Political Quotes

On the recordJanuary 27, 2021
I have two other team members who are leaving. Laura Updegrove is leaving us to work with the Biden administration. She came to us after serving in various foreign policy roles at the State Department, the Department of Defense, and the White House. She joined our team 4 years ago to bring her extensive expertise to bear on our foreign policy portfolio, and I am sure glad she did. During her tenure in my office, I have been astonished, time and again, by the depth and breadth of her knowledge, her work ethic, her strong organizational and management skills, and the way she approaches each and every task with a very positive attitude. Those traits make her not only a top-notch legislative staffer but a terrific partner as we work to address a variety of issues. On two occasions, we had the chance to travel on international issues--one trip to many different countries in Africa to better understand the root causes and impacts of the four famines on that continent and to understand how American policy could be changed to assist in these desperately difficult situations. Then, some years ago, we had the genocide carried out against the Rohingya people in Burma. Aung San Suu Kyi came and spoke to the United Nations, and she said: We have nothing to hide. Come and see for yourselves. So Laura went to work in organizing the congressional response, the congressional trip.…
Said by
Jeff Merkley
Democratic · Oregon
Source
govinfo.gov
Jan 27, 2021

Share

More from Jeff Merkley

Aug 6, 2026

Congress cannot afford to commit to another massive military boondoggle that will only succeed in filling the coffers of the military-industrial complex.

commondreams.org
Jul 23, 2026

Our bipartisan bill supports more prescribed fire on the landscape—an essential forest management activity—while giving our communities the resources to plan and prepare for smoke events.

padilla.senate.gov
Jul 21, 2026

We remain supportive of removing dangerous convicted criminals from our communities, but this goal can and must be achieved without endangering these very communities in the process.

wyden.senate.gov
Aug 27, 2026

This nearly $6 million federal award will supercharge PSU’s work by expanding its capabilities and ability to utilize its research in real-world practical situations.

wyden.senate.gov

Other voices in this conversation