[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 91 (Thursday, May 25, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S3164]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        Tribute to Bill Dauster

  Mr. President, I have just a few words first about Bill Dauster, 
someone who has labored long and hard and well in this body. We depend 
on our hard-working staff. I am so blessed to have such a great, 
dedicated, loyal, hard-working, smart staff. One of their best traits 
is that they are not afraid to tell me when they think I am off base, 
and it helps keep things going right.
  Well, Bill Dauster was one of the great staffers I have met in all 
the years I have been here in the Senate. He worked, of course, for 
Harry Reid, my dear friend. He is now working for Senator Van Hollen, 
but he will be retiring tomorrow.
  Now, Bill was Leader Reid's deputy chief of staff for policy for many 
years. Before that he worked for the Budget Committee, the Finance 
Committee, and for Senator Feingold of Wisconsin. The list of 
legislation that Bill has worked on is long and illustrious. He was 
known as a great friend and mentor to his colleagues wherever he went.
  In Reid's office, he was jokingly called ``the butler'' because he 
was constantly trying to help other members of the staff. Senator 
Reid's staffers fondly remember Bill Dauster during the final days of 
the debt ceiling negotiations, running in and out of Senator Reid's 
office as he rushed to go meet with younger staffers on the Hill who 
were sent to him for advice. Even on his busiest days, Bill made time 
for others.
  In an industry in which many rub shoulders and network after work, 
Bill was a different kind of guy. He was known to give the same 
response to any coworker who asked him to come to a social event. He 
would repeat: I love you, but I love my family more, and I need to be 
home with them. He was so dedicated to his family, we heard. He would 
regale us with many stories about them.
  He came up with great ideas. He was a great sounding board for me.
  So on behalf of all of us in the Senate, we want to thank Bill for 
his long service to the Senate, for his role in crafting legislation 
over three decades, and for his mentorship to other Senate aides, old 
and young. He is retiring, but his influence in this body will last 
long after he has left.
  We all wish him well in this next phase of life, where, hopefully, he 
will be able to spend more time where he enjoys it the most--at home 
with his family.