[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 20, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3006-S3007]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO LUPE WISSEL

 Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, with my colleagues Senator Jim Risch 
and Representatives Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher, I congratulate Lupe 
Wissel, of Eagle, ID, on her outstanding career of advocacy for senior 
citizens and veterans.
  Lupe is retiring from serving most recently for nearly 10 years as 
State director of AARP, Idaho. Prior to joining AARP, Lupe dedicated 
more than 14 years to working for the U.S. Senate. This includes her 
service of more than 10 years as staff director for the U.S. Senate 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs and her prior service as staff director 
for the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. A proud alum of Boise 
State University, she was also appointed by former Idaho Governor Dirk 
Kempthorne to serve as director for the Idaho Commission on Aging. And, 
previously, she devoted 21 years to serving as assistant regional 
manager/rehabilitation counselor III at the Idaho Division of 
Vocational Rehabilitation. In all, Lupe has spent more than four 
decades in public service, advocating for seniors, veterans, and people 
with disabilities.
  Lupe has used her immense experience to inform her tireless, 
measured, and well-informed advocacy for seniors. She has provided 
trusted counsel to our congressional delegation as we have worked on 
issues of importance to Idaho seniors. She helped administer AARP-
hosted tele-townhalls, ensuring Idahoans across our great State had 
opportunities to voice their views on issues before Congress. 
Throughout, she has been kind, efficient, professional, effective, and 
sincere to her cause.
  Lupe's service to others stretches beyond her employment; she has 
also

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supported efforts in her communities and Idaho through service in 
leadership positions for various organizations. This includes service 
on boards and commissions for the Pacific Region National 
Rehabilitation Association, Idaho Hispanic Commission, Idaho State 
Independent Living Council, Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce, Idaho 
Public Television, and Saint Alphonsus Health Systems.
  When announcing the search for Lupe's replacement, AARP shared, 
``During her tenure with AARP, Wissel guided the Idaho staff and a deep 
cadre of volunteers--who are committed to helping the 50+ live their 
best lives and thrive as they age. Wissel has also been instrumental in 
AARP's expansion of resources for veterans through increased access to 
information and services, and educational programs. She also led the 
development and delivery of AARP's community programs, advocacy and 
information for its more than 187,000 members in Idaho.''
  As we honor Lupe for her remarkable work and wish her well in her 
next chapter, we also recognize she truly leaves big shoes to fill. Her 
leadership and impactful championing will be greatly missed, and we 
thank her for her strong backing of Idaho seniors and our country's 
veterans as she has shaped sound policy for Americans throughout her 
commendable career.

                          ____________________