with that same enthusiasm, knowing that his service would be limited in days but not limited by any aspirations or any ideals. He wanted to do the best for the people of Illinois and the Nation. I thank him.
BYRON DORGAN
Next is Byron and Kim Dorgan and their family. Again, Byron was an integral part for many years in this Senate. He is one of those individuals whose wisdom you appreciate more and more each day. He is someone who spoke years ago about the offshoring of jobs, and he spoke years ago about a tax system that doesn't reward investment in American jobs but ironically might encourage disinvestment of those jobs. He is someone who spoke with reason, candor, thoughtfulness, and facts about issues that the rest of us are beginning to recognize today are critical to the future of this country.
We will also miss his steady hand on the Appropriations Committee, where he battled to ensure that the reasonable priorities of this Nation were met. His support and help in terms of LIHEAP funding and his help to me personally in so many different ways is deeply appreciated. I thank him for his service. I know he will continue to provide, in his writings and speeches, the wise and thoughtful insights that, again, as we look back, I think we should have heeded with much more energy and enthusiasm when he spoke them.
RUSS FEINGOLD
Senator Russ Feingold—and this is said often, but it applies so accurately—is a conscience of this body. He is someone who came here to fight for the principles in which he deeply believes and would not deviate from that very serious challenge. He did it with skill, thoughtfulness, and gentility. I appreciate that very much. He was a champion for so many things—Pell grants, making sure the opportunity was still a watchword of this country. What he was most famous for was his efforts in campaign finance reform. Frankly, we will miss him dearly because of that.
There is a growing concern in this country that elections have become auctions, not about the quality of the candidates and their positions, but simply how much money can be funded and by how many different sources. So at a time when we have to confront again an even more serious challenge of campaign finance reform, we are losing one of the great voices and great minds in that effort. I know he will be helping us in this effort going forward, and I thank him for that.
CARTE GOODWIN
Carte Goodwin served with us for a very brief period of time, but in that time, we saw the incredible talent of this young Senator—his skill, his judgment, his ability to communicate with everyone in this Senate. He has been succeeded by another remarkable gentleman, Senator Manchin, who is certainly keeping up the high standards of Senators from West Virginia.
Carte, good luck, and thank you for your service, and I know you will continue to serve the country.
JUDD GREGG
Senator Judd Gregg and Kathleen are stalwarts in the Senate, with their 18 years of service. I worked very closely with Judd on so many issues but most recently on the Dodd-Frank bill, where we worked collaboratively on this whole complex concept of derivatives. I was impressed with his intellect, his grasp, his balance, and I think we both pushed ourselves to think harder, to do better, and to come up with a solution, frankly, that was much better than I know I could have done individually. So I thank Judd Gregg for what he did there and on so many other things.
TED KAUFMAN
My dear friend Ted Kaufman and Lynne. We traveled the world together—including Afghanistan multiple times. He served with such distinction. He took up the effort to ensure that our securities markets in particular are well regulated, especially in regard to the new phenomenon of high-frequency trading. And it is no coincidence that just this week, we had a hearing on high-frequency trading. Ted has not let us forget that very critical issue for the future.
GEORGE LEMIEUX
Senator George LeMieux and his wife Meike. Again, they served here for a short period of time but with such distinction, such character, and such concern. I want to salute him. He and I worked together on the Teacher and Principal Improvement Act. He is a brilliant and a decent civil servant. I thank him.
BLANCHE LINCOLN
Blanche Lincoln. Blanche and I served in the House together. She decided to raise her family and then came back to the Senate. I can say without any hesitation that without her very courageous stand with respect to some of the aspects of the Dodd-Frank financial legislation, it would not be as comprehensive, as effective as it is today. She stood up and essentially demanded that we create a structure where you could trade derivatives rather than simply clear them. That is a remarkable achievement, and it is her achievement.
ARLEN SPECTER
Finally—and I beg the indulgence of my colleague from Vermont, who I know is scheduled to speak—let me say to Arlen Specter and Joan Specter, thank you for such service. Senator Specter is the champion of NIH. It is an incredible achievement, what he has done to fund that over the years.
GEORGE VOINOVICH
And also to Senator George Voinovich and Janet Voinovich, thank you so much for what you have done. George Voinovich has been someone who has really tried to be the watchdog for all Americans. He has also been an advocate for infrastructure investment and for early childhood care and education.
To all of these colleagues and their families, my deepest appreciation and my profoundest respect.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr.Reed).The Senator from Virginia.
Mr. WARNER.Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business for 5 minutes and that Senator Sanders be recognized upon the conclusion of my remarks.
The PRESIDING OFFICER.Without objection, it is so ordered.
RECOGNIZING FEDERAL EMPLOYEE
DEBORAH AUTOR
Mr. WARNER.Mr. President, I rise again to recognize the service of another great Federal employee. This is a tradition that was started by our friend and former colleague, Senator Kaufman, and I am proud to carry on that tradition. But I want to first say that I appreciate the remarks of the Presiding Officer about our colleagues who are leaving this body, and I share his great respect for not only Senator Kaufman but all of the colleagues who are leaving the body at the end of this Congress.
Mr. President, oftentimes we forget that thousands of Federal employees go to work every day with the sole mission of making this country a safer place to live. Ms. Deborah Autor is one of those employees.
As we enter into the cold and flu season, there is great concern about harmful medications that may fall into the hands of our children or other loved ones. As Director of the Food and Drug Administration's Drug Compliance Office, Ms. Autor works to protect public health by minimizing Americans' exposure to unsafe, ineffective, and poor-quality drugs that enter the marketplace.
Ms. Autor is particularly focused on removing potentially dangerous prescription medicines, including cough medicines, anti-inflammatory drugs, antihistamines, and migraine medications, just to name a few. Under her leadership, the FDA has taken enforcement action to remove more than 500 unapproved prescription drugs from the market. She is also credited with designing a program used to identify unapproved drugs, evaluate the public health consequences, and explore any potential legal challenges.
Many believe Ms. Autor is the brains behind the FDA's aggressive enforcement efforts. In conducting the research for these remarks, we found a quote from Mr. Steven Galson, a former Acting U.S. Surgeon General, and this is what he had to say about Ms. Autor:
