Tom Daschle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Daschlec. 1990s | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senate Majority Leader | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office June 6, 2001 – January 3, 2003 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Harry Reid | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Trent Lott | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Bill Frist | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 3, 2001 – January 20, 2001 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Harry Reid | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Trent Lott | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Trent Lott | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States Senator fromSouth Dakota | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 2005 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | James Abdnor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | John Thune | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromSouth Dakota | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1987 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Larry Pressler | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Tim Johnson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | 1st district (1979–1983) at-large district (1983–1987) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Thomas Andrew Daschle (1947-12-09)December 9, 1947 (age 77) Aberdeen, South Dakota, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Democratic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouses | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3, includingNathan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | South Dakota State University (BA) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Branch/service | United States Air Force | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years of service | 1969–1972 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unit | Strategic Air Command | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Daschle on challenges facing the newHomeland Security Department. Recorded January 22, 2003 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thomas Andrew Daschle (/ˈdæʃəl/DASH-əl; born December 9, 1947) is an American politician and lobbyist who representedSouth Dakota in theUnited States Senate from 1987 to 2005. A member of theDemocratic Party, he led theSenate Democratic Caucus during the final ten years of his tenure, during which time he served as SenateMinority Leader andMajority Leader.
After leaving theUnited States Air Force, he was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives in 1978 and served four terms. In1986, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, becomingMinority Leader in 1995 andMajority Leader in 2001, becoming the highest-ranking elected official in South Dakota history.
In2004, he was defeated for reelection in a close race byJohn Thune, who would go on to become a party leader himself.[1] Later, he took a position as a policy advisor with a lobbying firm, became a senior fellow at theCenter for American Progress, and co-authored a book advocatinguniversal health care.
Daschle was an early supporter ofBarack Obama's presidential candidacy, and was nominated byPresident-elect Obama for the position ofSecretary of the Department of Health and Human Services after the2008 election.[2] However, Daschle withdrew his name on February 3, 2009, amid a growing controversy over his failure to properly report and payincome taxes.[3] He is currently working for The Daschle Group, a Public Policy Advisory ofBaker Donelson,[4] a large law firm andlobbying group.
Daschle was born inAberdeen,South Dakota, the son of Elizabeth B. (née Meier) and Sebastian C. Daschle, both of German descent. His paternal grandparents wereVolga Germans.[5] He grew up in a working-class Roman Catholic family, the eldest of four brothers.[Note 1][7]
He attendedCentral High School in Aberdeen before becoming the first person in his family to graduate from college when he earned aBachelor of Arts from theDepartment of Political Science atSouth Dakota State University in 1969.[8] While attending South Dakota State University, Daschle became a brother ofAlpha Phi Omega. From 1969 to 1972, Daschle served in theUnited States Air Force as anintelligence officer with theStrategic Air Command.[9]
In the mid-1970s Daschle was an aide to SenatorJames Abourezk.[10]
In 1978 Daschle was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives at the age of 31, winning the race by a margin of 139 votes, following a recount, out of more than 129,000 votes cast.[11] Daschle served four terms in the House of Representatives and quickly became a part of the Democratic leadership.
Although Daschle was not seeking the vice presidency,[a] he received 10 (0.30%) delegate votes for Vice President of the United States at the1980 Democratic National Convention.[12] Several others also received protest votes, but incumbent Vice PresidentWalter Mondale was nevertheless renominated easily.
In1986, Daschle was elected to the U.S. Senate in a close victory over incumbent RepublicanJames Abdnor. In his first year, he was appointed to theFinance Committee.
