The Public Record
Max Baucus is a former U.S. Senator from Montana, serving from 1978 to 2014. A member of the Democratic Party, Baucus was known for his work on health care reform and tax policy. He played a significant role in the passage of the Affordable Care Act and was a key advocate for various economic initiatives during his tenure. Baucus also served as the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, where he influenced legislation related to taxation and trade. After leaving the Senate, he was appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to China, where he focused on strengthening U.S.-China relations.
Senator McCain and I intended to offer an amendment to H.R. 1904 to establish a permanent revolving fund to address the annual problem of funding emergency fire suppression needs--a problem that essentially robs funds from the very fuel…
1 year ago the Senate, Minnesota, and our Nation suffered a great loss. I remember that day clearly. I was in Great Falls attending the Montana Farmers Union Convention. I was in such disbelief. Senator Wellstone, his wife Sheila, daughter…
On October 15, we honored the late Senator Mike Mansfield with the unveiling of the new book, ``Senator Mansfield: The Extraordinary Life of a Great American Statesman and Diplomat,'' by author Don Oberdorfer. To many, he was Senator…
I wish to address my amendment No. 1831 to the Iraq supplemental appropriations bill. Mr. President, today, our Nation faces three simultaneous challenges. This amendment would address each. First, we need to support our troops and protect…
as we have worked over the last 2 years to reauthorize the 1996 landmark welfare reform law, I have often talked with pride about the welfare reform program in my own State of Montana. Montana was a welfare reform pioneer, embarking on…
I rise today to talk about next steps for our trade agenda after last week's collapse of the World Trade Organization Ministerial in Cancun. Certainly, the WTO is not dead. In fact, this kind of setback is fairly common in its history…
I rise today to address the ongoing negotiations for a United States-Central America Free Trade Agreement-- also known as the ``CAFTA.'' These negotiations present a couple of unique challenges. First, most of the CAFTA countries are less…
two years ago today, our world changed forever. At 8:45 a.m., EST, on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, the first World Trade Center was attacked. Shortly thereafter I remember seeing the chaos on the streets in Washington after the Pentagon…
Most recently, in 1997, following significant public and private investment and an extensive public comment process, the Lewis and Clark National Forest decided to withdraw 356,000 acres in the Front of any new oil and gas leasing. This…
I rise to pay tribute and express my deepest appreciation for a member of my staff who has served the U.S. Senate, me personally, and the State of Montana admirably. Today is my State director Sharon Peterson's last day. She retires today…
The Energy Tax Incentives Act provides an incentive for new business installations of qualified fuel cells. For those in the future who might be interested in ascertaining the intent of the authors of this provision, the Finance Committee…
this amendment reflects the energy tax incentives reported out by the Finance Committee in April. The incentives in this amendment enjoy broad support, across the political spectrum. These tax incentives are also very similar to those in…
I appreciate the work of the majority and minority leaders in putting this agreement together tonight. It sounds as if we will be able to get home for recess. I will say a few words about the Chile and Singapore free trade agreements…
I thank my friend from Iowa for his cooperation on this issue, and I look forward to continue our efforts to enact this important energy security legislation.
this year will mark the 7th year of drought for some parts of Montana The current drought has been disastrous, not only to agriculture producers, but also to the surrounding rural communities. When producers are hurting, everyone in that…
It has been 48 days since the Senate passed the Lincoln-Snowe bill to provide child tax credit to the families of 12 million children. Twelve million, Mr. President, is not a small number of children in America. The House then passed a…
Yes, it was clearly not the intent of the Senate Finance Committee in adopting this amendment to apply the prohibition to specialty hospitals that already exist. Nor was it the intent of the Committee to apply the prohibition to those…
The committee certainly understands that many states will not license a hospital as operational until the facility is constructed. I believe the committee's intent was to ensure that approvals with respect to the construction of the…
Montana has been proud to send many of our young men and women over to serve in the Gulf these past few months. As their stories come back to us, we see more clearly the personal side of this war. We see the bravery, the commitment, and…
I address an issue that many of my colleagues have asked me about over the past 2 weeks. It is an issue of great concern to many, particularly on my side of the aisle. That is, if this bill is enacted, how much will premiums vary and what…
I think one of the greatest achievements of the Medicare bill that has been reported out by the Senate Finance Committee is the compromise Senator Grassley and I worked out on the issue of private prescription drug plans. Over the course…
We would also like to learn from Europe about European health care systems. I am sure there are provisions in Europe we could look at and adopt. No country has a monopoly on good ideas and no region of the country has a monopoly on good…
I have been explaining various provisions in the bill that I think largely address concerns that some on the Democrat side have and I suppose on the Republican side of the aisle, too; namely, potential premium variation. Premiums that…
It seems absurd that we have to wait until 2006 before this program goes into effect. I very much understand the concern of the Senator. Let me say this to all of us who are concerned. Before the conference report comes back, I am going to…
The current assets test is degrading, unworkable. It is just not good policy. It is also extremely complicated. Currently, assets tests apply to various kinds of benefits--sometimes Medicaid or Medicare, or certain categories of Medicare…
Politicians like Max Baucus
