Maxwell Sieben Baucus is an American politician who served as a United States senator from Montana from 1978 to 2014.
50 Facts About Max Baucus
2.
President Barack Obama appointed Baucus to replace Gary Locke as the 11th US Ambassador to the People's Republic of China, a position he held from 2014 until 2017.
3.
Max Baucus was chairman of the Joint Committee on Taxation, a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and was chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
4.
Max Baucus previously served in the Montana House of Representatives from 1973 to 1974.
5.
Max Baucus's father, born in British Columbia, Canada, was of German and Scottish descent, and his mother had English and German ancestry.
6.
Max Baucus lived in California until he was two, when his mother left his father and returned to Helena.
7.
Max Baucus later married John J Baucus, and she and her son, Max, took his surname.
8.
In November 1972, Max Baucus was elected to the Montana House of Representatives as a state representative from Missoula.
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Max Baucus voted against giving voting representation to the District of Columbia.
10.
Max Baucus voted in favor of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010.
11.
In 2012, Max Baucus added to a transportation bill in Congress that extended the regulations covering cigarette manufacturers to "roll your own cigarette" stores that operate mass cigarette rolling machines.
12.
In 1994, Max Baucus cast a pivotal vote in favor of Senator Dianne Feinstein's "Assault Weapons" Ban.
13.
In 2013, Max Baucus was one of four Democrats to vote against the Manchin-Toomey Amendment to expand background checks for potential gun buyers.
14.
In 1999, Max Baucus was the only Democrat to vote against an amendment by Senator Frank Lautenberg that sought to "regulate the sale of firearms at gun shows".
15.
Max Baucus twice voted to make filing bankruptcy more difficult for debtors, once in July 2001 to restrict rules on personal bankruptcy, and a second time in March 2005 to include means-testing and restrictions for bankruptcy filers.
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Max Baucus has frequently visited places of employment within the state and has personally participated in activities that he calls "Work Days".
17.
In March 2005, Max Baucus voted against repealing tax subsidies benefiting companies that outsource US jobs offshore.
18.
Max Baucus supported Democratic leadership in voting against oil and gas subsidies and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge drilling, as well as by voting in favor of national standards to reduce oil consumption and spur the use of hydrogen-powered cars.
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Max Baucus was a leader in the massive Montana Legacy Project conservation project.
20.
Max Baucus voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002.
21.
Max Baucus voted with a majority of Democrats against Senator John Kerry's amendment stipulating a firm deadline for withdrawal of American combat personnel from Iraq.
22.
Phillip E Baucus was killed in combat in Al Anbar Governorate.
23.
On January 10,2007, the day of President Bush's address on his plan to increase troop levels in Iraq, Max Baucus spoke against the increases and called for a phased withdrawal of US troops.
24.
Max Baucus was one of the Senate's largest career recipients of pro-Israel Political Action Committee contributions, receiving $550,589 since 1989.
25.
In 2013, Max Baucus was criticized for his comments concerning the implementation of Obamacare provisions specifically stating it could turn into a "train-wreck".
26.
At the next meeting on health care reform of the Senate Finance Committee, Max Baucus had five more doctors and nurses removed and arrested.
27.
Max Baucus admitted a few weeks later in June 2009 that it was a mistake to rule out a single payer plan because doing so alienated a large, vocal constituency and left President Barack Obama's proposal of a public health plan to compete with private insurers as the most liberal position.
28.
Max Baucus has used the term "uniquely American solution" to describe the end point of current health reform and has said he believes America is not ready yet for any form of single payer health care.
29.
Years after his departure from the Senate, Max Baucus said it would make sense to seriously consider a single-payer system.
30.
Max Baucus has been criticized for his ties to the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries, and was one of the largest beneficiaries in the Senate of campaign contributions from these industries.
31.
Several of Max Baucus's ex-staffers, including former chief of staff David Castagnetti, are now working for the pharmaceutical and health insurance industries.
32.
Max Baucus refused to return as part of his moratorium any of the millions of dollars he has received from health care industry interests before July 1,2009, or to rule out a resumption of taking the same or greater health care industry contributions in the future.
33.
Max Baucus has usually voted against repealing portions of that bill and against repealing more recent tax cut bills that benefit upper income taxpayers.
34.
Taylor dropped out of the race and Max Baucus won with 63 percent of the vote.
35.
Max Baucus sought re-election in 2008 in Montana, a state that has seen political change starting in 2004 when it elected Democratic Governor Brian Schweitzer and then in 2006 Democratic Senator Jon Tester by a slim margin.
36.
Max Baucus raised a record amount of money for his 2008 re-election bid, 91 percent of which came from individuals living outside of Montana.
37.
Max Baucus announced that he had hired 35 full-time campaign staff members.
38.
Max Baucus's nomination was later reported to the full United States Senate on February 4,2014 and a vote for confirmation would later be considered.
39.
Max Baucus was later sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden on February 21,2014; with his swearing ending the ambassadorship of Gary Locke.
40.
Max Baucus cannot speak Mandarin Chinese, which is historically unusual for this position.
41.
Max Baucus ended his ambassadorship in January 2017, as President Donald Trump nominated Governor Terry Branstad from Iowa as the next Ambassador to China.
42.
Max Baucus served on the Board of Advisors to Alibaba Group until May, 2019.
43.
In July 2022, Max Baucus helped found a group of US business and policy leaders who share the goal of constructively engaging with China in order to improve US-China relations.
44.
Max Baucus has one son, Zeno, by his first wife, Ann Geracimos.
45.
Max Baucus came under fire from critics calling him a beltway insider who no longer really lives in Montana and only occasionally comes to visit.
46.
Until 1991, Max Baucus owned a house in Missoula, where he practiced law for three years before running for Congress in 1974.
47.
In 2008, Max Baucus had been romantically linked with his state office director, Melodee Hanes, whom he later nominated to the vacant position of US Attorney in Montana.
48.
Max Baucus said he was separated from his wife before he began seeing Hanes.
49.
On July 2,2011, Max Baucus married Hanes at the Sieben Ranch in Montana.
50.
Max Baucus has completed a 50-mile ultramarathon and has crewed for winner and Vermont native Nikki Kimball at the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run, which he hopes to run in the future.