Recognizing Mandy Schaumburg Upon Her Retirement

Floor Speech

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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, this speech is bittersweet. I stand to commend a member of my committee staff, Mandy Schaumburg, on her 20 years of public service.

I thank Mandy for her years of service to this committee and this country and for being someone that I could count on to get the job done. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I have high standards, and sometimes people struggle to meet them. Not Mandy.

Mandy not only met those standards. She exceeded them. She will be missed by our team, by the committee, and by me.

Throughout her 20 years in Federal service, Mandy worked for former Representative Mark Green of Wisconsin and for the U.S. Department of Education under the leadership of Secretary Spellings.

Mandy made her mark on the Education and the Workforce Committee, as well. She served this committee under Chairs Boehner, McKeon, Miller, Kline, Scott, and me.

Throughout this time, she became highly respected on both sides of the Capitol for her expert knowledge on education and human services policy and for her ability to build coalitions.

Having great ideas in Congress gets you only so far. You also need someone who knows how to implement those ideas. This is what Mandy was best at. Mandy often came up with creative and strategic solutions that brought individuals across the policy spectrum together. As a result, she was able to see numerous pieces of legislation make it across the finish line.

Throughout the last two decades, Mandy was involved in nearly every major piece of education legislation. This includes laws that provide relief to victims of Hurricane Katrina as well as legislation that reformed child nutrition laws, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, and so many more.

Mandy has spent much of her career ensuring families have high- quality education options for their children. Fighting side by side with Mandy to spread education freedom has been an honor. She has also been a fierce advocate for maintaining student privacy, something that is increasingly under threat today.

Additionally, Mandy worked on providing practical solutions to ensure schools are able to implement the school meal programs effectively. This allowed more children to get the help they needed while also protecting taxpayers.

I have also appreciated Mandy's dedication to holding the Federal Government accountable no matter which party controls the White House.

Oversight has always been one of my top priorities, and having someone on my team who is as equally committed to slapping back the hand of Big Government whenever it overreaches was a great encouragement.

Lastly, Mandy's dedication to mentoring younger staff members strengthened her team and the committee as a whole. Mandy is one whose door is always open and whose creative input is always welcome.

Her legacy on this committee will last long after she leaves Capitol Hill. As a committee conservative, Mandy will further the cause of freedom wherever she goes.

I wish Mandy all the best. I thank her for her exemplary work.

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