[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 41 (Thursday, March 8, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S1576]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING MATT NIEMEYER

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I want to recognize and celebrate the 
life of a friend, a colleague, and a trusted adviser whom we tragically 
lost last week.
  That is what Matt Niemeyer was to me, but Matt would say that he was 
a husband and a father first. Everything else was secondary. Matt 
leaves behind his beloved wife, Amy, and their two beautiful children, 
Anna and Peter.
  I first met Matt in 2005 when he was an Assistant U.S. Trade 
Representative. He was well known in the trade community, and he stood 
out as a substantive expert in his field. Matt would say that his time 
at USTR was the most fun he had ever had in government. That says a lot 
as Matt also worked on Capitol Hill for the National Republican 
Congressional Committee and as a congressional liaison for a number of 
private companies and organizations throughout his life.
  Matt played a key role in our successful efforts to pass the Central 
American Free Trade Agreement. He was a happy warrior in that he loved 
trade, USTR, and getting things done. I think his thick skin and 
constant hopefulness was a credit to his upbringing as a long-suffering 
and then long-celebrating Boston Red Sox fan. He always found a way to 
get his mission accomplished and always had a quick wit.
  I was lucky to remain close with Matt after our time together at USTR 
had ended. He would go to any length for his friends, and he was always 
thoughtful, kind, and jovial. He never passed at the opportunity to 
joke about one of his earliest experiences in politics, when he worked 
for the first primary opponent I ever faced. He would generously tell 
me how happy he was that, for one of the only times in his career, he 
wasn't successful in that job.
  While Matt is no longer with us in person, his memory lives on 
through his family who love him dearly and friends and colleagues like 
myself who will forever cherish his impact on our lives.

                          ____________________