Gordon Smith



Gordon Harold Smith, a Republican, has been the Junior Senator from Oregon since 1997. (map) He was defeated in the 2008 general election for his Senate seat by Jeff Merkley (D).

Oil Record
According to Oil Change International, Gordon Smith has voted in favor of big oil companies on 67% of important oil-related bills. These bills include Iraq War funding, climate change studies, clean energy, and oil import reductions. See below for oil money in politics.

Iraq War
Smith voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq in Oct. 2002.

Smith, who was once a supporter of the policies in Iraq, including the proposed troop increases, began to shift his position in early 2007. His new position was apparently developed after several visits to Iraq and conversations with General Petraeus, who told him that the planned troop surge only has a one in four chance of succeeding. Smith defended his new position at a Republican function on March 2, 2007, stating that "if you're really going to do a surge, you don't do it with 20,000, you do it with 250,000." Smith further called for the numbers to be filled by Iraqis and not Americans, describing the United States' patience as "not inexhaustible." Critics of Smith claim that his statements would empower Democrats and cause more violence.

On February 17, 2007, Smith was one of seven Republicans to cross party lines and vote in favor of cloture on a non-binding resolution opposing the troop "surge." The measure failed 56-34.

Regarding a binding resolution sponsored by Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) opposing the troop "surge," Smith said he was "uncomfortable with the Kennedy bill" because it was "tied to appropriations," meaning it allowed for the possibility of withholding funding for the effort.

On March 15, 2007, Smith was the only Republican Senator to vote in favor of a joint resolution to revise U.S. policy in Iraq. The measure failed 48-50. Later on March 27, he was one of only two Republican Senators to vote against an amendment to the Iraq supplemental spending bill that would have stripped the measure of its troop withdrawal deadline. The amendment was narrowly defeated 48-50. He also was one of two GOP members to vote in favor of the final spending bill, which passed the Senate 51-47 on March 29. On April 26, he again was one of the two GOP Senators to vote in favor of the final bill after it went through a conference committee. The bill passed both the House and Senate, but was later vetoed by the President.

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Call for Attorney General Gonzales's resignation
On March 15, 2007, Smith called for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' resignation amidst the U.S. attorney scandal. He was the second Republican lawmaker to do so.

TRADE Act of 2007
On February 15, 2007, Smith introduced the Tariff Relief Assistance for Developing Economies (TRADE) Act of 2007. The bill would authorize the president to designate certain less-developed countries as eligible to receive duty-free treatment for certain articles that are grown, produced, or manufactured in such countries. The bill would ask the president to act on the advice of the International Trade Commission (ITC). The beneficiary countries would have to meet certain standards for qualification, based on the eligibility requirements of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the Trade Act of 1974.

The bill was referred to the Committee on Finance after it was introduced.

Background
Smith was born May 25, 1952 in Pendleton, Oregon. He's a member of the Udall political family, being a cousin of Democratic Congressmen Mo and Stewart Udall, and a second cousin of current Congressmen Mark Udall and Tom Udall (Smith is the only Republican in the group).

Smith's family moved to Bethesda, Maryland when he was a child, because his father became an assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. After graduating high school he went on a two-year mission for his church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to New Zealand. He then went to college at Brigham Young University, attended law school at Southwestern University School of Law, in Los Angeles, and became an attorney in New Mexico and Arizona, but moved back to Oregon in the 1980s to become director of Smith Frozen Foods company in Weston, Oregon.

Congressional Career
Smith was elected to the Oregon State Senate in 1992, becoming president of that body in 1995. Later in 1995, he ran in a special election for a Senate seat vacated by the resignation of Bob Packwood, but was defeated in the January 1996 election by congressman Ron Wyden. He was able to run for the Senate again later that year, however, when Mark Hatfield announced his retirement and Smith became the Republican candidate for the regular 1996 November election. This time he won, and was soon serving as a colleague with his former political opponent, Ron Wyden. Smith also achieved political distinction by being the first person to run for the Senate twice in one year. He was reelected in 2002.

On September 8, 2003, Smith experienced a personal tragedy when his 21-year-old son, Garrett, a college culinary arts major, committed suicide. In 2004, President George W. Bush signed the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, authorizing $82 million for suicide-prevention and awareness programs at colleges.

