[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 121 (Thursday, July 23, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E734]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       CELEBRATING KATHIE EASTMAN TELL'S RECORD OF PUBLIC SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MAXINE DEXTER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 23, 2026

  Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate Kathie Eastman Tell, who 
is retiring after a cumulative twenty years of service in the United 
States House of Representatives.
  Her public service stretched from the sandy beaches of Hawaii's 1st 
Congressional District to the rugged coast of Oregon's 4th 
Congressional District, to the vibrant urban core of Portland in 
Oregon's 3rd Congressional District.
  Always strategic, efficient, and effective, Kathie served in almost 
every role of a House office operation, in both the D.C. and district 
offices. The handful of positions she never occupied were by her 
choice--much to the quiet dismay of offices that would have trusted her 
with all of them.
  In 1993, she began as a Legislative Correspondent for Representative 
Neil Abercrombie. She then joined Representative Peter DeFazio in 1998 
as a Senior Legislative Assistant, where she was especially active on 
issues related to transportation and infrastructure investments--a 
dedication that carried her onward as DeFazio's Legislative Director, 
and later his District Director. That same commitment to keeping our 
communities moving continued in Representative Earl Blumenauer's 
office, where she served as Press Secretary until 2006. Kathie then 
prioritized raising her two young children, McKenzie and Ben, in 
Portland, Oregon, with her spouse Jason Tell. Never far from the Oregon 
delegation and public policy, she took on part-time roles and projects 
during this time. She returned to Blumenauer's office in 2019, as a 
favorite Caseworker among constituents and prized Scheduler to the 
Member. Oregon was lucky to have DeFazio and Blumenauer invested in 
transportation and infrastructure. They were luckier to have Kathie 
embrace this legislative portfolio. Most recently, in the office of 
Representative Maxine Dexter, Kathie efficiently helped build a brand-
new district office from the ground up as the Operations Director.
  Much can be said about Kathie's intellect and work ethic, but not 
enough can be said about her infectious sense of humor. One colleague 
recounted that while he learned many things from Kathie, most of them 
should not go in the Congressional Record.
  A child of Berkeley, California, who dedicated her career to the 
people of Hawaii and Oregon, it is fitting Kathie will retire to 
Southwest Washington, claiming her final Pacific Rim state, in a life 
spent leaving every person and place she touched wiser, with a bit more 
grit, and better than she found them.

                          ____________________