Tom Coburn

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Tom Coburn
Image of Tom Coburn

Republican Party

Prior offices
U.S. House Oklahoma District 2
U.S. Senate Oklahoma
Successor: James Lankford

Compensation

Net worth

(2012) $3,665,560.50

Education

Bachelor's

Oklahoma State University, 1970

Medical

University of Oklahoma Medical School, 1983

Personal
Religion
Christian: Baptist

Tom Coburn (March 14, 1948 - March 28, 2020) was a Republican member of the U.S. Senate from the state of Oklahoma.

Coburn served in the Senate from 2005 to 2014 and in the U.S. House from 1995 to 2001.[1]

In November 2013, Coburn's office announced that he had been diagnosed with a recurrence of prostate cancer and was undergoing treatment.[2] Coburn retired at the end of 2014, two years before his term would have ended. The governor was not allowed to appoint a replacement, so a special election was held to fill the seat on November 4, 2014.[3]

Biography

Coburn was born in Casper, Wyoming. He attended Oklahoma State University for his undergraduate degree and then spent eight years working as a manufacturing manager for Coburn Optical Industries' Opthalmic Division. Coburn earned his M.D. from the University of Oklahoma in 1983.[1]

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Coburn's academic, professional, and political career:[1]

  • 1970: Graduated from Oklahoma State University
  • 1970-1978: Worked as manufacturing manager, Coburn Opthalmic Division, Coburn Optical Industries
  • 1983: Graduated from Oklahoma State University Medical School
  • 1995-2001: Member of the United States House of Representatives, Oklahoma
  • 2005-2015: Member of the United States Senate, Oklahoma

Committee assignments

U.S. Senate

2013-2014

Coburn served on the following Senate committees:[4]

2011-2012

Coburn served on the following Senate committees:[5]

  • Finance
    • Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy
    • Subcommittee on Health Care
    • Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth
  • Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
    • Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia
    • Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security
    • Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
  • Judiciary
    • Subcommittee on The Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights
    • Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law
    • Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts

Senate Judiciary Committee

Coburn was first appointed to the Senate Judiciary Committee shortly after he was sworn in in January 2005.[6]

Key votes

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.[7] The Senate confirmed 13,949 out of 18,323 executive nominations received (76.1 percent). For more information pertaining to Coburn's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.[8]

National security

John Brennan CIA nomination

Yea3.png Coburn voted for the confirmation of John Brennan as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The nomination was confirmed by the Senate on March 7, 2013, with a vote of 63 - 34. Most Democrats supported the nomination, while Republicans were somewhat divided with roughly one-third supporting the nomination.[9]

Drones filibuster

See also: Rand Paul filibuster of John Brennan's CIA Nomination in March 2013

On March 6, 2013, Senator Rand Paul (R) led a 13-hour filibuster of President Obama's CIA Director nominee, John Brennan. Paul started the filibuster in order to highlight his concerns about the administration's drone policies. In particular, Paul said he was concerned about whether a drone could be used to kill an American citizen within the United States border, without any due process involved. Paul and other civil liberties activists criticized President Obama for not offering a clear response to the question. A total of 14 senators joined Paul in the filibuster -- 13 Republicans and one Democrat.[10][11][12]

Coburn was one of 30 Republican senators who did not support the filibuster.[13][14][15]

The day after the filibuster, Attorney General Eric Holder sent a letter to Paul, responding to the filibuster. Holder wrote, "Does the president have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on U.S. soil? The answer to that is no."[16]

Economy

Government shutdown
See also: United States budget debate, 2013

Nay3.png During the shutdown in October 2013, the Senate rejected, down party lines, every House-originated bill that stripped the budget of funding for the Affordable Care Act. A deal was reached late on October 16, 2013, just hours before the debt ceiling deadline. The bill to reopen the government, H.R. 2775, lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[17] The final vote on H.R. 2775 was 81-18, with all 18 votes against the bill from Republican members. Coburn voted with the Republican Party against the bill.[18]

Coburn said on October 1, 2013, that he would continue accepting his salary and planned to "spend it and tithe it" as he always has.[19]

No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013

Nay3.png Coburn voted against H.R.325 -- No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013. The bill passed the Senate on January 31, 2013, with a vote of 64 - 34. The purpose of the bill was to temporarily suspend the debt ceiling and withhold the pay of members of Congress until a budget could be passed. The vote largely followed party lines with Democrats overwhelmingly supporting it and many Republicans in opposition to the bill.[20]

