[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 19, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H1879-H1881]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                 SINGING THE PRAISES OF JENNIFER WICKRE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 9, 2023, the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) is recognized 
for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity from leadership 
to be able to spend a little time this evening on what I define as a 
very, very important subject.
  Mr. Speaker, in the rancorous world we live in these days there is a 
tendency for people who observe the United States Congress from afar to 
think that we have become a shrill, loud, unfocused rabble of people. 
Perhaps we have lost our sense of humanity, and even worse.
  Tonight, I would like to talk about an individual, a person, a set of 
circumstances that refute that falsehood and the popular perception.
  What do I mean by that?
  Mr. Speaker, not many months ago, we, on the House Science, Space, 
and Technology Committee, both Republicans and Democrats alike, 
majority and minority, received some--what can only be described as 
devastating news--that a member of our family--and when I say family, I 
mean, our congressional family, the people who serve in this building, 
and in these buildings, and serve in the personal offices, and serve in 
the committee offices, and serve in the leadership offices.
  These are people who are the individuals that you have known for 
months, years, or maybe sometimes decades that you have jousted with on 
issues and that you have crossed-referenced notes and you have debated 
with for extended periods in the various roles. Those are the people I 
define as our congressional family, and they could be Democrats, they 
could be Republicans, they could be senior staff, senior Members, or 
the most junior of all.

                              {time}  1800

  That devastating news that I mentioned, and not all that many months 
ago, was that the deputy staff director for the House Science, Space, 
and Technology Committee, the majority deputy staff director, Jennifer 
Wickre, had been diagnosed with cancer.
  Now, that is always the most intimidating and shocking news that 
anyone could receive. Tonight I don't just want to talk about that--and 
we will because it is important to the struggles she is facing--but I 
want to talk about the person that this member of our congressional 
family has been and is. No matter what the struggles of the next few 
weeks or months turn out to be, she will always be a member of our 
family in our hearts and in our minds.
  Jennifer Wickre--Jenn, as we call her--is originally from Medford, 
Oregon, a town in the southern part of the State. Her parents ran a 
local law practice. They are the kind of salt of the earth sort of 
people whom you would want to live next door to you, Mr. Speaker.
  Jenn earned a bachelor's degree in government from Claremont McKenna 
College in Claremont, California, and a master's degree in National 
Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College.
  In her tenure, she has served in a variety of roles. I think the role 
that I speak of this evening is her role in Congress. She started her 
career on Capitol Hill as a scheduler for Congressman Jerry Lewis in 
2003.
  Now, for those of us who remember that wonderful individual, Jerry 
Lewis was a senior member of Appropriations and would be chairman of 
the committee. Jerry served in numerous senior leaderships in positions 
within the Republican Conference. He was a great Member to work for and 
to learn from.
  Jennifer worked as a scheduler. Mr. Speaker, as any of you who have 
any interaction with Members of Congress or their offices know, one of 
the most difficult staff positions is to be a scheduler because you 
have got to balance the Member's limited time with the needs of the 
spouse, with the needs of the district staff, with the needs of the 
office staff, the committee staff, and all the important constituents 
back home.
  She performed well--as all of us who know her would have expected 
nothing less--and she became a senior legislative assistant.
  Now, she worked off the Hill for a little while, but then she came 
back to the Hill to be the professional staffer on the Research and 
Technology Subcommittee in 2015. She worked there diligently for 7 
years and became the staff director of the Research and Technology 
Subcommittee and ultimately a senior policy adviser to Chairman Lamar 
Smith.
  After I had the opportunity, she became the deputy staff director for 
the overall group.
  Jennifer's personality--Jenn, again, as we all call her--was the kind 
of person who no matter who you were, the most senior member of the 
committee, the most junior member of the committee, the most well-
informed member of the staff, or the newest member, she treated 
everyone with the same kind of respect and decency and would take the 
time to reason through and discuss with people the merits of their 
logic and also sometimes the challenges that that presented. She was 
ever the diplomat--ever the diplomat.
  Now this evening, I think we have a few of the folks whom she has 
touched in this Congress, and they would like to offer a thought or 
two. I will yield shortly to several of my colleagues.
  Before I do that, let me, again, return to the point. We are a 
congressional family. Jenn is one of our own, and she faces challenges 
that hopefully none of us will ever face. She has done it with the most 
amazing grace, strength, and determination. She has decided her own 
course of action, and that is always to be respected.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber), who has 
had many opportunities to work with our wonderful friend.
  Mr. WEBER of Texas. Sadly, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I wish 
we weren't here.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Jennifer Wickre, a public servant 
and trailblazer in the science, space, and technology community.
  When I got here in 2013, I was put on the Science, Space, and 
Technology Committee then, and I have been on it a long time. I have 
got to see a lot of staffers, though I think the gentleman from 
Oklahoma has, too.
  I have had the privilege of getting to know Jenn during my time on 
the committee. Let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, her enthusiasm, her 
brilliance, and her commitment, as the chairman laid out, were second 
to none.
  Her smile--she always laughed at my jokes. She always laughed at my 
jokes. I think she was trying to make me feel better. God knows I wish 
she felt better right now. I wish she felt better.
  People don't often realize how impactful folks like Jenn are at 
drafting and moving the needle on very important legislation that has 
impacted the science, space, and technology community. Likewise, they 
don't often recognize or realize what the staff means to us when you 
have got somebody like Jenn--what a jewel. What an absolute jewel.
  She is an avid Oregon Ducks football fan. I don't know why she wasn't 
for the Dallas Cowboys. I am trying to figure that out. Go Ducks.
  She sings in the Congressional Chorus and loves to walk her rescue 
mutt named Finn. With a lot of the good humor that she had, the dog 
could have been named Huckleberry Finn for that matter.
  All at the young age of 42 Jenn has achieved more than most people do 
in a lifetime. She should be proud of that, and I promise her that we 
are not only proud, but we are grateful.
  We thank Jenn for the time she has invested in our great Nation, and 
we want her to know that we are rooting for her, we are praying for 
her, and we are in her corner.
  We expect God to do a miracle from what little power we have in this 
House of Representatives-- as I believe this country was ordained by 
God--to the throne of grace that He would heal Jenn.

