[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 26, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E257]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       TRIBUTE TO CHERRI BRANSON

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 26, 2014

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
congratulate Cherri Branson on the occasion of her retirement from the 
United States House of Representatives, after more than twenty-four 
years of faithful and dedicated service. She is the kind of public 
servant who brings credit to this institution and the people we are 
honored to serve.
  Cherri began her long and multi-faceted career in the House in 1989 
and, over two decades, has served in various policy, legal and 
legislative positions, including Legislative Counsel, Legislative 
Director, and Committee Counsel.
  I first became familiar with Cherri in the late 1990s, in the course 
of pursuing justice for African-American farmers who, for decades, had 
been systematically discriminated against by the Agriculture 
Department. That long-fought effort culminated in the enactment of 
statutory language that set the stage for a landmark discrimination 
settlement for impacted farmers (Pigford v. Glickman).
  It was not until 2005, when I became the Ranking Member of the 
Committee on Homeland Security, that Cherri began working for me. In 
her time on the Committee, she rose through the ranks and, at 
retirement, was serving as the Chief Counsel for Oversight.
  Among her key accomplishments on the Committee was the oversight work 
she led in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The investigations that she 
oversaw in the wake of this massive disaster shed light on waste, 
fraud, and unfair practices that harmed not only impacted individuals, 
but the American taxpayer. This oversight set the stage for meaningful 
reforms to help bring about a fair and equitable distribution of 
resources to survivors of the disaster, better processes to ensure 
distribution of immediate relief in a timely manner, and more 
opportunities for impacted local, small, minority and women-owned 
businesses to participate in recovery efforts.
  On the Committee, she has led investigations of national 
significance, including the investigation of the White House State 
Dinner Security Breach (the Salahi case) which led to tightened 
security procedures within the Secret Service's Presidential Protection 
process.
  Prior to joining the Committee, Cherri conducted investigations with 
the House of Representatives Government Reform (Oversight) Committee. 
The most notable outcomes of those investigations included the 
strengthening of protections for children involved in medical clinical 
trials, equitable tax treatment for Holocaust survivors, and several 
reviews of federal policies concerning illicit drugs.
  During her career in the House, Cherri has directly served on the 
staffs of Members of Congress from diverse geographic and demographic 
areas, including New York, Texas, Michigan, Illinois, Hawaii, 
California and Mississippi. Through her work on behalf of Committee 
Members, she has come to know and appreciate the concerns of Americans 
in nearly every corner of the country.
  In her work in the House, Cherri displayed that rare combination of 
steadfast and reliable care for ordinary Americans and a skillful 
ability to do battle on their behalf.
  Even as Cherri closes a chapter of distinction and accomplishment in 
the House of Representatives, she continues to dedicate her diverse 
talents to serving others. She, quite literally, is living the famous 
adage coined by former Speaker of the House, Thomas P. O'Neill Jr.--
``all politics is local''--by taking on the responsibility of 
representing the residents of Maryland's Montgomery County District 5 
on the County Council.
  On behalf of myself, the Democratic Members of the Committee on 
Homeland Security, and this institution, I extend my sincere 
appreciation to Cherri for all her great work. I also wish to 
acknowledge her loving family--husband Donald, and son, Avery--on their 
contributions. I urge Members to join me in extending our best wishes 
to Cherri upon her retirement and in her future endeavors.

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