Tom Daschle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tom Daschle
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Official portrait, 2003
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| Senate Majority Leader | |
| In office June 6, 2001 – January 3, 2003 |
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| Deputy | Harry Reid |
| Preceded by | Trent Lott |
| Succeeded by | Bill Frist |
| In office January 3, 2001 – January 20, 2001 |
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| Deputy | Harry Reid |
| Preceded by | Trent Lott |
| Succeeded by | Trent Lott |
| Senate Minority Leader | |
| In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2005 |
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| Deputy | Harry Reid |
| Preceded by | Trent Lott |
| Succeeded by | Harry Reid |
| In office January 20, 2001 – June 6, 2001 |
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| Deputy | Harry Reid |
| Preceded by | Trent Lott |
| Succeeded by | Trent Lott |
| In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2001 |
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| Deputy | Wendell Ford Harry Reid |
| Preceded by | Bob Dole |
| Succeeded by | Trent Lott |
| Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus | |
| In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2005 |
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| Preceded by | George J. Mitchell |
| Succeeded by | Harry Reid |
| United States Senator from South Dakota |
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| In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 2005 |
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| Preceded by | James Abdnor |
| Succeeded by | John Thune |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Dakota |
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| In office January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1987 |
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| Preceded by | Larry Pressler |
| Succeeded by | Tim Johnson |
| Constituency | 1st district (1979–1983) At-large district (1983–1987) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Thomas Andrew Daschle
December 9, 1947 Aberdeen, South Dakota, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses |
Laurie Fulton
(m. 1969; div. 1983)Linda Hall
(m. 1984) |
| Children | 3, including Nathan |
| 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 |
Thomas Andrew Daschle (born December 9, 1947) is an American politician. He represented South Dakota in the United States Senate from 1987 to 2005. As a member of the Democratic Party, he was a leader in the Senate for ten years. During this time, he served as both Minority Leader and Majority Leader.
After serving in the United States Air Force, Daschle was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1978. He served four terms there. In 1986, he was elected to the U.S. Senate. He became the Minority Leader in 1995 and the Majority Leader in 2001. This made him the highest-ranking elected official from South Dakota in history.
In 2004, he lost his bid for reelection to John Thune. After leaving the Senate, he worked as a policy advisor and wrote a book about universal health care. He also supported Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Obama later nominated Daschle to be the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services. However, Daschle withdrew his name due to issues with his past tax reporting. He now works for a public policy advisory group.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Tom Daschle was born in Aberdeen, South Dakota. His parents were Elizabeth B. and Sebastian C. Daschle. His family was of German descent and Roman Catholic. He was the oldest of four brothers.
He was the first person in his family to graduate from college. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from South Dakota State University in 1969. While in college, he joined the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity. From 1969 to 1972, Daschle served in the United States Air Force. He worked as an intelligence officer with the Strategic Air Command. In the mid-1970s, Daschle worked as an aide for Senator James Abourezk.
Serving in the House of Representatives (1979–1987)
In 1978, Daschle was elected to the United States House of Representatives at age 31. He won by a very small number of votes. Daschle served four terms in the House and quickly became a leader among Democrats.
Serving in the United States Senate (1987–2005)
In 1986, Daschle won a close election to become a U.S. Senator. He defeated the Republican incumbent, James Abdnor. In his first year, he was appointed to the Finance Committee.
Leading the Party
In 1994, his fellow senators chose him to lead the Democratic minority. He took over from Senator George J. Mitchell. Only Lyndon B. Johnson had served fewer years before becoming a party leader in the Senate. Besides being the minority leader, Daschle also served on the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. People in South Dakota reelected Daschle to the Senate by large majorities in 1998.
During his career, he served on several important committees. These included the Veterans Affairs, Indian Affairs, Finance, and Ethics Committees.
When the 107th Congress began on January 3, 2001, the Senate was split evenly. There were 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans. The outgoing Vice President, Al Gore, used his power to break ties. This gave Democrats the majority. For the next two weeks, Daschle served as Senate Majority Leader.
When the Bush administration began on January 20, 2001, Dick Cheney became Vice President. This meant Democrats were again the minority in the Senate. Daschle became the Senate Minority Leader. However, on June 6, 2001, Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont left the Republican party. He became an independent and joined with Democrats. This gave Democrats control of the Senate again, and Daschle once more became Majority Leader.
After the November 2002 elections, Democrats lost seats. In January 2003, they returned to being the minority party in the Senate. Daschle became Minority Leader again.
Daschle wrote a book about his time in the Senate from 2001 to 2003. It is called Like No Other Time: The 107th Congress and the Two Years That Changed America Forever. He also co-wrote a book called The U.S. Senate.
Anthrax Incident in 2001
In October 2001, while he was Senate Majority Leader, Daschle's office received a letter. This letter contained anthrax. This was part of the 2001 anthrax attacks. Some of his staff members were exposed to anthrax, as were some of Senator Russ Feingold's staff and Capitol police officers. His office in the Hart Senate Office Building had to be thoroughly cleaned by the Environmental Protection Agency.
2004 Senate Election
In the 2004 Senate election, John Thune defeated Daschle by a small number of votes. It was the first time a Senate party leader had lost reelection since 1952. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist campaigned for Thune in South Dakota. This was unusual, as party leaders usually do not campaign against each other.
During the campaign, Thune and other Republicans said Daschle was blocking President Bush's plans. They also said he used filibusters to stop Bush's nominees. Thune also strongly supported the war in Iraq. In a TV debate, Thune said Daschle was "emboldening the enemy" because he was unsure about the Iraq War.
