[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 3, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S999-S1000]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     SENATE SERGEANT AT ARMS STAFF

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I begin this morning with a very exciting 
announcement about critical leadership roles in the Senate Chamber. 
Three outstanding individuals are set to resume new responsibilities. 
LTG Karen Gibson will serve as the next Senate Sergeant at Arms, while 
Kelly Fado will serve as Deputy Sergeant at Arms, and Jennifer 
Hemingway will serve as Chief of Staff.
  The Senate Sergeant at Arms was established 223 years ago as an 
outgrowth of the Office of the Senate Doorkeeper, back when one of the 
biggest problems was making sure the Senate had a quorum. Today, the 
Sergeant at Arms is the Senate's chief administrative officer and chief 
law enforcement officer, so very important at this time. These offices 
have the enormous responsibility of keeping the trains running on time, 
while at the same time keeping everyone in the Capitol safe. As we have 
seen in recent weeks, the security component of the role is immensely 
important.
  LTG Karen Gibson is the perfect person for this job, the job of 
Sergeant at Arms. She has spent 33 years in Active Duty in the 
military, much of it in the Office of the Director of National 
Intelligence as a senior intelligence officer, where she supported U.S. 
national security objectives in Iraq, Afghanistan, East Africa, Korea, 
the Pacific, and across the Middle East.
  She is ready to hit the ground running because since January 6, she 
has been part of a weekslong review to identify actions that can be 
taken immediately--immediately--to improve the security of the Capitol 
and its Members. She is 100 percent committed to ensuring a safe and 
secure working environment for Senators, visitors, Capitol employees, 
Senate staff, press, and paying particular attention to staffers of 
color.
  Lieutenant General Gibson has a big job ahead of her, but I have 
every confidence she will perform her duties at the same exemplary 
standard she set over the course of her heralded three-decade military 
career.
  Kelly Fado and Jennifer Hemingway, meanwhile, are two of the most 
recognizable faces in the Capitol, Jennifer having recently filled in 
as the Acting Sergeant at Arms. Kelly has been part

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of my team for many years, on the Rules Committee and in my leadership 
office. She has helped plan, coordinate, safeguard, and execute 
multiple Presidential inaugurations--and what a great job she has done 
in every one of them--and Capitol-wide ceremonies in general. She has 
been an indispensable resource to me and to my entire staff. I am very 
glad that Kelly is taking on this challenge.
  One other note that I am very proud of--I think we all as Senators 
can be proud of--this will be the first time in the Senate's history 
that the Sergeant at Arms' leadership will be comprised entirely of 
women. I cannot think of a team better prepared than LTG Karen Gibson, 
Kelly Fado, and Jennifer Hemingway.
  To all three of them: Congratulations on your new roles, and thank 
you for your many years of service to the Senate and to our country.

                          ____________________