Honoring the Service of Mr. Walter Hearne to the U.S. Congress and the House Committee on Appropriations
Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to an exemplary staff member of the House Committee on Appropriations, Mr. Walter Hearne, as he retires from Federal Government service this year.
For twenty-five years, Walter has served the U.S. Congress with distinction. He began his career in 1999 as a Staff Assistant with the Senate Budget Committee where he developed an affinity for the federal budget process. In 2002, he transitioned to the U.S. House of Representatives, and the House Committee on Appropriations, where he served for several years as professional staff on the Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government and the Subcommittee on Transportation and the Treasury.
In 2004, Walter began working on funding our national security when he joined the Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. For seven years, Walter worked to pass annual appropriations bills that improved the quality of life for service members and their families including improvements in medical care, housing, and child development centers. At the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Walter also worked to pass several supplemental appropriations bills in support of ongoing military operations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
In 2011, Walter brought his national security and appropriations experience to the Subcommittee on Defense, where he would work for the next fourteen years. On the Subcommittee, Walter primarily served as the professional staff member in charge of the Air Force portfolio. He worked on programs of tremendous national security importance like the modernization of America’s nuclear triad, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the KC-46 tanker, and Intelligence Community programs. Ultimately, Walter would assist in shepherding fifteen appropriations bills through Congress while serving as staff on the Subcommittee on Defense.
In the 117th Congress, I was honored to serve as the Chair of the Defense Subcommittee during a particularly tumultuous time in America’s national security. This Congress included the COVID-19 pandemic, the end of the War in Afghanistan, and the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. I was able to be successful as Chair during the 117th Congress because of the incredible Subcommittee staff serving with me, Walter chief among him. As Chair, I knew I could always count on Walter’s utmost professionalism, deep wealth of knowledge, and his best counsel, which he has always provided to Clerks and Chairs of the Subcommittee from both parties. His work and was critical to helping me enact the Fiscal Year 2022 and Fiscal Year 2023 Defense Appropriation Acts, and I will always be grateful to him for his work.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join my colleagues in recognizing Walter Hearne’s achievements over 25 years working in Congress and his record of incredible service to our nation. I wish him all the best in the years to come.