim Jeffords. Few Senators are as 
tied to special education, and that is a title to be very proud of. It 
has been my honor to work along with him in the House and the Senate on 
the issues that meant the most to him--on afterschool programs, on 
higher education, and, most especially, to secure funding for IDEA.
  It Vermont, commitment to education is a longstanding tradition. 
Right in the middle of the Civil War, we building the dome on the 
Capitol to show our determination to keep this Union together; but we 
showed it in another way, too. A Senator from Vermont by the name of 
Justin Smith Morrill created the land grant colleges--the University of 
Connecticut is one; there are many all across the country--and his work 
was one more demonstration of the remarkable people who come from that 
State of Vermont to help build this country, defend this country, and 
secure this country for our children. Senator Stafford and Morrill 
passed on that proud tradition, and Senator Jeffords stands in its 
forefront today.
  Jim has taught at every opportunity the difference between education 
as a privilege and education as a right. It is a right, and its worth 
is measured in our willingness to educate even--especially--where it is 
inconvenient.
  There weren't many Senators shyer than Jim Jeffords, but there wasn't 
a single one fuller of quiet purpose and courage. Politics was always a 
means to Jim's purpose--never the other way around. And the way Jim 
practiced politics, the way he spent his power, was never calculated to 
bring him money, or fame, or even particularly glamour. It was only the 
quiet satisfaction of a job very well done.
  That is what I think of when I recall the more than three decades of 
our service together. But, to tell the truth, through all those 30 
years I had a privileged seat right here with him. Those without that 
vantage point are probably going to remember, first of all, something 
very different. We all know how Jim crossed this aisle for good 5 years 
ago, and how he has served as an an Independent ever since. Jim entered 
the national spotlight full of honest regret, and fully aware of how 
difficult his choice was for colleagues, his staff, and his supporters.
  I saw Jim upclose as he struggled with a decision as few men or women 
ever have to. But whatever one thinks of it, there is a fact beyond 
dispute, which all of us appreciate in this body: Jim Jeffords has 
never followed anyone but his conscience.
  If we insist, 5 years later, on reasoning out the need in votes or 
dollars or any other measure of practicality, we only reveal our 
failure to understand what that man did on the day he made his choice. 
Sometimes what goes on in this Chamber cannot be reasoned away. Jim 
taught us that, too.
  So, I would like to close with a happy thought. Two years before the 
American Revolution, Edmund Burke gave a speech on the relationship 
between a representative and those whom he tries to represent.
  ``It is his duty,'' said Burke, ``to sacrifice his repose, his 
pleasures, his satisfactions, to theirs; and above all, ever, and in 
all cases, to prefer their interests to his own. But his unbiased 
opinion, his mature judgment, his enlightened conscience, he ought not 
to sacrifice to you, to any man, or to any set of men living. These he 
does not derive from your pleasure; no, nor from the law and the 
constitution. They are a trust from Providence.''
  Jim, you have kept your trust over these many years, in both the 
Senate and public life, in your State and in the Congress. We send you 
back to Vermont with your work in the Senate accomplished, with your 
conscience still clean, and with our best wishes to you and your lovely 
family. God bless you.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, it took an act of courage for Jim Jeffords 
to declare himself an Independent. It took an act of courage for a 
lifelong Red Sox fan to quote a New York Yankee in his farewell address 
to the Senate.
  Jim Jeffords is an extraordinary public servant. Fewer than 2,000 men 
and women in the history of the United States of America have served in 
the Senate. We all understand the great privilege of being in this body 
representing our great States. But people are not noted in the history 
of the Senate for longevity alone. People are noted for singular acts 
of courage. And when it comes to Jim Jeffords, his public career has 
been a singular act of courage.
  I hail from the State of Abraham Lincoln, where he lived most of his 
adult life, and where we claimed him as part of our national heritage. 
When I think of Jim Jeffords and the political party he identifies with 
more than any other name, I will say he identifies with the party of 
that great leader Abraham Lincoln who stood up for principles often 
against public and popular will.
