[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 130 (Thursday, July 27, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3744-S3745]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO DAVID GRANNIS

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to give a belated and 
fond farewell to a valued and long-standing member of my staff, Mr. 
David Grannis.
  Every Member of this Chamber understands the importance of having 
wise counsel in their corner. It is not only important, but essential, 
in order to produce meaningful results for your constituents. To that 
end, David Grannis was an essential part of my team for the past 5 
years while serving as the chief of staff to my office.
  I previously offered a similar tribute to David in 2016, when he left 
his position as staff director for the Senate Select Committee on 
Intelligence to serve as the Principal Deputy Under Secretary at the 
Department of Homeland Security's Office of Intelligence and Analysis. 
I will be forever grateful for his return to my personal office, where 
he ably guided my staff through multiple Supreme Court nominations, 
impeachments, all-night vote-a-ramas, a global pandemic, and an 
insurrection. I will also always remember his support during a 
particularly difficult period after my husband's passing in 2022.
  David has had a long and distinguished history of public service. In 
addition to his time with the Department of Homeland Security, he 
served on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence for over a 
decade, beginning as my designee in March of 2005, then serving as my 
staff director beginning in January of 2009 when I took over as chair 
of the committee. Prior to joining the Intelligence Committee in 2005, 
David worked on the House Select Committee on Homeland Security and was 
the senior policy adviser to Representative Jane Harman on matters of 
national security.

[[Page S3745]]

  Before coming to Congress, David worked for 2 years at the National 
Research Council's Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology on 
projects studying the ability to make explosives more detectable and 
identifiable. He has a master's of public policy from the Harvard 
Kennedy School of Government, where he worked for former Secretary of 
Defense Ash Carter.
  As my chief of staff, David led with wit and wisdom and demonstrated 
an uncanny ability to get the job done. He has been by my side for 
countless meetings with foreign leaders, ambassadors, military 
commanders, corporate chiefs, and local officials. David has served as 
a mentor for many members of my staff and his professionalism and 
dedication are second to none. He is someone that I am proud to call a 
friend.
  I would also like to take this opportunity to thank David's wife, 
Kerry Searle Grannis, and their three wonderful children: Owen, Amelia, 
and Nathaniel. The chief of staff job is certainly not always easy. I 
appreciate their support of David throughout his tenure with my office, 
and I hope his next venture will allow for more time with his family.
  While I am sad to see David leave, I am thrilled that he has taken on 
a new role as the executive director for the Commission on the National 
Defense Strategy. I have every confidence that his steady hand, insight 
on the issues, and decisive leadership will serve the commission well.
  I thank David for his years of dedicated service to the people of 
California. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors, and I will 
deeply miss him.

                          ____________________