In 1994, he was chosen by his colleagues to succeed the retiring SenatorGeorge Mitchell as Democratic minority leader. In the history of the Senate, onlyLyndon B. Johnson had served fewer years before being elected to lead his party. In addition to the minority leader's post, Daschle served as a member of theSenate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee. South Dakotans reelected Daschle to the Senate with 62.1% of votesin 1998.[13]
At various points in his career, he served on theVeterans Affairs,Indian Affairs,Finance, andEthics Committees.[14]
When the107th Congress commenced on January 3, 2001, the Senate was evenly divided—that is, there were 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans. Outgoing Vice PresidentAl Gore acted in hisconstitutional capacity asex officioPresident of the Senate, and used his tie-breaking vote to give the Democrats the majority in that chamber. For the next 17 days, Daschle served asSenate Majority Leader.[14]
Upon the commencement of theBush administration on January 20, 2001,Dick Cheney became president of the senate, thereby returning Democrats to the minority in that body; Daschle reverted to the position ofSenate Minority Leader. However, on June 6, 2001, SenatorJim Jeffords ofVermont announced that he was leaving the Senate Republicancaucus to become an independent and to caucus with Democrats;[15] this once again returned control of the body to the Democrats and Daschle again became majority leader.[14]
| External videos | |
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 Booknotes interview with Daschle onLike No Other Time, November 30, 2003,C-SPAN |
Democratic losses in the November 2002 elections returned the party to the minority in the senate in January 2003, and Daschle once more reverted to being minority leader.[14]
Daschle recounted his senate experiences from 2001 to 2003 in his first book,Like No Other Time: The 107th Congress and the Two Years That Changed America Forever, published in 2003.[16] With Charles Robbins, he has also written the bookThe U.S. Senate, part of theFundamentals of American Government series.[17]
In October 2001, while he was the Senate Majority Leader, Daschle's office received a letter containinganthrax, becoming a target of the2001 anthrax attacks.[18] Some of his staffers were confirmed to have been exposed,[18] as well as several of SenatorRuss Feingold's staffers and Capitol police officers.[19] His suite at theHart Senate Office Building was the focus of an intensive cleanup led by theEnvironmental Protection Agency.[20]
Daschle has a mixed voting record onabortion-related issues, which led thepro-choice organizationNARAL to give him a 50% vote rating.[21]
In 1999 and 2003, Daschle voted in favor of the ban onpartial-birth abortion,[22][23] and supported legislation making it a crime to harm an unborn child when someone attacks a pregnant woman.[24] Investigators into the2001 anthrax attacks, which included Senator Daschle's Capitol Hill office, suspect that alleged anthrax mailerBruce Ivins may have chosen to target Daschle over his views on abortion, although Ivins's lawyer disputed this alleged motive.[25]
In 2003, Roman Catholic BishopRobert Carlson reportedly wrote to Daschle, criticizing his stance on abortion as conflicting with Roman Catholic teaching, and stating that Daschle should no longer identify himself as a Catholic.[26]
In the 2004 Senate election,John Thune defeated Daschle by 4,508 votes, 50.6% to 49.4%.[27] It was the first time that a Senate party leader had lost a bid for reelection since1952, whenBarry Goldwater defeatedErnest McFarland in Arizona.[28] Senate Majority LeaderBill Frist visited South Dakota to campaign for Thune, breaking an unwritten tradition that a leader of one party would not actively campaign for the defeat of the other.[29]
Throughout the campaign, Thune, along with Frist, PresidentGeorge W. Bush, and Vice President Cheney, frequently accused Daschle of being the "chief obstructionist" of Bush's agenda and charged him with usingfilibusters to unjustly block confirmation of several of Bush's nominees. The Republican candidate also drove home his strong support for the war. In a nationally televised debate onNBC'sMeet the Press, Thune accused Daschle of "emboldening the enemy" in his skepticism of theIraq War.[30]
When the race began in early 2004, Daschle led by 7% in January and February. By May, his lead was just 2% and summer polls showed a varying number of trends: Daschle or Thune led by no more than 2%, but some polls showed a tie. Throughout September, Daschle led Thune by margins of 2–5% while during the entire month of October into the November 2 election, most polls showed that Thune and Daschle were dead even, usually tied 49–49 among likely voters. Some polls showed either Thune or Daschle leading by extremely slim margins.[31]
Following his reelection defeat, Daschle took a position with the lobbying arm of theK Street law firmAlston & Bird. Because he was prohibitedby law from lobbying for one year after leaving the Senate,[32] he instead worked as a "special policy adviser" for the firm.[33][34]
Alston & Bird's healthcare clients includeCVS Caremark, the National Association for Home Care and Hospice,Abbott Laboratories, andHealthSouth.[35] The firm was paid $5.8 million between January and September 2008 to represent companies and associations before Congress and the executive branch, with 60% of that money coming from the healthcare industry.[36] Daschle was recruited by the formerRepublicanSenate Majority LeaderBob Dole.[37] Daschle's salary from Alston & Bird for the year 2008 was reportedly $2 million.[38]
Daschle was also a senior fellow at theCenter for American Progress. In addition, he served as National Co-Chair ofONE Vote '08, along with former senatorBill Frist. He and former senatorsGeorge Mitchell, Bob Dole, andHoward Baker formed theBipartisan Policy Center (BPC), dedicated to finding bipartisan solutions for policy disputes.[9] Daschle is also a co-chair of BPC's Health Project.
In 2003, Daschle received the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Senator Bill Frist.[39][40][41]
In May 2005,South Dakota State University, Daschle's alma mater, conferred upon him an honorary doctorate for public service.[42] In May 2011, Daschle was further honored with an honoraryDoctorate of Humane Letters byNorthern State University in his hometown of Aberdeen.