  This last week, Time Magazine noted they were going to designate 
Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont as ``Person of the Week.'' They said in 
his one principled decision to become an Independent, ``He demonstrated 
to the White House and the United States Senate that revolutionaries 
often come in surprising packages.''
  We all know what happened after Jim made his decision to become an 
Independent. He told me about walking home to his apartment at night 
down Pennsylvania Avenue. And people who were outside restaurants and 
cafes would stop and stand and start to applaud, and Jim would be 
startled by it at first. But he received more recognition then he, I am 
sure, expected. A lot of it came in positive terms; some in negative 
terms. People wanted to name their babies after him.
  In Burlington, VT--I think this is probably the greatest tribute a 
politician could ever expect--they named a beer after him--``Jeezum 
Jim'' they called it. I hope it was a popular brew because he has been 
a popular Senator.
  When they asked him why he changed his affiliation to become an 
Independent, he replied very simply: ``It is all about education.'' I 
remember it well, because I know that was the deciding factor.
  Your commitment to particularly those students who struggled with 
disabilities, students who have these difficulties, your commitment to 
those kids led you to this decision. Many of us make these decisions on 
votes on the floor. But as has been said, for Jim Jeffords education 
went way beyond a vote or a speech. Several years ago, he established 
this tutoring program in Washington, DC, encouraging us, as Members of 
Congress, the House and the Senate, to walk just a few blocks from 
here, as he did so many times, to tutor the inner-city youth of 
Washington, DC.
  He is a true Vermonter and a true Independent. When we look at his

[[Page 19934]]

record, he was the only House Republican who voted against the Reagan 
tax cut because he was afraid it would lead to dangerous deficits. How 
right he was. In 1993, he was the only Republican Senator to cosponsor 
President Clinton's health care plan. He worked for years for 
regulation of tobacco by the Food and Drug Administration, a goal which 
I share with the Senator. And he sponsored the Employment 
Nondiscrimination Act, banning employment discrimination on the basis 
of sexual orientation.
  Some politicians in their career find ways to divide us. Jim Jeffords 
always looked for ways to bring us together. A strong supporter of 
Federal funding for AIDS research and the arts, justifiably proud of 
the role he played in passing the Work Incentives Improvement Act, and, 
of course, his record on the environment is without parallel.
  I know historians will also record all these accomplishments and 
courageous battles when they write about Jim Jeffords. On July 4, 2001, 
several weeks after he made his decision to become an Independent, he 
sat down at his home in Vermont and wrote these words:

       I hope my decision will move the two parties to the center, 
     where the American people are. The American people want an 
     active, responsible, Federal Government.

  He went on to say:

       There seems to be a hunger in country for heroes, 
     especially for the political variety.

  Not only with this one historic act of conscience but throughout his 
career in the House and the Senate, in public life Jim Jeffords has 
been a living example of these hopes and beliefs. I am proud to have 
been able to serve with him. I am proud to count him as one of my 
colleagues, even prouder to count him as a friend.
  I thank his family for giving him this opportunity to serve and 
giving this wonderful man to public life.
  I thank you, Jim Jeffords, for all you have meant.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa is recognized.
  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, it is, indeed, a privilege to be here this 
morning to personally hear the words of our good friend, Senator 
Jeffords, and to hear other Senators get up and talk about Jim in such 
glowing terms.
  However, I must say that all the years I have known Jim Jeffords, he 
is an old-fashioned New Englander, which means he is very modest. That 
means he is embarrassed to receive this kind of praise and adulation. 
Senator Jeffords will just have to endure it because we love you, we 
respect you, we admire you, and you are one of the most beloved Members 
of the Senate.
  Thirty-two years ago, we came together in the House. You talked about 
that. Our colleague, Chris Dodd, was in that class, and also my 
colleague from Iowa, Senator Grassley. I didn't know Senator Jeffords 
at that time, obviously. We had just come in as freshmen Members. I 
found myself on the Committee on Agriculture with Senator Jeffords. We 
both sat down at the end. He was on one side and I was on the other 
side because we were just freshmen.
