Political Quotes

“Mr. President, there is a definition of ``United States Senator'' that I have always enjoyed: ``A United States Senator is a constitutional impediment to the smooth functioning of staff.'' We may laugh. But we all know that there is a lot of truth in that! On the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, which I chair, I am blessed with one of the finest staff teams on Capitol Hill. And on that staff, Lory Yudin, our chief clerk, has set the highest standard for professionalism, expertise, and work ethic. So it is a sad day for the committee as Lory retires this week. Actually, this is Lory's second retirement from the Senate. She originally came to work in the Senate in 1977, as a staffer for the Banking Committee, later moving to the Rules Committee, and retiring in 2001. She was coaxed to come back to the Senate in 2009. It was a critical time for the HELP Committee, just days before the committee was scheduled to begin markup of the historic health reform bill. We were in sudden, urgent need of a new chief clerk. And not just any chief clerk. This was no time for on-the-job training. We needed a seasoned veteran who could step right in and take charge of a long and complex markup process. Long-time staffers put their heads together and came up with the answer: We need to persuade Lory Yudin to come back to the Senate. Fortunately, Lory said yes.…”