Tom Daschle

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}}{{#if:|{{#ifeq:{{#ifeq:|no|yes}}|yes||}} }}{{#if:|{{#ifeq:{{#ifeq:|no|yes}}|yes||}} }}{{#if:|{{#if:||{{#ifeq:{{#ifeq:|no|yes}}|yes||}}}} }}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox officeholder with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| regexp1 = 1blankname[%d]* | regexp2 = 1namedata[%d]* | regexp3 = 2blankname[%d]* | regexp4 = 2namedata[%d]* | regexp5 = 3blankname[%d]* | regexp6 = 3namedata[%d]* | regexp7 = 4blankname[%d]* | regexp8 = 4namedata[%d]* | regexp9 = 5blankname[%d]* | regexp10 = 5namedata[%d]* | allegiance | alma_mater | regexp11 = alongside[%d]* | alt | regexp12 = ambassador_from[%d]* | regexp13 = appointed[%d]* | regexp14 = appointer[%d]* | regexp15 = assembly[%d]* | awards | battles | battles_label | birth_date | birth_name | birth_place | birthname | regexp16 = blank[%d]* | bodyclass | branch | branch_label | cabinet | candidate | caption | categories | regexp17 = chancellor[%d]* | children | citizenship | regexp18 = co%-leader[%d]* | commands | committees | regexp19 = constituency[%d]* | regexp20 = constituency_AM[%d]* | regexp21 = constituency_MP[%d]* | regexp22 = convocation[%d]* | regexp23 = country[%d]* | regexp24 = data[%d]* | date | death_cause | death_date | death_manner | death_place | demo | regexp25 = deputy[%d]* | regexp26 = district[%d]* | education | election_date | embed | father | regexp28 = firstminister[%d]* | footnotes | regexp29 = governor[%d]* | regexp30 = governor_general[%d]* | regexp31 = governor%-general[%d]* | height | honorific_prefix | honorific-prefix | honorific_suffix | honorific-suffix | image | image name | image_name_alt | image_size | imagesize | image_upright | incumbent | regexp32 = jr/sr[%d]* | regexp33 = jr/sr and state[%d]* | known_for | regexp34 = leader[%d]* | regexp35 = legislature[%d]* | regexp36 = lieutenant[%d]* | regexp37 = lieutenant_governor[%d]* | mainwidth | regexp38 = majority[%d]* | regexp39 = majority_floor_leader[%d]* | regexp40 = majority_leader[%d]* | regexp41 = majorityleader[%d]* | mawards | regexp42 = military_blank[%d]* | regexp43 = military_data[%d]* | regexp44 = minister[%d]* | regexp45 = minister_from[%d]* | regexp46 = minority_floor_leader[%d]* | regexp47 = minority_leader[%d]* | regexp48 = minorityleader[%d]* | regexp49 = module[%d]* | regexp50 = monarch[%d]* | mother | name | nationality | native_name | native_name_lang | nickname | nocat | regexp51 = nominator[%d]* | nominee | occupation | regexp52 = office[%d]* | opponent | regexp53 = order[%d]* | otherparty | parents | regexp54 = parliament[%d]* | regexp55 = parliamentarygroup[%d]* | partner | party | party_election | portfolio | regexp56 = preceded[%d]* | regexp57 = preceding[%d]* | regexp58 = predecessor[%d]* | regexp59 = premier[%d]* | regexp60 = president[%d]* | regexp61 = primeminister[%d]* | regexp62 = prior_term[%d]* | profession | pronunciation | rank | rank_label | relations | relatives | residence | resting_place | resting_place_coordinates | restingplace | restingplacecoordinates | regexp63 = riding[%d]* | runningmate | salary | serviceyears | serviceyears_label | signature | signature_alt | signature_size | smallimage | smallimage_alt | source | speaker | speaker_office | spouse | spouses | regexp64 = state[%d]* | regexp65 = state_assembly[%d]* | regexp66 = state_delegate[%d]* | regexp67 = state_house[%d]* | regexp68 = state_legislature[%d]* | regexp69 = state_senate[%d]* | regexp70 = status[%d]* | regexp71 = suboffice[%d]* | regexp72 = subterm[%d]* | regexp73 = succeeded[%d]* | regexp74 = succeeding[%d]* | regexp75 = successor[%d]* | regexp76 = taoiseach[%d]* | regexp77 = term[%d]* | regexp78 = term_end[%d]* | regexp79 = term_label[%d]* | regexp80 = term_start[%d]* | regexp81 = termend[%d]* | regexp82 = termlabel[%d]* | regexp83 = termstart[%d]* | regexp84 = title[%d]* | unit | unit_label | regexp85 = vicegovernor[%d]* | regexp86 = vicepremier[%d]* | regexp87 = vicepresident[%d]* | regexp88 = viceprimeminister[%d]* | regexp89 = assuming[%d]* | website | width | year }} Thomas Andrew Daschle (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell; born December 9, 1947) is an American politician and lobbyist who represented South Dakota in the United States Senate from 1987 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he led the Senate Democratic Caucus during the final ten years of his tenure, during which time he served as Senate Minority Leader and Majority Leader.