  We had a farm bill coming up. After a few weeks on the Agriculture 
Committee, we dubbed Senator Jeffords ``the Senator from Dairy.'' He 
was tenacious in fighting for his dairy farmers of Vermont and, of 
course, New England. Those from Iowa and Minnesota and Wisconsin--we 
had dairy farmers, too, and there was, shall I say, a little bit of a 
conflict in how we viewed the world of milk and dairy. That was my 
first experience with Senator Jeffords because we had to work things 
out. And we did. That was the first time I got to see the kind of 
person Jim Jeffords is and always has been. He was tenacious in 
fighting for his dairy farmers but willing to understand that we all 
have to live together; somehow we have to seek our compromises. And we 
did. We reached a compromise and we moved the legislation forward. That 
was the first time I came to really know and respect Jim Jeffords.
  As we moved ahead in agriculture, I found another area in which I 
respected and admired Senator Jeffords. That was the area of 
environment and conservation. In those days, people were thinking 
mostly about all the commodity programs, how much money we could get in 
the commodity programs. We were all protecting our interests. I was 
protecting my Iowa interests and Senator Jeffords was protecting his 
Vermont interests.
  However, conservation transcended everything. That began back in the 
late 1970s, in the House Agriculture Committee. We began the move 
toward more conservation in our farm bills, which led to more of a 
``greening'' of America. He did that work also on Environment and 
Public Works. When I think about the environment, cleaning up the 
environment--clean water, clean lakes, clean streams--I have to think 
of Jim Jeffords. He was there at the beginning.
  Then in 1975, on the Committee on Education, Jim Jeffords coauthored 
what later became the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. I 
was not on the Committee on Education, but because of my family and 
because of my intense interest in disability rights, especially as it 
pertained to the hard-of-hearing and the deaf, I learned about this 
bill with Jim Jeffords and with Paul Simon--at that time, Senator 
Simon--and sort of stuck my nose in their business, if you don't mind 
my saying that, because I was not on the committee. I talked about how 
we had to help do some of these things. My focus was narrow at that 
time, just in hard-of-hearing and deafness at that time. My great 
respect for Senator Jeffords, or Jim, at that time grew because he was 
focused on how we make sure every kid in America gets an education, 
make sure kids with disabilities were mainstream, make sure they got 
the support in our schools.
  It was Senator Jeffords who made sure that in the bill we passed, the 
Federal Government committed itself to providing at least 40 percent of 
the additional costs to States and local communities in educating kids 
with disabilities. Forty percent was the goal we set in the bill 
Senator Jeffords coauthored in 1975.
  That moves me up to the year 2001. In the year 2001, the budget came 
from the White House, President Bush's budget, which severely 
underfunded our commitment to increasing funding. We have never reached 
40 percent. I think the highest we have been is 18 percent. We have 
never gotten the 40 percent. Senator Jeffords wanted to move that up. 
Yet the budget came down and had a severe cut in the funding for the 
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. That is when Senator 
Jeffords said no, he wanted to make sure that money was in there. That 
happened, mostly, on the Republican side of the aisle. I was not privy 
to all of that. That is when Senator Jeffords made his declaration of 
independence. A matter of conscience--he could not turn his back on all 
these years of moving our society forward to educating kids with 
disabilities in our schools and then all of a sudden say: No, we are 
going to turn the clock back; we are not going to do it. He wanted to 
keep moving forward. The budget would not allow it; he fought hard for 
it. Based upon the fact that the administration would not move on that, 
he declared his independence and became an Independent and left his 
party. We can all imagine how wrenching that must be, to leave the 
party that nurtured us, that we grew up with, that supported us all our 
adult life. It is a matter of conscience. You can read about it in his 
book, ``My Declaration of Independence.''
