[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 129 (Tuesday, August 2, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S3859]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO AMY F. WOOLF

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam President, I rise today to honor the 
achievements of Ms. Amy F. Woolf, a specialist in Nuclear Weapons 
Policy with the Congressional Research Service, on the occasion of her 
retirement.
  Amy Woolf served the Congress with distinction for more than 34 
years. Before joining CRS, she was a member of the research staff at 
the Institute of Defense Analyses and spent a year at the Department of 
Defense, where she contributed to the 1994 Nuclear Posture Review. She 
earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Stanford 
University and a master's degree in public policy from the Kennedy 
School of Government at Harvard University.
  Ms. Woolf is recognized throughout Congress, the military, and the 
nuclear weapons and arms control communities as an expert on issues 
related to U.S. and Russian nuclear forces and arms control. She has 
authored countless CRS reports addressing issues such as nuclear 
weapons strategy and doctrine, nuclear force structure, strategic arms 
control and the U.S-Russian arms control agenda, hypersonic weapons, 
and threat reduction programs in Russia and other former Soviet states.
  A particular highlight of her tenure at CRS was her work supporting 
the Congressional debate on the New START treaty in 2010. Her unique 
knowledge of the issues positioned her as the go-to expert for members 
of Congress and their staff with questions about the treaty. She 
analyzed treaty provisions, helped staffers navigate false and 
confusing claims about the treaty, and provided needed historical 
context. She also gave seminars on the procedural aspects of 
ratification. Throughout the time that Congress considered the treaty, 
Ms. Woolf was available to members of Congress and their staff 7 days a 
week and answered questions after hours. Her work for Congress on this 
treaty lasted from the start of negotiations in 2009 through submission 
to the Senate and ratification in December 2010.
  In serving the CRS mission, Ms. Woolf helped members of Congress and 
their staff navigate complex nuclear weapons issues by narrowing in on 
their specific needs and succinctly providing them with accurate, 
balanced, and complete information. She has equally served opponents 
and supporters of nuclear arms control treaties. She answered questions 
about the future of the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal from a variety of 
congressional offices with diverse viewpoints. Ms. Woolf participated 
in seminars for congressional staff on a regular basis and could shift 
seamlessly from a 101-style overview of basic nuclear concepts for 
freshly minted Capitol Hill staffers to a lengthy in-depth briefing on 
U.S. nuclear posture and deterrence issues that would offer new insight 
to even the most seasoned policy advisor. Because of her three decades 
assisting Members of Congress and their staff, she demonstrated the 
keen ability to read her audience well and discern what information 
will be most useful to them. In an exceptional moment in 2018, the 
chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee recognized her work 
from the dais after a hearing on Presidential authority over nuclear 
weapons. This followed a personal briefing for the chairman and prep 
work for the committee staff.
  Ms. Woolf also earned a reputation in CRS for her tireless work to 
educate new analysts, researchers, and congressional staff. She is 
widely recognized in the policy community throughout the United States 
for her depth of knowledge, her understanding of both nuclear weapons 
capabilities and arms control, and her ability to clearly express 
complex issues associated with both. Ms. Woolf has been an 
indispensable asset to the U.S. Congress. I am proud to say she is also 
a Marylander.
  Amy Woolf's deep well of knowledge and expertise will be sorely 
missed in the halls of Congress and throughout the nuclear policy 
community. Her colleagues and I join in wishing her all the best as she 
begins this next chapter in retirement.

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