After leaving the United States Air Force, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1978 and served four terms. In 1986, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, becoming Minority Leader in 1995 and Majority Leader in 2001, becoming the highest-ranking elected official in South Dakota history.

In 2004, he was defeated for reelection in a close race to John Thune, who would go on to become a party leader himself.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Later, he took a position as a policy advisor with a lobbying firm, became a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and co-authored a book advocating universal health care.

Daschle was an early supporter of Barack Obama's presidential candidacy, and was nominated by President-elect Obama for the position of Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services after the 2008 election.<ref name = PearNYT>Template:Cite news</ref> However, Daschle withdrew his name on February 3, 2009, amid a growing controversy over his failure to properly report and pay income taxes.<ref name=daschlewithdrawl>"Daschle withdraws as nominee for HHS secretary Template:Webarchive", Associated Press, February 3, 2009; accessed February 3, 2009.</ref> He is currently working for The Daschle Group, a Public Policy Advisory of Baker Donelson,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> a large law firm and lobbying group.

Early life and educationEdit

Daschle was born in Aberdeen, South Dakota, the son of Elizabeth B. (née Meier) and Sebastian C. Daschle, both of German descent. His paternal grandparents were Volga Germans.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He grew up in a working-class Roman Catholic family, the eldest of four brothers.Template:Refn<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

He attended Central High School in Aberdeen before becoming the first person in his family to graduate from college when he earned a B.A. from the Department of Political Science at South Dakota State University in 1969.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> While attending South Dakota State University, Daschle became a brother of Alpha Phi Omega. From 1969 to 1972, Daschle served in the United States Air Force as an intelligence officer with the Strategic Air Command.<ref name=senatebio>"Senator Thomas A. Daschle", United States Senate; retrieved February 3, 2009.</ref>

In the mid-1970s Daschle was an aide to Senator James Abourezk.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

House of Representatives (1979–1987)Edit

In 1978 Daschle was elected to the United 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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,Template:Efn he received 10 (0.30%) delegate votes for Vice President of the United States at the 1980 Democratic National Convention.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Several others also received protest votes, but incumbent Vice President Walter Mondale was nevertheless renominated easily.

United States Senate (1987–2005)Edit

File:Daschle Portrait.jpg

Official Senate portrait by Aaron Shikler

In 1986, Daschle was elected to the U.S. Senate in a close victory over incumbent Republican James Abdnor. In his first year, he was appointed to the Finance Committee.

File:TomDaschle1986Logo.png

Tom Daschle 1986 United States Senate Campaign Logo

Party leadershipEdit

In 1994, he was chosen by his colleagues to succeed the retiring Senator George Mitchell as Democratic minority leader. In the history of the Senate, only Lyndon 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 the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. South Dakotans reelected Daschle to the Senate with 62.1% of votes in 1998.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

At various points in his career, he served on the Veterans Affairs, Indian Affairs, Finance, and Ethics Committees.Template:Cn

When the 107th Congress commenced on January 3, 2001, the Senate was evenly divided—that is, there were 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans. Outgoing Vice President Al Gore acted in his constitutional capacity as ex officio President 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 as Senate Majority Leader.Template:Cn

Upon the commencement of the Bush 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 of Senate Minority Leader. However, on June 6, 2001, Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont announced that he was leaving the Senate Republican caucus to become an independent and to caucus with Democrats;<ref>Entry for James Merrill Jeffords in the Biographical Dictionary of the United States Congress. (Accessed January 30, 2009.)</ref> this once again returned control of the body to the Democrats and Daschle again became majority leader.Template:Cn

Template:External media 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.Template:Cn