  After that, I invited Senator Jeffords to come out to speak at the 
steak fry I have in Iowa every year. It was after the book came out. I 
will never forget the scene. We had thousands of people. It was a 
beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon. Thousands of people came to meet this 
person, to hear him and to hear his message. They had all these little 
books they were waiving, ``My Declaration of Independence.''
  He had a wonderful message. His message was: don't ever turn our back 
on making sure every child in America has a decent education. It was a 
simple, straightforward message. But you should read his book.
  Senator Kennedy mentioned another thing about Senator Jeffords that 
not

[[Page 19935]]

too many people know about; that is, his support for a program called 
``Everybody Wins.'' He brought it here to Washington in the late 1990s 
and then began badgering us to participate in it in his usual tenacious 
manner. So he got a lot of us hooked on it.
  It is every Tuesday. I see Senator Kennedy goes about every Tuesday; 
Jim, of course, goes all the time; I go every Tuesday we are here, and 
a lot of staff members. We go to Brent Elementary School. We read to a 
child for 1 hour every Tuesday. It has been a wonderful experience for 
me and I know for everyone who participates in it. In fact, we now talk 
about Jim as being sort of the Johnny Appleseed of this movement 
because now it is starting in other States. We took the idea to Iowa, 
and now it is sprouting in Iowa. Other States and businesses are 
involved. ``Everybody Wins'' is now moving around the country. Senator 
Kennedy said: Senator Jeffords doesn't just talk the talk, he walks the 
walk. When he brought it here, he was there every week reading to kids 
and getting us to go down and read to them, also.
  I have in my office a big picture that is my favorite picture. It is 
a big picture taken at Tiananmen Square, a picture we all will remember 
of the young man holding a little briefcase, a young student holding a 
briefcase. There is a line of tanks. He is standing in front of the 
tanks, and the tanks have all stopped. To those of us who have seen the 
video of this, the tanks were coming down the street, the student went 
out in the street, he stopped, the tanks turned to go one direction and 
he moved over a few steps, then the tanks moved another direction to 
get around, and he moved over and stood there. Finally, the tanks 
stopped right in front of him. A hatch popped open, and a military guy 
got out and looked at him and stood there for a few minutes. The tanks 
all stopped, and then the young man turned and walked off the street.
  A lot of people I talk to about that picture--did they ever know who 
he was? No, they never did find out his name. But I gave them the name. 
I call him Jim Jeffords. To me, that young man who did that represents 
the Jim Jeffords of the world, willing to stand on principle no matter 
what the odds are. No matter what is coming at them, they are willing 
to stand on principle.
  So after 32 years, we will miss this soft-spoken and self-effacing 
New Englander who has a spine of steel. After 32 years, Senator 
Jeffords, you have left your mark: education, job training, disability 
rights, the environment and, lest we forget, the dairy farmers of New 
England, who will never forget Jim Jeffords.
  Jim, we are going to miss you, your kindness, your leadership, your 
courage, your generosity of spirit, and your example. Know that our 
love, our admiration, our respect, and our best wishes go with you and 
with Elizabeth and your family. Know that you have left on our Nation 
and the world a mark for all of us to follow in how to make our Nation 
and our world a better place.
  Senator Jeffords, Jim, Godspeed. Come back now and then. Come back on 
the floor. Retired Senators have the privilege of coming to the floor. 
Come back on the floor and remind us why we are here.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from California is recognized.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, this is a very poignant morning for so 
many. I am so glad I have been able to arrange my schedule to be here 
to listen to my colleagues and friends, whom I deeply respect, and to 
listen to the great Senator from Vermont, Jim Jeffords.
  If I might say how blessed I have been, I got here in 1993 and went 
right to the Environment and Public Works Committee. I met Jim there, 
and now I get to sit next to him in the Senate. I got to know his 
staff.
  We are going to miss you. But, Jim, I must say, you made a beautiful 
speech today. And in listening to Tom Harkin talk about you and explain 
that you have always been motivated by what is right for the people, if 
ever you could take an opportunity to tout your accomplishments, it is 
when you say goodbye. People would say that is fair. But you did not do 
that. You did not say: This year I passed this legislation and this 
bill. The rest of us have been lauding your accomplishments, but it is 
just like you, instead, to talk about this country you love so much. 
