[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 150 (Monday, November 14, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12723-S12724]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             JULIE DAMMANN

  Mr. BOND. Mr. President it is both with deep gratitude and regret 
that I announce to my colleagues the liberation of my Chief of Staff, 
Julie Dammann, from the public sector.
  Julie has been with me since I came to town in 1987 and has been a 
perfectly reliable source of sound judgment, energy, and friendship.
  Within any successful enterprise, there is the heart of the 
operation. In the case of Julie, she has been the heart, the legs, the 
mind, the backbone, and the can-do spirit of my staff.
  In addition to her professional service, she always subsumed her 
interests to mine, to the Senate, to the public interest, and most 
important, to our country. For the Nation, she has been a loyal public 
servant of the first order and a true patriot.
  For me, from the time she first marched into my office, she has been 
my friend. Remarkably, from that first day to the present, through 19 
Congressional sessions, 3 reelections, marriage, motherhood, and her 
bravely defiant and prevailing fight against cancer, she has never 
stopped. Chemotherapy met its match. She never rested, and she never 
let me rest either. F. Scott Fitzgerald once said that ``action is 
character,'' In that case, Julie is character. Some who have dealt with 
her would say ``character'' is entirely appropriate.
  Among her many unique talents is what I have learned is referred to 
as multitasking. At any given time, she can be talking with me, 
listening to C-SPAN, Blackberrying instructions to staff, while 
checking out statistics of the previous Vikings game and evaluating the 
potential draft picks 9 months in advance. When she is talking, we all 
listen as fast as we can, but it can be very hard to keep up.
  Our great country sends a lot of talent and integrity to Washington 
to staff our congressional offices and Julie is as good as I have seen.
  Few understand the high-profile issues that are in the papers every 
day. Julie comprehends those ``big'' issues, but is extraordinary with 
the issues that are low on visibility and high on complexity. She has 
handled issues including farm credit, patent protection, voting reform, 
postal reform, highway transportation funding formulas, and 
California's clean air enforcement regulations, just to mention a few. 
Her intellectual dexterity has earned her extraordinary respect among 
her colleagues who have worked with her; and particularly those who 
have worked against her.
  Julie began her work for the Senate in 1979, as an intern with 
Senator Rudy Boschwitz, eventually coming to Washington in 1982 as one 
of his legislative assistants--where one of her first major assignments 
was the Highway bill.
  In 1987, after joining my staff as Legislative Director, she met Rolf 
Dammann at the National Republican Senatorial Committee who was 
apparently interested in more than her highly-regarded agricultural 
acumen. Rolfs new found interest in Budget and appropriations issues 
eventually paid off and they were married--after the 1988 election, of 
course. They both enjoy politics, history, golf, and German beer. As 
legendary Green Bay Packers coach once said, ``On third and long, I'll 
take the beer drinkers to milk drinkers any day.'' But more on the 
legendary Packers later.
  Rolf and Julie are the proud parents of two daughters, Monika who is 
now 10, and Paula 8.
  In 1997, Julie became my Chief of Staff.
  During consideration of the Fiscal Year 1988 Va/HUD appropriations 
bill, we were able to expedite completion of the bill by successfully 
appealing to Senators that Julie needed to leave the floor to have her 
second daughter who was due to arrive that very day. Betting on the 
Senate internally to be family-friendly was a bold strategy Julie 
suggested, but it worked.

  I noted to the Senate that:

       I want to make a special mention of my chief of staff, 
     Julie Dammann, whose second child was due today and she 
     stayed with us throughout all the proceedings and wanted to 
     see the VA-HUD bill delivered first. She has been an 
     invaluable help in all legislative activities and helped us 
     shepherd this through, So, a very special thank you, and best 
     wishes to Julie, to Rolf and their other daughter, Monika. 
     Again, I express my appreciation.

  Senator Mikulski echoed the comments saying:

       I hope that she can go home, rest easy, put her feet up and 
     we are looking forward to being the proud Godparents of Bond-
     Mikulski. Maybe we will name something after her in 
     conference.

  In any event, the bill passed, and Paula arrived.
  Julie was born in Roseville, MN and graduated from the University of 
Minnesota while also becoming a diehard Gopher, Vikings and Twins fan. 
For those indiscretions, she was forced to undertake an amnesty program 
and extensive, but unsuccessful, Bond-office Missouri rehabilitation 
program.
  The fact that she was able to stay in my employ after the Twins-
Cardinals World Series of 1987 an epic tragedy which occurred in the 
horrible chamber the twins call a baseball stadium, speaks volumes to 
her otherwise high value.
  In fact, the only successful indoctrination resulted in the staff 
being forced to root against the arch-rival Green Bay Packers. Even one 
of my leatherneck Marines on staff, a Packer fan, minds his football 
manners around Julie.
  Rolfs father, a native of Germany, bought Julie a 2-foot-tall Packers 
NFL action figure for Christmas one year as a joke--it sat in the 
garage unopened for over a year until it was re-gifted to a friend in 
Germany. Julie believes that the opposition should be given little room 
to breath and that U.S. citizenship is a privilege which should not be 
abused.
  But while competitive, she always respected the process and the 
people on both sides working diligently to pursue the agenda they were 
elected or hired to pursue.
  Through all the pressures, high expectations, and fast city life, I 
think that Julie may be proudest of her terrific family and, proudest 
that to this day, she quite obviously remains a small town Minnesota 
gal--hard work, loyalty, integrity, optimism, enthusiasm, and courage, 
which can often be misinterpreted in Julie's case as stubbornness.
  Her parents, the late Dr. Paul Hasbargen and Mrs. Ervina Hasbargen 
made Washington a better place by producing Julie and lending her to 
the Federal Government.
  For me, having Julie has been one of my greatest blessings in public 
life. In this case, it is unlike losing one member of the family 
because I am simultaneously losing a colleague, a trusted advisor, and, 
yes, at times a mother. We know that she will be very successful in the 
private sector, with her intelligence, experience and drive.
  Julie, with the deepest affection, we have been honored to be near 
you for so many years. We will miss you. We wish you and your family 
the very best.
  Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be dispensed with.

[[Page S12724]]

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak in 
morning business for 10 minutes.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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