[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 82 (Thursday, May 16, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E612]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO ELLEN TAUSCHER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 16, 2019

  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 
lifelong contributions made by Ellen Tauscher, who led the charge in 
every aspect of her life, from politics to world diplomacy and from 
Wall Street to motherhood.
  She was a woman with strong convictions, a steel backbone, and an 
unshakable moral compass. As a Democratic centrist she didn't let party 
politics rule every decision and bucked a lot of trends.
  Ellen never met an obstacle she couldn't overcome. Frustrated as a 
working mother struggling with lack of access to quality childcare, she 
wrote a book to help other moms and put her money and her time where 
her mouth was by founding a service to screen prospective child-care 
providers and donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to California 
and Texas schools.
  She broke new ground as one of the first women to hold a seat on the 
New York Stock Exchange. At age 25, she was the youngest woman there 
ever. Ellen also was an officer on the American Stock Exchange and 
worked as an investment banker and bond trader for 14 years before she 
became one of the driving forces behind Sen. Dianne Feinstein's 
successful 1992 bid for the U.S. Senate.
  In 1996, Ellen ran against Congressman William P. Baker, the 
Republican incumbent, in a heavily conservative district in the East 
Bay. She won the race, and the votes of many Republican women, with her 
common-sense campaign in favor of access to abortion, increased 
spending on education, gun-control legislation, and focus on fiscal 
responsibility.
  She served 13 years in Congress, including her work in the House 
Armed Services Committee, formerly known as the National Security 
Committee, and as chairwoman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee.
  Ellen's interest in arms control and nuclear weapons was a key asset 
during her tenure as a diplomat in the Obama Administration. She was 
integral to the negotiation of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty 
of 2010, which brought American and Russian nuclear arsenals to their 
lowest levels in nearly 60 years. As Hillary Clinton said, ``She made 
American and the world safer through her work on arms control . . .''
  And she did all of this with a beautifully infectious smile that lit 
up any room she entered.
  My heart goes out to Ellen's daughter, Katherine, and her other 
family members who lost her far too soon. I can only hope that they are 
able to take some comfort in knowing Ellen's legacy to make the world a 
better, safer place will live on.

                          ____________________