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Floor Speech
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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, for 2 weeks now, I have come to the floor to continue thanking my staff in the Republican leader office publicly for their outstanding and ongoing work.
Over the years, I have been very fortunate to have so many tremendously talented individuals helping me tend to the duties of the leader. But just as I am grateful that so many have decided to join our team, I am even more gratified by how few have decided to leave.
Since I became leader, my office here in the Capitol has been steered by just two chiefs of staff. We have had just two communication directors, two national security advisers, three legal counsels--just to name a few examples. It has been a bit like managing a baseball team with a franchise player in every single position--every one of them marked by loyalty, professionalism, and genuine expertise.
So, today, I would like to single out members of this all-star team of policy advisers. I will begin with my senior adviser on appropriations, Cindy Herrle.
My entire team misses Cindy around the office, but the wealth of institutional expertise she lent to our efforts more than earned her the right to close out a distinguished chapter on Capitol Hill. She retired earlier this year.
Cindy joined my team with about the most impressive resume in senior congressional leadership you could possibly have: House committee work, two Speakers of the House, and a Senate whip. Suffice it to say: She knows her stuff.
Cindy's experience gave her a sixth sense of spotting issues along the way or anticipating pitfalls and helping us all avoid them.
She knows the arcane mechanics of budgets and appropriations. She knows the people who write them, edit them, and pass them. And her understanding of both Chambers gives her and anyone fortunate to have her in their corner a macro view of the process of funding the government.
I know my team was especially grateful for Cindy's skills as a ``House whisperer,'' so to speak. She was our forecaster for legislative prospects across the Capitol, a trusted liaison with the lower Chamber, whenever it came time to get important bicameral efforts across the finish line.
And even in the most stressful moments, Cindy knew how to cut the tension, donning her trusty ``good luck'' sunglasses or inviting colleagues to enjoy her annual Dolly Parton Advent calendar.
Cindy can look back with pride both for delivering excellence in difficult circumstances and for making so many friends all along the way.
But I am confident that Cindy's dearest relationship on the Hill was the parallel service of her brother Patrick, who is in the Capitol Police.
I am grateful to each of them for their decades of devoted service. Thank you, Cindy.
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