Positions and Views
In January 2006, Smith began circulating draft legislation entitled the Digital Content Protection Act of 2006. The legislation would grant the Federal Communications Commission the authority to authorize a "broadcast flag" for "digital audio receiving devices" and devices that "transmit digital audio broadcast signals". The draft legislation was quickly decried by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, comparing the bill to Fritz Holling's proposed Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act from 2002.

Money in politics
cid=N00007815&cycle=2006

Oil Money in Politics
Gordon Smith has received $80,000 in oil contributions during the 110th congress. $65,000 of those dollars were from industry PACS. In total, Smith has accepted $188575 from oil companies since 2000, which makes him one of the top recipients of oil money in the United States Senate. See above for oil and energy voting record.

Committees

 * Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
 * Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security
 * Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security - Ranking Member
 * Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard
 * Subcommittee on Interstate Commerce, Trade, and Tourism
 * Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Innovation
 * Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Insurance, and Automotive Safety
 * Senate Committee on Finance
 * Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
 * Senate Special Committee on Aging - Ranking Member
 * Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
 * Subcommittee on Water and Power
 * Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests
 * Subcommittee on National Parks

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * Senate Special Committee on Aging - Chair
 * Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
 * Subcommittee on Aviation
 * Subcommittee on Disaster Prevention and Prediction
 * Subcommittee on Fisheries and the Coast Guard
 * Subcommittee on National Ocean Policy Study
 * Subcommittee on Trade Tourism and Economic Development - Chair
 * Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine
 * Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
 * Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests
 * Subcommittee on National Parks
 * Subcommittee on Water and Power
 * Senate Committee on Finance
 * Subcommittee on Long-Term Growth Debt and Deficit Reduction - Chair
 * Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy
 * Subcommittee on International Trade
 * Senate Committee on Indian Affairs

Coalitions and Caucuses

 * Commission for Women
 * Ethics Study Commission
 * Co-Chair, Joint Legislative Administration
 * Co-Chair, Joint Legislative Audit
 * Joint Legislative Counsel
 * Republican Deputy Whip

Boards and other Affiliations

 * Founding Board, Project Vote Smart

Contact
DC Office: 404 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510-3704 Phone:202-224-3753 Fax:202-228-3997 Web Email Website District Office- Bend: Jamison Building 131 Northwest Hawthorne Avenue, Suite 208 Bend, OR 97701 Phone: 541-318-1298 Fax: 541-318-1396

District Office- Eugene: Federal Building 211 East Seventh Avenue, Room 202 Eugene, OR 97401 Phone: 541-465-6750 Fax: 541-465-6808

District Office- Medford: Security Plaza 1175 East Main, #2D Medford, OR 97504 Phone: 541-608-9102 Fax: 541-608-9104

District Office- Pendleton: Jager Building 116 South Main Street, Suite 3 Pendleton, OR 97801 Phone: 541-278-1129 Fax: 541-278-4109

District Office- Portland: One World Trade Center 121 Southwest Salmon, Suite 1250 Portland, OR 97204 Phone: 503-326-3386 Fax: 503-326-2900

Resources

 * Official website
 * The Oregonian on Garrett Smith's suicide
 * IMNO Interviews Gordon Smith
 * Biography at the Political Graveyard
 * Follow the Oil Money-Senate
 * Vote Tracker
 * Follow the Coal Money- Senate
 * Appalachian Voices

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Freedom's Watch

Articles

 * Wolverines, "Arrested! Oregon Senator has 61/73 yo women arrested," Daily Kos, February 22, 2007.
 * Harry Esteve, "Smith defends Iraq views to GOP," The Oregonian, March 3, 2007.
 * Kathy Kiely and Kevin Johnson, "Second GOP senator suggests Gonzales should go," Associated Press (USA TODAY), March 15, 2007. re Alberto Gonzales and Bush administration U.S. attorney firings controversy
 * Elana Schor “New allegations could spell more trouble for Gonzales” The Hill, March 15, 2007.

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Chuck Currie, M.Div.
 * Oregon League of Conservation Voters
 * Loaded Orygun
 * Jack Bog's Blog
 * Worldwide Pablo
 * The Archimedes Movement
 * NewWest.net -- A Refreshing, new kind of journalism.