User:Dauster
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Bill Dauster is a lawyer, economist, speechwriter,[1] and lecturer who has served on United States Senate,[2] White House,[3] and political campaign[4] staffs since 1986, and currently is Deputy Staff Director at the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (the HELP Committee).[5]
From 2011 to 2017, Dauster was Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy for Senate Majority Leader and then Democratic Leader Harry Reid.[6] Dauster has been a longtime counsel to Senate Democrats[7] and has been called a "top budget expert," a "leading authority on federal budget law and Senate rules,"[8] "a formidable advocate," a "secret weapon,"[9] and "a legendary figure on Capitol Hill."[10] Lawrence O'Donnell called Dauster “the nicest man in the world.”[11]
Dauster has served as Staff Director or Deputy Staff Director of the U.S. Senate Budget;[12] Labor and Human Resources;[13] Finance;[14] and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions[5] Committees; Deputy Director of the White House National Economic Council;[3] and Legislative Director or Policy Director for Senators Russ Feingold,[15] Harry Reid,[6] and Chris Van Hollen.[16] Dauster has worked for eleven Senators—Senators Lawton Chiles,[17] Jim Sasser,[18] James Exon,[19] Frank Lautenberg, Ted Kennedy, Paul Wellstone,[4] Russ Feingold,[15] Max Baucus,[20] Harry Reid,[21] Chris Van Hollen,[16] and Bernie Sanders[22]—and President Bill Clinton.[3]
Senator Reid, a baseball fan, called Dauster his “utility man,”[21] saying of Dauster, “He can catch, pitch, play any position on the field. He has been great for me. I appreciate Bill’s work very much.”[23] Senator Reid said, “Bill Dauster . . . is with me virtually every day, every place I go.”[24] Senator Reid also said of Dauster: “Nobody on Capitol Hill better understands policy or legislation than Bill. Anytime legislative staff — not just mine, but anyone's staff in the Senate — has an issue dealing with legislation, they know Bill will be available. I admire him. He is a fine man. I so appreciate the example he sets in being good to everybody.”[25] Senator Reid said, “You name it, Dauster has done it.”[26]
Senator Reid’s successor as Democratic Leader, Senator Chuck Schumer, called Dauster “one of the great staffers I have met in all the years I have been here in the Senate.”[27] Senator Schumer said, “He came up with great ideas. He was a great sounding board for me.”[27] In response to Senator Schumer’s speech, the office of Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah tweeted "Best wishes," noting that Dauster had “been a staple of this institution for decades.”[28] Assistant Democratic Leader Dick Durbin said, “Bill Dauster knows more about the rules of the Senate than probably anyone since Senator Robert C. Byrd. That has made him something of a legend in the Senate, on both sides of the aisle.”[29] Senator Chris Van Hollen said, “Among . . . staff, there is perhaps no greater giant of the Senate than Bill Dauster.”[30] Senator Van Hollen said that Dauster “built a reputation as an honest broker, a brilliant dealmaker, and an incredibly generous soul.”[30] Senator Jay Rockefeller said that Dauster “keeps in touch with everybody and everything.”[31]
Senator Max Baucus said of Dauster, “Many people know . . . Bill. Bill has served the Senate in many capacities, particularly with his expertise in budget matters and Senate procedures. He was invaluable to me.”[20] Senator Paul Wellstone called Dauster “a close friend that many staffers know well and I think many Senators know well because of his brilliance and also because he is sort of a perfect example of someone who really lives such an honest life.”[32] Senator Wellstone continued, “He treats all of us, regardless of our political viewpoint, with such generosity.”[32]
Senator Ernest Hollings called Dauster “one of the most respected and expert voices on the budget” and “an invaluable resource to all Democratic Senators.”[33] Senator Hollings continued, “Bill doesn't take himself seriously. He takes the issues seriously. . . . He personifies a true servant, not only of this great institution, but of the people we serve. Blessed with enormous intellectual skills, Bill has also exhibited great compassion for the less fortunate among us, especially America's children and the disabled.”[33] Senator James Exon said “everyone recognizes [Dauster] is one of the true experts on our budget.”[19] Senator Jim Sasser said Dauster was “always my strong right arm.”[18] Senator Lawton Chiles called Dauster “gifted” and said, “Bill is self-effacing. But his modesty can't conceal his ability.”[17]
Dauster helped manage Senate passage of several budget resolutions[34] and budget reconciliation bills,[35] the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings restoration of 1987,[36] the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990,[37] President Clinton's first budget in 1993,[38] the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995,[39] the Further Continuing Appropriations for the Fiscal Year 1996,[40] the Children's Health Insurance Program, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold),[41] the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act,[42] the Jumpstart Our Business Strength (JOBS) Act,[43] the Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2004,[44] the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004,[45] the Elder Justice Act of 2004,[46] the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users,[47] the Energy Policy Act of 2005,[48] the Pension Protection Act of 2006,[49] the SAFE Port Act of 2006,[50] the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007,[51] the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007,[52] the Children's Health Insurance Act of 2007,[53] the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008,[54] the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008,[55] the Affordable Care Act,[56] the Budget Control Act of 2011, the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012,[57] the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2011,[58] the 2012 farm bill,[59] the 2012 highway bill,[60] the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, the Water Resources Development Act of 2013,[61] the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013,[62] the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014, the 2013 filibuster reforms,[63] the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2013,[64] the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015,[65] the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016,[66] the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021,[67] and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.[68]
Dauster has written five books[69] — Congressional Budget Act Annotated; Budget Process Law Annotated; Budget Process Law Annotated: 1993 Edition; Trade Promotion Authority Annotated; and The Congressional Budget Process — and numerous articles.[70]
From 2019 to 2021 he was a member of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn in Washington Program,[71] where he taught about the balance of power between Congress and the President, and of American University’s Washington College of Law, where he taught Congressional Procedure.[72] He has guest lectured at Harvard Law School, Columbia Law School, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Chicago Law School, the New York University School of Law, Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, the University of Southern California, the University of Alabama School of Law, the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, the University of Maryland's Carey School of Law, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, William S. Boyd School of Law, the American University’s Washington College of Law, Catholic University's Columbus School of Law, Columbia University School of Social Work, the Graduate School of Political Management at the George Washington University, Salem State University, and the National War College.
Dauster received a bachelor's degree in international relations, economics, and political science (magna cum laude) from the University of Southern California, a master’s degree in economics from the University of Southern California, and a Juris Doctor from the Columbia University school of law.[73] He worked as an associate attorney at the New York City law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore.
From 2018 to 2020, Dauster was a graduate student at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he took classes in Jewish Studies. He is married to Federal Election Commissioner Ellen Weintraub.[74]
Dauster has studied Torah at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York City; Temple Emanuel in Kensington, Maryland; Congregation Beth El in Bethesda, Maryland;[75] Johns Hopkins University Osher Lifelong Learning Institute; The Foundation for Jewish Studies of Maryland; LimmudFest New Orleans; OASIS lifelong learning; the University of Maryland, College Park; and on Capitol Hill.[76]
Since October 2005, he has written and expanded Wikipedia articles on each of the 54 weekly Torah portions.[77] He has originated or significantly expanded the following Wikipedia and Wikisource articles and sections of articles: