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Thanking Mr. Everett Coleman for His Many Years of Service to the United States Congress and Congratulating Him on His Retirement

Floor Speech

Date: Dec. 14, 2022
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and thank Mr. Everett Coleman for his many years of service to the United States Congress and congratulate him on his retirement.

A Navy veteran, Everett served our country in uniform before serving as a civilian. For the last 14 years, Everett has served as a crucial member of the House Armed Services Committee's staff.

Everett's contributions to this committee and the country's national security have been immeasurable. He has worked countless hours, whether late at night or on weekends, to keep the committee running and prepared to fulfil its duties. As the lead for the committee's technology, Everett has served the over 60 members and 70 staff throughout the years with distinction. The Armed Services Committee would not have functioned without him. I can say unequivocally that the committee would not have passed consecutive National Defense Authorizations Acts (NDAAs) each year without the tireless work and support of Everett.

Since 2007, Everett has kept the committee on track. Everett's role on the committee has not been easy. I suspect that no one on staff has ever called to let him know that the network was operating properly and that all the systems were okay. Rather, Everett has stepped up to make last minute fixes to ensure that a hearing started on time and dropped everything to ensure staff had the ability to communicate while abroad. Everett was also instrumental in moving the committee to an all-digital process for the markup of the NDAA. Further, as the Congress grappled with how to safely continue operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, Everett played a critical role to ensure the Armed Services Committee continued to be able to communicate, access data, and most importantly, meet and conduct effective oversight, ensuring the enactment of consecutive annual NDAAs.

Madam Speaker, on behalf of the House Armed Services Committee, I extend our deepest appreciation to Everett for his dedicated service to the committee, the Congress, and the military and civilian personnel of the Armed Forces. We wish him well as he leaves the committee to enjoy his well-earned retirement.

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