[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 37 (Thursday, February 28, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1575-S1576]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Tribute to Bruce King

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I know my good friend from Georgia has to 
get somewhere, and I have to get somewhere. I will be very brief.
  I want to take a moment to pay tribute. We have staffers here who are 
just unsung heroes. They work day in and day out. Because of their 
diligent work, the world and the country is a better place.
  One of these people who works in quiet dignity and gets so much done 
and is so well respected is Bruce King. He has been indispensable at my 
office, and today, this afternoon, it is my unfortunate duty to say 
farewell to Bruce.
  He has worked in the Senate in some capacity since 1984. He has 
worked for Judiciary, Senator Lautenberg, the Budget Committee, and as 
the senior

[[Page S1576]]

counsel for multiple Democratic leaders on the Federal budget, 
stretching from Leader Daschle to Leader Reid to me. In that short 
time, Bruce wasn't short of legislative achievement, from negotiating 
the balanced budget agreement of 1997 to blocking the privatization of 
Social Security in 2006, from shepherding health reform through the 
Senate to passing the financial rescue bill after the crisis in 2008.
  One of our most distinguished Senators would be proud of that record. 
Their name would be in lights. Bruce did all of that and much more in 
his, as I said, quiet, steadfast, brilliant dignity.
  I have never sat on the Budget or Appropriations Committees, so when 
I became leader, having his experience and wisdom was incredible. I 
have met no one who could take these complex issues and put them in 
terms that even someone like myself could understand, not being an 
expert on those things. He was able to understand the big picture and 
never get caught in the minutia, although he knew the minutia extremely 
well.
  When you ask Bruce's opinion on a matter, he presents it so 
succinctly and persuasively that you know it is the right answer in a 
matter of minutes, until he decides to play devil's advocate against 
his first opinion and convinces you of the opposite because he is one 
of those staffers who has never had an ax to grind. He said: Let my 
Senators know both sides, and let them decide.

  But we knew both sides so well and so lucidly because of Bruce's 
ability to take these issues and help us understand them.
  He can juggle so many variables in his head at once. He can weigh the 
pros and cons. He has an instinctive knowledge of how to deal with the 
tradeoffs, and he can keep it all in a simple way.
  He is a modest man. He has sat at the same desk in the Capitol for 14 
years. Every day, he brings his lunch--peanut butter and jelly 
sandwiches--and he leaves the office at almost the same time every 
night to have dinner at home with Janis, his beloved wife.
  Senators get the spotlight and the credit when our initiatives 
succeed, but so many initiatives would never have succeeded without 
Bruce King. Bruce, through the years, deserves an ocean of credit for 
his work. He would never claim a drop of it because he is a humble man.
  For all his expertise, he is humble, kindhearted, and thoughtful. 
Everyone likes him. In all the years he has worked here, I never heard 
a single person say a single bad thing about him. That is a pretty good 
tribute in a place like the Senate.
  Bruce's departure will be a loss to his friends and colleagues and to 
the Senate as a whole and, of course, to my office.
  There is only one bad thing I can say about him. He switched his 
allegiance from the New York Mets to the Nationals. The good news is 
that he will be able to catch some more games with Janis, his son 
Aaron, and his daughter Liana.
  Bruce, you are a blessing to our office, to the Senate, and to the 
country. We wish you the best.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.
  Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, to the Democratic leader and Bruce, who 
is on the floor, congratulations on behalf of all the Republicans in 
the room.
  Come down to Atlanta and watch the Braves play the Mets. We would be 
happy to have you anytime. Thank you for your time here.