[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 37 (Tuesday, February 25, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S1124]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO JAY KHOSLA

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, on a totally different matter, I have 
a duty this morning that somehow ranks among my most favorite 
activities and least favorite activities simultaneously. The good news 
is that I get to recognize a key member of my staff whom I have come to 
know and admire a great deal. The bad news is the occasion. This week, 
after 15 years of outstanding service, he is bidding farewell to the 
Senate. So I am unhappy with the circumstances, but I could not be more 
happy to talk about Jay Khosla.
  For just shy of 2 years, Jay has served as my chief economic policy 
counsel. Trade, taxes, banking, and financial services; pensions and 
retirement; housing--for 2 years, any answer I needed on any of these 
subjects was one phone call, one email, or one quick meeting away. You 
can go a long way in this town if you master either the policy details 
of big issues or the politics surrounding those issues. Jay has 
mastered both.
  When you have a lot of talent and intelligence, major projects tend 
to find their way to your desk. So consider the fact that Jay has been 
at the center of practically every major economic policy achievement 
over the past decade-plus.
  Jay arrived as a young healthcare staffer for then-Majority Leader 
Bill Frist. Talk about an opening act--not just working for a majority 
leader, but one who is also an M.D. and who is focused on healthcare. 
The bar was set high, but Jay, of course, exceeded it.
  He moved to the Budget Committee and then crafted policy for Senator 
McCain's Presidential campaign. Then, he returned to work for Senator 
Hatch and the Finance Committee. Before long, Jay was Senator Hatch's 
secret weapon. As he rose through the ranks to policy director and then 
to staff director, he rapidly became a not-so-secret weapon. He was an 
invaluable asset to the chairman, to the committee, and, really, to our 
entire conference.
  His relationships extended across the aisle as well. Our Democratic 
colleagues respect him greatly. His colleagues on the committee 
remember that, even when it might have been easier to pull back behind 
party lines and just try to craft a bill within the majority, Jay 
stayed stubbornly dedicated to the bipartisan process as long as 
possible.
  A team player, an honest broker, Jay doesn't want to just get big 
things done, he wants to get them done the right way. From trade 
promotion authority in 2015 and historic tax reform in 2017, to USMCA 
this past year, these huge accomplishments and many more, like fighting 
the opioid epidemic and fixing the dysfunctional sustainable growth 
rate that has plagued Medicare--all of these issues had this staff 
leader right at the center. In many cases, his work started months or 
years in advance, meeting with leaders, pouring the foundation for new 
policy, and staying on the case right through to the finish line.
  Needless to say, this is a resume that, basically, anyone in 
Washington would kill for, but effectiveness is only part of Jay's 
magic. The colleagues whom Jay supervised at the Finance Committee 
remember a boss who was kind, generous, patient, and unflappable, even 
as he guided them through legislation of the highest consequence.
  More recently, we in the majority leader's office have relished his 
laugh-out-loud punch lines, his deadpan sarcasm, and his creative 
nicknames. Jay is willing to take everyone down a peg when they need 
it, including himself.
  I have worked with all kinds of talented staff, but I have to say 
that the demeanor that Jay brings to work is somewhat unique. Despite 
being so knowledgeable, connected, and hard-working, Jay seems to flow 
through all the challenges with a confidence and calmness that almost 
borders on relaxation. If you didn't know better, you would almost be 
suspicious. Somehow, you never see Jay sweat--well, at least not in the 
office, anyway.
  Jay's colleagues like to rib him about the personal training regimen 
he maintains, along with the ultra-healthy diet and other enviable 
aspects of work-life balance that he somehow manages to carve out in 
this place that is so notorious for none of that. It is all part of the 
unique Jay Khosla magic.
  This is someone who has been known to reply to serious email 
inquiries with a funny photo of a cat dangling from a tree branch, 
captioned ``Hang In There!''
  Jay is someone who frequently concludes his answers to pressing 
questions, including from Senators, with a smile and this catchphrase: 
``I have a feeling it's all going to work out.''
  Somebody less accomplished would never get away with this. From 
someone with less mastery of the details, you would scoff and find 
someone else to talk with, but when it is Jay, you know everything will 
actually work out because he is the one on the case. Jay helps make 
everyone around him as calm, confident, and cheerful as he is. It is 
not just because of his charisma. It is because he is so good at what 
he does. So, look, it is never fun to bid farewell to someone who is a 
big part of the brains of your operation, and it is never fun to say 
goodbye to someone who is a big part of the heart of your team either, 
and it is really no fun to say goodbye to somebody who has managed to 
be both.

  Jay has only formally worked for me for a couple of years, but he has 
been a trusted advisor and an honorary part of my team for a lot 
longer. He has been a big part of the Senate for more than a decade.
  When I say that Jay knows how to prioritize, I mean it, and his real 
bottom line is family. He and his beloved wife Lisa have two boys, Shya 
and Asher. They form a tight-knit unit together with Jay's parents, 
Vijay and Suman, and his sister Anchal and beyond. Jay may have made it 
look suspiciously easy all these years, but jobs like this are never 
easy, least of all on your family. It turns out that the Khosla clan 
would like to see a little more of this guy, and Jay doesn't mind the 
sound of a new chapter and some new challenges either.
  We are really going to miss him. We thank him for everything. We feel 
certain his next chapters will bring new happiness all their own. As a 
wise man once told me, ``I have a feeling it's all going to work out.''

                          ____________________