In late September 2005, Daschle caught the attention of the media by reactivating hispolitical action committee, changing its name from DASHPAC to New Leadership for America PAC and procuring a speaking slot at theIowa Democratic Party's annualJefferson-Jackson Day dinner. He continued to keep a relatively high-profile among Democratic interest groups. These moves were interpreted by the media as an exploration of a potential2008 Presidential candidacy. On December 2, 2006, he announced he would not run for president in 2008.[43]
In an appearance onMeet the Press on February 12, 2006, Daschle endorsed a controversial warrantlesssurveillance program conducted by theNational Security Agency (NSA), explaining that he had been briefed on the program while he was the Democratic leader in the Senate.[44]
In addition, Senator Daschle is a member of the board of trustees for theRichard C. Blum Center for Developing Economies at theUniversity of California, Berkeley.[45] The center is focused on finding solutions to address the crisis of extreme poverty and disease in the developing world.[46]
Daschle is a Member of theGlobal Leadership Foundation, an organization which works to support democratic leadership, prevent and resolve conflict through mediation and promote good governance in the form of democratic institutions, open markets, human rights and the rule of law. It does so by making available, discreetly and in confidence, the experience of former leaders to today's national leaders. It is a not-for-profit organization composed of former heads of government, senior governmental and international organization officials who work closely with heads of Government on governance-related issues of concern to them.
Daschle also served as vice chair of the board of directors ofNational Democratic Institute for International Affairs.[47]
Daschle is a member of the ReFormers Caucus ofIssue One.[48]
Daschle is the co-chair of the national advisory board at the National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD). The institute was created at theUniversity of Arizona after the2011 shooting of former CongresswomanGabby Giffords that killed six people and wounded 13 others.
In 2019, Daschle was named to the advisory board of Northern Swan Holdings Inc., acannabis investment firm.[49] Daschle stated: "I believe it is imperative to loosen the restrictions on cannabis so we can research its properties and fully understand how patients can benefit from its medicinal use."[50] In 2020, Daschle endorsedConstitutional Amendment A, a ballot initiative tolegalize cannabis for recreational use in South Dakota.[51]
In 2021, Daschle co-wrote an op-ed forThe Hill criticizing proposed cuts to pandemic preparedness programs, describing them as "unthinkable" in the midst of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[52]
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On February 21, 2007, theAssociated Press reported that Daschle, after ruling out a presidential bid of his own in December 2006, had thrown his support behind SenatorBarack Obama ofIllinois for the2008 presidential election, saying that Obama "personifies the future of Democratic leadership in our country."[53]
In January 2005, having suggested that Obama take on some of his staffers, Daschle exited the Senate just as Obama entered.[54] These included Daschle's outgoing chief-of-staffPete Rouse who helped to create a two-year plan in the Senate that would fast-track Obama for the presidential nomination. Daschle himself told Obama in 2006 that "windows of opportunity for running for the presidency close quickly. And that he should not assume, if he passes up this window, that there will be another."[54]
During the 2008 presidential campaign, Daschle served as a key advisor to Obama and one of the national co-chairs for Obama's campaign.[55] On June 3, 2008, Obama lost to Hillary Clinton in theDemocratic primary in Daschle's home state of South Dakota, although that night Obama clinched hisparty's nomination anyway.
Two days later, sources indicated Daschle "is interested inuniversal health care and might relish serving asHHS secretary."[56] In the general election campaign, Daschle continued to consult Obama, campaign for him acrossswing states, and advise his campaign organization until Obama was ultimately elected the44th President of the United States on November 4, 2008.
On November 19, 2008, the press reported that Daschle had accepted Obama's offer to be nominated forHealth and Human Services Secretary. His selection was announced at a news conference with Obama on December 11, 2008.[2]
Some organizations objected to Daschle's selection, arguing that his work at Alston & Bird was tantamount to lobbying and therefore his selection violated Obama's promise to keep special interests out of the White House. According to Ellen Miller, executive director of theSunlight Foundation, Daschle technically complies with the transition rules against lobbyists but "many power brokers never register as lobbyists, but they are every bit as powerful."[57]Stephanie Cutter, a spokeswoman for theObama transition, responded that Daschle's work "does not represent a bar to his service in the transition" since "he was not a lobbyist, and he will recuse himself from any work that presents a conflict of interest."[57] Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, praised Daschle on his nomination to Secretary of Health and Human Services for his "deep commitment to securing high-quality, affordable health care for everyone in our nation."[58]
When Daschle was officially nominated for hisCabinet position on January 20, 2009,[59]confirmation by the Senate was required. The SenateHealth, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a confirmation hearing for Daschle on January 8, 2009.[59][60] A second Senate committee, theFinance Committee, also traditionally reviews HHS Secretary nominees; the committee discussed his nomination behind closed doors on February 2, 2009.[61][62]