And you cite to us what our challenges are. And, of course, they 
continue to be the challenges you have taken up: education, the 
environment, fiscal responsibility, war and peace. You have left a 
roadmap for us, and for that we are very grateful.
  I mentioned that I was sworn in in 1993. That was the so-called year 
of the women, where we tripled the number of women in the Senate. That 
sounds great, but it was from two to six. We were still a very strong 
minority. Our leader, Barbara Mikulski, the dean of the women here, 
always taught us, from day one--she said: You are going to have to work 
with the men because they control things here, and you are going to 
find that among these many men there are many Sir Galahads.
  Jim, you are Sir Galahad. You have been a wonderful friend to us, 
treating us, from the minute we walked in, as equals and colleagues. We 
are very grateful to you for that.
  I am not going to talk a long time at all. But I want to talk about 
three things quickly. One is, I went to your State of Vermont this last 
weekend. I had been there before and always marveled at how beautiful 
it is, but I was taken with it again.
  Now, coming from California, we have our beautiful places, believe 
me. So I have come to appreciate beautiful places. We overlooked Lake 
Champlain when we were there. Knowing that you worked so hard to make 
that lake clean and beautiful, thank you for that. There is so much 
history there, Jim, that you have also helped to preserve--you and 
Patrick Leahy, and so many others who came before.
  But what struck me about Vermont as much as the beauty is the 
incredible people in your State, how involved they are. It is that old 
New England townhall type of quality. They get it. They are involved. 
They love you, Jim. They love you. When I mentioned your name, oh, my 
goodness, the roars came up. You could hear it blocks away.
  People love you here and they love you in Vermont. And your family 
loves you. As you said, you are blessed, as we are blessed in your 
presence.
  The second point is your family and how much they care about you. 
They are so proud of you. I know how hard it was for them when you 
declared your independence. It rocked their world, just as it rocked 
your world, and just as it rocked the country. But when you do 
something for the right reasons, it all works out. And you did 
something for the right reasons, for the people of this country.
  The last thing I want to say to you is, we do not know how things 
will work out this November, but either way, I will be taking a larger 
role on the committee you love, the Environment and Public Works 
Committee, where you have been an extraordinary leader. You have given 
us a roadmap on how to fight global warming--a huge challenge we face. 
We cannot turn away from it because if we do, we are neglecting our 
responsibility. You, thank goodness, have written a bill that will show 
us the way.
  So I am here today not only to wish you well in your retirement, and 
joy with your family, but to tell you that I am going to follow your 
leadership on global warming. I am excited about the challenge. And 
because of the love your colleagues feel for you, I hope you will come 
back here, as Tom Harkin said, to help me with that because we are 
going to have to move and get going on it.
  Mr. President, thank you very much. And thanks to our colleagues for 
giving us this time we need to pay tribute to an extraordinary Senator, 
one who will be missed but never forgotten.
  Thank you very much. I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia is recognized.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I have to start off anything I say--
and I will be short--about Jim Jeffords with the word ``friendship,'' 
based upon his unbelievable qualities of kindness, of goodness, of 
steadfastness, being the same person every day under any circumstance.

[[Page 19936]]

  We sit together. We have sat together for quite a long time on the 
floor of the Senate. And we talk a lot. I have the honor of talking 
with his staff, too, a superb staff, who adores him.
  The business of friendship in the Senate is underpracticed. If you 
know Jim Jeffords, then you know why you should take more time to know 
your colleagues better. Because the fact is--although it has been more 
so recently--it is not your politics or your party that determines how 
you vote, but your conscience and your sense of a moral compass that 
guides you. In that practice, you have to think of Jim Jeffords.
