[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 5 (Thursday, January 9, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S122-S123]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO BRIDGETT FREY

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I rise to recognize an outstanding 
member of my staff who is moving on to pursue other opportunities, my 
long-time communications director, Bridgett Frey.
  Bridgett joined my office at the start of 2009, when President Barack 
Obama was first inaugurated and I was serving in the House of 
Representatives. Things were so busy then that her interview took place 
in a hallway in the Capitol. She may have recognized that as a sign of 
things to come, but I am grateful she took the job anyway.
  Through the decade that has followed, Bridgett has been a dedicated 
staffer and trusted adviser. Regardless of the issue of the day--from 
local issues like Federal grant funding and helping struggling auto 
dealers, to national issues like healthcare reform and economic policy, 
to international issues like Russian election interference and North 
Korean sanctions--she helped ensure that my office communicates clearly 
and effectively about our work in Congress. She has worked tirelessly 
to inform the public about the policy changes we have achieved and 
those we still hope to accomplish.
  Whenever I took on a new challenge, Bridgett was there to help. She 
led communications in my personal office, as well as working with 
Speaker

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Pelosi's team to help freshman communications directors learn the ropes 
of Capitol Hill when I was assistant to the Speaker. She then took on a 
new challenge and dual role when I became ranking member of the House 
Budget Committee. From budget battles to the not-so-Super Committee, 
she was always up to the task. She took a leave of absence to help in 
my 2016 campaign for the Senate and then moved across the Capitol to 
run the communications operation in my Senate office. She has 
approached all of it with intelligence, sharp instincts, sound 
judgment, and a sense of humor.
  Bridgett has built a reputation for being hard-charging and 
forthright, and reporters respect her responsiveness and honesty. She 
has coordinated closely with all aspects of my team, helping to drive 
both policy work and State outreach efforts, as well as with countless 
offices in both the House and the Senate. She has always provided me 
with honest and thoughtful advice and counsel. She has an uncanny 
instinct for getting to the heart of any issue.
  As Bridgett seeks new challenges outside our office, I know she will 
continue to grow in her professional career. It stems from a love of 
politics that she got from her father and an ethos of hard work from 
her mother. I deeply appreciate her many years of dedicated service to 
the people of Maryland and the Congress. Our entire team will miss her, 
but we all extend our warmest wishes as she takes on new adventures.

                          ____________________