[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 188 (Thursday, November 16, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S7283]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        Tribute to Megan O'Neill

  Mr. President, while I appreciate the opportunity to talk today about 
the very real need for bipartisan tax reform that helps working 
families, grows the economy, and doesn't increase our debt, I wish to 
turn to another important topic--the impending departure from my office 
of Megan O'Neill, my director of scheduling.
  Megan has been a part of our office for more than 5 years. She leaves 
later this month for an exciting new opportunity in New York City.
  Megan is quite simply one of the most capable, resourceful, 
intelligent, effective, and kind people I have ever had the honor of 
knowing or working with. One of the most well-worn sayings here in 
Washington is that ``everyone is replaceable.'' While that may be true 
for me, and it may be true for the Acting President pro tempore, and it 
may be true for many others here, it is simply not true of Megan. She 
is truly irreplaceable. I owe Megan a huge debt of gratitude for her 
years of service to my office, to Delaware, and to our country.
  Many of us who have worked with her will gather to thank her and wish 
her well, but I also wanted to take a few minutes to talk about--and 
probably embarrass--this remarkable woman.
  Megan is from nearby Chevy Chase, MD, but more important, at least in 
my opinion, is that she graduated from the University of Delaware as a 
``Fighting Blue Hen'' with a degree in economics and international 
relations. She interned in my Wilmington office during her senior year 
at UD and quickly became a staff favorite.
  Upon graduating, Megan moved to Washington, and I hired her as a 
staff assistant, working at the front desk in my DC office. It is a 
particularly demanding job--juggling visiting constituents, constant 
phone calls, and supervising interns. She proved herself to be mature 
and capable. I promoted her several times in quick succession until she 
took over as my director of scheduling in August of 2015.
  Over the course of her time in my office, I have come to deeply 
respect her as a professional, but more importantly, I have come to 
admire her as a person. In addition to being incredibly competent, 
strategic, and quick on her feet, it is Megan's boundless patience and 
optimism I will most miss. Regardless of how stressful, jam-packed, and 
uncertain a day may be, Megan is always able to ensure that everything 
gets done; that every constituent is heard, every important issue is 
raised, and that this Senator doesn't lose his mind.
  Megan is also famous for her seemingly permanent smile and sunny 
disposition. Some of her colleagues in my office chimed in with a few 
anecdotes. Oftentimes, I was told, throughout the day, Megan will 
announce she is off to get a ``fun drink,'' which might sound like a 
Margarita but is, in fact, always a raspberry lemonade-flavored Dasani 
sparkling water. When something comes up--whether it is a favorite TV 
show, album, or new restaurant, she exclaims: ``That's my jam!'' She 
also loves to travel, but one thing that makes her different is that 
when she has an upcoming trip, she is just as excited to plan it out 
minute by minute as she is to actually go.
  I can't talk about Megan without mentioning her family. She speaks 
frequently and lovingly about her parents Michael and Donna O'Neill and 
her younger brother Matt. As anyone who knows Megan is well aware, each 
summer, she is a key part of O'Neill week when she joins her parents, 
brother, cousins, and extended family in beautiful Bethany Beach, DE, 
to play Olympic-style beach games, eat, drink, and enjoy each other's 
company.
  Anyone who understands the Senate knows how essential schedulers are 
to everything that goes on here. No staffer has a more challenging, 
demanding, or complex role. We Senators have big vocabularies for our 
long-winded speeches, but the most important word a scheduler says is 
``no,'' and Megan mastered the art of saying no in a firm, 
professional, appropriate way, even when this Senator seems to always 
want to say yes.
  Schedulers wear too many hats to count. They are field generals, 
firefighters, political advisers, logisticians, psychologists, 
diplomats, managers, and air traffic controllers. They work as hard or 
harder than anyone else here but so often go unseen or unheard. Maybe 
that is why Senate schedulers are a very tight-knit group. Megan often 
speaks with great fondness and respect for her counterparts in other 
Senate offices, and it does not surprise me that they think highly of 
her.
  One of Megan's counterparts said she is ``always quick to share 
advice and ideas, and has been a great source of support when any [of] 
her colleagues need some kind words. She is efficient and effective 
while also being so nice and compassionate.''
  Megan's compassion is, at the end of the day, what makes her such an 
incredible person and an irreplaceable part of our team. Regardless of 
who someone may be, when they work with Megan, they are treated with 
dignity and respect. Time and again, I have heard from people who are 
so grateful for her generosity, patience, and kindness. I have seen her 
help and stick up for her colleagues, even when that was difficult to 
do.
  Let me close by simply saying to my friend and colleague Megan 
O'Neill: Thank you. Thank you for everything you have done for me, for 
your colleagues, for your friends in the Senate, for the State of 
Delaware, and our country. The Senate is a place full of amazing, 
talented people, but even among them, you have stood out in your time 
here, and we will all miss you dearly. Thank you.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Rhode Island is 
recognized.