[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 155 (Friday, December 15, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2233-E2234]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       A TRIBUTE TO TONY RUDY, A GOOD FRIEND AND A TRUE BELIEVER

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM DeLAY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 15, 2000

  Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a friend and 
colleague who, after eight years of service to the House of 
Representatives, is moving on. Every member of this House knows how 
important it is to have good staff. These are the people who run this 
institution from day to day. They are the people who do the grunt work, 
draft the bills, work long nights--all in service of the American 
people. And we, as Members of Congress, place our trust and careers in 
their capable hands every day.
  I am very lucky. I have always been blessed with great staff. But 
every once in a while a truly special person comes along and inspires 
and energizes an office. I was lucky enough to have one of the best, 
one of the most committed, one of the brightest staffers on Capitol 
Hill working for me for the past five and half years. His name is Tony 
Rudy.
  Tony came to work for me in 1995, just as I was beginning my time as 
Majority Whip in the House of Representatives. Being the Whip is hard 
work, and a lot of that work falls on my staff. These staffers devote a 
large part of their lives to making sure we get our work done, pass 
legislation and make the House of Representatives a livable place for 
Members of Congress.
  And Tony is one of the best. He has held virtually every position in 
my office as he worked his way up the ladder. He started out as a Press 
Secretary and moved on to Policy Director and finally Deputy Chief of 
Staff. And he was superb in each of these positions.
  As my Press secretary, Tony's hallmark was his ability to form real 
friendships with the Washington press corps. The people covering 
politics and Capitol Hill know that they can call Tony anytime and they 
can always trust what

[[Page E2234]]

he has to say. Tony's authenticity and ability to form relationships 
has been instrumental to his success.
   Next, I put Tony's commitment to the conservative cause to good use 
by making him my Policy Director. One of the things that I have always 
admired about Tony is his real commitment to the conservative agenda. 
He is not in Washington, DC for power or personal gain. He is here 
because he believes in what he is doing and because of his desire to 
make America a better place. And his commitment was on display every 
day as he moved through my office like a whirlwind, pressing staffers 
to do more, to work harder. He is personally responsible for the 
passage of much good legislation, but more importantly he was on the 
lookout for bad legislation.
  More than a few bad bills found an early grave because of Tony's 
vigilance. Finally, Tony served as my Deputy Chief of Staff. In that 
capacity he became a not just great staffer, but a great friend. He was 
my gatekeeper and my watch-guard. In many ways, too numerous to list 
here, he made my life in Washington, DC tolerable.
  Now, Tony has decided to move on to greener pastures. For five and 
half years, Tony was always on call. He worked countless late nights 
and weekends. Now, he has a beautiful new son and is time for him to 
step back and spend some time with his family.
  Tony's departure is a personal loss for me, but I know that it is the 
right thing for him to do. I wish him the best in his new career and I 
wish him and his family all the joy and happiness in the world. After 
all of Tony's hard work for me and the American people, they truly 
deserve it.

                          ____________________