Political Quotes

“Mr. President, it is with great sadness that I rise to note the passing of, and acknowledgement of, the service of a valued member of the Intelligence Committee staff. On the evening of April 23, while attending a conference on behalf of the committee, Matthew Pollard lost his life to a heart attack. He was 52 years old. Matt is survived by his mother, three older sisters, and a young son Bradley, who was the cherished one. Matt served honorably in the Army as an intelligence officer and twice deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, from 2003 to 2004, and Operation Enduring Freedom, from 2009 to 2010. Matt was smart. He was really smart. He held a master's degree in strategic intelligence and mechanical engineering and was close to completing his third master's degree. Matt had one of those jobs, like many who serve on my committee, that you can't talk about very much. That silence did not accurately reflect the value he brought to the Intelligence Committee. He filled a critical role. He was the majority staff member responsible for conducting oversight over the Nation's overhead architecture. In layman's terms, he knew satellites. Matt knew a lot about satellites. He knew about what they were capable of and what they weren't capable of. He knew what they cost and, perhaps more importantly, what they should not have cost. Matt also had the unique ability to explain the unexplainable, which, as many here know, is a rare skill.…”