[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 112 (Monday, July 8, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S4222]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                     Tribute to Mary Moody Johnson

  Madam President, as you know, as Members of Congress, we are 
fortunate to have highly motivated and productive younger people 
working for us. They are essential for our country to meet its goals.
  I rise today to honor a member of my team. For 7 years, I have been 
fortunate to work with one of the best--my health policy director, Mary 
Moody Johnson.
  On Capitol Hill, a lot of our staff come and go pretty quickly, so 
when you have someone who stays with you 7 years, who is loyal to the 
things you are loyal to, dedicated, working so hard for so long, you 
feel a special attachment.
  After almost a decade on Capitol Hill--7 of which she spent in my 
office serving the people of Louisiana, first in my DC office and then 
on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee--Mary is moving 
on to a new professional challenge at the end of this week. It is 
bittersweet.
  She has played an incredible role in the success of my office in 
lowering the costs of healthcare and serving the Americans we 
represent. Just as an example, if someone says, ``My gosh, we made a 
lot of progress in terms of mental health reform,'' Mary Moody is one 
of those who are critical to that. If somebody has a surprise medical 
bill which they appeal and get reversed, that was Mary Moody--now Mary 
Moody Johnson--taking 3 years to work with other offices and with 
stakeholders to come up with a bill which passed both Houses of 
Congress and was signed into law. It should have been called the Mary 
Moody Johnson End Surprise Medical Billing, as far as I am concerned. 
She worked long hours with long spreadsheets, and she got a bill that 
has saved maybe as many as 1 million surprise medical bills a month.
  On a personal note, it is a privilege to be her friend. She came into 
my office when she was 24. She had a grandmother from Louisiana and 
convinced me she had deep ties to our State, so I hired her. It turns 
out she was from Texas. I never let her forget that. I especially like 
that she married a man from Ponchatoula, LA. I was able to attend their 
wedding in the Marigny section of New Orleans a year and a half ago.
  She is now ready to move on. I get that. At some point, it is not 
what you do for the rest of your life; it is what you do next. Both 
because of her marriage and other reasons--her commitment to her 
church--she is ready to try something else.
  I am thankful for all she has done. I am sure our paths will cross 
again. I am excited to see what happens next. We all wish her the best 
as she moves on. She will be missed by all, but our loss is someone 
else's incredible gain.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.