[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 124 (Monday, July 24, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4134-S4135]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

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                       TRIBUTE TO KIMBERLY BRANDT

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I speak today to bid farewell to Kimberly 
Brandt. Kim has worked for the Senate Finance Committee as the chief 
oversight counsel for more than 6 years. Kim came to the Finance 
Committee after years of public service, and she leaves it to again 
answer the call to public service. While we are sorry to see her leave, 
I want to take a minute to note the important contributions she has 
made while on the Finance Committee.
  She has coordinated oversight on virtually every conceivable topic 
within the ambit of the committee's jurisdiction. That work has 
included IRS, Medicaid and Medicare, Social Security, and trade 
compliance oversight.
  While her work has been both bipartisan and exceptional, Kim is 
probably equally known to everyone here as the thoughtful baker.
  Always cognizant of the little things, Kim made it her life's mission 
in the Senate to ensure every staffer and Senator had a cookie in their 
hand when they needed it most. Her mantra that there are only a few 
things in life a good cookie can't improve has spread like fresh 
flowers in a spring garden.
  It is no wonder the first comment most of my staffers have made is 
``who will make us cookies?'' after hearing that Kim is leaving. The 
most unfortunate thing, however, is that I am not sure there is anyone 
who can fill those shoes. Kim's cookies are perhaps the best I have 
ever had during my tenure in the Senate. Only my wife's lemon bars can 
compare, and I feel compelled to say that just to ensure I don't end up 
on the couch tonight.
  I mean, my goodness, just talking about Kim's cookies is making me 
hungry. You just can't beat her peanut butter and chocolate chip 
cookies.
  While Kim's attention to these little things have brought her 
considerable fame while she has worked here, there is little doubt in 
my mind that Kim's legacy extends far beyond her cuisine.
  As just one example, Kim worked tirelessly through one of the largest 
investigations of the IRS that we have seen in recent memory. Kim's 
leadership ensured that our committee's analysis was both grounded in 
fact and integrity, and though it took several dozen months to 
complete, I don't believe there is anyone in this body that would 
dispute that report's precision, thoughtfulness, and earnestness.
  She also has become known as the person who tackles complicated 
issues involving the Medicare and Medicaid Programs and develops 
creative, thoughtful policy solutions. That has been evident in her 
recent work on Medicaid over the past year and in her efforts to come 
up with solutions to the Medicare audit and appeals backlog, as well as 
the complicated and burdensome Stark rule. In each of these instances, 
Kim has engaged the impacted stakeholders and the relevant policy folks 
and come up with legislative ideas that are bipartisan. This is no 
small task.
  It is this type of work ethic and reputable end product that makes 
Kim the type of person you hate to see leave, but you quietly rejoice 
that they are going to be the one helping steer the ship in the 
administration.
  Truly, Kim's appointment as Principal Deputy Administrator for 
Operations at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS, 
reflects this administration's desire to have quality individuals 
helping lead an agency facing daunting challenges. I don't think anyone 
would contend with the need for strong and informed leadership there. I 
can think of no one better suited for the position. I would like to 
take a few minutes to briefly reflect on Kim's experience to explain 
why I believe that to be true.
  Before Kim came to the Finance Committee, she worked as senior 
counsel at Alston & Bird here in Washington, DC, advising clients on 
healthcare compliance and fraud and abuse issues. Prior to her work at 
Alston & Bird, Kim served 7 years as the director of the Medicare 
Program Integrity Group at CMS. For 5 years before that, Kim worked at 
the HHS Office of Inspector General as special counsel and director of 
external affairs and as a senior counsel negotiating False Claims Act 
settlements and drafting and monitoring corporate integrity agreements.
  Just that work experience, in two administrations and a respected law 
firm, should be enough to qualify Kim for this important role, but I am 
not done. Kim also worked on authoring OIG's compliance guidance for 
individual and small group physician practices.
  She received her J.D. with a concentration in health law from the

[[Page S4135]]

DePaul School of Law, an M.A. in legislative affairs and health policy 
from George Washington University, and her B.A. from Valparaiso 
University.
  Kim has long been recognized nationally as an expert in healthcare 
compliance and fraud and abuse issues, but in 2016, that recognition 
culminated in her receiving the Healthcare Compliance and Ethics 
Professional of the Year award from the Society for Corporate 
Compliance and Ethics and the Health Care Compliance Association.
  While I am sure to speak for all of my staff and fellow Senators when 
I say that we will miss Kim, I think I can also say, with confidence, 
that we have the greatest faith in Kim. Yes, we will probably have 
strikes due to the absence of Kim's baked goods, and yes, our oversight 
and Medicaid efforts will not be the same without Kim, but this is 
important work we are all engaged in, and it would be wrong to bar our 
great country from the service of this wonderful and highly talented 
friend of mine.
  Before I conclude, though, I would like to harken back to one of my 
favorite stories about Kim.
  It was in the wake of the Lois Lerner debacle. Kim and her team spent 
more than a dozen months hashing out a highly detailed and important 
investigation that revealed quite a bit more than what we were 
initially expecting. In the end, Kim and her team interviewed more than 
32 current and former IRS and Treasury employees and reviewed nearly 
1.5 million pages of documents. The fruit of their labor was a 
staggering and included a four-part treatise on the IRS's processing of 
501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) applications for tax-exempt status. There were 
thousands of pages of appendices and hundreds of pages of report text.
  Before the report was finalized, however, I wanted to be sure I had 
read every word. Aside from the hefty amount of reading, it also 
created problems because the text included confidential taxpayer 
information and only those with clearance could enter my office while I 
reviewed the text. Kim's humor, wit, and zealous optimism kept me alert 
and motivated throughout the investigation of those hundreds of pages, 
and while I have always cherished Kim's famous cookies, they never 
tasted better than they did then.
  Now, I had always appreciated Kim, but in this instance, her 
commitment to detail and integrity really struck me. To ensure that the 
product coming out of the committee was a complete and accurate one, 
she went back to the IRS to confirm that the committee had all relevant 
documents. Only then did we discover the thousands of pages of missing 
emails which would become a critical part of the investigation. If it 
weren't for Kim's hard work and intellectual rigor, we would have never 
discovered this fact, and throughout the investigation, which was often 
heated and impassioned on both sides of the aisle, Kim was fair, 
honest, and worked hard to keep the inquiry bipartisan, something no 
other committee in Congress could do.
  This and many other incredible memories of Kim will be with me 
forever, and words can't quite say how truly grateful I am to have Kim 
help me make all those memories these past several years.
  Our work in the Nation's Capital can get ugly sometimes. It can be 
partisan. We often wonder whether we can still get good people to go 
into public service, but then we are reminded that there are good 
people in this town who repeatedly answer the call to public service. 
Kim Brandt is one of these--and she is one of the best. The Finance 
Committee, the Senate, CMS, and, in honesty, the United States of 
America is lucky to have her in these roles, and we thank her for her 
hard work.
  I am going to miss you, Kim.
  I want to wish Kim, her beloved pup Sherlock, and her family all of 
the best. I feel no need to hesitate when I say that we are all proud 
of you and will miss you dearly.
  Thank you.

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