Patrick Leahy: “I want to, once again, thank Senator McConnell for his hard work to pass a very good Foreign Operations bill. I also…”

“I want to, once again, thank Senator McConnell for his hard work to pass a very good Foreign Operations bill. I also thank Chairman Stevens and Senator Byrd. I want to thank the staff--Paul Groove and LaShawnda Smith for the Majority. Paul worked countless hours to put this bill together. His patience, high standards, meticulous attention to detail, and unwavering good humor are appreciated by all of us. LaShawnda Smith literally kept the office going. I want to thank Reb Brownell, a detailee from the State Department, who was extremely helpful at every turn. Reb represents the very best that the State Department has to offer. And finally, I want to thank Bob Lester of USAID's Office of General Counsel. We literally could not write this bill without Bob. His knowledge of the Foreign Assistance Act and his drafting skills are unequaled. Although Bob talks of retiring, I don't see any way that we can get along without him. None of us are indispensable, but Bob Lester certainly comes as close as humanly possible.”