Recognizing Arya Hariharan and Her Service to the House Judiciary Committee

Floor Speech

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Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank Arya Hariharan for her service to the House Judiciary Committee and to honor her unwavering commitment to a vision of America that is safer, freer, and more just.

Arya's early career prepared her well for her time on the Committee. She attended American University, where she played Division I varsity women's soccer and received a Presidential Merit Scholarship. She also graduated from the William & Mary School of Law, where she was the executive editor of the Environmental Law & Policy Review and the founding editor of the Business Law Review. After passing the bar, she worked for several nonprofit organizations dedicated to education and economic mobility, access to the justice system, and environmental preservation.

Arya came to Capitol Hill in 2015 and served as Representative Hank Johnson's Legislative Director and Senior Legislative Counsel. In that role, she managed Mr. Johnson's policy agenda and prepared him for his work on the House Judiciary, House Armed Services, and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committees. In those early years on the Hill, she also began to develop a reputation as a fiercely loyal friend and counsel--protecting her coworkers and her Member from any threat, willing to take on any challenge in service of the larger cause.

In 2017, as we settled in for what would be a years-long fight with an Administration that would challenge the Congress on a daily basis, the Democratic staff of the House Judiciary Committee had an opportunity to bring in some help. There was really only one choice. Arya joined us that year as Democratic Oversight Counsel--and perhaps it was only then that the battle was well and truly joined.

In her position as Oversight Counsel and, later, as Chief Oversight Counsel, Arya oversaw our response to a rogue and often lawless Presidency, crafting our reaction to each new instance of abuse, obstruction, and public corruption. She helped to hold a sitting Attorney General in contempt of Congress. She was instrumental in the first and second impeachments of President Donald J. Trump. Throughout those long, difficult years, Arya could almost always be found in the heart of the fight, managing the staff, preparing the Members for battle, and holding us all to the highest possible standards. Arya never, ever enters our hearing room unprepared.

Arya's competence and confidence have been key assets to the Committee. Her oversight team has helped to prepare the ground for hearings on almost every topic we cover. She has worked on domestic and foreign surveillance, domestic terrorism, sexual violence, gun violence, hate crimes, and cybersecurity, just to name a few of the many subjects she has handled in her time with us. She has helped to prepare nearly every sensitive witness to appear before the Committee in the past 5 years. Her ability to tell a story through a congressional hearing is unparalleled.

Mr. Speaker, if you had only seen Arya locked in argument with an uncooperative witness or firmly correcting a staffer from across the aisle for some breach of protocol, you might be forgiven for thinking that Arya has an edge. And, make no mistake, she is one of the toughest people to sit in the counsel's chair in the two-century history of our Committee. But what you might miss, if you only saw her in the heat of battle, is a person deeply respected by the Members of this body and beloved by her friends and colleagues. There is no one I would rather have by my side in a fight than Arya Hariharan.

Arya is leaving us for the Senate Judiciary Committee, where she will advance their oversight agenda. We thank Arya for her tireless service to the House Judiciary Committee, and we advise Senator Durbin to keep the candy drawer well stocked for the late nights ahead.

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