[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 113 (Thursday, August 1, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S6187]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO ROHIT KUMAR
Mr. HATCH. Madam President, I wish to pay tribute to my colleague
Rohit Kumar, who will soon, unfortunately, be leaving Senate service
for other pursuits.
Rohit stood by me and others here in the Senate as we navigated
through deep challenges faced by our Nation, and he has consistently
and vigilantly worked for the American people to promote a lot of good,
and to prevent a lot of bad from happening.
Rohit is a consummate Senate professional whose skills and
accomplishments have provided a long strand of service to this body and
to the country. He is a rarity, combining a razor-sharp intellect,
logical patterns of thought, and an ability to obtain fair and balanced
assessments of challenges that typically involve tradeoffs across a
host of competing interests. He adds to that an uplifting disposition
and a keen wit.
Rohit possesses mastery of policy, politics, rules of the Congress,
and more. While most of us would be content having mastery of any one
of those realms, Rohit has managed to master them all. He is a complete
package.
Rohit has been an asset to me, to my caucus, to Senate Leadership,
and to the country, and his presence will be missed by all of us.
All of us here in the Senate are also indebted to Rohit's beautiful
family, which has endured the often-rigorous demands that his Senate
service has placed on them. I can think of more than a few occasions
where Rohit was negotiating issues that are deeply important for the
future of our Nation in stressful, around-the-clock marathon sessions.
If you were to ask me to construct a template for an ideal person to
have by your side to navigate through the tough decisions, tradeoffs,
and negotiations we face in Congress, I would simply point to Rohit
Kumar.
We are all very sad to see Rohit leave. We trust that he will be able
to take a bit more time with his family, and will pursue future
endeavors with more of the same rigor and industriousness he has
consistently shown in his service to the country while working in the
Senate. Wherever he goes, without doubt, those around him will benefit
tremendously.
I wish to thank Rohit for the many years of outstanding assistance he
has provided to me, to my colleagues in the Senate, and to the country.
I also thank his family for sharing Rohit with us, and for persevering
as we often tapped his talents around the clock. I am proud to have
worked with Rohit.
____________________