[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 104 (Monday, July 13, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S7410]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        COMMENDING PETER ROGOFF

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to 
recognize a very special member of my staff who has recently been 
confirmed by the Senate to take on a critical role in the Obama 
administration.
  Peter Rogoff has served on the Appropriations Committee staff for the 
last 22 years and he has been the committee's senior transportation 
adviser for the majority of those years. For the past 9 years, as I 
have served as either chairman or ranking member of the Transportation 
Appropriations Subcommittee, I have had the opportunity to work closely 
with Peter.
  Peter has been a trusted adviser to me and a dedicated public servant 
to the constituents of both my home State of Washington and the 
constituents of every member of the subcommittee. I know that Peter's 
drive, knowledge, and experience will be an outstanding asset to 
President Obama and Transportation Secretary LaHood's team.
  Peter and I have worked together through many challenges over the 
years, none greater than the events of September 11 and the 
transportation security issues that we were confronted with after. 
Peter's efforts weren't just limited to aviation security but also 
included initiatives to strengthen security in passenger rail, transit 
systems, our ports and all the systems that connect them. During those 
difficult times, Peter's understanding of our transportation safety 
systems was fully evident.
  It is a knowledge that comes with experience. And not just the kind 
of experience you gain from studying policy at your desk, although I 
can attest that Peter has done a lot of that. It is the kind of 
experience you get from traveling out to accident sites, talking with 
inspectors, meeting with families, and working hands-on to ensure that 
we are taking steps to ensure that accidents are not repeated.
  In the time that I have worked with Peter, he has regularly traveled 
across the country to participate in aviation, rail and ship 
inspections, and he has voluntarily gone to many accident sites. The 
expertise gained from these experiences has served this Congress and 
our country well in some very critical situations.
  In fact, I still remember clearly the evening 2 years ago when we all 
watched in horror as the 1-35 bridge collapsed in Minneapolis. 
Immediately after that tragedy, I dispatched Peter to accompany Senator 
Klobuchar to the scene, because I knew that he could help her identify 
the core issues and how the Federal Government could help.
  Now I know that as FTA Administrator, Peter will face a set of wide-
ranging challenges. But I also know that he has the transit know-how to 
hit the ground running. Peter will bring over two decades of working 
knowledge on financing, building, and safeguarding our country's 
transit systems.
  I thank Peter for the guidance, enthusiasm, and expertise he has 
shown in the years he has led my efforts on addressing our country's 
transportation, housing and urban development needs. I also wish him 
luck as he takes on this tremendous responsibility and opportunity.
  While his departure represents a big loss for our Appropriations 
Committee and my appropriations subcommittee, I respect and commend 
President Obama's decision to put Peter's expertise to work on 
addressing our country's transit future.

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