[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 12, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H2674-H2675]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO DANNY WEISS

  (Ms. PELOSI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a dedicated and 
deeply respected member of my staff, my departing chief of staff, Danny 
Weiss.
  For nearly three decades, Danny has brought wise counsel and 
energetic leadership to the House of Representatives. He has committed 
nearly his entire career to this institution, inspired by his great 
respect for its history and empowered by his bold vision for its 
future.
  Danny, the Congress and the country are stronger for the innovation, 
ingenuity, and insight that you have brought to this body.
  Danny served in the office of my dear friend, Congressman George 
Miller--Mr. Chairman--for more than 25 years, including decades as his 
chief of staff.
  In every position he has held in the Congress, Danny has been vital 
in advancing a serious, substantive, and successful agenda to improve 
the lives of hardworking families across America.
  He has worked to expand opportunity, fighting for affordable quality 
healthcare, childcare, and education, and for healthier communities to 
his work on the: House Select Committee on Children, Youth, and 
Families; House Natural Resources Committee, and House Education and 
Labor Committee.
  Danny has worked to expand justice by defending the rights and well-
being of children, a mission he continued at the helm of Common Sense 
Media; and he has worked to expand progress to safeguard clean air, 
clean water, and preserve the beauty of God's creation. And we are 
grateful for his leadership to elevate and amplify the issue of the 
climate crisis.
  We are grateful that Danny agreed to return to the Congress at a 
pivotal moment for America. His efforts were vital to our Caucus' 
strength and unity, as Democrats developed our For the People agenda 
and won a historic midterm victory. My office is grateful for his 
masterful work orchestrating the transition in the Speaker's office.
  Danny's service has entailed sacrifice, not only from him, but from 
his entire family. We are grateful for the patience, love, and support 
from his wife, Anne, and his daughters, Catherine and Maria.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to please join me in thanking my 
distinguished chief of staff, Danny Weiss.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), 
the chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, you know Danny came to Congress a year 
after I did. He must have been underage at the time, as you can see the 
difference in our appearance, but he was working on what was then the 
House Interior Committee, Natural Resources.
  He is a veteran, as am I, of many years of working with George Miller 
in the perpetual water wars in California. I am going to say Danny 
didn't get that one fixed.
  But then when we took back over after the election in 2006, and we 
did some of the best things we have ever done for college affordability 
and Pell grants in the Education and Labor Committee, Danny was right 
there working on that.
  We made loans forgivable through a public service. We limited the 
length of time you would have to pay them if you were in a low-income 
job. We greatly increased Pell grants, and we paid for all that by 
stopping subsidized private bank loans with guarantees that they will 
never lose any money.
  Unfortunately, we have lost a little ground since then, but I think 
this Congress might recapture those things and will look back to the 
work he did then to make higher education more affordable.
  Madam Speaker, we had a couple of Members say: Oh, he was so good to 
me when I didn't know anything and I came in.
  He was a mentor not only to staff, but to Members, and a good friend 
to me over many years. I hope Danny enjoys his next iteration, whatever 
it is.
  Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois 
(Mrs. Bustos), the former co-chair of the Democratic Policy and 
Communications Committee.
  Mrs. BUSTOS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Danny Weiss for 
his service to Speaker Pelosi, to our House Democratic Caucus, and to 
our country.
  Danny is one of the many staff members who has worked tirelessly for 
the people's House. He has never viewed his service on Capitol Hill as 
a temporary stint. This was his life's work and a true call to public 
service.
  Most recently, as the Speaker said, I worked with Danny during my 
tenure as co-chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications 
Committee during the last session of Congress.
  As then-Leader Pelosi's chief of staff, Danny helped our Caucus 
develop our For the People agenda to clean up corruption in Washington, 
lower healthcare costs, and rebuild our country through investments in 
our infrastructure. Developing this agenda was no easy task, and as 
anybody like Danny knows, it is just as hard to keep Members of 
Congress on message--I thought that was funny--but Danny tried his 
hardest.
  With Danny's efforts and with his persistence, we were successful and 
gained a historic majority and a record number of women in the 116th 
session of Congress. To say that Danny was instrumental in our efforts 
would be an understatement.
  His career will also be defined by his undying belief that this body 
and each and every one of us can make a difference in the lives of the 
people whom we serve. Danny knows that even amid the chaos and the 
sensational headlines, we all have the power to be a force of good in 
this world.
  I would like to join my colleagues in thanking Danny Weiss for not 
just his years of service, but for always keeping his eye on the prize 
and on the purpose and for his dedication to this institution.
  Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield to the gentleman 
from Virginia (Mr. Scott) to close for us, the chairman of the 
Education and Labor Committee.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for 
providing me the opportunity to say some kind words about Danny Weiss.
  I want to recognize Danny as a true model of a public servant. From 
Riverdale, New York, he wasted no time coming to Washington and leaving 
an impressive mark right here. For almost 28 years, he has provided 
invaluable service to the House of Representatives.
  As we have heard, we know firsthand that Danny has been very 
effective in the House of Representatives because of his mastery of 
complicated issues that we face as Members of Congress. As chief of 
staff--first to Leader Pelosi and now to Speaker Pelosi--Danny has 
given wise counsel to me and my staff and, as we have heard, to many 
other Members on issues that arise from time to time that need special 
attention that Danny always provided.
  I would be remiss if I didn't note Danny's exemplary service to the 
Education and Labor Committee, under George Miller. Sitting here a few 
minutes ago, Danny asked me not to embarrass him--nice try.
  We talked to George, and George informed me that early on he was on 
the fence about hiring Danny, but over an Italian dinner with Danny's 
mother, Cora Weiss, George was informed rather emphatically that her 
son, Danny, would be a great hire and one of the best decisions that he 
ever made. George believes that mother knows best, and the rest is 
history. Thanks to Danny's mom, we have all been blessed with his 
decades of public service to the House of Representatives.

[[Page H2675]]

  Congratulations, Danny, on your years of service, and good luck in 
your future endeavors.
  Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank our colleagues, Chairman DeFazio, 
Chairman Scott, and Chairwoman Bustos for their kind words.
  Again, I want to express thanks and gratitude for the patience, love, 
and support of Danny's wife, Anne, and their daughters, Catherine and 
Maria.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues once again to please join me in 
thanking my distinguished chief of staff, Danny Weiss.

                          ____________________