[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 206 (Thursday, December 19, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S7194]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO NICOLAAS BUDDE

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to a longtime member 
of my staff, Nicolaas Budde, who is departing my office after 15 years 
of service.
  Nic has been my systems administrator, responsible for keeping all of 
the technology in my personal and leadership Senate offices here in 
Washington and in our three State offices in good working order, among 
many other things.
  Needless to say, a key part of the job description for a systems 
administrator is the ability to be extremely patient with those of us 
who may not be as up to speed on the technology available to us. And I 
would say that there are very few people who are as patient and kind as 
Nic.
  From fixing a recalcitrant printer to setting up a new, high-tech 
studio for the Senate Republican conference, Nic always does what can 
often be frustrating and time-consuming work with a cheerful smile and 
a reassuring word. He comes to work every single day with a sunny and 
enthusiastic attitude, and he doesn't accept anything less than the 
best when it comes to serving South Dakotans and our fellow Americans.
  Nic grew up in Harrisburg, SD, and worked on both of my Senate 
campaigns as systems administrator while he was in college at Dakota 
State University in Madison, SD. For those who may not know, Dakota 
State University is the ``high-tech'' college in our State, and 
students who graduate from DSU often go on to prestigious jobs at 
technology companies and the like. Nic could have done any of those 
jobs, but instead he chose to dedicate his career to serving here in 
the Senate.
  Nic is very involved in the Senate community, often vetting new 
technologies and participating in pilot projects and working groups 
regarding the use of technology in the Senate. Nic manages my official 
website, and during his tenure the site has earned several Mouse Awards 
from the nonpartisan Congressional Management Foundation, including a 
Gold Mouse Award. Our website is a critical part of our efforts to keep 
constituents informed about the work we do on their behalf, and I am 
grateful to Nic for all the work he has done to make our site a helpful 
resource for South Dakotans.
  Before I came to my current leadership position as majority whip, I 
was head of the Senate Republican Conference, and Nic was a key part of 
the conference team. While we were there, Nic managed a complex and 
highly technical project to upgrade the technological infrastructure of 
the office, an important but often unsung part of our ability to get 
our conference's message out to the nation.
  Nic is currently managing a similarly difficult project at the Senate 
Republican Conference, setting up a new, high-tech studio that will 
greatly expand our technological and communications capabilities in 
that office. This is incredibly important work, and Nic has done all of 
this while at the same time putting out fires in my whip office and in 
the personal office whenever the phones go down or someone's email 
isn't working--and always with a smile and a great deal of patience.
  I want to thank Nic for his service and also thank his wife Jackie 
and his children, Ella and Frederick, for letting us have their husband 
and dad for these many years.
  Thankfully, Nic won't be going far. He will just be down the hall 
continuing his work at the Senate Republican Conference, where all of 
my colleagues will get the benefit of his expertise.
  Nic, thank you again for your many years of service, your 
cheerfulness, your kindness, your hard work, and most importantly, your 
patience.
  We wish you the very best for the future.

                          ____________________