[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6220]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING ANDREW MALCOLM

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. GREG WALDEN

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 28, 2017

  Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Andrew Malcolm, a 
long-time, talented member of my staff who transitions this week from 
my office after more than seven years of dedicated service to Oregon's 
Second Congressional District.
  Growing up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Andrew earned a degree in 
politics from Princeton, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2009. 
Throughout school he had a keen eye on politics. He served as a 
congressional page during high school and in college he interned in the 
George W. Bush White House. It was also at Princeton that he met his 
wonderful wife Liz and I was glad to be present for their wedding 
nearly two years ago in her home state of Illinois.
  Despite his East Coast upbringing, Andrew dove right into being an 
adopted Oregonian, answering those that asked, ``I am not from Oregon, 
but I've spent a lot of time there.'' This started early on when Andrew 
jumped at a short notice opportunity to spend a couple days in Central 
Oregon and get some in-district experience. Now the Congressional 
schedule is a bit fluid at times and those couple days morphed into a 
couple weeks, while Liz was probably wondering if he'd gotten lost in 
the wilderness.
  It might have been the beautiful landscapes, or maybe the Oregon 
pinots, craft beer and Pendleton whiskey, but no matter the reason 
Andrew fell in love with all that Oregon has to offer and adopted it as 
his second home state.
  As an East Coaster learning the ways of the Pacific Northwest, it 
wasn't all smooth sailing. In fact, much like the east coast ships 
crossing the Columbia bar for the first time, his initial experience in 
Oregon's fashion waters was a bit rough. Arriving to his interview in 
boat shoes, he quickly learned they were well out of the norm for 
Oregonians, and probably shouldn't be seen in them around the district.
  Moving deftly past that faux pas, Andrew rose swiftly through the 
ranks in my office, from Legislative Correspondent and Legislative 
Assistant, to Press Secretary and Deputy Chief of Staff. Along the way 
he's helped contribute to some historic moments for Oregon and our 
nation.
  When Andrew's first tour of duty out in Oregon came to an end, we'd 
taken back the majority in the House. Andrew found himself in the 
middle of the action helping staff the transition effort for House 
Republicans heading into the 112th Congress.
  Andrew also played an instrumental role last fall as we worked all 
the angles and were successful in achieving the chair of the Energy and 
Commerce Committee--a first in Oregon history.
  Perhaps the toughest work, however, was done daily. Dealing with the 
press on Capitol Hill is a challenging enough job, but there may be no 
more challenging job than being press secretary to a Member of Congress 
who was a press secretary to a Member of Congress. Andrew took this in 
stride, and tackled it with dedicated skill.
  Weighing in at over 70,000 square miles, Oregon's Second District is 
vast and diverse. There are five distinct television markets covered by 
nearly a dozen stations and numerous radio stations and newspapers. 
Reporters kept Andrew on his toes with questions on a wide range of 
policy issues. Whether we were working to put people back to work in 
the woods, or fighting for veterans' access to the care they deserve, 
Andrew easily distilled complex policy down for the public, sometimes 
in as little as 140 characters.
  While Andrew is departing as a formal member of my staff, he will 
always be a valued member of Team Walden. We will miss his quick wit 
and dedicated intellect, but know they will continue to be an asset to 
him into the future.
  As Andrew moves on to the next stage of his professional career, I am 
reminded of a piece of advice from President Theodore Roosevelt. ``Life 
is a great adventure . . . accept it in such a spirit.'' Throughout his 
time in my office, Andrew has done just that. Jumping at opportunities 
and taking on new responsibilities with tenacity and a high degree of 
respect and appreciation for the work we do here in Congress, and the 
people we serve.
  Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in thanking Andrew for 
his dedication and service to the great state of Oregon and our nation, 
and wish him and Liz the very best of luck for the next chapter of 
their lives.

                          ____________________