[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 19 (Monday, January 31, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S411]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO LESTER CASH

   Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, as chair of the Senate Appropriations 
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and 
Related Agencies, I would like to recognize an exceptional public 
servant deeply committed to protecting and improving the health of the 
American people, Mr. Lester Cash. Mr. Cash retired recently after a 
distinguished 37-year career in the civil service, most of it spent at 
the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Health and 
Human Services. It is at HHS, where he was the Associate Deputy 
Assistant Secretary for Budget since 2007, that I and my staff came to 
depend upon Mr. Cash's expertise, wisdom, and judgement.
   Mr. Cash is one of those unsung public servants whose analysis and 
insights are relied upon equally by Democrats and Republicans in both 
Chambers. He epitomizes the best of the professional civil service: 
dedicated, credible and trusted by all who work with him. His unique 
skills, starting with advanced degrees in public policy, philosophy, 
and theology, have given Mr. Cash a perspective that is both broad and 
sufficiently deep. His judgement on appropriations legal matters and 
insight on legislative language was always sound, and his ready 
responsiveness at any hour made him the vital go-to person for the 
committees when time was tight. Whenever there was a complex question 
that needs solving, he was the person to call, whether it was for 
funding to respond to a natural disaster, meeting our obligations to 
our September 11 first responders, or ensuring that unaccompanied 
migrant children are treated humanely. Most recently, during the 
pandemic, Mr. Cash was instrumental to removing obstacles to secure 
COVID-19 tests, vaccines, and therapeutics for communities across the 
country. It is not an exaggeration to say that millions of Americans 
have been directly affected by his efforts and that his commitment 
saved lives.
   We are all better off because of Lester. His unyielding dedication 
and institutional knowledge made him truly indispensable, and his 
absence will be a loss for all of us who depend upon him. I am glad 
that he will have more time to spend with his wife and son, Ada and 
Brian, friends and family. He certainly deserves it, and I wish him the 
best of luck in the future.

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