[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 213 (Wednesday, December 16, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1157]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           CONGRATULATING REBECCA LEGGIERI ON HER RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 16, 2020

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Rebecca 
Leggieri, Clerk of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, who will be 
retiring at the end of this year after more than 24 years of service to 
our country. Becky was born in Schenectady, New York, and went to St. 
Lawrence University on a ROTC scholarship. She joined the Army as a 
Quartermaster officer and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Ms. 
Leggieri first came to the House as an Army Fellow for Rep. Carolyn 
Kilpatrick of Michigan in 2009. Rep. Kilpatrick was a member of the 
Subcommittee, and during her fellowship Becky met the committee staff 
and learned the mechanics of the appropriations process. The Committee, 
recognizing her talent, hired Rebecca in 2010.
  She began serving on the Defense Subcommittee in the minority. In 
that capacity, she needed to be versed on every facet of a vast and 
complex bill that encompasses hundreds of thousands of people and every 
issue ranging from day care to the delivery systems for nuclear 
weapons. This year's bill amounts to nearly $700 billion and it impacts 
our nation's security and that of our planet. Becky's skills and her 
life experiences were all she needed to make the right decisions. In 
2015, Becky Leggieri became the Subcommittee's Minority Staff Director 
and has worked by my side for the past five years to ensure oversight 
of the Department of Defense and numerous intelligence agencies. She 
balanced competing priorities from administrations, Members of 
Congress, labor. industry, state and local governments, and citizen 
interest groups. Her honesty, knowledge of the issues, and willingness 
to listen allowed her to develop legislation in which the many parties 
involved felt a sense of shared ownership in its enactment.
  Becky Leggieri is a person of scrupulous ethics and is possessed of a 
sterling intellect and nimble mind, an innate political shrewdness, and 
poise under pressure. Most importantly, she used these talents in the 
service of her country and this institution to ensure that the 
Committee and House's constitutional prerogatives were respected and 
protected. Her steady hand will be sorely missed.
  I know Ms. Leggieri's husband, John, and her children, Olivia and 
Gabriel, are so very proud of her, as are we all. I wish Becky every 
happiness and success in her future endeavors.

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