[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 7, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S87]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO JO ELLEN DEUTSCH

  Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 
extraordinary career and service of Jo Ellen Deutsch, who recently 
retired after a nearly 40-year career focused on ensuring and expanding 
rights for all Americans.
  Jo graduated from Smith College in 1982 with a B.A. in American 
studies and later received her M.A. from the George Washington 
University, focused on women's studies, specializing in public policy 
and women's history. Although her activism began long before her 
college years, Jo jumped immediately into advocacy and public service 
as she began her professional career.
  On Capitol Hill, Jo spent a year as a fellow in Representative 
Barbara Boxer's Washington, DC, office. She then joined the Association 
of Flight Attendants, as their director of government affairs, focusing 
on passing a ban on smoking in-flight to protect workers and passengers 
from secondhand smoke. Later, with roles at both the American 
Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees and the Commercial 
Workers International Union, Jo continued her work to support and 
defend the rights of working men and women across our Nation.
  In 2011, Jo joined Freedom to Marry as their Federal director, with 
the goal of overturning the so-called Defense of Marriage Act which 
defined marriage as between one man and one woman. Jo, as she did with 
all her efforts, threw herself wholeheartedly into this fight for 
equality. She built coalitions--including Mayors for the Freedom to 
Marry, Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry, and the Respect 
for Marriage Coalition--signaling that there was sustained momentum and 
progress across our Nation in support of the freedom to marry. She used 
her deep knowledge of the inner workings of Capitol Hill to build 
support with a bipartisan coalition of Members in the House of 
Representatives and in the Senate. Jo's sustained efforts paved the way 
for change across the Nation.
  After 2015's landmark Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, 
establishing the freedom to marry across the country, Jo turned her 
advocacy into sustained mentorship. She established the Deutsch 
Initiatives Group, sharing her experiences and expertise in lobbying, 
management, training, and messaging. She later joined the Campaign 
Legal Center to advocate for critical reforms goals to the laws 
undergirding our democracy, particularly with regard to campaign 
finance, ethics, and voting rights laws.
  Jo's landmark work at Freedom to Marry paved the way for legislation 
I was proud to help author and usher into law in 2022, the Respect for 
Marriage Act. This act repealed the Defense of Marriage Act and ensured 
that under Federal law, you were free to marry the person that you 
love.
  And love has always been at the center of Jo's world. Together with 
her wife Teresa, they have centered their family in their adopted home 
of Maryland. After 29 years together, in 2013, they were married with 
their three children serving as their wedding attendants, an event I 
was honored to attend.
  I am delighted to congratulate my friend Jo on a wonderful and deeply 
impactful career. The ripples of her determination and advocacy will be 
felt for generations to come, and I am thrilled to see what the next 
chapter holds for her, Teresa, and their family.

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