Mr. President, today I pay tribute to Betty Burger, a remarkable public servant and extra-ordinarily devoted congressional staffer. Betty died on Saturday at the age of 87. Betty was my chief caseworker and my oldest and longest serving staff member.
Although I am deeply saddened by her departure, it brings me comfort to know this devoted mother, grandmother and great-grandmother slipped peacefully into the hands of her Maker.
Mr. President, it’s fitting that Betty’s loved ones kept vigil by her bedside. For nearly 40 years, Betty Burger kept vigil for the people of Iowa. She started on Capitol Hill working for Iowa Representative Fred Schwengel. After Congressman Schwengel left office, she worked for an Illinois Congressman for two years. She joined my staff on my first day on the job in Washington after I was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1974. Since then – for the last 39 years – Betty has worked as a congressional staffer for Iowa.
If Congress needed any rationale for eliminating mandatory retirement age in 1986, Betty Burger is it. As my chief caseworker, Betty earned a lifetime of experience on the job, mastering the ins and outs of the federal bureaucracy. Her countless contacts within federal agencies put a face on the so-called faceless bureaucracy. No one knew how to cut through red tape more swiftly and surely. Betty was a masterful detective the way she tracked down disability claims and benefit errors at the Social Security Administration. She decoded the maze of paperwork at Veterans’ Affairs Department and navigated byzantine immigration rules for constituents struggling with citizenship, employment status and deportation issues. Betty Burger knew how to cut to the chase at the State Department for Iowans who were traveling, working or studying abroad.
Most of Iowa’s 2.9 million residents didn’t know Betty Burger personally, but I want them to understand how this dedicated public servant made a difference for Iowans. Betty did her job for them with remarkable efficiency, tenacity and integrity. I heard first-hand gratitude about Betty's work from individual Iowans nearly every time I went home and held town meetings.
Betty also touched the lives of Iowans and their families through her work to nominate outstanding young people to our nation’s service academies. She would always talk about what a great group we had this year. Let me tell you, we always had a great group according to Betty! These kids and their parents had several conversations with Betty as they maneuvered through the nomination process. They were an inspiration to her and she knew with good young Iowans in our academies, like the ones she helped me nominate, our country would be left in good hands.
In my office, Betty served as a role model to young staffers and seasoned colleagues alike. Her work ethic taught others to keep one’s nose to the grindstone. Her professional attire taught others appearances do make a positive impression in the workplace. Her sharp-witted humor elicited laughter and taught us we could count on Betty to put a smile on our faces. Her uncanny grasp of cultural trends and current events taught others how to embrace aging and use one’s work and life experiences for the greater good.
I can’t talk about Betty without making it clear that she was a fiercely loyal and proud Republican. She modeled compassionate conservatism each and every day she helped an Iowan. Day in and day out, Betty untangled a knot at a federal agency for those who may have felt at the end of their rope trying to get an answer.
Mr. President, I often tell Iowans that representative government is a two-way street. Well, Betty Burger lived and breathed the spirit of representative government. She was the capable, no-nonsense person on the other end of the phone who brought thousands upon thousands of Iowans hope and peace of mind. She paved the street between Iowans and the federal agency with which they required service.
As her boss, I owe Betty a debt of gratitude for her tireless commitment and unwavering loyalty. As Iowa’s senior senator, I place a premium on constituent services. Betty understood this as well as anyone and exceeded my expectations.
As her friend, Barbara and I extend our heartfelt sympathies to Betty’s family and the loved ones she leaves behind.
As they remember their beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend and neighbor, please know we will dearly miss this classy and spirited Iowan who became part of our family during her honorable tenure – a lifetime -- on Capitol Hill.
In the last four decades, many Iowans may have felt touched by a guardian angel when Betty worked her magic on their behalf. May God’s blessings continue to shine upon this guardian angel from Fairfield, Iowa, as she rests in peace alongside her husband John.
Thank you. I yield the floor.