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Floor Speech

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Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I rise today to answer a simple but a complex question and, in doing so, to acknowledge and to honor the work of one of the most dedicated, gracious, thoughtful, decent public servants I have ever known: my chief of staff, Jonathan Stahler.

The question I am answering is: Who is this man, this Jonathan Stahler; and why was I so blessed to have the years I have enjoyed, to serve alongside him; and what has his impact been on my office, my State, this Senate, and me?

After close to 18 years in the Senate--5 years with former Senator Bayh of Indiana and nearly 13 in my office--Jonathan is embarking on a new journey. He is headed to the north to serve at the United Nations as Chief of Staff to our Ambassadors there, and his last day with this institution and my team is fast approaching.

I have given other floor speeches. I have had other departing dedicated and talented staff. Jonathan hired nearly all of them. Jonathan, uniquely, among those I have thanked and honored, has played an absolutely central--a central--role in shaping my office, in transforming the culture, and in delivering a harmonious, productive, supportive team. He hired, mentored, and motivated great leaders. My team is immeasurably better because of Jonathan's values, his commitment to public service, and his focus on others.

Let's take a little biographical tour first. Jonathan is from Newton, MA, from a blessed State in New England--not Delaware but still a wonderful State--that has produced many talented members of this body. He received his degree from an outstanding institution--Washington University in St. Louis--where he studied political science and government.

And informed by the boundless optimism and idealism, the dedication to make right what is wrong about our Nation and to improve our world that his mother gave him as an animating spirit, he moved here 20 years ago to work for the Children's Defense Fund, a remarkable organization led by a talented woman, known as one of Washington's most effective and tireless antipoverty, antiracist, oriented toward progress, data- driven change organizations.

Having arrived here 20 years ago to begin that work, he then decided he was in love with this institution and started just a few years later, initially as a legislative correspondent for Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana. He rose to be an LA and then a deputy LD and was a well- trained, well-prepared legislative team leader when I arrived here late in 2010 having won a special election, looking for someone who could help shape my then-ill-formed legislative ideas.

I was fortunate enough to recruit and hire Jonathan Stahler to be my legislative director. It was one of the best choices I have made in my entire career.

As LD, Jon was famous for having an open-door policy, for welcoming anyone who needed time and a listening ear, comfort, encouragement, direction, reassurance. He built relationships across the aisle. He listened to and often acted on some of my brilliant and insightful and talented legislative initiatives, and he also tolerated and often delivered on some of my whacky or whimsical insights or ideas.

In 2018, after 5 years in which he shaped and led and inspired my policy team, I was grateful he accepted my offer to become my chief of staff. And he realized that my world was more than just legislation: It was Delaware and Washington; it was international and domestic; it was personal and political. And I am so grateful for the contributions he has made.

To better understand why, I think it is best to know the family that shaped him and the values that anchor him.

His stepfather Harold, a lawyer in Boston, said that ``For Jonathan, it was always a thrill to be involved in the work of the Senate and''-- this is one of his great traits--``he never lost a sense of wonder and enthusiasm about his job.''

No matter how late in the night, no matter how inconvenient or grinding the schedule, no matter how concerning the antics in the other Chamber or even occasionally here, Jonathan never lost that sense of wonder at this place.

Stepsister Lizzie suggested that a passion for politics might have started before he arrived here. In fact, ``In high school,'' she recounted, ``Jonathan had a life-sized cardboard cutout of Bill Clinton in his room--perhaps the earliest indication of where his career may land.''

Jake, his stepbrother, said that Jonathan is also, in addition to passionate about politics, in the personal, he is dedicated. He is ``an incredible uncle who keeps his promises,'' taking a niece to Disney World and going to enormous lengths to deliver on a kindergarten speech.

Jonathan's remarkable, big-hearted mother, Dale, was a powerful force in his life--kind and giving, someone who listened and made folks feel like they were the most important person in the room, a counselor and a guide. She was an important presence in our office and, I know, a central feature in his life, and we all miss her.

``Dale had a way of making every single person she met . . . feel like they were the center of the universe--a characteristic,'' Lizzie said, ``Jonathan has mastered.''

His Aunt Barbara shared with us that ``Dale was immensely proud of the work Jon was doing. Dale was passionate about politics, too, and'' as I said, `` . . . cared about making things better.''

She would be so proud of Jonathan's service and legacy here, as are we all.

Let me also give some feedback, if I can, from his colleagues in the office--those who he served with for years--and what they had to say about their boss, their chief of staff.

``Jonathan,'' one colleague said, ``is one of the most self-effacing, humble individuals.'' Not just in Washington but in our world. ``His dedication to supporting others--his endless supply of energy and empathy . . . is remarkable.''

I will ratify this one: ``He was here for the right reasons--he wanted to serve. He saw each day as [a chance] to solve problems.''

Another said, ``Jonathan was always willing to provide some `chain momentum' by chiming-in on an email thread in order to ensure we moved toward the desired outcome.''

I regret I have rarely provided chain momentum.

Another former colleague said that Jonathan is the rarest of specimens in DC: ``authentic, empathetic, smart, funny, and a great softball player. The proverbial 5-tool player.''