  He is an extraordinarily wonderful human being. He has got a 
ferocious sense of humor, which is always delivered very quietly. And 
yet he is deep, he is profound, he sort of looks like Vermont: 
chiseled; his nose is just the right shape. And, of course, he talks 
that way. But he is humble, not because he wants to be, just because he 
is. Nothing about his record is humble. But his nature is humble. He is 
gentle; and he really is. He listens, does not interrupt, does not 
insist on his point of view--except when it counts, and then he is 
unmovable.
  All of the subjects he has concentrated on--children, the 
environment, many other things that have been mentioned--there is also 
the matter of post-traumatic stress disorder. On the Veterans 
Committee, which is the one committee where I do get to--not the only 
committee, but I get to sit with him on that committee--he has been a 
champion of something which Americans still do not really understand; 
and that is, the ferocious nature of being wounded in war these days--
an Iraqi improvised explosive device that implants shards of metal into 
people that will remain there for the rest of their lives; the whole 
question of How does somebody rehabilitate a life? and What is the VA 
doing about that? Jim is all over that subject.
  When he switched parties to be an Independent, woe be the person who 
said: Switch parties from Republican to Democrat--no--Republican to 
Independent. And, yes, he got an enormous amount of cheering and praise 
based upon his moral compass. He also got a lot of death threats. Life 
was very hard for him for a period of time. So he understood that was 
going to happen. But with Jim Jeffords, the moral compass always 
prevails. I think it is one of the reasons all of us here respect him 
so, admire him so, look to him as to what the Senate ought to be.
  I had never heard the word ``ANWR'' until it was explained to me by 
Senator Jeffords. He was there early because he was thinking, as 
always, of our children and grandchildren, and, as they say, their 
children too. We always take it one generation too far, but it is true.
  Alternative fuels. Will the history books write about Jim Jeffords on 
alternative fuels? Yes, they will. Do people generally in the Senate or 
elsewhere know that he has spent a career working on that? Probably 
not.
  Our air; they know about that. The groundwater; they probably know 
about that. But his work on alternative fuels is one of the most 
important things he's done.
  The Title I, Head Start, improving the lives of children, all of that 
that has been talked about--Senator Harkin talked about, in 1975, the 
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act--he has always been looking 
ahead. Does that make him a Good Samaritan? Does that mean he is a do-
gooder or does it mean that he does good? It is the second. He does 
what is comfortable to him and what he feels is just for the people he 
serves, not only in Vermont but across the United States of America.
  The work he has done with post-traumatic stress disorder is awesome 
in terms of those of us on the Veterans Committee. He is justifiably 
proud of the research and work done by Vermont's White River Junction 
Veterans' Administration Hospital to help veterans who are struggling, 
as they truly are, not just with the postwar physical problems of being 
wounded, but the psychological problems of that, as well.
  He has never sought the limelight, and he does not care about the 
limelight. He has been elected time after time probably partly because 
of that. Because he is not like so many other people who run for public 
office who want to tick off everything they have done. He is Jim 
Jeffords. And with Jim Jeffords comes a certain set of principles, a 
certain set of commitments to people. The people of Vermont have 
understood that over the years. So he has not had to promote himself in 
ways that others have to do.
  He has always done his work, in the words of Shakespeare, with the 
``modest stillness and humility'' that becomes any human being. When 
you look back at his record, you can see this man from Shrewsbury, VT, 
has left his mark on virtually every single piece of legislation on 
education, job training, disability legislation, and on and on and on.
  Jim has always had extraordinarily deep passions and convictions, 
but, at the same time, he has been a paragon of civility and 
humbleness. Jim has a gentle voice, but his resolve and commitment to 
stand up for vulnerable children, veterans in need, and our environment 
is assertive and strong.
  Throughout his career, Jim has made some very tough personal 
decisions. Take his decision to switch parties to be an independent in 
the summer of 2001. Regardless which party you are a member of, I think 
all of us would agree that given the fact that his move fundamentally 
changed the governing structure of the Senate, it truly was a profile 
in courage. Time and time again, Jim has been willing to take risks for 
his beliefs, and he deserves our respect and admiration for such 
independence.
