[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 194 (Thursday, November 4, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S7784]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CONFIRMATION OF ADRIENNE WOJCIECHOWSKI

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am pleased that yesterday, the Senate 
confirmed Adrienne Wojciechowski to be the Assistant Secretary for 
Congressional Relations at the U.S. Department of Agriculture--USDA--a 
role for which is eminently qualified. For more than a decade, Adrienne 
has been an indispensable staff member in the Senate, dedicated to 
supporting farmers, growing our rural economies, and tackling climate 
change and land stewardship challenges. Adrienne has earned deep 
respect from on both sides of the aisle.
  Adrienne first joined my staff in 2007 and quickly became a key 
member of my legislative team on topics ranging from agriculture to 
water quality to climate change. Adrienne was immediately involved in 
2008 farm bill negotiations and played an integral staff role in 
negotiating substantial portions of the 2014 and 2018 farm bills.
  Over the years, I could always count on Adrienne's persistence, 
attention to detail, and sound judgement. Adrienne brought these same 
gifts to her work with USDA partners in Vermont, carefully building 
trusting relationships that enabled my legislative work to be informed 
by on-the-ground, State-level delivery of USDA programs.
  Most recently, Adrienne has served as a professional staff member on 
the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, managing Senators' 
diverse spending priorities in the annual appropriations cycle and 
negotiating bipartisan final bills.
  I have served on the Senate Agriculture Committee since I first came 
to the Senate. There is an old saying that Vermont without farms would 
still be a nice place, but it wouldn't be Vermont. While she is not a 
native Vermonter herself, it has been a pleasure to see Adrienne form 
such deep relationships with Vermont's agrarian traditions, our 
farmers, and our landscape. Whether it was navigating USDA bureaucracy 
or rebuilding a barn after a fire, farmers and the agriculture 
community in Vermont knew that a call to my office would get Adrienne 
on the case.
  Although Senate staff work behind the scenes and their contributions 
can go unheralded, the impact of Adrienne's dedication, her 
contributions to conservation policy, farm viability, and farmland 
protection programs can truly be seen on the landscape of Vermont and 
across the country. On behalf of all Vermonters, I thank Adrienne 
Wojciechowski for her service to the U.S. Senate and wish her the best 
of luck as she joins the Biden administration.

                          ____________________