[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 148 (Monday, September 23, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E944-E945]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO ANNE MARIE CHOTVACS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KAY GRANGER

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 23, 2024

  Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Anne Marie 
Chotvacs, who has selflessly served the United States, most prominently 
on the House Committee on Appropriations, for nearly 23 years. Her 
commitment to our country has benefited Congress tremendously, and her 
dedication to service has set an example for generations to come.
  Anne Marie entered federal service through a highly competitive 
Presidential Management Intern program at the U.S. Department of 
Commerce. There, she reviewed budget and policy proposals, served as a 
liaison to Congress and the Office of Management and Budget, and 
prepared briefings, testimony, and talking points for senior Department 
officials.
  While at the Commerce Department, she was detailed to the Office of 
Management and Budget during the development of the President's Budget 
Request for Fiscal Year 2002 and the House Committee on Appropriations 
for the Fiscal Year 2004 appropriations process. What she didn't 
realize at the time was that the latter detail would pave the way for a 
successful career on the most powerful committee in Congress.
  In March of 2004, Anne Marie officially joined the House Committee on 
Appropriations as a Professional Staff Member, working for a handful of 
subcommittees. Just a few years later, I was named the Lead Republican 
of the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs. 
Anne Marie's drive and hard work earned her the position of Minority 
Clerk for the Subcommittee, which is where I really got to know Anne 
Marie. In 2015, I had the honor of becoming the Chairwoman of the 
Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs. Given 
her foreign policy expertise, it was a natural transition for Anne 
Marie as she continued as the lead policy staffer for the Subcommittee, 
ultimately becoming the Staff Director and Majority Clerk.
  Serving on such a wide-ranging, impactful subcommittee, she knew it 
was important to conduct strict oversight of foreign programs and 
initiatives and made it a point to travel to all continents and more 
than 50 countries, ensuring taxpayer resources were being utilized 
responsibly and as intended by Congress. During her time on the 
Subcommittee, she was named in the National Journal's ``Five Staffers 
to Watch on Foreign Aid,'' a befitting accolade.
  After more than 12 years with the House Committee on Appropriations, 
Anne Marie had the opportunity to leave the federal government and work 
as the Senior Director of International Operations and Policy for The 
Boeing Company, managing a team representing the company's 
international commercial and defense business interests.
  When I was elected by my colleagues to be the Lead Republican of the 
House Committee on Appropriations for the 116th Congress, I knew 
immediately I wanted Anne Marie to be the Minority Staff Director, the 
top Republican staffer for the Committee. In this well-deserved

[[Page E945]]

role, she counseled Members of Congress on more than $1.5 trillion in 
annual federal funding and drove legislative outcomes by coordinating 
across 12 subcommittees. It is no secret that the 116th and 117th 
Congresses were full of unprecedented events, and as expected, Anne 
Marie remained a steady force, navigating through the longest 
government shutdown in history and the COVID pandemic. She was once 
again acknowledged for her outstanding work in 2019 when she was named 
in ``Key Players for the Fall Season'' by Congressional Quarterly.
  When Republicans gained the Majority for the 118th Congress, Anne 
Marie was elevated to Clerk and Staff Director of the Full Committee, 
where she led a team of more than 100 staff working with Members of 
Congress, Executive Branch agencies, foreign governments, and external 
stakeholders to develop appropriations legislation. In a particularly 
tense Congress, I know we wouldn't have accomplished what we did 
without her work as Clerk and Staff Director. She navigated one of the 
most difficult appropriations processes in recent history, finding 
common ground on controversial issues and winning key Republican 
priorities in the final Fiscal Year 2024 bills.
  Anne Marie's breadth of experience is a rare find on Capitol Hill, 
having had a hand to completing 20 appropriations cycles. She rose 
through the ranks from Agency Detailee to Professional Staff Member, 
Subcommittee Majority and Minority Clerk, Minority Staff Director, and 
finally to Full Committee Clerk and Staff Director. Anne Marie has been 
an exceptional leader--her reputation and experience are unmatched.
  It is my distinct honor to recognize Anne Marie as she leaves the 
halls of Congress. While she departs with a successful career on the 
Hill behind her, I know she won't stop achieving great things, and I am 
excited to see all that she accomplishes in her next chapter. I wish 
the best to Anne Marie, her husband Chuck, and her son Charlie, who 
will be turning three this December. Anne Marie will be incredibly 
missed in Congress--especially by me, and I thank her for her dedicated 
service to the United States of America.

                          ____________________