[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 105 (Thursday, June 15, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2118]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        Tribute to Tricia Engle

  Mr. SCHUMER. Just parenthetically, true to Trish's dedication to the 
job, she just sat down and whispered to me: We are not in a quorum 
call. That will probably be one of the very last of about 10,000--maybe 
100,000--proper, right instructions she has given me over the years 
that she has been here--or given all of us. So I thought that was a 
moment to remember.
  Anyway, today, I want to take a moment to honor one of the--the--the 
most beloved members of the Senate team, and that is Trish Engle, who 
will be leaving the Democratic cloakroom after 26 years of service.
  That means you started about a year before me, 1998--1997. I came 
here in early 1999.
  Trish is the proud mom of two boys, William and Garrison.
  Wave to us, William. Who is older--William or Garrison? William. Very 
nice. Both are in their nice blue shirts.
  They are here with us today, and I am sure they are looking--are you 
looking forward to spending more time with your mom? You are saying you 
are. I am not quite sure, at your age, that is exactly the case. But I 
am sure it is good quality time, knowing Trish.
  Trish's mom, Melva Ongstad, is here in the Gallery.
  Hello, Melva.
  I am glad her family could be here, and I know how proud everyone is 
of Trish. We all are.
  We all know that Trish is one of the most familiar faces in the 
Senate, but even then, it is easy to miss just how important, just how 
critical she has been to making the Senate agenda come to life. There 
are so many--and Trish is at the top of the list--of these unsung 
heroes who make the place work. No one notices them, no one praises 
them, but without them, this place would collapse.
  Without Trish, the Democratic caucus wouldn't have accomplished a 
fraction--that is true--a fraction of all the amazing things we have 
gotten done over the years: drug reform, infrastructure, CARES Act, 
ACA--the list goes on and on. The list of bills she has had a hand in 
literally spans decades.
  Every Senator on our side of the aisle, every single one, and many of 
those who have retired, can think of some accomplishment we have been 
proud of at one point or another. You can bet that Trish was the one 
who helped make that accomplishment happen on the floor because it is 
Trish who comes up with these brilliant parliamentary maneuvers to 
achieve our mission. She is always writing the scripts that speed up 
the voting process. She is something truly unique, a legislative artist 
who knows the inner workings of this body like few others in the 
country. There are probably maybe fewer than 10 people who know as much 
about the Senate as Trish of the whole--how many?--8 billion people on 
Earth, approximately 8 billion people on Earth. That is pretty good.
  Over the years, she worked wonders serving--I met her when Daschle 
was leader. He loved her and depended on her. She worked her magic 
under Harry Reid. He loved her and depended on her.
  Today, I want to express how grateful I am for all the good work you 
have done during my time as leader.
  Like so many parents around here, Trish had to juggle a very 
demanding job where she is almost on call all the time while making 
sure her wonderful family got all they needed. If that wasn't 
challenging enough, during all this time, she is like Superwoman. She 
earned an M.B.A. and M.A. from Johns Hopkins while working on the 
Senate floor. And to do that from any college is amazing; to do it from 
Johns Hopkins--wow. No slouch are you, Trish. Doing it all. Doing it 
all.
  But these are only some of the wonderful reasons we will miss her. We 
will miss her because of her wonderful sense of humor. We will miss her 
because few people put up with Senators so regularly and never--I don't 
think I ever saw you get mad. Anybody? Oh, you got mad at Amy once. OK, 
I understand.
  We will miss her because she is a wonderful person to work with no 
matter the day, no matter the issue, no matter the outcome. She is the 
best.
  On behalf of the Senate, Trish, of all of us, the whole big Senate 
family, we thank you for everything you have done for this institution 
and derivatively for our country. We love you. We will miss you. And 
you will always have a home here in this Chamber. We wish you and your 
wonderful family the very best.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The President pro tempore.
  Mrs. MURRAY. If I could, I just wanted to also take this opportunity 
to thank Trish and echo the majority leader's words. All of us are 
grateful for her tremendous service to each and every one of us.
  As one of the few Senators who were here when she first started who 
are still here, I just want to tell you the Senate will not be the 
Senate without Trish. Her smile, her ability to work with us, her 
knowledge of the rules, being at our back, helping us understand the 
process, have really helped laws pass, changed lives, and made a 
difference for all of us.
  Trish, we are going to miss you, and I just personally want to share 
my thanks with your family for sacrificing you for so many years to be 
with us, and I wish you all the best.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.
  Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I want to share the perspective of 
individual Senators who, at various moments, are extremely stressed 
over getting their amendment considered or how to deal with a 
particular issue that is coming up. There have been moments, for 
example, not too far back into last year, when I really wanted an 
amendment up and was asking Trish, how do I do this? How do I position 
this to get this done? And I know that many of us, when we are trying 
to do something we consider important or are concerned about something 
happening that is detrimental, our emotions are high. Every time that I 
have been in that position, you have been a calm and steady presence 
facilitating our efforts--maybe raising an eyebrow now and then about 
whether this was the right moment or the right process but giving sound 
guidance and taking our levels of anxiety and stress down a few notches 
and helping us get the job done.
  So all of us who, in moments--critical moments--have come to you and 
asked for your help and your insight on how to proceed, thank you for 
being a wise and sober and calming counsel to us. And I wish you all 
the best in your next chapter.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as if in 
morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.