February 25, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 37 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session
TRIBUTE TO JAY KHOSLA; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 37
(Senate - February 25, 2020)
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[Page S1124] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] TRIBUTE TO JAY KHOSLA Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, on a totally different matter, I have a duty this morning that somehow ranks among my most favorite activities and least favorite activities simultaneously. The good news is that I get to recognize a key member of my staff whom I have come to know and admire a great deal. The bad news is the occasion. This week, after 15 years of outstanding service, he is bidding farewell to the Senate. So I am unhappy with the circumstances, but I could not be more happy to talk about Jay Khosla. For just shy of 2 years, Jay has served as my chief economic policy counsel. Trade, taxes, banking, and financial services; pensions and retirement; housing--for 2 years, any answer I needed on any of these subjects was one phone call, one email, or one quick meeting away. You can go a long way in this town if you master either the policy details of big issues or the politics surrounding those issues. Jay has mastered both. When you have a lot of talent and intelligence, major projects tend to find their way to your desk. So consider the fact that Jay has been at the center of practically every major economic policy achievement over the past decade-plus. Jay arrived as a young healthcare staffer for then-Majority Leader Bill Frist. Talk about an opening act--not just working for a majority leader, but one who is also an M.D. and who is focused on healthcare. The bar was set high, but Jay, of course, exceeded it. He moved to the Budget Committee and then crafted policy for Senator McCain's Presidential campaign. Then, he returned to work for Senator Hatch and the Finance Committee. Before long, Jay was Senator Hatch's secret weapon. As he rose through the ranks to policy director and then to staff director, he rapidly became a not-so-secret weapon. He was an invaluable asset to the chairman, to the committee, and, really, to our entire conference. His relationships extended across the aisle as well. Our Democratic colleagues respect him greatly. His colleagues on the committee remember that, even when it might have been easier to pull back behind party lines and just try to craft a bill within the majority, Jay stayed stubbornly dedicated to the bipartisan process as long as possible. A team player, an honest broker, Jay doesn't want to just get big things done, he wants to get them done the right way. From trade promotion authority in 2015 and historic tax reform in 2017, to USMCA this past year, these huge accomplishments and many more, like fighting the opioid epidemic and fixing the dysfunctional sustainable growth rate that has plagued Medicare--all of these issues had this staff leader right at the center. In many cases, his work started months or years in advance, meeting with leaders, pouring the foundation for new policy, and staying on the case right through to the finish line. Needless to say, this is a resume that, basically, anyone in Washington would kill for, but effectiveness is only part of Jay's magic. The colleagues whom Jay supervised at the Finance Committee remember a boss who was kind, generous, patient, and unflappable, even as he guided them through legislation of the highest consequence. More recently, we in the majority leader's office have relished his laugh-out-loud punch lines, his deadpan sarcasm, and his creative nicknames. Jay is willing to take everyone down a peg when they need it, including himself. I have worked with all kinds of talented staff, but I have to say that the demeanor that Jay brings to work is somewhat unique. Despite being so knowledgeable, connected, and hard-working, Jay seems to flow through all the challenges with a confidence and calmness that almost borders on relaxation. If you didn't know better, you would almost be suspicious. Somehow, you never see Jay sweat--well, at least not in the office, anyway. Jay's colleagues like to rib him about the personal training regimen he maintains, along with the ultra-healthy diet and other enviable aspects of work-life balance that he somehow manages to carve out in this place that is so notorious for none of that. It is all part of the unique Jay Khosla magic. This is someone who has been known to reply to serious email inquiries with a funny photo of a cat dangling from a tree branch, captioned ``Hang In There!'' Jay is someone who frequently concludes his answers to pressing questions, including from Senators, with a smile and this catchphrase: ``I have a feeling it's all going to work out.'' Somebody less accomplished would never get away with this. From someone with less mastery of the details, you would scoff and find someone else to talk with, but when it is Jay, you know everything will actually work out because he is the one on the case. Jay helps make everyone around him as calm, confident, and cheerful as he is. It is not just because of his charisma. It is because he is so good at what he does. So, look, it is never fun to bid farewell to someone who is a big part of the brains of your operation, and it is never fun to say goodbye to someone who is a big part of the heart of your team either, and it is really no fun to say goodbye to somebody who has managed to be both. Jay has only formally worked for me for a couple of years, but he has been a trusted advisor and an honorary part of my team for a lot longer. He has been a big part of the Senate for more than a decade. When I say that Jay knows how to prioritize, I mean it, and his real bottom line is family. He and his beloved wife Lisa have two boys, Shya and Asher. They form a tight-knit unit together with Jay's parents, Vijay and Suman, and his sister Anchal and beyond. Jay may have made it look suspiciously easy all these years, but jobs like this are never easy, least of all on your family. It turns out that the Khosla clan would like to see a little more of this guy, and Jay doesn't mind the sound of a new chapter and some new challenges either. We are really going to miss him. We thank him for everything. We feel certain his next chapters will bring new happiness all their own. As a wise man once told me, ``I have a feeling it's all going to work out.'' ____________________