Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota:
Sen. Conrad is one of the most fiscally astute senators, and is Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee in the 111th Congress. He's known as driven and honorable, and holds no political ambitions beyond the Senate.
Sen. Conrad led Congress in passing controversial Farm Bill legislation in 2002. Conrad voted against approving use of military force in Iraq in both 1991 and 2002. (Also see The Obama Budget: Why Sen. Kent Conrad Is So Angry.)
Recent Notability:
Major Areas of Interest:
Senate Committees in 111th Congress, 2009-2010:
- Budget Committee, Chair
- Finance Committee
- Finance Subcommittee on Taxation & IRS Oversight, Chair
- Finance Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, Family Policy
- Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Committee
- Agriculture Subcommittee on Energy, Science & Technology, Chair
- Agriculture Subcommittee on Production, Income Protection & Price Support
- Joint Congressional Committee on Taxation
Agriculture Subcommittee on Production & Price Competitiveness, Chairman
Agriculture Subcommittee on Marketing, Inspection & Product Promotion
Prior Experience:
- 1974-80 - Assistant to the Bismarck Tax Commissioner
- 1980 - North Dakota Tax Dept, Diretor of Management Planning
- 1981-86 - Tax Commissioner, State of North Dakota
- 1986 - present Elected to the United States Senate
The Only Person to Hold Two Senate Seats on the Same Day:
In September 1992, the state's senior senator unexpectedly died. As this wasn't rerunning for his seat, Conrad ran and won to fill the remaining two years of that term. In December, Conrad was sworn-in to fill this seat and the next day, resigned the first seat.
Personal Data:
- Birth - March 12, 1948 in Bismarck, North Dakota
- Education - attended Wheelus High School in Libya; 1966 graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy. BA in 1971, Stanford University. MBA in 1975, George Washington University.
- Family - Married to Lucy Calautti since 1987. One daughter, Jessamyn, from first marriage to Pam Schafer, sister of a former North Dakota Republican governor. A stepson, Ivan Miluski, who is active in the Sierra Club.
- Faith - Christian, Universal Unitarian
- Abiding hobby - Baseball
The Senator's Wife, Major League Baseball Lobbyist Lucy Calautti:
Interesting Personal Notes:
Memorable Quotes:
About President Bush's 2007 federal budget proposal, made public on February 6, 2006, "We have seen this playbook before. Every year, the Bush administration talks about fiscal responsibility, but in the end, its policies dig us deeper into deficit and debt. It is results that matter, not talk. The results so far have been serious for our country and the ones who lose most are future generations. It is time to cut up the charge card and start paying our bills."
About representing North Dakota in the US Senate, "I understand very, very well why I'm here. I negotiated the farm bill, and that's a North Dakota priority. This week, I've seen people from North Dakota on pulse crops, sugar interests, rural schools, bankers, the Devils Lake situation. I'm very focused on North Dakota. I always have been and I always will be."
"The biggest challenge will be ensuring that all seniors are treated fairly. As the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implements the new policy, it must do so in a way that provides as many Medicare beneficiaries as possible access to additional health benefits. Unfortunately, the final version of the bill included limitations on the number of eligible beneficiaries and on spending for new benefits. I vigorously opposed these caps, but now that they are in place, we must ensure that seniors are treated fairly as CMS works to determine how to implement this provision."
