[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.
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