  Cancer sucks, and Miss Jenn is fighting the good fight. I pray she is 
at peace knowing the positive impact she has had not only in the Halls 
of Congress but on every single person and staff member she has come in 
contact with.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to urge all my colleagues to keep Jenn and her 
family in their prayers.
  I want to end with a Bible verse from Deuteronomy 3:16 that says: Be 
strong and courageous, do not be afraid or terrified because of them; 
for the Lord

[[Page H1880]]

your God goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.
  God in Heaven, hear our prayers for the healing of our one great Miss 
Jenn.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Texas for those 
very thoughtful and very wise words.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren) 
who has had many opportunities over the years to work with our mutual 
dear friend.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Lucas for organizing this 
Special Order. Honoring Jenn Wickre is really a privilege.
  I know Jenn from the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, and I 
know her as an organized and capable person. Today, even more than 
speaking for myself, I am here to speak for the Democratic staff of the 
Science, Space, and Technology Committee who know her even better than 
I do. Many of them have worked with Jenn closely for many years. They 
really appreciate her and her excellence as a congressional staffer 
serving this institution and our Nation and how valued she is as a 
colleague on both sides of the aisle and how respected she is in the 
greater science and technology stakeholder community.
  Prior to coming to the Hill, Jenn had not worked on science policy, 
but she has a keen intellect, and she understands and cares deeply 
about the issues that come before our committee. She has become such an 
expert on these issues that most people just assume that Jenn came from 
a lifelong science background.
  Staff on both sides have benefited from her institutional knowledge, 
her thoughtfulness, and her perspective. The mutual trust and respect 
she shared with Democratic staff has allowed them to find common ground 
on almost every topic that came before them.
  It also even enabled them to tag team in difficult negotiations with 
the Senate and external stakeholders, especially during the CHIPS Act. 
Jenn's sharp sense of humor also helped ease the tension in these long 
and acrimonious negotiations with the other body.
  Jenn played an essential role in the CHIPS and Science Act, a bill we 
celebrate as being a once-in-a-generation accomplishment, and she did 
that while going through treatment for her cancer. That is just 
remarkable.
  Staff on the Democratic side count Jenn as more than just a 
colleague. She is their friend, and they are praying for her and 
pulling for her at this moment.
  I believe that their friendship speaks further to the special person 
that she is. Jenn is the best of what our Nation should expect from 
people dedicating their careers to the work of this institution.
  I am honored to lend my voice to the celebration of her career today 
and to be the voice of the Democratic staff who love her so much and 
who are praying for her recovery.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Lucas for allowing me to participate.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for her very 
thoughtful and extremely accurate comments.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Posey), who 
is another Member who has worked extensively with our dear friend.
  Mr. POSEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman very much for his 
leadership.
  Today, we recognize a key congressional staffer who has served us on 
the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Jenn Wickre.
  She has faithfully served both a Member of Congress and the House 
Science, Space, and Technology Committee for more than 16 years.
  Often in Washington, people hear the phrases: No, we can't do that. 
That is too hard. No, that can't be done. No, we just can't do that.
  But that has never been an experience anyone I know has had working 
with Jenn.
  She has always been such an amazing help to our staff and to our 
efforts to properly serve the American people.
  If our staff or I have ever brought tough issues before the 
