[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 149 (Tuesday, September 24, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E964]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE SERVICE OF MR. WALTER HEARNE TO THE U.S. CONGRESS AND THE 
                   HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 24, 2024

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to an exemplary 
staff member of the House Committee on Appropriations, Mr. Walter 
Hearne, as he retires from Federal Government service this year.
  For twenty-five years, Walter has served the U.S. Congress with 
distinction. He began his career in 1999 as a Staff Assistant with the 
Senate Budget Committee where he developed an affinity for the federal 
budget process. In 2002, he transitioned to the U.S. House of 
Representatives, and the House Committee on Appropriations, where he 
served for several years as professional staff on the Subcommittee on 
Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government and the Subcommittee 
on Transportation and the Treasury.
  In 2004, Walter began working on funding our national security when 
he joined the Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans 
Affairs. For seven years, Walter worked to pass annual appropriations 
bills that improved the quality of life for service members and their 
families including improvements in medical care, housing, and child 
development centers. At the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, 
Walter also worked to pass several supplemental appropriations bills in 
support of ongoing military operations in the U.S. Central Command area 
of responsibility.
  In 2011, Walter brought his national security and appropriations 
experience to the Subcommittee on Defense, where he would work for the 
next fourteen years. On the Subcommittee, Walter primarily served as 
the professional staff member in charge of the Air Force portfolio. He 
worked on programs of tremendous national security importance like the 
modernization of America's nuclear triad, the F-35 Joint Strike 
Fighter, the KC-46 tanker, and Intelligence Community programs. 
Ultimately, Walter would assist in shepherding fifteen appropriations 
bills through Congress while serving as staff on the Subcommittee on 
Defense.
  In the 117th Congress, I was honored to serve as the Chair of the 
Defense Subcommittee during a particularly tumultuous time in America's 
national security. This Congress included the COVID-19 pandemic, the 
end of the War in Afghanistan, and the beginning of Russia's full-scale 
invasion of Ukraine. I was able to be successful as Chair during the 
117th Congress because of the incredible Subcommittee staff serving 
with me, Walter chief among him. As Chair, I knew I could always count 
on Walter's utmost professionalism, deep wealth of knowledge, and his 
best counsel, which he has always provided to Clerks and Chairs of the 
Subcommittee from both parties. His work and was critical to helping me 
enact the Fiscal Year 2022 and Fiscal Year 2023 Defense Appropriation 
Acts, and I will always be grateful to him for his work.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join my colleagues in recognizing Walter 
Hearne's achievements over 25 years working in Congress and his record 
of incredible service to our Nation. I wish him all the best in the 
years to come.

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