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.<ref>Tom Daschle and Michael D'Orso, Like No Other Time: The 107th Congress and the Two Years That Changed America Forever, Crown, 2003. Template:ISBN</ref> With Charles Robbins, he has also written the book The U.S. Senate, part of the Fundamentals of American Government series.<ref name="Okla Hall">Template:Cite news</ref>

File:Congressman Tim Johnson Senator Tom Daschle US Capitol 1988.jpg

US Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Congressman Tim Johnson (D-SD) Constituent Service Meeting

Anthrax case in 2001Edit

In October 2001, while he was the Senate Majority Leader, Daschle's office received a letter containing anthrax, becoming a target of the 2001 anthrax attacks.<ref name=revkin>Template:Cite news</ref> Some of his staffers were confirmed to have been exposed,<ref name="revkin"/> as well as several of Senator Russ Feingold's staffers and Capitol police officers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His suite at the Hart Senate Office Building was the focus of an intensive cleanup led by the Environmental Protection Agency.<ref>“The Anthrax Cleanup of Capitol Hill.” Documentary by Xin Wang produced by the EPA Alumni Association. Video, Transcript (see p8). May 12, 2015.</ref>

Views on abortionEdit

Daschle has a mixed voting record on abortion-related issues, which led the pro-choice organization NARAL to give him a 50% vote rating.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1999 and 2003, Daschle voted in favor of the ban on partial-birth abortion,<ref>Template:USBill, Record Vote No: 340</ref><ref>Template:USBill, Record Vote No: 51</ref> and supported legislation making it a crime to harm an unborn child when someone attacks a pregnant woman.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Investigators into the 2001 anthrax attacks, which included Senator Daschle's Capitol Hill office, suspect that alleged anthrax mailer Bruce Ivins may have chosen to target Daschle over his views on abortion, although Ivins's lawyer disputed this alleged motive.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2003, Roman Catholic Bishop Robert 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.<ref name=weeklystandard>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

2004 Senate electionEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} In the 2004 Senate election, John Thune defeated Daschle by 4,508 votes, 50.6% to 49.4%.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was the first time that a Senate party leader had lost a bid for reelection since 1952, when Barry Goldwater defeated Ernest McFarland in Arizona.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Senate Majority Leader Bill 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Throughout the campaign, Thune, along with Frist, President George W. Bush, and Vice President Cheney, frequently accused Daschle of being the "chief obstructionist" of Bush's agenda and charged him with using filibusters 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 on NBC's Meet the Press, Thune accused Daschle of "emboldening the enemy" in his skepticism of the Iraq War.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Post-Senate careerEdit

Career and public serviceEdit

Following his reelection defeat, Daschle took a position with the lobbying arm of the K Street law firm Alston & Bird. Because he was prohibited by law from lobbying for one year after leaving the Senate,<ref>See Template:Usc; this one-year limit was increased in 2007 to two years by Public Law 110-81, but the higher limit did not apply to Daschle.</ref> he instead worked as a "special policy adviser" for the firm.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Alston">Alston</ref>

Alston & Bird's healthcare clients include CVS Caremark, the National Association for Home Care and Hospice, Abbott Laboratories, and HealthSouth.<ref name=Freking>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name=Bloomberg>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Daschle was recruited by the former Republican Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Daschle's salary from Alston & Bird for the year 2008 was reportedly $2 million.<ref name=washingtonposttaxes>Ceci Connolly, "Daschle Pays $100k in Back Taxes Over Car Travel", Washington Post, January 30, 2009. (Accessed January 30, 2009.)</ref>

Daschle was also a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. In addition, he served as National Co-Chair of ONE Vote ‘08, along with former senator Bill Frist. He and former senators George Mitchell, Bob Dole, and Howard Baker formed the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), dedicated to finding bipartisan solutions for policy disputes.<ref name = senatebio/> Daschle is also a co-chair of BPC's Health Project.

In 2003, Daschle received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Senator Bill Frist.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In May 2005, South Dakota State University, Daschle's alma mater, conferred upon him an honorary doctorate for public service.<ref name="HonorDegree">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In May 2011, Daschle was further honored with an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Northern State University in his hometown of Aberdeen.