At the start of 2004, Daschle was ahead in the polls. But by May, his lead was much smaller. Polls throughout the summer and fall showed a very close race.
After the Senate
Career and Public Service
After losing his reelection, Daschle worked as a "special policy adviser" for a law firm. He was not allowed to lobby for one year after leaving the Senate. The firm worked with healthcare companies. Daschle was recruited by former Republican Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole.
Daschle also became a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. He co-chaired ONE Vote ‘08 with former senator Bill Frist. He also helped create the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC). This group works to find solutions to political disagreements. Daschle is a co-chair of BPC's Health Project.
In 2003, Daschle received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement. In 2005, South Dakota State University, his old college, gave him an honorary degree. In 2011, Northern State University also gave him an honorary degree.
In 2005, Daschle started his political action committee again. This led to talk that he might run for president in 2008. However, he announced in December 2006 that he would not run.
In 2006, Daschle said he supported a surveillance program by the National Security Agency (NSA). He explained that he had been told about the program when he was a Senate leader.
Daschle is also on the board of trustees for the Richard C. Blum Center at the University of California, Berkeley. This center works to solve problems of poverty and disease in developing countries. He is also a member of the Global Leadership Foundation. This group helps support democratic leaders and prevent conflicts.
Daschle is a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One. He also co-chairs the advisory board at the National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD). This institute was created after the 2011 shooting of former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.
In 2021, Daschle wrote an article criticizing proposed cuts to programs that prepare for pandemics. He said these cuts were "unthinkable" during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Supporting Barack Obama
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In February 2007, Daschle announced his support for Senator Barack Obama for the 2008 presidential election. He said Obama "personifies the future of Democratic leadership."
Daschle had suggested that Obama hire some of his staff when Obama entered the Senate in 2005. Daschle also told Obama in 2006 that the chance to run for president "close quickly."
During the 2008 presidential campaign, Daschle was a key advisor to Obama. He also co-chaired Obama's campaign. On June 3, 2008, Obama lost the Democratic primary in Daschle's home state of South Dakota. However, Obama still won his party's nomination that night.
A few days later, reports said Daschle was interested in becoming HHS Secretary. He wanted to work on universal health care. Daschle continued to advise Obama and campaign for him until Obama was elected President on November 4, 2008.
Nomination for Obama Administration
On November 19, 2008, news outlets reported that Daschle had accepted Obama's offer to be nominated for Health and Human Services Secretary. His selection was announced on December 11, 2008.
Some groups were concerned about Daschle's selection. They argued that his work at a law firm was like lobbying. They felt this went against Obama's promise to keep special interests out of the White House. A spokesperson for Obama said Daschle was not a lobbyist and would avoid conflicts of interest. Other groups praised Daschle for his commitment to affordable healthcare.
When Daschle was officially nominated on January 20, 2009, the Senate needed to approve him. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing for him. The Finance Committee also reviewed his nomination.
Withdrawal of Nomination
On January 30, 2009, reports surfaced that Daschle's friendship and business ties with businessman Leo Hindery could cause problems. Daschle had been a paid consultant for Hindery's company since 2005. During this time, he received access to a limousine and chauffeur. Daschle had not reported this service on his tax forms as required. A spokesperson said he "naively" thought it was a "generous offer" from a friend. Daschle told the Senate Finance Committee that in June 2008, he realized the car service might be taxable and began to fix the situation.
Daschle also reportedly did not pay taxes on other earnings from his consulting work in 2007. His accountant found this in December 2008. He also took tax deductions for donations that did not meet the requirements for being tax deductible.
The former senator paid the owed taxes and interest, totaling $140,167, in January 2009.
On February 3, 2009, Daschle withdrew his nomination. He said he did not want to be a "distraction" to Obama's plans.
Health Policy Ideas
Daschle co-wrote the 2008 book Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis. In the book, he and his co-authors explain that many top healthcare systems use a "single-payer" system. This means the government pays for healthcare. They argue this approach is simple, fair, and saves money. They admit that a single-payer system would be hard to put in place in the United States.
A main idea in their plan is a new "Federal Health Board." This board would set up the rules for healthcare. They say the board would be free from political pressure but still answerable to elected officials. The board would promote medical care that has strong evidence of working well. Some people have criticized this idea, saying it might lead to rationing healthcare. Others worry that lobbyists would influence the board.
Daschle also served on the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense. This group suggested ways to improve U.S. policy to protect against biological threats. The panel found that the government had few defenses against biological events. Their report, The National Blueprint for Biodefense, suggested many solutions. These included giving the Vice President power over biodefense and combining the biodefense budget.
9/11 Events
Daschle has stated that Vice President Dick Cheney asked him "not to investigate" the events of 9/11.
He told reporters that the Vice President was worried. He thought that looking into 9/11 would take away resources needed for the war on terrorism. Daschle understood this concern. He said the Intelligence Committee would try to limit their review. But he also said, "the American people are entitled to know what happened and why."
Personal Life
Daschle has been married to Linda Hall since 1984. She was Miss Kansas in 1976. His first marriage to Laurie Fulton, who later became U.S. Ambassador to Denmark, ended in divorce in 1983.
Linda Hall was a leader in the Federal Aviation Administration during the Clinton administration. She is now a lobbyist in Washington. Her clients have included American Airlines, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing.
Tom Daschle has three children from his first marriage: Kelly, Nathan, and Lindsay. Nathan is the CEO of Ruck.us and a former leader of the Democratic Governors Association.
Honors
See also
In Spanish: Tom Daschle para niños
- Unsuccessful nominations to the Cabinet of the United States