committee, we never heard her sigh, roll her eyes, or do any of the 
things that somebody might do with some of my crazy ideas. She just 
jumped right in and figured out a way to get us to where we needed to 
go. You have got to love it, Mr. Speaker.
  I have had amendments that have made it into bills strictly because 
of Jenn's leadership and her hard work; otherwise, they would have just 
gone nowhere. It is just the special touch that she had.
  She always found a way to help members on the committee so they could 
best serve their districts and their constituents, and often it was in 
a bipartisan manner, which is not easy to come by around this place.
  Congressional staff are truly the unsung heroes and heroines of this 
institution. Without them the legislative wheels would grind to a halt, 
and that is a fact.
  Jenn Wickre is one of those heroines.
  Mr. Speaker, our thoughts and prayers go out to this wonderful lady 
and her family.
  God bless Jenn, and God bless America.

                              {time}  1815

  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, my colleague is exactly right. Sometimes even 
in the institution and amongst the family, we forget how important the 
critical role that the staff plays is, their understanding of the 
issues, their vast experience and ability to focus. Jenn is one of 
those individuals, one of the catalysts, I will say, of the legislative 
process.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield now to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. 
Bonamici) to discuss a fellow Oregonian.
  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, as a fellow Oregon Ducks fan, an 
Oregonian, I am really grateful to be here today with my colleagues to 
honor an exceptional staffer, Jenn Wickre.
  Jenn is a longtime, dedicated, and invaluable staffer for the House 
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, on which I have had the 
honor of serving since I joined Congress in the beginning of 2012.
  Jenn has been a tireless public servant, supporting members of the 
Science Committee in our efforts to craft and advance meaningful 
legislation.
  I know her unwavering commitment, her expertise, and her bipartisan 
approach have really left an indelible mark, and we are honored to pay 
tribute to her exceptional contributions this evening.
  Committee staff plays a crucial role in supporting the work of the 
committee. They are really essential to the functioning of the 
legislative process. I learned when I went from the Oregon legislature 
to Congress how important our committee staff members are.
  Jenn has been working diligently behind the scenes, providing her 
valuable expertise, her research, and her assistance to help Members 
fulfill their responsibilities on the committee. She, like many of our 
staff, possesses specialized knowledge in policy and really plays a 
pivotal role in helping us understand complex issues.
  Many of us who serve on the Science Committee are not scientists. We 
don't have that expertise. Our committee staff really helps us identify 
potential pitfalls, because we occasionally run into those, and develop 
effective strategies to achieve our goals. Her expertise and dedication 
have really contributed to the development of well-informed and 
evidence-based policy decisions, leading to more effective policymaking 
that benefits the American people.
  I had the honor of traveling with Jenn on a bipartisan delegation to 
the Galapagos Islands in 2018. When you travel with somebody, you get 
to spend time together. We conducted oversight of NSF-funded research 
and observatories. The primary subject of the trip and a significant 
area of cooperation between the United States and each of the nations 
we visited was our scientific research enterprise.
  The trip was noteworthy because it really gave a unique insight into 
the bipartisan cooperation that lay ahead. It was great to have Jenn on 
that trip. It was one of those Science Committee trips that you will 
never forget for the lessons learned and the relationships made.
  In addition to her exceptional expertise, she has been a model of 
bipartisan collaboration. I have heard stories from her friends across 
the aisle about how she has continued to foster a culture of 
inclusivity, cooperation, and mutual respect, transcending political 
differences and working with her colleagues on both sides of the aisle 
to

