[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 13832-13833]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO FEDERAL EMPLOYEES


              Justo ``Tito'' Hernandez and Melissa Forbes

  Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, as some of my colleagues know, nearly 
every month for more than 1 year now, I have come to the Senate floor 
regularly to highlight the diverse and difficult work performed by the 
men and women at the Department of Homeland Security. I have been 
privileged to be at times in recent years the chairman of the Senate 
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and today serve 
as the senior Democrat, the ranking member of that committee.
  The Department of Homeland Security is part of the government that we 
have direct jurisdiction over, and it is one that I have had a great 
privilege to work with and have had an opportunity to oversee the 
operation of that Department. The Department of Homeland Security has 
more than 230,000 employees stationed around our country at our ports 
of entry, major transit hubs, and in major cities and small communities 
alike. Each day the Department of Homeland Security performs some of 
the most challenging jobs in the Federal Government. From securing 
radiological material to protecting our cyber networks to responding to 
natural disasters such as floods, fires, and tornadoes, the Department 
of Homeland Security employees work around-the-clock to stay ahead of 
threats to our communities, our homes, and our families.
  I commend Secretary Jeh Johnson, Deputy Secretary Mayorkas, and their 
entire leadership team for their continued efforts to bring the entire 
department together and make the Department of Homeland Security more 
than just the sum of its parts.
  Last week, the 2016 Federal Employee Viewpoint survey was released 
with some good news. The annual survey is provided to hundreds of 
thousands of Federal employees every year to gauge their satisfaction 
with their jobs and their engagement with their agency as a whole. 
After 6 years of declining morale numbers, the tide has begun to turn 
at the Department of Homeland Security. That is a good thing. Since 
last year, morale has increased throughout the Department by some 3 
percent. I think that is probably more than any other Department in the 
Federal Government--over the last year, a significant one-year 
improvement and a better result than the Federal Government average 
over the same period.
  Like turning an aircraft carrier, improving morale over a large 
Federal agency takes time. You can turn an aircraft carrier's course, 
but it takes a little while, and so does changing and improving the 
morale of a department with a quarter of a million people spread out 
all over the world. I believe this latest survey shows that the hard 
work done by Secretary Johnson and Deputy Secretary Mayorkas and their 
team has begun to put this ship on a better course for the future.
  While more work needs to be done to improve morale at the Department 
of Homeland Security, this effort does not fall on Secretary Johnson 
alone. Each Member of Congress and every American can help support the 
Department and its employees by simply acknowledging the good work that 
the employees do there every day. Whether we simply say thank you to a 
TSA agent or TSO officer the next time we pass through an airport or 
give an occasional speech on the Senate floor as I am doing tonight and 
have done on other occasions, our support makes a difference.
  Mr. President, each September, the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency, which we affectionately call FEMA, marks National Preparedness 
Month. Throughout the month, FEMA encourages all Americans to prepare 
for natural disasters and emergencies. To continue highlighting 
National Preparedness Month and to continue to highlight the important 
work done by FEMA and its people, I want to take a moment tonight to 
thank just a few of the employees of FEMA, one of the 22 component 
agencies all told that make up the Department of Homeland Security.
  As my colleagues may know, just last month, historic flooding 
inundated much of the State of Louisiana. What some may not know is 
that even before the floodwaters had peaked, FEMA employees and 
personnel were on the ground there. They were setting up Incident 
Support Bases to provide supplies, coordinating with State and local 
officials, and supporting first responders in rescue efforts. FEMA also 
set up Disaster Recovery Centers to assist residents seeking Federal 
aid to get back on their feet in the aftermath of the storms.
  One of the first FEMA employees on the ground there more than a month 
ago was Justo Hernandez, and Justo's picture is right here. Justo goes 
by the nickname Tito and is a Team Leader of the East II National 
Incident Management Assistance Team. With 28 years' experience with 
FEMA, Tito leads his team in immediate response efforts to natural and 
manmade disasters whenever and wherever they occur.
  Ready at a moment's notice, Tito and his team are experts in disaster 
response, specializing in operations, logistics, planning, and 
recovery. They put their experience to use by supporting State and 
local officials as they work through the most trying of situations.
  Members of Tito's team say that he is by far the best manager and 
supervisor they have ever worked for. As a leader, Tito leads by 
example, not afraid to get his hands dirty and never turning down a 
task, large or small. With their team expected to be deployed nearly 9 
months out of the year, Tito has a deep respect for his team members' 
personal time.
  When Tito does get some time back at home, I know he enjoys spending 
every moment with his wife and three children. His family is incredibly 
generous, and we are grateful to them for lending our Nation their 
husband and father so he may undertake this important work in many 
parts of America on behalf of all Americans.
  As a FEMA employee, Tito embodies the spirit of dedication and 
caring, shaking hands with each individual he comes into contact with, 
asking them, ``How are you doing?'' As with most of the men and women 
at FEMA, Tito doesn't stop there. He does all he can do to help people.
  Last month, I visited FEMA headquarters here in Washington, DC. I met 
a number of the thousands of dedicated employees who work there. This 
is a picture from FEMA. These are some of the exceptional people who 
help us in some of our darkest hours. While many of these men and women 
were not directly involved in the response effort in Louisiana, they 
felt obligated to do all they could for their colleagues who were on 
the ground in Louisiana or coordinating from around the country. In 
fact, FEMA headquarters established a backup call center in their 
offices, and dozens of FEMA employees volunteered--during or after 
their regular working hours--to man the phones and talk to people 
through some of the toughest situations imaginable.
  One FEMA employee who asked how she could help is Melissa Forbes. 
Melissa has a Ph.D. in public policy and serves as Director of 
Enterprise Resource Planning in FEMA's Office of Policy and Program 
Analysis. Melissa's day job is to ensure that FEMA has the resources 
needed for the challenges it expects to face in the months and years 
ahead.
  For 27 hours over the course of 5 days--that is more than five hours 
each day--Melissa put her regular work on hold and came to the call 
center. In those 27 hours, Melissa took countless calls, answering 
questions and connecting people with her colleagues at FEMA who could 
get them immediate help.
  In the Navy, when someone does a truly remarkable job, we say these 
words: ``Bravo Zulu.'' So, to Melissa and to all who worked and 
volunteered at FEMA headquarters, I would say a great big ``Bravo 
Zulu.''
  As I mentioned earlier, FEMA is made up of thousands of men and women 
who ask every day: How are you? How are you doing? How can we help? 
While Tito, his team, and others from FEMA were on the ground in 
Louisiana, Melissa felt compelled to do all she could do to support 
them.