Immigration

Mexico-U.S. border

Yea3.png Coburn voted for Senate Amendment 1197 -- Requires the Completion of the Fence Along the United States-Mexico Border. The amendment was rejected by the Senate on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 39 - 54. The purpose of the amendment was to require the completion of 350 miles of fence described in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 before registered provisional immigrant status may be granted. It would also require 700 miles of fence be completed before the status of registered provisional immigrants may be changed to permanent resident status. The vote followed party lines.[21]

Social issues

Violence Against Women (2013)

Nay3.png Coburn voted against S.47 -- Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. The bill was passed by the Senate on February 12, 2013, with a vote of 78 - 22. The purpose of the bill was to combat violence against women, from domestic violence to international trafficking in persons. All 22 dissenting votes were cast by Republicans.[22]

Previous congressional sessions

Fiscal cliff

Yea3.png Coburn voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003, while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. The bill was passed in the Senate by an 89 - 8 vote on January 1, 2013.[23]

Issues

Opinion of Reid

At a New York Young Republican Club meeting in October 2013, Coburn discussed camaraderie in the U.S. Senate. He specifically mentioned a good relationship with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), but when it came to Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), Coburn's sentiments were not so positive. According to attendees, Coburn referred to Reid as an "absolute a--hole."[24]

Oncologist

Coburn revealed on January 28, 2014, that his new insurance under Obamacare did not cover his oncologist, but said he was receiving excellent care.[25] A spokesperson for Coburn confirmed that since he enrolled in the new health insurance plan under Obamacare, his coverage was reduced, and he lost coverage for his cancer specialist.[25] He said he would continue to pay out of pocket to see the oncologist.[25]

“I'm doing well from a health standpoint, got great docs. Fortunately — even though my new coverage won’t cover my specialist — I'm going to have great care and I have a great prognosis,” Coburn said.[25]

Wastebook

Coburn published an annual document called "Wastebook" to catalog wasteful government spending. Listed below are some instances of wasteful spending detailed in the Wastebook from 2013.[26]

  • The Department of Defense abandoned 2,000 Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles (MRAPs) in Afghanistan, allowing them to be destroyed instead of sending them to other bases. It cost approximately $500,000 to build each MRAP.
  • The Department of State spent $630,000 "to attract followers to its Facebook and Twitter accounts."
  • NASA spent $3 million "to study how Congress works."
  • The National Endowment for the Humanities spent nearly $1 million to "explore the origins of popular romance in multi-media."
  • As of 2013, $319 million had been spent to create the Healthcare.gov website, but "estimates project that more than twice that will be spent on publicity and marketing."

Executive branch "czars"

On October 6, 2009, Coburn, along with fellow Senate Judiciary Committee member Russ Feingold, held a public hearing in the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution. The meeting examined the legality of executive branch "czars."[27]

Both Senators Coburn and Feingold examined the appointment powers of the president and the legal entitlement to those powers under the Constitution. Also, Coburn examined whether the appointment process of czars violated the advise and consent clause used for executive branch officials.[28]

During the hearing, Coburn mentioned the Obama Administration's promise on open and transparent government during the 2008 presidential campaign. With the appointment of over 40 people to serve as czars, Coburn raised questions about the promise of transparency in the Obama White House.[29] Senator Coburn also criticized Executive Pay Czar Kenneth Feinberg for avoiding to appear in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee along with top Obama Administration officials.[28][27] Witnesses who appeared in front of Coburn defended Feinberg for not attending the hearing, claiming that his work as an executive pay czar fell within the legislative branch rather than the executive branch of federal government.[27]

Coburn asserted that there were no checks and balances on the power of executive branch czars.[28] He expressed concern that czars were given the right to federal funding for their own staff without congressional approval.[28]

Presidential preference

2012

See also: Endorsements by state officials of presidential candidates in the 2012 election

Tom Coburn endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.[30]

Unemployment benefits

Coburn slammed President Obama over extending unemployment benefits. He said, "I think we’ve abandoned truth in Washington. The president has abandoned truth. They’re deceitful in what they speak often times, whether it’s the rollout of ObamaCare, or any other subject. They’re not truthful." Coburn said the jobs programs were a waste of federal money and that extended benefits would ultimately hurt people in the long run.[31]

Government shutdown over Obamacare

See also: United States budget debate, 2013

During the 2013 budget debate, in which Republican members discussed forcing a government shutdown over the funding of the Affordable Care Act, Coburn publicly stated that did not believe such a tactic would come to fruition. He stated: "We are not about to shut the government down over the fact that we cannot, only controlling one house of Congress, tell the president that we are not going to fund any portion of this, because we can’t do that."[32]

