[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 185 (Friday, December 18, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S8866]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            WORDS OF THANKS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Before we adjourn, Mr. President, I want to say a few 
words of thanks.
  I would like to thank the members of the Secretary of the Senate's 
office, which houses everyone from the parliamentarians, to members of 
the disbursing office, to the clerks, historians, curators, librarians, 
and many other offices and individuals who keep the history and dignity 
of this institution alive.
  I would like to thank the Sergeant At Arms's office and the many 
hundreds of individuals who do everything from keeping us safe to 
setting up rooms for meetings.
  I also thank the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, which works 
daily to preserve this complex, which is more than just a collection of 
buildings, it is a living part of our Nation's history.
  I thank the Capitol Police, who are prepared to put their lives on 
the line every day to protect everyone who works in and visits the 
Capitol. We are grateful for everything they do.
  There are so many others to thank, from the committees and their 
staffs, to the doorkeepers, to the legal counsel's office and the 
pages. I know I am going to forget many individuals who deserve our 
thanks. Please know we are thankful for your service and your 
dedication.
  I ask unanimous consent that a list of the young people who serve in 
the Chamber as Senate pages be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:


                            REPUBLICAN PAGES

       Emma Rose James, Anna Linda Byrd, Anna Carmack, Herbert 
     Coleman Martinson, Elaina Joy Urban, Ben M. Courtney, Hannah 
     Elizabeth Michaud, Tatum Buss, John Patrick Tamas, Ally 
     Grayson Driver, Grace McElroy, Jackson Scott Blackwell, 
     Cameron Joseph Knecht, Brett David Brannon, Jr., Haley M. 
     Carbajal, and Easton Ewy.


                            DEMOCRATIC PAGES

       Jaclyn Cline, Amina Lampkin, Marshall Rawlins, Olivia Rich, 
     Megan Stewart, Marc Tarshis, Thomas Wiesler, C.J. Fowler, 
     Ignacio Mata, Bryce Stack, Blaine Stephens, Colin Gray-Hoehn, 
     Marah Bell, and Aarshi Kibria.

  Mr. McCONNELL. On the Member side, allow me to thank my leadership 
team. Their counsel is invaluable, and their dedication is without 
equal.
  Here on the floor, Laura Dove and her Republican Cloakroom staff have 
a tough job making things function every single day. Gary Myrick has a 
tough job on the Democratic side as well. They deserve recognition from 
both sides of the aisle for what they do.
  I particularly would like to thank my chief of staff, Sharon 
Soderstrom, for her remarkable work ethic and her obvious talent. She 
has an impressive team behind her. There are so many I can name, but 
then we would be here all day, so let me say something they already 
know. I am certainly thankful for what Sharon and her whole team do 
every single day.
  I know the Democratic leader feels the same way about his chief, Drew 
Willison, and the members of his staff.
  Let me acknowledge his kind words yesterday as well. We both have 
difficult jobs, and, in my view, the Senators can have strong political 
disagreements without personal animosity always accompanying it. I 
think many of the 99 other Members of this body agree with that 
sentiment. We can disagree, as we often say, without being 
disagreeable. That is how this institution is supposed to function, 
after all.
  I thank Senators for their service to this institution. We signed up 
for a rather challenging job. We often have different ideas about what 
serving our constituents means, but, as we have proved so often this 
year, we can still come together to accomplish important things for our 
country on education, transportation, and so many issues, just as we 
saw again a few minutes ago with passage of a significant cyber 
security measure, long-overdue improvements to the Visa Waiver Program, 
tax relief for families and small businesses, and other important 
matters.
  I thanked the chairman of the Finance Committee the other day for his 
impressive work on the tax side of that legislation. Senator Hatch has 
been an invaluable ally working those issues.
  Passage of the visa waiver reform and cyber security legislation are 
both notable accomplishments for our country, and neither would have 
been possible without the continued hard work of the chairman of the 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Ron Johnson. I 
would like to express sincere gratitude to the chairman of the 
Intelligence Committee, Richard Burr, for his work on cyber security 
too.
  I know there are many others to thank--the chairman of the 
Appropriations Committee and the leadership and members of all the 
committees who worked many long hours recently in particular.
  I apologize to those I haven't been able to mention, but I want to 
thank them and to say simply this: I wish you a merry Christmas and a 
happy new year, and happy holidays to everyone. See you in 2016. Rest 
up because we still have a lot of work to do for the American people.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.

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