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“TRIBUTES TO DEPARTING SENATORS” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Senate section on pages S8235-S8236 on Dec. 20, 2012.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTES TO DEPARTING SENATORS
Jeff Bingaman
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I wish to take a few minutes today to honor my colleague, the senior Senator from New Mexico, Jeff Bingaman, as he retires from a long career of service to our country.
For 30 years Senator Bingaman has been a dedicated representative of the people of New Mexico, but for 26 of those years he was the junior Senator from New Mexico. The only person I know of who was a junior Senator longer than Senator Bingaman was Fritz Hollings. He was a junior Senator for many decades to Strom Thurmond. But 26 years as a junior Senator still makes you a fairly senior Senator. Jeff served alongside Senator Pete Domenici, the longest serving Senator in New Mexico's history. Until 2009 he was the most senior junior Senator.
Jeff Bingaman has never been one to get hung up on titles and credits. If there was ever a conscience of this body, it is Jeff Bingaman, a man who has been called by others, including Byron Dorgan, a workhorse. That is really true. For three decades he has quietly but diligently fought for the people of New Mexico and this country.
American industrialist Henry Kaiser once gave this bit of advice:
``When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt.'' And that is Jeff Bingaman. That could have been written for Jeff Bingaman by Henry Kaiser. That has been Jeff Bingaman's motto for years. He is not one for flashy press conferences. Most of the time he is too busy.
Jeff learned humility in the small town of Silver City, NM, where he grew up. His father was a professor and his mom a teacher, and they instilled in him a love and appreciation for education--and that is an understatement. He got his bachelor's degree from Harvard and his law degree from Stanford. Those are two of the finest educational institutions in the world, and he has a degree from both of them, Harvard and Stanford.
At Stanford, where he was going to law school, he met his wonderful wife Anne. I have such warmth for this woman. We have traveled together. I can remember trips we took on Senate codels; she was always the life of the party. She is a great match for Jeff--Jeff being quiet, subdued; Anne, not always so. I love them both. Anne is a political powerhouse in her own right. She served 3 years as head of the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice under President Bill Clinton.
After they finished their law degrees, Jeff and Anne returned to New Mexico, and they both entered the private practice of law. There, Jeff spent 6 years in the Army Reserve, and at that time he and Anne had their son John. Senator Bingaman served a year as assistant attorney general before being elected attorney general of New Mexico in 1978. Four years later he was elected to the U.S. Senate.
As time evolves here, you see it in the face of our children. I can remember that when I first came to this body, Jeff had already been here 4 years. We had our Senate retreats, and there was little John, and I watched him grow as we did the retreats. I saw him just a short time ago, this handsome young man, now working on his own in New York in a very important job.
In addition to being a committed advocate for the people of New Mexico, Jeff has been a distinguished chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. As chairman, he has pushed for solutions to perhaps the greatest crisis of our time: global climate change. He has run into brick walls many times. As the Presiding Officer knows, it has been difficult to get much done. But it is not because Jeff Bingaman hasn't tried. I am so disappointed that Jeff is leaving that committee with so much unfinished work. Certain Senators have held up hundreds of bills in that committee. What a shame. But that is what has happened.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005--passed thanks to Senator Bingaman's leadership--changed the Federal Government's role in energy policy. It created energy efficiency and renewable tax credits that have grown the crucial green energy industry. He led that charge. Two years later Jeff guided Congress to raise vehicle fuel efficiency standards for the first time in 32 years.
Senator Bingaman also serves on the Finance Committee. He is tireless there, whether working on ObamaCare--and he was instrumental in the progress of that, working with Senator Baucus, Senator Conrad, and others. He has also served on the Joint Economic Committee. He has been a valued Democratic Member of this body. In the caucus, he has been terrific.
He has been someone I can call upon to ask for advice. Over the years we have served together, he didn't come and visit with me often, but when Jeff Bingaman wanted to see me, I knew immediately that he had thought through and knew what he wanted to talk about and knew what he wanted me to help him with. I think so much of him, I admire him, and I appreciate him. I will always remember this good man and the work he has done. I am sorry to see this brilliant, hard-working leader depart this body.
When Jeff announced his retirement a couple years ago, this is what he said:
It is not easy to get elected to the Senate, and it is not easy to decide to leave the Senate. There is important work that remains to be done. That is true today, and it will be the case at the end of this Congress. It will be true at the end of every future Congress as well.
Again, he hit the mark: There is plenty of important work left to be done. I am only sorry he won't be here to help us do that work.
I congratulate Senator Bingaman and his wife Anne on their long, productive careers. I wish them the very best in the years to come.
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