Elections

2016

See also: United States Senate special election in Oklahoma, 2014

Coburn retired at the end of the 113th Congress in January 2015, two years before his term was set to end. The governor was not allowed to appoint a replacement, so a special election was held during the November 2014 general election.[33][34]

2010

On November 2, 2010, Tom Coburn won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Jim Rogers (D), Stephen P. Wallace (I) and Ronald F. Dwyer (I) in the general election.[35]

U.S. Senate, Oklahoma General Election, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngTom Coburn incumbent 70.6% 718,482
     Democratic Jim Rogers 26.1% 265,814
     Independent Stephen P. Wallace 2.5% 25,048
     Independent Ronald F. Dwyer 0.8% 7,807
Total Votes 1,017,151

Full history


Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Tom Coburn campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2010U.S. Senate (Oklahoma)Won $2,644,376 N/A**
2004U.S. Senate (Oklahoma)Won $5,093,460 N/A**
Grand total$7,737,836 N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Personal Gain Index

Congressional Personal Gain Index graphic.png
See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)

The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:

PGI: Change in net worth

See also: Changes in Net Worth of U.S. Senators and Representatives (Personal Gain Index) and Net worth of United States Senators and Representatives
Net Worth Metric graphic.png

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Coburn's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $1,861,121 to $5,470,000. That averages to $3,665,560.50, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Senate members in 2012 of $6,956,438.47. Coburn ranked as the 37th most wealthy senator in 2012.[40] Between 2004 and 2012, Coburn‘s calculated net worth[41] increased by an average of 4 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.[42]

Tom Coburn Yearly Net Worth
YearAverage Net Worth
2004$2,807,069
2012$3,665,560
Growth from 2004 to 2012:31%
Average annual growth:4%[43]
Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.[44]

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

Personal finances

See also: Net worth of United States Senators and Representatives

According to an analysis by the Washington Post, Coburn reported buying $25,000 in bonds in a genetic-technology company close to the time that he released a hold on legislation supported by the firm.[45]

Analysis

Ideology and leadership

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Coburn was a far-right Republican as of August 2014.[46] This was the same rating Coburn received in June 2013.[47]

Like-minded colleagues

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.[48]

Coburn most often voted with:

Coburn least often voted with:


Lifetime voting record

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, Coburn missed 177 of 3,031 roll call votes from January 2005 to July 2014. This amounts to 5.8 percent, which is worse than the median of 2.0 percent among the lifetime records of senators currently serving as of July 2014.[49]

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Coburn paid his congressional staff a total of $2,629,706 in 2011. He ranked 12th on the list of the highest paid Republican senatorial staff salaries and ranked 44th overall of the highest paid senatorial staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Oklahoma ranked 35th in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[50]

National Journal vote ratings

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

2013

Coburn ranked 13th in the conservative rankings in 2013.[51]

2012

Coburn ranked 12th in the conservative rankings in 2012.[52]

2011

Coburn ranked first in the conservative rankings in 2011.[53]

Voting with party

2014

Coburn voted with the Republican Party 91.5 percent of the time, which ranked seventh among the 45 Senate Republican members as of August 2014.[54]

2013

Coburn voted with the Republican Party 91.1 percent of the time, which ranked 17th among the 45 Senate Republican members as of June 2013.[55]

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Coburn and his wife, Carolyn, have three children.

Battles with cancer

In November 2013, Coburn's office confirmed that the senator was undergoing treatment for a recurrence of prostate cancer. Coburn was treated for prostate cancer in 2011. He also battled colon cancer and melanoma.[2]

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for Tom + Coburn + Oklahoma + Senate


Tom Coburn News Feed

See also

External links

 