[[Page 13833]]

  More than a year ago, Secretary Johnson launched his Unity of Effort 
initiative to bring the Department of Homeland Security employees 
closer together in their shared mission. Last month, Melissa and Tito 
were reunited from a thousand miles away in their efforts to help the 
people of Louisiana.
  Every month I come to the Senate floor and highlight the amazing 
dedication of two or three people, in some cases entire teams of men 
and women who are united in their shared goal of keeping Americans 
safe.
  In closing, let me say that I don't think the results from this 
year's Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey are a fluke. I believe the 
improvement in morale that has been reported by the thousands of 
employees at the Department of Homeland Security represents the growing 
unity within the Department of Homeland Security, the youngest and 
third largest Cabinet Department in the Federal Government.
  I, for one, look forward to next year's viewpoint survey, as well as 
those in the years to come, because I believe they will continue to put 
on display an ever more united and effective department. So to Tito, to 
the East II team, to Melissa and the volunteers at FEMA headquarters, 
as well as to everyone at FEMA, we say a great big thank you. Thank you 
for coming together, not only by asking ``How are you doing?'' but by 
going to work to make things better for all of us. Keep up the great 
work that you are doing, and God bless you.
  I have been joined on the floor by the majority leader.
  Before I yield the floor, let me say to another person who has joined 
us, my colleague from New Hampshire, who is the ranking member Democrat 
on the Appropriations Subcommittee for Homeland Security that she and 
the chairman, former Governor Hoeven, Senator Hoeven now, do a 
wonderful job that is important to Homeland Security. On behalf of 
Melissa and Tito and all the hundreds of thousands of people who work 
with them in Homeland Security, thank you for being there for them.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.

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