The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“Tribute to Tim Hudson (Executive Session)” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S6446-S6447 on Sept. 13.
The State Department is responsibly for international relations with a budget of more than $50 billion. Tenure at the State Dept. is increasingly tenuous and it's seen as an extension of the President's will, ambitions and flaws.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
Tribute to Tim Hudson
Madam President, let me change the subject. We have, throughout the Federal Government, wonderful people working for us. We have people working in all the Agencies. They work diligently; they work for many years; they work under difficult conditions; and they serve the American people. We speak of ourselves as public servants, but there are also public servants who are out there every day answering phone calls, doing the work of the government in whatever Agency, wherever they are, and they are doing important work.
I want to talk about one of them today just for a couple of minutes, a guy named Tim Hudson. Tim's mustache is a lot better than mine. Tim Hudson is retiring this week after 54 years with the National Park Service--54 years with the National Park Service. That is dedication to the public service. He has served in Alaska. He has served at Yellowstone. He came East after Superstorm Sandy to supervise the reconstruction and maintenance of national parks in the East. He is an expert on maintenance, on keeping these places up to speed, up to snuff, so that our citizens can enjoy them.
He came out of retirement or he slowed his retirement to do his last 5 years in the State of Maine. President Obama created Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, a spectacular spot in the middle of the North Woods of Maine. It was somewhat controversial at the time. I spent days up there in public meetings and took a lot of flak and listened to a lot of contrary opinions, some much positive, some negative.
When he created the national monument, the question was, OK, who is going to get it going? Who is going to make it happen? And Tim Hudson answered the call. He spent the last 5 years up there working with the local community. He has done a huge amount of work with the local community to give them confidence in what the Park Service is doing. He has worked with the people, the Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters. He has worked with the people who are helping to develop this wonderful facility for more and more people every year. I think this year, the visitation will be 35, 40, or 55,000 people. It is a spectacular spot.
Tim Hudson started from scratch. I just want to recognize Tim and the thousands like him throughout this country who work on our behalf quietly every day without a Senator making a speech about them, but they go about their work on behalf of the American people. I just didn't want Tim Hudson's retirement to go unremarked because not only does he deserve recognition, so many of his colleagues, whether it is in the Park Service, the Department of Agricultural, the Department of Defense, the Department of Commerce, the Internal Revenue Service, all the people who work on behalf of this country, the brave men and women in the Department of State who work around the world, often in dangerous situations--we need to recognize them. We need to support them. We need to let them know that we know what they are doing and that we care what they are doing.
That is why I am here today to talk about Tim Hudson, a guy who has made a difference for this country for 54 years, and he has made a huge difference for the people of Maine over the past 5 years.
I want to say thanks to Tim and his wife Mary and wish him the best in his retirement. He is the best of what America is all about. He has served us well and he has served the people of Maine well and I appreciate it and thank him for it.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.
