[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 188 (Thursday, November 29, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H9701]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
           THANKING THE PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN'S FIRST DISTRICT

  (Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express profound 
gratitude to the people of the First District of Wisconsin.
  Any time I get to swear in a new Member as we just did, it brings me 
back to the time when I was first sworn in here in 1998. I remember 
just being awestruck the first time I walked down that center aisle. 
That feeling just never goes away. I still feel it when I walk onto the 
floor each and every time.
  I am immensely grateful to the people of southern Wisconsin for their 
trust and their confidence. I have always had this thing about calling 
the people I represent not my constituents but my employers. It is the 
way I have always thought of this, and I think it is important that we 
as Members understand that we work for the people and not the other way 
around, and that we are in this to make a difference for them.
  We work every day to keep that obligation, especially, actually, when 
it comes to constituent service. It is the lifeblood of the work we do 
here as Representatives. It is something that goes unreported, but it 
is extremely important, extremely valuable, and very gratifying.
  Any success that we have had is really, in my case, due to our humble 
and our hardworking staff. I have had the chance to work for and to 
work with the very best people. I really have.
  Before I was a Member, I was part of a legion of Hill staffers. I was 
a staffer here before I got elected as a Member. I started as an intern 
in the mailroom, and I worked my way on up: legislative correspondent, 
legislative assistant, legislative director, and chief of staff, all of 
those things.
  I figured I knew everything about these jobs, all long hours and all 
sacrifices, but nothing can truly prepare you for having people willing 
to help you in such a big undertaking on the front lines. So I am 
profoundly grateful for the dedicated public servants who have helped 
us serve the people--my employers--of the First Congressional District.
  I want to thank the members of our team who have stayed with us to 
the very end: Rebekah Cullum, Jordan Dunn, Brandon Farnsworth, Megan 
Wagner, and Laura Wiley.
  I want to thank Allison Steil, our deputy chief of staff, who has 
been with us for 10 years.
  I want to thank Tricia Stoneking, our director of scheduling and 
office operations, who has been with us for 15 years.
  I want to especially thank the members of our team who have been with 
us from the very beginning, from the start. We call them the lifers: 
Danyell Tremmel, my chief of staff; Chad Herbert, director of military 
and veterans services; and Susie Liston, district director.
  Chad is a hunter. He is a veteran. Danyell came from my predecessor. 
She knows every nook and cranny in the Federal Government and how to 
help constituents navigate their problems. Chad has helped countless 
veterans. He knows the veterans system so well, and he has done so much 
good for the veterans of southern Wisconsin.
  Susie Liston, our district director, has one of the most pleasant and 
happy demeanors. You can get a lot of angry constituents walking into a 
district office. She handles them better than anyone I have ever known.
  Teresa Mora, director of outreach, has run my bilingual services. She 
has helped me with all my bilingual Hispanic townhall meetings. She has 
done a spectacular job of doing constituent outreach throughout my 
district.
  Many of you know Joyce Meyer. Joyce was my first legislative 
director.
  Andy Speth started off as my district director then my longtime chief 
of staff. He is my silent partner. Andy and I met in sixth grade 
basketball camp at St. Paul Lutheran School where he went and where his 
kids go. We have been friends ever since we went to high school 
together. When I moved home to run for Congress, he was the guy who 
helped me. He has been my partner in this venture all along, and I am 
so grateful for his friendship. I am so grateful for his partnership.
  I also am just grateful for the people of Janesville, Racine, 
Kenosha, Oak Creek, Elkhorn, Lake Geneva, Walworth County, Racine 
County, Kenosha County, Rock County, Waukesha County, and everyone in 
between.
  Since becoming Speaker of the House--which is not something that we 
are used to in Wisconsin; I am the only one who has done that--I 
appreciate the indulgence of the people I work for who indulge the fact 
that I had other responsibilities in addition. When I took on these 
additional responsibilities, the people of our staff really stepped up 
and really helped serve our constituents so that they continue to enjoy 
those flawless constituent services.
  I am just so grateful for these people in my life. I am so grateful 
that they were able to serve the people of southern Wisconsin so well, 
and I am absolutely grateful to the people of southern Wisconsin for 
entrusting me as their Representative.

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