In late September 2005, Daschle caught the attention of the media by reactivating his political action committee, changing its name from DASHPAC to New Leadership for America PAC and procuring a speaking slot at the Iowa Democratic Party's annual Jefferson-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 potential 2008 Presidential candidacy. On December 2, 2006, he announced he would not run for president in 2008.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In an appearance on Meet the Press on February 12, 2006, Daschle endorsed a controversial warrantless surveillance program conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA), explaining that he had been briefed on the program while he was the Democratic leader in the Senate.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In addition, Senator Daschle is a member of the board of trustees for the Richard C. Blum Center for Developing Economies at the University of California, Berkeley.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The center is focused on finding solutions to address the crisis of extreme poverty and disease in the developing world.<ref>blumcenter.berkeley.edu</ref>

Daschle is a Member of the Global 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 of National Democratic Institute for International Affairs.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Daschle is a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Daschle is the co-chair of the national advisory board at the National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD). The institute was created at the University of Arizona after the 2011 shooting of former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords that killed six people and wounded 13 others.

In 2019, Daschle was named to the advisory board of Northern Swan Holdings Inc., a cannabis investment firm.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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."<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> In 2020, Daschle endorsed Constitutional Amendment A, a ballot initiative to legalize cannabis for recreational use in South Dakota.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2021, Daschle co-wrote an op-ed for The Hill criticizing proposed cuts to pandemic preparedness programs, describing them as "unthinkable" in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Obama campaignEdit

File:Tom Daschle 2008 DNC (cropped1).jpg

Daschle speaks during the third night of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.

On February 21, 2007, the Associated Press reported that Daschle, after ruling out a presidential bid of his own in December 2006, had thrown his support behind Senator Barack Obama of Illinois for the 2008 presidential election, saying that Obama "personifies the future of Democratic leadership in our country."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In January 2005, having suggested that Obama take on some of his staffers, Daschle exited the Senate just as Obama entered.<ref name="multiple" /> These included Daschle's outgoing chief-of-staff Pete 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."<ref name="multiple">FRONTLINE Interview: The Choice 2008 Retrieved February 5, 2009</ref>

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Daschle served as a key advisor to Obama and one of the national co-chairs for Obama's campaign.<ref>Margaret Talev, "Ex-Senate leader Daschle to serve as HHS head", McClatchy Newspapers, November 19, 2008.</ref> On June 3, 2008, Obama lost to Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary in Daschle's home state of South Dakota, although that night Obama clinched his party's nomination anyway.

Two days later, sources indicated Daschle "is interested in universal health care and might relish serving as HHS secretary."<ref name=nationaljournalhhs>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the general election campaign, Daschle continued to consult Obama, campaign for him across swing states, and advise his campaign organization until Obama was ultimately elected the 44th President of the United States on November 4, 2008.

Obama administration nominationEdit

File:20081211 TD ROLLOUT-1136.jpg

Daschle, standing with then-President-elect Barack Obama, speaks to reporters after the announcement of his selection to be Obama's nominee for the position of Secretary of Health and Human Services. (December 11, 2008)

On November 19, 2008, the press reported that Daschle had accepted Obama's offer to be nominated for Health and Human Services Secretary. His selection was announced at a news conference with Obama on December 11, 2008.<ref name = PearNYT/>

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 the Sunlight 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."<ref name=usatodaynomination>Fredreka Schouten and David Jackson, "Obama selects Tom Daschle as health chief", USA Today, November 20, 2008.</ref> Stephanie Cutter, a spokeswoman for the Obama 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."<ref name=usatodaynomination /> 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."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

When Daschle was officially nominated for his Cabinet position on January 20, 2009,<ref name=thomasnom>Presidential Nominations database Template:Webarchive, via THOMAS (accessed January 30, 2009)</ref> confirmation by the Senate was required. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a confirmation hearing for Daschle on January 8, 2009.<ref name=thomasnom /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A second Senate committee, the Finance Committee, also traditionally reviews HHS Secretary nominees; the committee discussed his nomination behind closed doors on February 2, 2009.<ref name=cnntaxes>"Committee to review Daschle taxes over loaned car," CNN.com, January 30, 2009. (Accessed January 30, 2009.)</ref><ref name=nrotaxes>Yuval Levin, "More Nominee Tax Troubles", National Review Online, January 30, 2009. (Accessed January 30, 2009.)</ref>

