[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 188 (Wednesday, December 18, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7175-S7176]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO MAJOR MICHAEL MARFUT

  Mr. KING. Madam President, today I wish to recognize MAJ Michael 
Marfut, U.S. Army, for his outstanding work on behalf of the people of 
Maine and the Nation as a 2024 Department of Defense Legislative Fellow 
serving in my Washington, DC, office.
  Over the past year, Mike has been integral in shaping my foreign 
policy and defense priorities. He helped secure several provisions in 
the fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act--FY25 NDAA--
that will make our country stronger and safer. Mike led my staff in 
orchestrating important appropriations for the Department of Defense, 
Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, 
and the Office of National Drug Control Policy. He also helped lead an 
excellent congressional delegation to the Antietam Battlefield. His 
contributions to office morale and our collective work product are 
emblematic of his good character, competence, and strong work ethic.
  Throughout his tenure in my office, Mike demonstrated a level of 
professionalism and hard work I have come to expect--but not take for 
granted--from Department of Defense Legislative Fellows. Indeed, he 
follows a long line of accomplished military officers who have made 
impactful contributions to my office and U.S. national security policy. 
Over the course of the year, Mike prepared and advised me on wide-
ranging and complex matters under consideration before the Senate Armed 
Services Committee. His attention to detail has served me well; Mike 
managed over 400 individual authorization and appropriation requests 
and over 600 markup amendments. He brought his operational and 
leadership expertise to assist me in the Strategic Forces Subcommittee 
briefings and deliberations which resulted in critical

[[Page S7176]]

funding authorizations and legislation. His fingerprints lay throughout 
the NDAA in the form of legislation and report language. Mike was my 
lead expert on matters of blast overpressure and military suicide 
prevention resulting in at least six provisions becoming law. He also 
served as the subject matter expert on cybersecurity certification 
requirements, ensuring important oversight matters were included in the 
NDAA. Furthermore, he helped secure important funding for advanced 
research impacting Maine from Aroostook to York County. In addition, he 
became my go-to lead for monitoring the horrific war in Ukraine and 
Israel where he provided clear-headed and thoughtful analysis and 
liaised with representatives from the White House, State Department, 
and Department of Defense to convey my positions and concerns. His 
candor and honest assessments provided critical insights during this 
fraught time in U.S. history, and our Nation is better because of it.
  On behalf of my colleagues and the U.S. Congress, I thank Mike for 
his dedicated service to my staff, the State of Maine, the U.S. Army, 
and the Nation. Part of what makes the U.S. military the greatest in 
the history of the world is that servicemembers like Mike dedicate 
their lives to service and sacrifice for their country. Major Marfut 
does not do it alone, so I also acknowledge the support of his family--
his wife Alexandria and his children, Maria, Audrey, Grace, and George. 
I wish them all the best in what I know is a bright future.

                          ____________________