[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16415-16416]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO ROBERT PAQUIN

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, Robert Paquin is retiring after 40 years 
working as a dedicated public servant in Vermont and on Capitol Hill in 
Washington. Bob has committed his entire career to making the Federal 
Government a positive force in the lives of individuals and 
communities. He has accomplished much, particularly on behalf of our 
State of Vermont.
  Bob, as Marcelle and I have always known him, was my longest serving 
staff member and is among the longest serving personal staff members in 
U.S. Senate history. He began in my Washington office in 1977 and then 
moved to Vermont to serve as one of my outstanding field 
representatives. He ended his congressional staff service 32 years 
later, in 2009, to take a leadership role at the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture, USDA, in the Obama administration.
  On my staff in Washington, Bob worked on defense, foreign policy, and 
appropriations, and in Vermont, he supported my work on agriculture, 
conservation, energy, and environmental protection. He also helped to 
manage my Vermont offices and provided constituent services to 
countless Vermonters.
  Bob brought Vermont values on conservation, sustainable and organic 
agriculture, dairy, and rural development to my work on many farm 
bills, affecting national agricultural practices, policy, and economics 
to this day.
  Bob also helped to develop the Lake Champlain Special Designation Act 
of 1990, worked on its reauthorization in 2001, and supported my 
efforts every year to maintain sufficient Federal support for the Lake 
Champlain cleanup efforts. He worked day in and day out to nurture and 
grow important partner organizations in Vermont, including the Lake 
Champlain Basin Program, Lake Champlain Sea Grant, the Leahy Center for 
Lake Champlain, the Lake Champlain sea lamprey control program, and 
many more that have helped to leverage Federal investments in 
conservation and the cleanup of Lake Champlain.
  I strongly believe that land conservation is an important part of the 
heritage of every Vermonter. Bob worked on the ground to help establish 
the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, the Nulhegan/
Conte National Wildlife Refuge and the Upper Missisquoi and Trout 
National Wild and Scenic Rivers. He also helped me as I fought for the 
addition of more than 100,000 acres to the Green Mountain National 
Forest, protection of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, and 
establishment and expansion of eight Federal wilderness areas in 
Vermont. He also worked on the delivery of Capitol Christmas trees from 
Vermont's Green Mountain National Forest to Washington, DC.
  Time does not allow me to catalogue all of Bob's accomplishments 
while on my staff, but his greatest impact may have been his simple and 
honest interactions in helping thousands of Vermont constituents with 
problems and requests over so many years. Bob is known for his 
troubleshooting and advocacy for Vermonters in every corner of the 
State.
  In 2009, I gave my highest recommendation to the incoming 
administration of President Obama for Bob to be appointed as executive 
director of the Farm Service Agency in Vermont. Bob has distinguished 
himself in that role--helping Vermont farmers recovering from Tropical 
Storm Irene, implementing new programs under the 2014 farm bill, 
assisting new Americans from the refugee community to start farms, 
supporting our dairy farmers through tough times, and nurturing his 
dedicated USDA staff across Vermont.
  Robert Paquin has been a truly exceptional and dedicated public 
servant

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for Vermont and the Nation for four decades. I will continue to seek 
his advice, and Marcelle and I wish him and his wife, Theresa, all the 
best in the future.

                          ____________________