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "Tom Coburn," accessed October 24, 2011
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Washington Post, "Coburn diagnosed with prostate cancer," accessed November 8, 2013
  3. ↑ The Hill, "Okla. Sen. Coburn to retire at end of 2014," accessed January 17, 2014
  4. ↑ Congressional Quarterly, "Senate Committee List," accessed January 22, 2013
  5. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed April 2, 2014
  6. ↑ Senate Judiciary, "List of previous members," accessed September 24, 2012
  7. ↑ Congressional Record, "Resume of Congressional Activity, First Session of the 112th Congress," accessed September 5, 2013
  8. ↑ Congressional Record, "Resume of Congressional Activity, Second Session of the 113th Congress," accessed March 4, 2014
  9. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "PN 48 - Nomination of John Brennan to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency - Voting Record," accessed September 25, 2013
  10. ↑ CNN, "Rand Paul says he's heard from White House after filibuster," March 7, 2013
  11. ↑ USA Today, "Rand Paul filibuster ranks among Senate's longest," March 7, 2013
  12. ↑ ABC News, "Rand Paul wins applause from GOP and liberals," March 7, 2013
  13. ↑ Breitbart, "AWOL: Meet the GOP senators who refused to stand with Rand," March 7, 2013
  14. ↑ Politico, "Rand Paul filibuster blasted by Sens. John McCain, Lindsey Graham," March 7, 2013
  15. ↑ Politico, "Rand Paul pulls plug on nearly 13-hour filibuster," March 7, 2017
  16. ↑ Washington Post, "Eric Holder responds to Rand Paul with ‘no’," March 7, 2013
  17. ↑ The Washington Post, "Reid, McConnell propose bipartisan Senate bill to end shutdown, extend borrowing," accessed October 16, 2013
  18. ↑ Senate.gov, "H.R. 2775 As Amended," accessed October 31, 2013
  19. ↑ Washington Post, "Which lawmakers will refuse their pay during the shutdown?" accessed October 2, 2013
  20. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "HR 325 - To Ensure the Complete and Timely Payment of the Obligations of the United States Government Until May 19, 2013 - Voting Record," accessed September 25, 2013
  21. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "S Amdt 1197 - Requires the Completion of the Fence Along the United States-Mexico Border - Voting Record," accessed September 25, 2013
  22. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "S 47 - Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 - Voting Record," accessed September 25, 2013
  23. ↑ U.S. Senate, "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff," accessed January 4, 2013
  24. ↑ Politico, "Report: Tom Coburn called Harry Reid 'absolute a--hole,'" accessed October 29, 2013
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 Politico, "Obamacare: Tom Coburn loses cancer doctor," accessed January 28, 2014
  26. ↑ Fox News, "Funding for Facebook friends? Coburn catalogues worst of government waste," December 18, 2013
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 New York Times, "Senators Take On Czar Wars," October 7, 2009
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 "Fox News", "Czar Wars," October 8, 2009
  29. ↑ "Associated Press", "Senators question the use of administration 'czars'," October 6, 2009 (dead link)
  30. ↑ The Hill, "Sen. Coburn endorses Romney for president," March 5, 2012
  31. ↑ The Hill, "Coburn: Obama has 'abandoned truth'," accessed January 7, 2014
  32. ↑ National Review, "Coburn: Senate cannot defund Obamacare," accessed September 22, 2013
  33. ↑ Roll Call, "In Oklahoma, open seats could come sooner," accessed January 16, 2014
  34. ↑ The Hill, "Okla. Sen. Coburn to retire at end of 2014," accessed January 17, 2014
  35. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
  36. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2004," accessed March 28, 2013
  37. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 3, 1998," accessed March 28, 2013
  38. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 1996," accessed March 28, 2013
  39. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 8, 1994," accessed March 28, 2013
  40. ↑ Open Secrets, "Coburn, 2012," accessed January 14, 2014
  41. ↑ This figure represents the total percentage growth from either 2004 (if the member entered office in 2004 or earlier) or the member's first year in office (as noted in the chart below).
  42. ↑ This number was found by dividing each member's total net worth growth percentage by the number of years included in the calculation.
  43. ↑ This figure represents the total percentage growth divided by the number of years for which there are net worth figures for each member.
  44. ↑ This figure was calculated using median asset data from the Census Bureau. Please see the Congressional Net Worth data for Ballotpedia spreadsheet for more information on this calculation.
  45. ↑ Washington Post, "Members of Congress trade in companies while making laws that affect those same firms," June 23, 2012
  46. ↑ GovTrack, "Tom Coburn," accessed August 26, 2014
  47. ↑ GovTrack, "Tom Coburn," accessed June 7, 2013
  48. ↑ OpenCongress, "Sen. Tom Coburn," archived March 4, 2016
  49. ↑ GovTrack, "Tom Coburn," accessed August 26, 2014
  50. ↑ LegiStorm, "Tom Coburn," accessed August 17, 2012
  51. ↑ National Journal, "2013 Congressional vote ratings," August 26, 2014
  52. ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional vote ratings," March 7, 2013
  53. ↑ National Journal, "Searchable vote ratings tables: House," accessed February 23, 2012
  54. ↑ OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," accessed July 2014
  55. ↑ OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," accessed July 2014
Political offices
Preceded by
Don Nickles 		U.S. Senate - Oklahoma
2005-2015 		Succeeded by
James Lankford


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Markwayne Mullin (R)
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