Historic Tax Relief for Families

Floor Speech

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Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Moore) for yielding and for being an incredible member of the best committee in Congress, the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my staff director, Mark Roman, who is leaving Federal service at the end of this week.

For more than one decade, Mark has been one of the most capable and loyal public servants I have ever worked alongside. My team is stronger today because of his judgment and the example his work ethic sets for the rest of my team. He has not only been my most trusted adviser, but I am proud to also call him a true friend.

Mark began working in the House of Representatives just over 20 years ago for his hometown Congresswoman, Ms. Nancy Johnson, from Connecticut. Mark went on to work for two congressional Members from Illinois before he joined my team in 2015 as my deputy chief of staff to serve the great people of Missouri's Eighth Congressional District.

Mark's keen eye for tax policy in particular and, in fact, his keen eye for all policies within the Ways and Means jurisdiction made him so important to me when my colleagues selected me to serve as a member of the Ways and Means Committee. He went on to become my chief of staff and my staff director when I was the Republican leader of the Budget Committee, and my staff director for the Ways and Means Committee for the last 3 years.

Mark's deep understanding of and relationships within the conservative and the populist movements have been invaluable as we worked to build the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

I am told that most Ways and Means Committee staff directors often have their legacies defined by their one signature accomplishment, and I think it says so much about Mark that his signature accomplishment will be the largest tax cut in our Nation's history and a bill remembered for rejecting special interest tax policy in favor of relief for the tens of millions of working American families, farmers, and many small businesses that are the heartbeat of this Nation.

I know that Mark's wife, Tate, and his two wonderful children, Johnny and Ann Tate, have made a lot of sacrifices along the way to allow him to serve for so long, and I will say I am blessed to call them family as well.

Mark is not going far, and even though he won't be here in the Capitol with us, I have no doubt he will continue to leave a lasting impact on all of us after he leaves. His incredible tenure of service has strengthened my team and this institution for the better.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in thanking Mr. Mark Roman for his dedication and years of public service to this institution.

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