Providing for Congressional Disapproval Under Chapter 8 of Title United States Code, of the Rule Submitted By the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Relating to ``Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Fuel System Integrity of Hydrogen Vehicles; Compressed Hydrogen Storage System Integrity; Incorporation By Reference''

Floor Speech

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Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, the motto of the State of Oregon is ``She flies with her own wings.''

I can't think of a better description for my State director Jessica Stevens. After more than 12 years with Team Merkley, I have come to the Senate floor today to bid her a grateful farewell.

Jessica has spent her career serving the people of our State of Oregon. She fought for working families as the executive director of the Oregon State Council of the Service Employees International Union, SEIU, before joining Team Merkley as director of our field team.

I hold a townhall in each of Oregon's 36 counties every year, so leading the field team is a very demanding challenge.

For 3 years, she traveled with me across the length and breadth of our State, from big cities to rural communities, from the Oregon coast to the Owyhee Canyonlands, from the Columbia River to Crater Lake.

So in 2015, when it was time to hire a new State director, there was no question that Jessica was the right person to lead our State team.

For the last decade, she has coordinated between two teams on two coasts, managing six field offices with nearly 20 staff working across Oregon's more than 98,000 square miles.

She has overseen more than 400 townhalls with the people of Oregon. She has built close working relationships with 3 Governors, 11 Members of the House of Representatives, countless State legislators, county commissioners, community leaders, stakeholders, advocates, and constituents, not to mention Senator Wyden's team.

And she leads by example.

As one of our team members said:

Jessica works harder than anyone else. And what we see is only the tip of the iceberg.

Others describe her ``constantly working behind the scenes,'' that she ``squashes trouble,'' ``puts out fires,'' and ``fixes problems nobody [has even yet seen].''

A former Team Merkley member said she ``was so impressed with how Jessica handled [difficult situations, bringing] immense calmness and clarity [with] considerable empathy and support.''

Another former team member said:

Regardless of roadblocks or the crisis du jour, Jessica has always remained dogged and determined to make sure that the people and causes who needed help [get] it.

Jessica has also taken countless members of Team Merkley under her wing. She has encouraging words for our interns, podcast recommendations on tricky local issues.

She sets a ``calm but strong'' example for the entire team, including her ``skill for listening and really seeing all the diverse groups and constituencies'' my office serves.

One longtime member of our team said:

When I first met Jessica, I was pretty intimidated by her as an intern and just recognized immediately [that] she was a badass woman.

Another shared the story of the first time she had to do an airport pickup, saying:

Jessica could tell I was really nervous and offered to come with me . . . so I would feel more comfortable and [that] everything would go smoothly.

Another member of Jessica's team said:

She takes care of family, she takes care of friends, she takes care of her neighbors. She is just honestly incredibly selfless and giving.

Someone said:

[She's] always sending a personal note to celebrate people's good news and glad tidings. [And] it [really] means a lot and builds the kind of camaraderie that makes Team Merkley special.

And one member of my team summed it up by simply saying:

When you have Jessica in your corner, you feel [very] supported and safe.

In addition, she led one of the most consequential and sensitive processes: the nominations of Federal judgeships in Oregon. She supported judicial selection committees of legal and community leaders and worked with the White House to advance these nominations.

Thanks to her tireless efforts, Oregon has made history with its recent appointments, including Judge Adrienne Nelson, who is the first African-American woman to serve on the Federal bench from the District of Oregon, and Judge Mustafa Kasubhai, who is the first Muslim to serve as a Federal judge in the United States.

Her quiet efforts behind the scenes have helped to make our courts and our country more equitable and more just.

The motto of the State of Oregon is ``She flies with her own wings.''

Through workers' strikes and wildfires, through pandemics and post office closings, through the first Trump administration and now the second, she has kept Team Merkley flying for 12\1/2\ years.

It is with deep gratitude that Team Merkley and I thank Jessica Stevens for her service to the people of Oregon. We wish her all the best in her new chapter.

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