[[Page H1881]]

achieve common goals. That is something we know we desperately need in 
this institution.
  Her ability to find that common ground to build consensus was crucial 
to the passage of important legislation like the recent CHIPS and 
Science Act. Many have suggested this would not have been possible 
without her unwavering commitment to the underlying policy, which 
helped bridge divides and really led to significant results for our 
Nation's economy, research and technology sectors, and, of course, our 
scientific research enterprise.
  Mr. Speaker, I am really honored to be able to join my colleagues in 
extending our deepest appreciation and gratitude from both sides of the 
aisle for Jenn's exceptional service to the Committee on Science, 
Space, and Technology and to the American people.
  I thank Jenn for her unwavering dedication, kindness, and 
extraordinary contributions.
  I can't end without saying: Go Ducks.
  I know what a wonderful Ducks fan Jenn is, so I had to get that 
shout-out to my alma mater.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for the opportunity to honor Jenn 
Wickre this evening.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Oregon for her 
comments.
  Many people may notice that several of us are wearing an Oregon Ducks 
pin that has ``CANCER'' on it. It shows the Oregon Duck's foot smashing 
it. That is a symbol to us of Jenn's enthusiasm for Ducks football, but 
it also shows our common spirit about smashing cancer and how 
appropriate that the Science Committee worked so diligently in those 
areas.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin), another 
senior member of the Science Committee with a long working relationship 
with Jenn.
  Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, it is with a very heavy heart that I offer my 
prayers and sincerest gratitude to Ms. Jenn Wickre, a longtime staffer 
on House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
  I had the honor of working with her under former Chairman Lamar Smith 
and now under Chairman Frank Lucas and their leadership. Jenn has been 
an integral part of the committee, and her departure will leave a void 
that will be absolutely impossible to fill.
  Over the years, my staff and I have grown very close to Jenn, often 
relying on her expertise and strong work ethic. We have traveled 
together on several very meaningful and informative codels, very 
interesting ones, and I have always appreciated Jenn's input to and her 
service on these wonderful trips that we have taken.
  She is reliable. She acts with thoughtfulness and has always been 
able to provide an insightful perspective in approaching policy. 
Throughout her time on the committee, Jenn has shown an unshakeable 
passion for serving our Nation and advocating for the goals of 
our Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

  Her professionalism and one-of-a-kind personality have left an 
enduring mark, and she will be greatly missed in the Halls of Congress.
  I am sure that I speak for many in expressing my very deepest 
appreciation for Jenn and her years of service and lasting 
contributions. She is a shining example, without question, of public 
service. Whether she knows it or not, she has made a significant 
difference in the lives of many Americans.
  We wish her and her family the very best during this time, and she is 
in our deepest prayers.
  I thank Jenn. We are praying for her, and may God bless her always.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for his 
thoughts and observations.
  We arrive at a moment in this Special Order when we begin to focus on 
a conclusion. You have heard this evening from Democrats and 
Republicans alike. You have heard from the most senior Members about 
the wonderful nature of our friend Jennifer Wickre. You can tell from 
those of us who have worked with her day to day, in many instances for 
years, some for decades, what a wonderful, productive, bright, 
articulate, and focused young woman she is. She has made the committee 
more productive. She has made the lives of her many friends richer.
  I simply suggest this in my closing: We may not get to work together 
with Jenn again in the near future on the Science Committee, but I have 
confidence in her and her faith. I am confident that, somewhere down 
the road, we will work together with Jenn again in a wonderful place.
  Mr. Speaker, God bless the congressional family, and in particular, 
God bless Jennifer Wickre, one of our very own.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________