Thomas Daschle Papers. Subject files

Collection Summary

Identifier                     DA 4

Title                             Thomas A. Daschle Papers: Subject files

Creator                       Senator Thomas Andrew Daschle

Dates                          1971-2004

Extent                         25.42 linear feet – 25 records center boxes, 1 document case

Language                    English

Repository                  South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library, Brookings, South Dakota.

Access note                This collection is open to researchers without restrictions. The materials in the Archives do not circulate and may be used in-house only.

Preferred Citation      Name of item. Thomas A. Daschle Papers: Subject files. DA 4. South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library, Brookings, South Dakota.

Abstract

The Subject Files are composed of files related to specific topics that have been separated from the collection because of their significance, interest to researchers, or topic. Subjects include Agent Orange, the Impeachment of President Clinton, material related to economics collected by Chuck Marr, Economic Policy Advisor to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle from 1999-2004, and files dealing with the 1995 "shutdown" of the United States federal government.

Historical Note

Agent Orange

Daschle, a Vietnam-era Air Force veteran, has been a long-time advocate for veterans and families dealing with the health effects of Agent Orange exposure. In his first year in Congress, 1979, Daschle helped win passage of the Veterans Health Programs Extension and Improvement Act, which required the VA to conduct an epidemiological study of the long-term health effects of veterans’ exposures to Agent Orange.

Over the next 11 years, he and others won passage of legislation providing a health care entitlement to veterans exposed to Agent Orange and to expand the scope of the Agent Orange study. Daschle's landmark accomplishment came when Congress finally passed the Agent Orange Act of 1991, the first comprehensive law to address the problems of veterans exposed to Agent Orange. The act allows veterans to receive disability compensation for diseases shown to be associated with their exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides and also requires a biennial review of new dioxin and other relevant research, with mechanisms for updating VA disability compensation eligibility guidelines.

Impeachment of President William Jefferson Clinton

William Jefferson Clinton, President of the United States, was impeached by the House of Representatives on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice on December 19, 1998, but acquitted by the Senate on February 12, 1999. Two other impeachment articles, a second perjury charge and a charge of abuse of power, failed in the House. The charges arose from the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the Paula Jones lawsuit. The trial proceedings were largely partisan, with only five Democratic Representatives voting to impeach and no Democratic Senators voting for conviction. With a two-thirds majority required for conviction, only 45 senators voted guilty on the perjury charge and 50 on the obstruction charge. It was only the second impeachment of a President in American history.

Staff Economist files

From 1999 through 2004, Chuck Marr was Economic Policy Advisor to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and Senior Advisor for Budget Policy at the National Economic Council from 1997 through 1999 during the second term of President Clinton. Tax policy was a key area of responsibility of both these positions. In addition, earlier in his career he was Chief Economist of the Senate Budget Committee and a professional staff member of the Senate Banking Committee.

1995-96 U.S. Federal Government Shutdown files

The 1995 "shutdown" of the United States federal government was the result of a conflict between Democratic President Clinton and the Republican-controlled Congress over funding for Medicare, education, the environment and public health. It took place after Clinton vetoed the spending bill which Congress sent him. Thereupon, the Federal government of the United States put non-essential government workers on furlough and suspended non-essential services from November 14 through November 19, 1995 and from December 16, 1995 to January 6, 1996. The major players were Bill Clinton, the Democrat then serving as President, and Newt Gingrich, the Republican then serving as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into four series:

Series 1. Agent Orange files
Series 2. Impeachment of President William Jefferson Clinton
Series 3. Staff Economist files
Series 4. 1995-96 U.S. Federal Government Shutdown files

Folders are arranged in alphabetical order within each series.

Contents Note

The Subject Files are composed of files related to specific topics that have been separated from the collection because of their significance, interest to researchers, or topic.  Subjects include Agent Orange, the Impeachment of President Clinton, material related to economics collected by Chuck Marr, who was Economic Policy Advisor to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle from 1999-2004, and files dealing with the 1995 "shutdown" of the United States federal government.

