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 BEN WARD” mentioning Jeff Merkley was published in the Senate section on pages S170-S171 on Jan. 27.
Of the 100 senators in 117th Congress, 24 percent were women, and 76 percent were men, according to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Senators' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO BEN WARD
Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, our third team member who is leaving is Ben Ward.
I think of Ben as our appropriations wizard. He knows that system inside out, and he is the master of Tribal issues and natural resources issues and so much more. He is heading off to serve as the Office of Management and Budget's Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs. I think the whole world noticed his extraordinary talents, and we are looking forward to continuing to work with him as we strive to make the appropriations efforts as effective as possible.
I think that virtually no one in Oregon has gone untouched by the work that Ben has done over the past 5 years. He has worked to get piping money to Central Oregon to assist the farmers. The farmers not only get more water, but more water gets left in the Deschutes River.
He has worked very hard to advance the improvement of Native fishing sites, treaty fishing sites, on the Columbia River and the preparations to rebuild communities that were wiped out by the building of dams some 70 years ago that have never been properly addressed. He has proceeded to help the Klamath Tribes secure the funds to improve the habitats for their sacred c'waam and koptu fish and to improve the whole, entire water ecosystem in the Klamath Basin for all of the stakeholders.
When we had a big problem with sea lions that were blocking the fish ladders and blocking the mouths of streams and tributaries, he concocted probably more than a dozen plans to try to find one that could move through this legislative process and address the challenge, and he succeeded.
He helped get funding so that we could have more people fighting fires on the frontlines, and he helped to get funding so we could thin the forests and treat the forests so that they would be less likely to burn in the first place.
He helped us get money for the coastal ports so they could be drudged and so they would continue to operate appropriately and safely for the economy of the coastal ports.
He helped us make sure we got help for the diverse agricultural research stations in Oregon and for the mass timber project that is developing whole new categories of engineered wood products that can build buildings that are 14 stories high out of wood rather than concrete and steel, utilizing our incredible supply of amazing wood in the Pacific Northwest. He also assisted our universities in getting funding for all kinds of programs.
The list is almost inexhaustible, but I think we all understand the point. He is incredibly talented at seeing opportunities and is incredibly persistent in seizing those opportunities. That is Ben's way of getting things done. That is why he has been so valued, and that is why we will greatly miss him.
Ben, we wish you all the best as you work on behalf of the Biden administration and the larger OMB process in coordination with the U.S. Senate.
To each of these team members, I say that, once you are a member of Team Merkley, you are never not a member. You will always be part of our family. We so much appreciate what you have contributed to the team and what you have contributed to building a better world.
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