Ted Kaufman

Edward E. Kaufman
United States Senator from Delaware
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 15, 2009 Serving with Tom Carper
Preceded by	Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
Member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors
In office 1995–2008
President	Bill Clinton George W. Bush
Born	March 15, 1939 (1939-03-15) (age 71) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Lynne Kaufman
Residence	Wilmington, Delaware
Alma mater	Duke University (B.S.) University of Pennsylvania (M.B.A.)
Occupation	Engineer College Professor
Religion	Roman Catholic

Edward E. "Ted" Kaufman (born March 15, 1939) is the junior U.S. Senator from the state of Delaware.^[1] He is a member of the Democratic Party who previously served on the staff of the United States Senate.

He was appointed for two years to fill the term of former U.S. Senator Joe Biden, who resigned to become Vice President of the United States. Prior to becoming a U.S. Senator, Kaufman had often been an adviser to Biden for much of his political career.^[2] He is 94th in seniority in the U.S. Senate.^[3]

Early life and family

Kaufman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,^[4] the son of Helen (née Carroll), an Irish American teacher, and Manuel Kaufman, a Russian Jewish social worker.^[5] He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Duke University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.^[4] Kaufman and his wife, Lynne, have been married since 1960 and reside in Wilmington. They have three daughters, Kelly, Murry, and Meg, and 7 grandchildren.^[6] He was a member of the Board of Directors of Children and Families First, WHYY, and the Board of Trustees of Christiana Care.^[7]

Professional and political career

Kaufman originally moved to Delaware in 1966 to work for DuPont as an engineer.^[7] In 1972 he joined Joe Biden’s long-shot U.S. Senate campaign on a volunteer basis. After Biden’s surprise victory in 1973, he took a one-year leave of absence from DuPont to organize and head Senator Biden’s Delaware Office.^[8] In 1976 he became Biden's Chief of Staff/Administrative Assistant and served until 1995, also working on Biden's subsequent Senate campaigns.^[9]

Prior to serving as a U.S. Senator, Ted was a Board member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) – the independent, autonomous, federal entity responsible for all U.S. government and government sponsored non-military international broadcasting.^[10] He was appointed to the BBG by Presidents Clinton and Bush and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate for four terms.^[11]

Since 1991, Ted has taught courses in the law school, business school and public policy program of his alma mater, Duke University. From 1995 to 1999 he was Co-Chair of the Duke Law School Center for the Study of the Congress.^[12]

United States Senator

On November 24, 2008, Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner announced her intention to appoint Kaufman to replace Biden in the Senate.^[13] He was appointed on January 15, 2009, the same day Biden resigned his seat, and was sworn in the next day. Kaufman will serve in the Senate until a special election in 2010 is held to complete the term, which ends in January 2015. Kaufman has announced he will not be a candidate in the 2010 election.^[14]

Kaufman inherited appointments to the same two committees that his predecessor, Biden, had served on before his resignation – the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on the Judiciary.^[15]

Early in his term, Kaufman supported the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The stimulus package has meant more than $800 Million in federal funding to support Delaware’s economic recovery.^[16]

As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Kaufman introduced bipartisan legislation with Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to strengthen tools and increase resources available to federal prosecutors to combat financial fraud. The Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009 (FERA) was signed into law by President Obama on May 20, 2009.^[17]

Kaufman has sought to further restore confidence in the U.S. financial markets by introducing bipartisan legislation to address abusive short selling and other market manipulation.^[18] Since March, Kaufman has been urging the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) to consider reinstating the “uptick rule” – which aids market stability and hampers price discovery. He has given multiple floor statements and written numerous letters to the agency with Senate colleagues on this issue, as well as the need for a pre-borrow requirement or a “hard locate” system for short sales.^[19]

In April, Kaufman took his first trip to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, where he visited with U.S. troops, foreign leaders, and others to examine U.S. strategy in the region.^[20] He is a co-sponsor of the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2009, which will triple non-military aid to Pakistan, providing $1.5 billion per year for development over the next five years.^[21] Kaufman has also stressed the need for increased civilian-military training focused on counterinsurgency and stability operations as essential to success in Afghanistan, introducing an amendment to the 2009 Defense Supplemental Appropriations Bill with Senators Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Jack Reed (D-RI).^[22]

In May, Kaufman visited Israel, Syria and Turkey to discuss regional security issues and areas of mutual interest and cooperation. He met with foreign government and military officials, political leaders and civil society representatives.

In the aftermath of the 2009 presidential election in Iran, Kaufman introduced a resolution – which was unanimously passed by the Senate – that reinforces the universal values of freedom of speech and freedom of the press, and supports the Iranian people as they take steps to peacefully express their voices, opinions, and aspirations.^[23] Kaufman also introduced the Victim of Iranian Censorship Act (VOICE) as an amendment to the 2009 National Defense Authorization Act.^[24] The VOICE Act – unanimously adopted by the Senate – supports similar objectives and authorizes funding for the BBG to expand transmission capability and programming on Radio Farda and the Persian News Network. Kaufman has a deep commitment to freedom of the press, also speaking out against repression of a free press in China.^[25]

In July, Kaufman participated in the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Supreme Court nomination hearing for Judge Sonia Sotomayor. During the hearing, Kaufman’s line of questioning focused on the current Court's recent treatment of business cases and on Judge Sotomayor's judicial approach.^[26] Kaufman voted to send Judge Sotomayor’s nomination to the full Senate for a vote.^[27]

Kaufman has also advocated for a renewed emphasis on science and innovation to meet the challenges of a competitive global economy. In June, he sponsored the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics “STEM” Education Coordination Act^[28] to establish a committee to coordinate the efforts of Federal STEM education programs. Kaufman also supported the Edward M. Kennedy National Service Act, which provides increased service opportunities for engineers and scientists to help inspire a new generation of science and technology students.^[29]

Over the last few months, Sen. Kaufman has started his own tradition – taking to the Senate floor once a week to honor a different federal employee for his/her lifelong and unsung dedication to public service. Dubbed the “Senate’s Champion of Civil Service” by the Washington Post, Kaufman plans to continue sharing the inspirational stories of federal employees throughout his term.^[30]

Committee assignments

• Committee on Armed Services
• Committee on Foreign Relations
  • Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs
  • Subcommittee on African Affairs
  • Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy and Global Women's Issues
  • Subcommittee on European Affairs
• Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
• Committee on the Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts
  • Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights
  • Subcommittee on the Constitution
  • Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs
  • Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security
• Impeachment Trial Committee on the Articles against Judge G. Thomas Porteous, Jr.^[31]

References

External links

• Biographical Dictionary of the United States
• Official Senate page
• Washington Post voting record
• Project Vote Smart
• On the Issues
• Legistorm
• Duke University School of Law
• Kaufman Bill to Punish Financial Fraud Passes Senate
• Passage of Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act

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