[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2884-2885]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        FAREWELL TO ALAN HOFFMAN

  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, I rise today to say farewell and thank you 
to my chief of staff, Alan Hoffman. As many of you know, I was 
fortunate enough to have had Alan leading my office from 1998 to 2003, 
and then had my fortunes upped when Alan made the tremendous personal 
sacrifice, at my request, to leave California and resume his position 
in 2006. While I am sorry to see him go, it is certainly understandable 
that Alan is now returning to the west coast, rejoining his wife in 
their home in Santa Monica, and taking on a major position in the 
University of California system.
  I am indebted to Alan's invaluable leadership, wise counsel, and 
unwavering loyalty. The entire Biden family has come to respect and 
care for Alan. We all recognized right away that Alan is a thoroughly 
decent human being, and he quickly earned my trust. I never once 
doubted the judgment Alan exercised as my chief of staff. Never once.
  Alan arrived at my office in 1998 having served as an assistant U.S. 
attorney in Philadelphia after having worked in the White House and the 
Department of Justice. Actually, the first time I met Alan was supposed 
to be for a courtesy interview as he was being considered for a high-
level position with Attorney General Reno. I was so impressed with his 
intellect, his temperament, his passion, and his values that I thought, 
I want this guy to work for me. I felt it was quite the coup when he 
accepted my offer.
  Alan brought the smarts and experience to quickly grasp the salient 
points of any issue, and a deft hand on how to advance policy 
initiatives. I have benefited enormously from Alan's excellent 
sensibilities. He has sharp political sense, a keen sense of timing, a 
sense of what makes people tick, and a sense of humor. Alan has 
tremendous awe and respect for the work being done by the United States 
Senate, and yet, at the same time, he has an underlying sense of 
humility. Alan never forgets that the work of the Congress is the 
people's business.
  Alan oversaw many proud legislative achievements during his tenure in 
my office, ranging from improvements to port and rail security, to 
passage of the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 to championing 
criminal justice reforms and strengthening the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. He 
has continued to work, until his last hour on my staff, for policies 
that further the well-being and security of all Americans. Alan's 
leadership and unwavering sense of justice have been the catalysts for 
alliances that have a real chance of remedying the disparity in 
sentences received by those convicted of crack cocaine, as opposed to 
powder cocaine, offenses.
  Though young when he first arrived in 1998, Alan quickly proved able 
to manage my diverse staff, ranging from bookish lawyers, to foreign 
policy specialists to caseworkers in my Delaware office. Alan 
motivated, challenged, and inspired the staff. He always set the 
highest example for all who worked with him and has earned their 
unqualified respect and admiration. And Alan provided the solid 
leadership and needed guidance to staff when the nation was attacked on 
September 11, 2001, and again, when the Senate suffered the anthrax 
attack which forced my Judiciary Committee staff out of their Hart 
Building offices and landed Senator Carper's staff in our own 
conference room.
  Alan has unlimited patience to hear all sides of an issue whether 
from staff, divergent interest groups, or constituents. He understands 
complexity and yet is always ready with a commonsense and principled 
recommendation that was easily explainable to both people inside, and 
more importantly, outside the beltway. Importantly, he is also a 
trusted and respected ally to so many of my colleagues; they know they 
can call Alan when I am not reachable and they can always count on him 
to follow through.
  Mr. President, this is one of those moments when saying thank you 
simply seems inadequate. Alan Hoffman left his then-fiancee, now wife, 
a high-level position at the RAND Corporation, and a settled life in 
California to

[[Page 2885]]

return to my office in 2006. That kind of loyalty, dedication, and 
sacrifice are rare.
  I understand completely that Alan is ready to go home. I wish him and 
his wife Lizzie all the best. I have no doubt that he will prove to be 
just as talented and invaluable in his new position. But the fact 
remains that Alan Hoffman will be deeply missed, and his work and 
leadership leave an enduring imprint both in Washington and in 
Delaware.

                          ____________________