Another trusted colleague said, ``Jonathan has a keen ability to know what a person needs before they themselves know it. Whether that be guidance, laughter, cheering up, strategy, or a `full cone,'''--a ``full cone of silence,'' apparently, ``to listen.''

And I would say that Jonathan fights harder for others than he does for himself. That is the very definition of servant leadership.

As we were talking through family and colleague memories, I was reminded that you have never seen Jonathan more focused and determined than when asked by his niece to present about government to a fifth grade class. He went supersonic. He had a whole series of conversations with her to discuss his vision. This is a fifth grade class, I will remind you. He brushed up on specific policy knowledge, and he put together an interactive PowerPoint for 10-year-olds and held several practice runs with staff to ensure his delivery was the best possible for his niece.

While I may make light of it, that sort of intensity, that sort of heartfelt dedication to family, is one of his most charming qualities.

Trinity is one of his most beloved colleagues, our deputy chief. Whenever a niece or nephew of Trinity's would visit our office, Jonathan would inevitably offer some fun or unexpected behind-the- scenes experience in the Capitol Complex.

And he was not just serious and heartfelt but also fun, dedicated to team-building through things like paintball competitions or trips to the DC car show--apparently without the Senator.

He also had some quirks. Jonathan is fond of asking about what the dew point is rather than the temperature in order to assess the proper attire for an event, something with which I was unfamiliar.

Although incredibly unsafe and unwise, he prefers, frequently, to use a scooter, whenever possible, and never missed a chance to connect with the most infamous of Delawareans, one James Francis Paoli, a denizen of the Starboard in Dewey.

Jonathan, gradually, through Jim's tutelage, has become not just tolerant of but a true fan of Orange Crush at Friday morning breakfast.

Jonathan was, in some ways, a superhero of this place. He used his chief of staff powers for good, whether it was an urgent passport matter to save a family vacation or someone who needed access to lifesaving medical care. He always made time to do the little things that make a big impact for staff and constituents and sometimes the big things that can literally change the course of a life.

He enjoyed sharing everything, from embassy events to, literally, tours of the Capitol Dome conducted in person.

As I mentioned before, his mother was a trained therapist, and, from that, Jonathan gained really important tools. One well known to the practitioners of the dark arts of organizational development is the Myers-Briggs test. Jonathan is a Myers-Briggs expert. He uses it as his decoder ring to better understand his colleagues and, even on occasion, me.

Jonathan is an INFP. I am an ENFP. To those of you who have endured the rigors of Myers-Briggs testing, you know that is enough in common that we are both ``diplomats,'' individuals known for their empathy, passionate idealism, and diplomatic skills, which I hope will serve him well in New York.

Jonathan knew that I get energy by talking to people--extrovert--and that I make decisions about issues by talking to people. As his family and friends will tell you, Jonathan is someone who doesn't, who prefers text messages and rarely, if ever, answers a ringing phone. In fact, you would often find him with noise-canceling headphones on in his office, a very polite but very real ``do not disturb'' signal. We often say he isn't always there when you call, but he is always on time.

Jonathan also has exceptionally good taste in whiskey, something we have enjoyed together on a few occasions, and I, hopefully, look forward to enjoying again tonight.

We went through many different periods, many different chapters here in the Senate, in my home State, and in our lives. We comforted each other on the loss of our parents. We consoled each other when a bill failed. And we celebrated together when legislation made it to the President's desk.

In the very long period that was the pandemic, when so many of the offices of the Senate and so much of the work, the business that happens here, the steady parade of constituents, and the constant noise in the halls dimmed, quieted, Jonathan and a small group gathered day after day after day, dedicated to be that 224-A team that carried us through the pandemic. And I will never forget some of those long but very good days together.

Some say being a Senate chief of staff is the highest calling of any public servant here. Being a chief, frankly, is a very demanding, often thankless job that requires 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, attending to the demands of constituents, the needs of staff, and, yes, the whims of Members and the challenges that they so often create, sometimes daily.

Jonathan has given so much to our team, to our office, to his colleagues, and to me. He is and has been the ideal chief of staff.

I have been incredibly lucky, Jonathan, to have your guidance and support for 13 years together and to work through, together, times that were interesting, grave, genuinely scary, sometimes fun, sometimes hysterical, and certainly historic.

We have had times of concern and alarm, of hope and optimism, and overall of accomplishment. It has been a long and sometimes strange trip together, but, Jonathan, you should be confident in the team you built, the culture you have cultivated, the LD whom you have helped mentor and bring along to succeed you, and the remarkable legacy of accomplishment you are leaving behind.

The heartfelt idealism, the overbrimming optimism, the determination to make a difference that first brought you to this our Nation's Capital--you leave this place with those qualities undimmed, that capability strengthened, and that forward trajectory made more sure.

As Juliet says to Romeo, in Shakespeare--I think it is act II, scene II--``Parting is such sweet sorrow.'' It is an ancient but modern way to remind us that good-byes are painful.

But this is not good-bye. This is good luck. This is: Know that you go with my thanks and the blessings of my office and my family and my State for your next chapter of public service.

Our Ambassador in New York, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, and the entire team at our U.N. Ambassador's office will be blessed to have you, and I am excited for your new adventure to serve alongside another great public servant.

My office, my State, our Senate, and our Nation are immeasurably better because of your kindness, your generosity, and your dedication to public service, and I cannot thank you enough.

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