Steve Scalise: “I also wish my friend from New Mexico well in the next phase of his life. I thank him for his service to our country.…”

“I also wish my friend from New Mexico well in the next phase of his life. I thank him for his service to our country. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to make a bittersweet announcement, and that is to say thank you to a member of my staff who has given 31 years of his life to this great institution. I am talking about Bill Hughes. Bill Hughes has decided to retire at the end of the 116th Congress. More than one person has remarked over the years that Bill Hughes comes with the building. Bill has been my policy director since I became the Republican whip in 2014. He was my very first hire in that office. But his career was already legendary when I asked him to unretire and to join the whip team. Bill's career embodies the American Dream. He grew up in South Dakota. He didn't have connections in Washington. He just had a dream. He was drawn to public service, and his breaks came through hard work. He became an expert on the Federal budget and the legislative process. For 31 years, Bill has been part of some of the biggest policy debates, legislative achievements, and history-making events of our time. He retires still doing what he dreamed about doing as a young kid growing up in rural South Dakota. Bill has served as policy director for a Speaker of this House. He served as staff director for a committee, as Chief of Staff for a Senator, and a staff director for the Senate Republican Policy Committee.…”