Chuck Grassley: “I rise today to pay a tribute to Vee Burke, specialist in income maintenance, Domestic Social Policy Division, a…”

“I rise today to pay a tribute to Vee Burke, specialist in income maintenance, Domestic Social Policy Division, a dedicated and gifted employee at the Congressional Research Service, who will be retiring from CRS at the end of this month. Mrs. Burke is a graduate of the University of Chicago. She has four grown children and is the widow of Vincent Burke with whom she wrote Nixon's Good Deed, a book about Nixon's welfare reform proposals. When Mrs. Burke joined CRS more than 30 years ago, she was already a recognized expert in the field of public welfare. During her tenure at CRS, she became a leading expert on the history, evolution and interaction of welfare and public assistance programs for low-income individuals and families. Because of her stature as one of the leading authorities in the country in this policy area, Mrs. Burke's advice and assistance has often been required by the Congress. Over three decades, Mrs. Burke has contributed to major congressional deliberations affecting AFDC and related public assistance programs, including the sweeping welfare reforms enacted in 1996 that replaced AFDC with TANF.”