On January 30, 2009, it was reported that Daschle's friendship and business partnership with businessmanLeo Hindery could cause problems for Daschle's Senate confirmation. Daschle has been a paid consultant and advisor to Hindery'sInterMedia Partners since 2005, during which time he received from Hindery access to alimousine andchauffeur. Daschle reportedly did not declare this service on his annual tax forms as required by law. A spokeswoman for Daschle said that he "simply and probably naively" considered the use of the car and driver "a generous offer" from Hindery, "a longtime friend."[38][61][63][64] Daschle told the Senate Finance Committee that in June 2008—just as he was letting the press know he would like to be HHS secretary in an Obama administration[56]—that "something made him think that the car service might be taxable" and he began seeking to remedy the situation.[65]
Daschle reportedly also did not pay taxes on an additional $83,333 that he earned as a consultant toInterMedia Partners in 2007; this was discovered by Senator Daschle's accountant in December 2008.[65] According toABC News, Daschle also took tax deductions for $14,963 in donations that he made between 2005 and 2007 to charitable organizations that did not meet the requirements for being tax deductible.[66]
The former senator paid the three years of owed taxes and interest—an amount totaling $140,167—in January 2009,[63][64][65][67] but still reportedly owed "Medicare taxes equal to 2.9 percent" of the value of the car service he received, amounting to "thousands of dollars in additional unpaid taxes."[68]
On February 3, 2009, Daschle withdrew his nomination,[69] saying that he did not wish to be a "distraction" to the Obama agenda.[3]
Daschle co-wrote the 2008 bookCritical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care CrisisISBN 9780312383015.[70] He and his co-authors point out that "most of the world's highest-ranking health-care systems employ some kind of'single-payer' strategy – that is, the government, directly or through insurers, is responsible for paying doctors, hospitals, and other health-care providers." They argue that a single-payer approach is simple, equitable, provides everyone with the same benefits, and saves billions of dollars through economies of scale and simplified administration. They concede that implementing a single-payer system in the United States would be "politically problematic" even though some polls show more satisfaction with the single-payerMedicare system thanprivate insurance.[71]
A key element of the single-payer plan that Daschle and his co-authors propose in the book is a new "Federal Health Board" that would establish the framework and fill in the details. The board would somehow be simultaneously "insulated from political pressure" and "accountable to elected officials and the American people." The board would "promote 'high-value' medical care by recommending coverage of those drugs and procedures backed by solid evidence."[72] This proposal has been criticized by conservatives andlibertarians who argue that such a board will lead to rationing of health care,[73][74] and byprogressives who believe the board will, as one writer put it, "get defanged by lobbyists immediately."[75]
One of Daschle's co-authors,Jeanne Lambrew, had been slated before his withdrawal to serve as his deputy in the White House Office of Health Reform.[74]
Daschle also served as a panelist on theBlue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense, a body that recommended changes to U.S. policy to strengthen national biodefense.[76] In order to address biological threats facing the nation, the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense created a 33 step initiative for the U.S. Government to implement. Headed by former senator Joe Lieberman and former governorTom Ridge, the Study Panel assembled in Washington, D.C., for four meetings concerning current biodefense programs. The Study Panel concluded that the federal government had little to no defense mechanisms in case of a biological event. The Study Panel's final report,The National Blueprint for Biodefense, proposes a string of solutions and recommendations for the U.S. Government to take, including items such as giving the vice president authority over biodefense responsibilities and merging the entire biodefense budget. These solutions represent the Panel's call to action in order to increase awareness and activity for pandemic related issues.
Daschle claims he was asked by vice presidentDick Cheney "not to investigate" the events of9/11.[77]
He told reporters, "the vice president expressed the concern that a review of what happened on September 11 would take resources and personnel away from the effort in the war on terrorism. I acknowledged that concern, and it is for that reason that the Intelligence Committee is going to begin this effort, trying to limit the scope and the overall review of what happened. But clearly, I think the American people are entitled to know what happened and why."[78]
Daschle has been married to Linda Hall, who wasMiss Kansas in 1976, since 1984, one year after his marriage to his first wife,Laurie, later-U.S. Ambassador to Denmark, ended in divorce.[79]
Hall was acting administrator of theFederal Aviation Administration in the Clinton administration; she is now a Washingtonlobbyist. Her lobbying clients have includedAmerican Airlines,Lockheed Martin, andBoeing, Senate lobbying records show.[35][36]
Tom Daschle has three children from his first marriage: Kelly,Nathan, and Lindsay. Nathan is the CEO ofRuck.us and former executive director of theDemocratic Governors Association.[80]
United States Senators John McCain, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Trent Lott, and Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle were presented with the Academy's Gold Medal by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist in the historic Caucus Room.
Actor George Clooney and Senator Tom Daschle chat after the summit symposium and awards ceremony at the U.S. Capitol during the 2003 International Achievement Summit held in Washington, D.C.
Tuesday's discussion followed a rare call to Daschle from Vice President Dick Cheney last Friday to make the same request.
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July 19, 1922 – October 21, 2012 U.S. Senator from South Dakota (1963–1981) U.S. Representatives from South Dakota (1957–1961) | ||
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