  In terms of public service, Jim Jeffords has lived a life that many 
aspire to. He has spent nearly every day of his life working to make 
the lives of people better. In the 1950s, he served in the U.S. Navy, 
and until 1990 he was in the Naval Reserve, where he retired as a 
captain. In the 1960s, he began his political service, first as a 
Vermont State Senator, then as Vermont's Attorney General, and then, in 
the wake of the Watergate scandal, he became one of the very few 
Republicans elected to Congress in 1974.
  Jim has been a true steward of the environment. Long before many of 
us knew what ANWR was, he was fighting to preserve the environment for 
our grandchildren and their grandchildren. He has been at the forefront 
of fighting to make sure our air and ground water are safe for our 
citizens, and he has fought for the use of alternative fuels. His 
efforts have truly cut a trailblazing path for many generations to 
come.
  Over the years, Jim and I have worked on many issues together, and I 
am particularly proud of what we have done for our students and for our 
veterans. He understands how important it is to make sure that our 
citizens get started on the right foot. He believes that the first 
years of a child's life are absolutely critical in the life and future 
of that person, and that is why he has worked so hard to push for 
greater funding for Head Start and other early education programs. And 
that is why he has worked on Title I--to help low-performing students, 
who disproportionately live in the rural areas that make up much of 
West Virginia and Vermont, achieve the standards they must meet.
  That sort of Good Samaritan principle has always guided Jim's life 
and career. He has been extraordinary in advocating for those whose 
needs are often forgotten. In fact, perhaps no American living today 
and certainly no American legislator--I want to echo here what Senator 
Harkin has said--has done more to advance the educational success of 
those with disabilities. Almost from his arrival in Congress. Jim took 
extraordinary steps because he believed that the needs of others simply 
could not wait. In 1975, as a House freshman, Jim co-authored what 
would later be known as the Individual with Disabilities Education Act, 
IDEA. IDEA serves as a Federal commitment to give students with 
disabilities a better education.
  It was an extraordinary legislative achievement, one that had even 
greater implications in terms of setting a moral baseline imperative 
that we must meet the needs of those who live

[[Page 19937]]

difficult lives. Jim has worked, not for the well-heeled or the heavy-
hitting lobbysist--he has tirelessly worked for the people who truly 
need help.
  I have also been proud to serve with Jim on the Senate Veterans' 
Affairs Committee. He has been an important voice in calling for 
compassionate care for our veterans, especially those veterans 
returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.
  We both have States with a very high number of soldiers and veterans, 
and we both know how important it is for our soldiers and veterans to 
have the health care they have earned and deserve. The two of us have 
been allies in pushing for greater funding and resources to help our 
soldiers with PTSD, and I know that Jim is justifiably proud of the 
research and work by Vermont's White River Junction to help veterans 
struggling with PTSD.
  Jim Jeffords has never sought the limelight--he has sought results. 
He has always done his work in the words of Shakespeare, with the 
modest stillness and humility that becomes any human. But when one 
looks back at his record, you can see that the modest man from 
Shrewsbury, VT, has left his mark on virtually every piece of 
education, job training, and disability legislation over the past 
quarter century. It is difficult to determine how many people Jim's 
efforts have helped, but if it were possible to quantify his efforts, I 
know we would find that hundreds of thousands of lives have been 
improved because of his actions in Vermont and across the country.
  The Senate this year is losing a treasure, a man who in the best 
tradition of the Senate has never been afraid of taking heroic, 
principled stand without having to make a lot of noise. Sharon and I 
are personally losing good friends in Jim and his wife Liz. And 
Americans all over the country are losing one of the most dedicated 
fighters for the basic rights that too many disadvantaged people are 
shortchanged on. I wish my friend well in his retirement.
  I close with the sadness of losing in our body somebody such as 
Senator Jeffords. People go to him. People are comforted by his 
presence. People are emboldened by his nature. They see what it is he 
does not say to promote himself or his ideas, and somehow they are 
attracted to those ideas because they understand if it comes out of Jim 
Jeffords, it is good for the public.
