Judd Gregg: “let me begin by thanking all my colleagues for their very constructive efforts today. The fact that we were able to…”

“let me begin by thanking all my colleagues for their very constructive efforts today. The fact that we were able to complete the voting process today was a reflection of the willingness of people in this Chamber, especially the staff who acted in an extraordinarily professional way. Also, of course, I want to thank Senator Conrad and his staff, Mary Naylor and her team. Senator Conrad has been an incredibly positive, constructive, and professional individual to work with on this bill. This bill would not have been completed--even though he may not agree with the bill, which he doesn't, obviously, and he has argued his position--he has been more than fair in allowing us to proceed through the bill. And it is a reflection of his extraordinary professionalism. I thank everyone on the staff, except his chart maker. (Laughter) I also especially want to thank my staff--led by the inimitable Scott Gudes--Gail Miller, Jim Hearn, Cheri Reidy, and the rest of the staff-- Dave Fisher and Denzel McGuire. We have had two staff members who have had children just recently, Bill Lucia and Matt Howe. Matt's child was born just as the debate started. I am sure he called him ``deficit reduction.'' We are all very excited about that. We very much appreciate the extraordinary job the staff has done here.…”