[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 19 (Wednesday, January 29, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S478]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO CYNTHIA BAJJALIEH

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, Americans across the country depend on 
their elected officials, not only to represent their interests in 
government, but also to provide every day support and services. But 
what most Americans do not see is the staff that make it all possible. 
Today, I want to take a moment to tell you about one invaluable member 
of my team: Cynthia Bajjalieh. For 20 years, Cynthia, my director of 
constituent services, has been living, breathing proof that the purpose 
of government is to help people. I am sad to share that this Friday 
will mark her last day on our staff. Her departure leaves a void that 
will be hard to fill.
  Cynthia got her start on my staff as an intern, serving out of our 
Chicago office. I have long told the hard-working young people who work 
for me: ``Treat each constituent as you would your own grandmother.'' 
During her outstanding service to our State, Cynthia took this to 
heart, serving the people of Illinois as if they were her own family.
  That directive has defined Cynthia's service to our State and this 
Nation. Over the past two decades on my team, she has become an 
integral part of the heart of our office--a problem solver, a redtape 
cutter, and goodwill ambassador all rolled into one person.
  Cynthia always takes the time to get to know the whole story. Ask her 
about any case she has handled, and chances are she will recall not 
only the constituent's name but also the names of their family members 
and details about their lives. She cares deeply about her work and the 
lives of others.
  You can find examples of this in her work each and every day, but one 
of my favorite stories is from 2018, when Cynthia got a call from the 
Sisters of Mercy about a Congolese mother who had been separated from 
her young daughter. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) would 
eventually take this case to Federal court to stop the cruel practice 
of family separation and force the government to reunite more than 
2,000 children with their parents. It also was Cynthia who fielded 
hundreds of calls from Americans stranded around the world--and on 
cruise ships--during the pandemic, helping them get their medications 
and find their way back home.
  To me, Cynthia truly is a miracle worker. For so many Illinoisans 
over the last 20 years, she has made the seemingly impossible, 
possible. And she does it all with a smile and compassion. Cynthia 
embodies how the government should serve Americans; I am lucky to have 
had her on my team. I wish her all the best as she begins the next 
chapter of her life.

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