WithdrawalEdit

On January 30, 2009, it was reported that Daschle's friendship and business partnership with businessman Leo Hindery could cause problems for Daschle's Senate confirmation. Daschle has been a paid consultant and advisor to Hindery's InterMedia Partners since 2005, during which time he received from Hindery access to a limousine and chauffeur. 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."<ref name=washingtonposttaxes /><ref name=cnntaxes /><ref name=abctaxes>Jake Tapper, "Bumps in the Road: Obama's HHS Secretary Nominee Faces Tax Questions Over Car and Driver Template:Webarchive," ABC News, January 30, 2009. (Accessed January 30, 2009.)</ref><ref name=wsjtaxes>Jonathan Weisman, "Daschle Paid Back Taxes After Vetting", Wall Street Journal, January 31, 2009. (Accessed January 31, 2009.)</ref> 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<ref name=nationaljournalhhs />—that "something made him think that the car service might be taxable" and he began seeking to remedy the situation.<ref name=wsjtaxes2>Senate Finance Committee, Draft of "Statement Concerning the Nomination of Thomas A. Daschle" (PDF format), hosted by WSJ.com. (Accessed January 31, 2009.)</ref>

Daschle reportedly also did not pay taxes on an additional $83,333 that he earned as a consultant to InterMedia Partners in 2007; this was discovered by Senator Daschle's accountant in December 2008.<ref name=wsjtaxes2 /> According to ABC 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.<ref>More Daschle Tax Issues, ABC News, January 30, 2009</ref>

The former senator paid the three years of owed taxes and interest—an amount totaling $140,167—in January 2009,<ref name=abctaxes /><ref name=wsjtaxes /><ref name=wsjtaxes2 /><ref name=abctaxes2>Jake Tapper, "More Daschle Tax Issues," ABC News, January 30, 2009. (Accessed January 31, 2009.)</ref> 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."<ref name=nyttaxes>Carl Hulse and Robert Pear, "Daschle Apologizes Over Taxes as Allies Give Support", New York Times, February 2, 2009. (Accessed February 3, 2009.)</ref>

On February 3, 2009, Daschle withdrew his nomination,<ref name="telegraph.co.uk">Template:Cite news</ref> saying that he did not wish to be a "distraction" to the Obama agenda.<ref name=daschlewithdrawl />

Health policyEdit

Daschle co-wrote the 2008 book Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis Template:ISBN.<ref>Tom Daschle, Scott S. Greenberger, and Jeanne M. Lambrew, Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis, Thomas Dunne, 2008. Template:ISBN</ref> 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-payer Medicare system than private insurance.<ref name=davis>Karen Davis, Cathy Schoen, Michelle Doty, and Katie Tenney "Medicare Versus Private Insurance: Rhetoric And Reality", Health Affairs, October 9, 2002. (Accessed June 18, 2009.)</ref>

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."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This proposal has been criticized by conservatives and libertarians who argue that such a board will lead to rationing of health care,<ref name=cannon>Michael F. Cannon, "Daschle Care", National Review Online, January 30, 2009. (Accessed January 30, 2009.)</ref><ref name=capretta>James C. Capretta, "Obama's Health Care Czar", New Atlantis: Diagnosis, December 12, 2008. (Accessed January 30, 2009.)</ref> and by progressives who believe the board will, as one writer put it, "get defanged by lobbyists immediately."<ref name=holt>Matthew Holt, "Critical of Critical Template:Webarchive", December 31, 2008. (Accessed January 30, 2009.)</ref>

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.<ref name=capretta />

Daschle also served as a panelist on the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense, a body that recommended changes to U.S. policy to strengthen national biodefense.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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 governor Tom 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.

9/11Edit

Daschle claims he was asked by vice president Dick Cheney "not to investigate" the events of 9/11.<ref>Meet the Press, May 2002, Host Tim Russert, Guest Dick Cheney</ref>

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."<ref name="TerrorProbe">Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal lifeEdit

Daschle has been married to Linda Hall, who was Miss Kansas in 1976, since 1984, one year after his marriage to his first wife, Laurie, later-U.S. Ambassador to Denmark, ended in divorce.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Hall was acting administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration in the Clinton administration; she is now a Washington lobbyist. Her lobbying clients have included American Airlines, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing, Senate lobbying records show.<ref name=Freking/><ref name=Bloomberg/>

Tom Daschle has three children from his first marriage: Kelly, Nathan, and Lindsay. Nathan is the CEO of Ruck.us and former executive director of the Democratic Governors Association.<ref name=dga>"Our Staff" page Template:Webarchive, Democratic Governors Association website; accessed February 3, 2009.</ref>