  So I think of his family too, I say to Senator Boxer, and I think of 
how proud they must be. I also think of just myself, to be honest, how 
sad I am going to be not being able to sit next to Jim Jeffords and 
share his humor and to look upon his greatness--not just his nose, but 
his greatness: the classic Vermonter, the classic New Englander. He has 
been so incredibly good for the Senate.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, I rise today to acknowledge the 
extraordinary career of Senator Jim Jeffords.
  For the past 32 years, Jim Jeffords has served the citizens of 
Vermont and the American people with integrity, intellectual honesty, 
and diligence. When faced with the choice between political convenience 
or protecting the interests of his constituents, Jim Jeffords always 
stood for Vermont and the concerns of hard-working Americans. When 
others decided to do what was popular in Washington or among the 
chattering classes, Jim remained true to his values. He has been a 
model of principled leadership, often ahead of his time.
  Long before protecting our environment and precious natural resources 
occupied America's consciousness, Jim was leading on these issues. 
Working across party lines throughout his career, including as chairman 
of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Jim Jeffords 
urged the President to strengthen antipollution measures, investigated 
the effects of greenhouse gas emissions, and promoted increased fuel 
efficiency. During his time in the U.S. Senate he introduced the Global 
Warming Pollution Reduction Act, the High-Performance Green Buildings 
Act, and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Investment Act.
  Jim Jeffords has never lost sight of his constituents and their 
needs. He loyally stood by farmers in Vermont and all over the Nation 
when he fought President Bush's dairy tax, extended the Milk Income 
Loss Contracts--MILC--program, and supported the Farm Security and 
Rural Investment Act.
  Jim Jeffords has also committed his career to improving education, 
which he has treated as one of the great callings of our time. Speaking 
at a Rally for Education in 2002, Jim Jeffords said of education 
funding that ``it is not an option, it is a necessity, for our 
children, for our schools and for the future of our great Nation.'' Jim 
Jeffords championed the Head Start Program, increased funding for 
elementary, secondary, and higher education, and sponsored the Better 
Education for Students and Teachers Act. He has also provided 
unwavering support to American children with disabilities that face a 
unique set of challenges in navigating our education system. Even as a 
freshman Congressman some 30 years ago, Jim Jeffords managed to marshal 
his colleagues in order to pass the Individuals with Disabilities 
Education Act.
  As a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, I have had 
the opportunity to work closely with Senator Jeffords and his capable 
staff. His office and his standards of professionalism inspire great 
respect.
  On a personal level, I continue to admire a public servant that has 
so consistently followed his conscience. Time magazine recognized Jim 
Jeffords as the ``Person of the Week'' for his ``revolutionary'' party 
switch in 2001. I do not believe that Jim necessarily set out to start 
a revolution; rather he invoked what might be considered a 
revolutionary idea to some in Washington: government ought to serve the 
concerns and interests of ordinary Americans instead of catering to 
fringe groups or election year antics. In hindsight, most will hail Jim 
Jeffords' principled decision to switch parties, though I know the 
decision was a difficult one for him and strained his relationship with 
many in this body. But Jim Jeffords did what he thought was right, and 
I applaud his courage and his example of leadership.
  So I thank Senator Jeffords not only for his lifetime of service and 
accomplishments but for having raised the bar for all of us.
  I wish Jim Jeffords and his family many happy years ahead.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont is recognized.
  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I thank my colleagues for their very 
generous and kind comments. Their remarks remind me--all of us--the 
Senate is a family. I also thank my colleagues for their friendship. I 
am honored to be able to serve with you, especially you, I say to 
Senator Rockefeller.
  You have been very kind to me over the years. I have followed your 
guidance, and it has been good. I thank all of my colleagues for their 
friendship and am honored to serve with you. And as I go forward--I 
don't know--I am going to wonder why I am going forward and not just 
staying with you.
  Mr. President, now I guess we should proceed with the process that is 
normal. I thank the leader.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Mississippi is recognized.

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