Political Quotes

“Mr. President, it is a somewhat poorly kept secret that many of the successes of government are attributable to those who work outside of the limelight. While Senators, Cabinet Secretaries, and even the generals in our military are the public face of the policies of the United States, behind every leader is a cadre of dedicated and knowledgeable civil servants. Today I wish to call out one name in particular. Ellen Maldonado, a professional staff member on the Senate Appropriations Committee, will soon be retiring after 30 years of government service. Ellen joined the Defense Subcommittee in 2006, brought onboard by my friend and former colleague, Senator Ted Stevens. The subcommittee, and in fact the Senate as a whole, was fortunate to find someone with such a wealth of talent and experience in the complex field of budgeting for our Armed Forces. Ellen has worked at every level of the budgeting workforce for our military establishment. She began her career as a program analyst at the Naval Ship Research and Development Center in Carderock, MD, and rapidly progressed through the ranks in critical budgeting positions both inside and outside the beltway. Some of her most rewarding positions outside of Washington have included service at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA, Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field, and even the U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru. Inside the Pentagon, Ellen worked on an impressive array of budgeting issues.…”