Edward Emmett Kaufman (born March 15, 1939) is a retired American politician and businessman who served as a United States senator from Delaware[1] from 2009 to 2010.

[13] On November 24, 2008, Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner announced her intention to appoint Kaufman to replace Biden in the Senate.

[17] In July 2009, Kaufman participated in the Senate Judiciary Committee's Supreme Court nomination hearing for Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

During the hearing, Kaufman's line of questioning focused on the current Court's recent treatment of business cases and Judge Sotomayor's judicial approach.

[19] In June 2010 Kaufman participated in the Senate Judiciary Committee's Supreme Court nomination hearing for Judge Elena Kagan.

[24] Kaufman urged the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) to consider reinstating the "uptick rule" – which aids market stability and hampers price discovery.

He gave multiple floor statements and wrote numerous letters to the agency with Senate colleagues on this issue and the need for a pre-borrow requirement or a "hard locate" system for short sales.

[26] Kaufman stated on the Senate floor his intention to recapture the spirit of the Glass–Steagall Act, passed in 1933, which had been rescinded in 1999.

[27] In April 2009, Kaufman took his first trip to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, where he visited with U.S. troops, foreign leaders, and others to examine U.S. strategy in the region.

[29] Kaufman has also stressed the need for increased civilian-military training focused on counterinsurgency and stability operations as essential to success in Afghanistan, introducing an amendment to the 2009 Defense Supplemental Appropriations Bill with Senators Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Jack Reed (D-RI).

In May 2009, Kaufman visited Israel, Syria, and Turkey to discuss regional security issues and areas of mutual interest and cooperation.

[32] The VOICE Act – unanimously adopted by the Senate – supports similar objectives and authorizes funding for the Broadcasting Board of Governors to expand transmission capability and programming on Radio Farda and the Persian News Network.

[35] In 2010 Kaufman was presented with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 2010 President's Award for his work on promoting STEM education.

[3][4] In January 2025, President Joe Biden named Kaufman as a recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal, along with nineteen others.