Maxwell Sieben Baucus (né Enke; born December 11, 1941) is an American politician who served as a United States senator from Montana from 1978 to 2014.

[1][2] As the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Baucus played an influential role in the debate over health care reform in the United States.

His career included charges of conflicts of interest due to his ties to the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries, and his nomination of his girlfriend to be a US Attorney.

He then transferred to Stanford University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics in 1964,[5] and was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

[10] After finishing law school, Baucus spent two years working as a staff attorney for the Civil Aeronautics Board and then two years as a lawyer at the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C.[5] He moved back to his native Montana in 1971 to serve as the executive director of the state's Constitutional Convention, opening a law office in Missoula, Montana.

[13] As a Democratic member of the Senate, Baucus was conservative,[14] and frequently broke with his party on the issues of taxes, the environment, health care, and gun control.

On January 4, 2007, he wrote an editorial in the Wall Street Journal calling on Democrats to renew President George W. Bush's fast-track authority for international trade deals.

[27] In response, the Montana State Senate passed a resolution, 44-6, "that the U.S. Congress be urged to create a replacement for the outdated fast track system".

On August 9, 2011, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid appointed Baucus to the United States Congress Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.

But he voted against the corporate average fuel economy standards (CAFE) and on increasing federal funds for solar and wind power.

He voted with a majority of Democrats against Senator John Kerry's amendment stipulating a firm deadline for withdrawal of American combat personnel from Iraq.

[35] Baucus was one of the Senate's largest career recipients of pro-Israel Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions, receiving $550,589 since 1989.

"There are millions of consumers in Japan and across the Pacific ready to buy more American-made goods, and we can continue to open those markets and boost U.S. exports with an aggressive trade agenda.

But the article noted that there have been no reported cases of Vietnamese fish making American consumers sick and the proposed inspections would be onerous.

"[42] In 1994, Baucus cast a pivotal vote in favor of Senator Dianne Feinstein's (D-CA) "Assault Weapons" Ban.

[45] In 1999, Baucus was the only Democrat to vote against an amendment by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) that sought to "regulate the sale of firearms at gun shows"— after the Columbine High School massacre.

[46] The Progressive Change Campaign Committee ran ads in Montana saying: "Senator Baucus, it was WRONG to vote 'no' on stopping gun violence.

"[47] The group planned to spend money to unseat Baucus over his vote on gun control in the 2014 election, but he chose not to seek reelection.

Advocate groups attended a Senate Finance Committee meeting in May 2009 to protest their exclusion as well as statements by Baucus that "single payer was not an option on the table."

[54] At the next meeting on health care reform of the Senate Finance Committee, Baucus had five more doctors and nurses removed and arrested.

[64] Several of Baucus's ex-staffers, including former chief of staff David Castagnetti, are now working for the pharmaceutical and health insurance industries.

Another former chief of staff, Jeff Forbes, opened his own lobbying shop and to represent the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and the Advanced Medical Technology Association, among other groups.

Silver calculates that the impact on Baucus of the significant campaign contributions that he has received from the health care industry further reduces the probability of his supporting a public insurance option from 30.6% to 0.6%.

[68] In 2013, journalist Jonathan Cohn wrote in The New Republic: "It's not a huge exaggeration to say Baucus's career represents everything that is wrong with Washington.

[47] In 2008, Baucus, while he was still married to his second wife, nominated his girlfriend and state office director, Melodee Hanes, to the vacant position of U.S. Attorney for Montana.

[69][70] The Wall Street Journal reported that according to several people he did not mention his relationship to the White House or to the attorney who tasked with reviewing candidates when he made the recommendation.

[69] Marc Ambinder of The Atlantic wrote: "That Baucus would ignore the conflict of the interest or so easily dismiss it calls into question his judgment and his ethics.

[85] Baucus ended his ambassadorship in January 2017, as President Donald Trump nominated Governor Terry Branstad from Iowa to serve as the next Ambassador to China.

He didn't own a home again in Montana until February 2002, when he bought half of his mother's house from the ranch started by Baucus's great-grandfather in 1897.

In April 2009, the Associated Press reported that Baucus and his second wife, the former Wanda Minge, were divorcing after 25 years of marriage and had "parted ways amicably and with mutual respect".