The staff economist files of Chuck Marr were found stored in the Senate Democratic Leader's office in 2009, several years after the bulk of the Daschle collection was received. The papers include bills and drafts of bills, correspondence, reports, publications, and statistics pertaining to numerous economic issues. Legislation and research regarding tax policy, budget, domestic commerce, and international trade are predominant subjects in these papers. There are also files pertaining to how these issues will impact South Dakota, including South Dakota labor and agricultural commodity import and export statistics.

The files dealing with the 1995 "shutdown" of the United States federal government was the result of a conflict between Democratic President Clinton and the Republican-controlled Congress over funding for Medicare, education, the environment and public health. Folders are composed of correspondence, memoranda, articles and reports. The topics covered include the Dole tax cut plan, the impact of reduced services during the shutdown, the Democrat Policy Committee balanced budget plan, the debt ceiling debate, and the continuing resolution.

Key Words

Africa Growth and Opportunity Act
Agent Orange
Agent Orange -- Health aspects
Agent Orange – Toxicology -- Vietnam
Andean Trade Preference Act
Balanced budget debate
Canadian Wheat Board
Charity Aid Recovery and Empowerment Act
Clinton, Bill, President, 1946-, Impeachment
Commerce
Commercial Drivers Fair Wage Amendment
Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards
Daschle, Thomas A. (Thomas Andrew), Senator, 1947-
Debt limit
Defoliant operations
Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001
Economists in government
Government investigations -- United States
Government shutdowns -- United States--1990-2000
Hazardous substances
Herbicides -- War use
International Labor Organization
International Trade Commission
Lewinsky, Monica S. (Monica Samille), 1973-
Marr, Chuck
Operation Ranch Hand
Products liability -- Agent Orange -- United States
Renewable Fuels Standard
South Dakota Federal Transportation Funds Cut
South Dakota -- Economic conditions
Spina Bifida -- Law and legislation -- United States
Starr, Kenneth, 1946-
Tax Empowerment and Relief for Farmers and Fishermen Act
Trade Promotion Authority
Trials (Impeachment) -- United States
United States. Air Force -- Research—Evaluation
United States -- Politics and government -- 1993-2001
Veterans  -- Diseases -- United States
Veterans -- Legal statue, laws, etc. -- United States
Veterans -- Medical care -- Law and legislation -- United States
Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Chemical warfare
Vietnam War, 1961-1975 – Veterans -- Health and hygiene -- United States
World Trade Organization

Administrative Information

Legal Status

Materials and resources from the Tom Daschle Congressional Career Papers are not in the public domain and copyright is largely held by the donor. Staff makes these materials available for private study, research, and teaching. Online material may be downloaded and printed without prior permission for these purposes, on condition that you attribute the Archives in all copies.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to researchers without restrictions. The materials in the Archives do not circulate and may be used in-house only.

Researchers conducting extensive research are asked to make an advance appointment to access archival material. Please call or e-mail prior to visiting the collection and indicate as much detail as possible about a particular topic and intended use.

South Dakota State University supports access to the materials, published and unpublished, in its collections. Nonetheless, access to some items may be restricted as a result of their fragile condition or by contractual agreements with donors.

Copyright note

Copyright restrictions apply in different ways to different materials. Many of the documents and other historical materials in the Archives are in the public domain and may be reproduced and used in any way. There are other materials in the Archive carrying a copyright interest and must be used according to the provisions of Title 17 of the U.S. Code. The Archive issues a warning concerning copyright restrictions to every researcher who requests copies of documents. Although the copyright law is under constant redefinition in the courts, it is ultimately the responsibility of the researcher to properly use copyrighted material.

Arranged and Described by

Arranged by Ruby Wilson, 2010. Described by Crystal J. Gamradt, 2012

Container List